Network Acoustics Muon ethernet filtering system - Improving streaming sound quality

@lalitk 

@pokey77 

@grannyring 

Yeah it sounds pretty fantastic and I thought it sounded fantastic before, but I'm trying to get my arms around what is really happening. Some out there might scream confirmation bias...but they would be wrong. I have no skin in the game and further, the cost of these, while not insignificant to many, is immaterial to me. The Network Acoustics Muon Pro made a HUGE difference to an already exceptional presentation provided by my Grimm Audio MU1 Server/Streamer. Wow, just WOW.

From router to switch I have swapped in 3 different ethernet cables (AQ Vodka, Totaldac ethernet cable/filter, Network Acoustics Muon ethernet cable) and the Network Acoustics Muon cable sounds more effortless and "alive". Its probably my imagination but that's how it settled for me.

From my Network Acoustics Rubicon switch into my Grimm Audio MU1 server/streamer I tried the same three ethernet cables by themselves and I really couldn't tell them apart.

I then tried the same three cables with the Network Acoustics Muon filter and same result, no discernable difference. Now with my previous Innuos Zenith Mk3 server, the Muon filter/Muon cable made a material positive difference. As I've stated before, I figured the Grimm just didn't need the help or, put another way, I assumed the Grimm "solved" many/most of the same issues that the Muon streaming system addressed.

Next up, I inserted the new Network Acoustics Muon Pro ethernet cable and Muon Pro filter in between my Rubicon switch and Grimm MU1 server/streamer and ... SNAP! ... it was almost a component level positive change. Unreal.  So, the dilemma...and the question: why does ANY of this stuff make a difference? LOL. It does make a material difference but WHY?!?!?

The Grimm (and many other products of a similar nature) loads the entire song (or album) into its memory and then, in the case of the Grimm, it does its magic to the file and plays it back to my dac via AES/EBU. I can disconnect the ethernet cable from the Grimm "on the fly", then "hot swap" to the next cable and the music never stops playing. I can then queue up a new track, it travels through the Muon Pro system into the Grimm's memory so that I can A - B in a reasonably controlled way.

I hear what I hear and I would prefer the previous outcome with the other cables: no material difference....but there IS a material positive difference...but why?

Also Bill, what does the purple fuse do? I am a fuse non-believer with the whole fuse thing...but I am a Grannyring believer so now, I guess, that would make me an agnostic (rather than a non-believer) and possibly leaning in to being open minded! But please tell me why the Muon Pro is so effective and why is a purple fuse another positive enhancement?

@ghasley

The SR Purple fuse may be the single biggest sonic improvement I have heard in my streaming front end. No kidding. Certainly on par with the Network Acoustics, LPSs and switch upgrades I have made. That is my experience with my Innuos Zenith 3. All sonic parameters were greatly improved. All of them. Improved realism, stage size, separation of instruments, noise removal, dynamics improved while sense of ease also improved. Also, the sound is more removed from the speakers and spread out before me to enjoy while my speakers disappear far more!

Now, will you get this same improvement with the Grimm? Don’t know. I do know that fuses are part of the power supply and power supplies are immensely important in our digital front ends.

I have owned many brands of fuses from QSA, Audio Horizons, Create, AMR, Furutech and HiFi Tuning. None of them came close to what the SR Purple delivered in my Innuos Zenith. Just stunning. The SR fuses are adding nothing, but in reality they are removing noise riding in on the AC into the power supply and ultimately into the signal path. Noise that does end up in the signal path causing blurring and all manner of digital artifacts along with the music. Fuses are a bottleneck point in the power supplies of our gear. No doubt about it. We have all these massive and expensive chokes, filtering caps, trannys, and rectifiers, yet the fuse is also an important part within the power supply and is all to often overlooked. Fuses are not just overlooked, but the notion of better quality fuses is labeled as snake oil by some. Too bad.

I have also put the SR fuses in my Circle Labs A200 Int amp with astounding results. Next will be my Tron dac. I am thrilled with the Purple fuses.

You must let them run in for 24 hours before making any assessments. At first I was not thrilled, quite the contrary. However, after 24 hours I was thrilled! Total burn in time is some 200 hours, but 24 hours will be enough to judge their impact?

30 day return policy so they are easy to try?

The NA filters, like your new one, also remove noise that ultimately perverts the signal going into your speakers.

This is an update regarding the Muon.

It now has 100hours in, the sound just kept getting more natural. The digital glare is a thing of the past for good.

I just added a switch today, Bonn N8. Didn’t have the funds to go overboard with a super expensive switch but still wanted to see what it would bring to the table.

OH BOY!

They don’t lie when they say it matters. Wider soundstage, more depht, more weight and slam, more focus.

Where the Muon removed the glare in the sound, the switch brings more weight and bigger sound. It’s running with a cheap wall wart, but a linear power supply will arrive by the end of February. I will update.

To conclude, I really experienced a huge upgrade with the Muon, and another big improvement with the switch. They really go together and bring the streaming experience well beyond what my cd player achieved.

I will be getting the new MUON Pro soon too - already very excited.
Using currently an Sonore OpticalModule Deluxe V2 and EtherRegen into a LUMIN. All the components are running with a Farad Super3 with a SR Purple fuse.

But as mentioned here already, the digital streaming workflow is still full of noise and various surprises. So the interplay of power/ground/noise/jitter/RFI-EMI and various other types of problems creates a very challenging approach to get this right.

I also have a pretty good streaming system consisting of a PP Quad Switch, 2 Optical modules one of them being the Sonore Optical module Deluxe v2 with 2 Finisar 1318BTL SFPs, several Pink Faun LAN cables and Aqua LinQ streamer with HQPlayer core module.

I only stream Qobuz and Tidal from my Roon Rock NUC.

Would that make sense to add the Muon Pro filter between my Sonore Optical module and my Aqua streamer ?

Pehaps i should give it a try ?