Did you manage to find the resolution to the intermittent packing flooding issue in your dac?
In the case of the audiophile Ethernet switch, since there is no mechanism by which the analog reproduction could be affected, we can absolutely ridicule those who claim to hear a difference. Or perhaps pity rather than ridicule, as these people have been taken advantage of by greedy companies and have deluded themselves into believing what those companies claim.
DoS / DDoS flooding is an intentional attack by an outside perpetrator. If an audiophile mistakenly thinks their music reproduction is being affected by such an attack they have bigger things to worry about. If for some bizarre reason such an attack did indeed occur, once again the only result would be a complete dropout of music.
And if you have discovered a way to DoS a network device behind a router (i.e. a switch, audiophile or otherwise) without said router first being itself flooded, or initiate a device-specific attack from within another person's network, the NSA has a job for you.
In this case someone who is paid to find differences in things to write prose found a difference, so I think the ridicule is justified. I am not sure why you are digging in on this and trying to make USB issues applicable to ethernet though.
I'm not saying that the following product is snake oil, it might work very well if you can afford or want it.
But this turntable costs $249,000 - without arm, cartridge or dust cover and weighs 350kg.
https://hificollector.com.au/product/clearaudio-statement-turntable/
What gets me, apart from the price and size, is that it's made of from steel, aluminium and 'bullet proof wood' (sic).
Why on earth would anyone need a bullet proof turntable?!
Geoff
But this turntable costs $249,000 - without arm, cartridge or dust cover and weighs 350kg.
https://hificollector.com.au/product/clearaudio-statement-turntable/
What gets me, apart from the price and size, is that it's made of from steel, aluminium and 'bullet proof wood' (sic).
Why on earth would anyone need a bullet proof turntable?!
Geoff
If the audio magazine sells advertising space, the reader is not their customer. The ad buyers are their customers. The reader is the product that the magazine sells to its advertisers. The fact that they might also charge the reader does not change this dynamic.
I suppose you meant to write "trying to make nonexisting USB issues applicable to ethernet".
USB is a master slave protocol with no packet switching. Ethernet is a packet switched network. Apples to avocados
You'll run out of straws to grasp at if you keep going like this.
Back to the crystal healer and his test setup. Computer GE to L2 device 100BT out of another L2 device 100BT out to super expensive DAC. Where is the EMI being generated and how did the switch fix it?
Back to the crystal healer and his test setup. Computer GE to L2 device 100BT out of another L2 device 100BT out to super expensive DAC. Where is the EMI being generated and how did the switch fix it?
Likely conducted EMI from upstream of where the isolated switch was installed. If we want to know more specifically we need more information than has been given.
BTW, I do not discount that sometimes people imagine things that are not real, and or sometimes people buy junk they don't really need. Aside from those complications, some reports are likely to be found true if properly investigated. Just because it has been estimated that roughly 1/3 of audiophiles are highly neurotic, it doesn't mean the other 2/3 are.
Look, I have seen a silent switcher powered by a wall wart pass conducted EMI into a dac and clearly affect the sound. Powering silent switcher from a 5v linear supply fixed the problem. Also, I measured radiated emissions mostly in the 1-2MHz band all the way from the wall wart, through SS ground, and into the dac ground. Impossible, someone may claim. So what? Its not impossible at all.
BTW, I do not discount that sometimes people imagine things that are not real, and or sometimes people buy junk they don't really need. Aside from those complications, some reports are likely to be found true if properly investigated. Just because it has been estimated that roughly 1/3 of audiophiles are highly neurotic, it doesn't mean the other 2/3 are.
Look, I have seen a silent switcher powered by a wall wart pass conducted EMI into a dac and clearly affect the sound. Powering silent switcher from a 5v linear supply fixed the problem. Also, I measured radiated emissions mostly in the 1-2MHz band all the way from the wall wart, through SS ground, and into the dac ground. Impossible, someone may claim. So what? Its not impossible at all.
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As the silent switcher was designed mainly to be battery powered I am not sure on your suprise there.
But if your theory is correct then a good linear supply for a basic L2 switch will do the job and save thousands. But as there is no ground connection from the switch to the DAC it would have to be mains borne crud that would get through the PSU. dCS should do better than that for $40k
But if your theory is correct then a good linear supply for a basic L2 switch will do the job and save thousands. But as there is no ground connection from the switch to the DAC it would have to be mains borne crud that would get through the PSU. dCS should do better than that for $40k
Ever considered that the "reviewer" never even unpacked the switch and is just making it up whole cloth?
The magazine sells you - the reader - to companies like Nordost - their customer - so that you run out and buy a souped up desktop switch for ridiculous amounts of money.
The result of the review is already pre-determined. "It's great! Go buy!".
Why on earth should the supposed reviewer even bother to try the darn thing out? It's not like the audiophile police will show up at his house and demand to see his streamer. No one will ever know.
Regularly. I generally prefer more equations though.
I wouldn't call those documents "engineering" material though. More like interested-consumer or prosumer material. If an actual engineer learned anything from those PDFs they should go back to university.
Keeping RF out of an analog circuit block is well understood in real engineering enterprises. It can be challenging but is by no means impossible. And if you look closely at an RJ45 port you'll also notice that it's shielded (well, a halfway decent one at any rate)
If the DAC in question is so badly designed that it suffers from RF interference then the customer would be far better off spending the money a snake oil switch costs on a better DAC, where an actual benefit may be obtained. Regardless of the DAC quality, any money spent on such a switch is wasted. Well, maybe not completely wasted - it brings bragging rights amongst other credulous fools.
Edit: I'd like to reinforce billshurv's point: "But as there is no ground connection from the switch to the DAC it would have to be mains borne crud that would get through the PSU" . Ethernet is galvanically isolated.
Really good points.
If any review site (be it audio gear, movies, cameras, etc) provides negative reviews you can be quite sure that the provider of the relevant product will soon cease spending its advertising money on said site...
That's why the only review sites worth bothering with are non-profit/independant reviewers that buy their own kit IMHO.
https://www.rtings.com/ is a good example of this. So is Consumer Reports.
https://www.rtings.com/ is a good example of this. So is Consumer Reports.
Yes, there is some truth to that. Its the same with other kinds of magazines and products too. IME if there there are problems the reviewer will often say something somewhere around the 2nd to the last paragraph of the review that is intended as subtle warning/hint.
I am told the German audio magazines tend to be more blunt.
EDIT: Regarding SS and batteries, USB power packs that produce 5v, IME typically use SMPS to regulate the voltage. I have measured that noise too.
I always appreciate it when reviewers declare any financial interest or other possible conflict of interest they may have, but it doesn't happen as often as it should.
A good point, one I hadn't considered before now. Hmm.
If you are that worried about it use a real battery. The SS runs 5 to 12V input.
I have also measured noise of USB power packs and SS output is clean with USB power packs.
But the real question is how is this related to Ethernet switch impacting dac output? Or is this just another diversion when you run out of arguments?
The racket works both ways: A new, up-and-coming brand might get a really bad review in a big, established magazine to give the small company an "incentive" to take out a full page ad. Or they might write a bad review about the new kid on the block to do their established customers a favor.
That has not been my experience, unfortunately. I live in germany for 29 years now and I grew up with german hifi magazines. In the 90s the big box stores would give away issues of hifi magazines to their customers for free. HiFi test was regularly given away at Saturn Hansa.
Audio and Stereoplay are also always positive. The only semi-respectable one I think is STEREO, they at least publish measurements, very selectively. Beyond that they are the same type of cheerleaders for the industry.
I do respect the speaker building magazine scene here though, Klang & Ton and Hobby Hifi are very thorough and I've learned a lot from them.
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