Basic switch....should I upgrade?

@fredrik222

As I said there is the ethernet digital, and something else.

Really I was just popping in here to suggest people consider SFP+ switches and to highlight that audiophile switches not only do the digital as required but some also seem to deal with the 'something else' to varying degrees.

Sorry, I don't have the energy to debate here.  Ultimately it will lead to what people believe is possible.

@fredrik222 

Wow that overview drives home the complexity behind a simple bit of setup. The gold verses silver analogy is easy enough to get. 

The French word for digital is numérique and that makes it (digital) sound sexy.  

I want my numérique musique to sound its best. 

From Darko review of the Telegartner M12 switch:
 

The manufacturer won’t disclose any details apart from this [presumably machine translated from Japanese]:

‘Our M12 Switch Gold is not bound with those specifications of data transfer and electrical characteristics as a switching hub. Therefore, it is difficult to evaluate by a simple comparison with those for commercially available ones.

PCs, various network boards, switching hubs and routers are network equipment that transmits and receives various data, but become a signal source of transmitting and receiving unnecessary radio wave and noise (= subtle current) simultaneously. A very high level of consideration is required to sweep these negative aspects. The M12 Switch Gold uses aborbers and suppressors for that reason.

The negativeness in various aspects such as EMI/EMC, electro-static field, induction, noise caused by subtle vibration of the chassis is taken into consideration, and the model design including various mechanical features and its assembly procedure is determined.

To realise these, absorbers and suppression parts are adopted in the model, and torque management takes place in various spots during the assembly. The round M12 X-coded connectors added a positive effect.

These are aimed for getting rid of a negative influence from the M12 Switch Gold to other pieces of connected network equipment such as supurious emission and transmission noise generated by the M12 Switch Gold, as well as for protecting the switch itself if an external inductive or electro-static influence comes in.

Our thought that the M12 Switch Gold could be used for network audio came from the above-mentioned features.’”

@kennyc

Choosing an audiophile network switch is confusing. - Not at all.

Researching switches sonic performance based on empirical comparisons seems the only way I can judge price/performance - Bingo! This is the only way to know if a Ethernet switch / filters makes a difference or not.

IMO, best explanation on what an audio specific switch does (or claims to do, if you are on the zeroes and ones camp) is from Uptone: 

‘Truth be told, it was the very first audiophile switch, and very successful. The rest of the manufacturers, took note, and came up with their own switches, often way more expensive. Granted, these audiophile switches obviously do nothing according to the network technicians, so I wonder who buys all these expensive switches 😉