I'll say it more clearly that I said it above. Wireless sucks.
Router for Audio Streaming
I have been streaming Pandora, Spotify and Qobuz through a wifi network streamer from a Netgear AC1750 R6400v2 router with no sound quality complaints.
Recently a router firmware update failed (a known issue with these) and as a result it is no longer accessible for administration. It still seems to perform ok and accepts new devices however the network settings are "frozen" and I am unable to view device IP addresses or traffic, neither via desktop browser nor via the Nighthawk app.
I will try a factory reset but have read that quite often this does not work in these situations, so I started investigating getting a new router to be able to pull the trigger quickly if needed.
I heard/read that routers can make a difference in sound quality, beyond just being able to keep up with streaming with no buffering. I'm wondering what router experience and recommendations folks have here for reliable audio streaming with superior sound quality at a reasonable price.
Thanks!
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I use a Netgear ACxxxx… around $300 and a cheap Net gear wall wart extender… into which I plug my Aurender W20SE. From this I get performance at the same level as my $45K turntable and Phonostage. My belief is that ultimately your streamer is most responsible for the output you get. If you get a budget streamer, then fiddling with the router and connections can help.
I am aware of several +$150K systems operating on $59 extenders that provide world class sound. So, my recommendation is to put effort and money into the streamer and leave fiddling to folks that enjoy fiddling with networks. I spent 40 years in IT… I’m tired of trying to make networks work correctly. Let the streamer cashe and isolate. |
@yage : For whatever it's worth, just ran the netstat command in root - 0 discarded due to badchecksum - this is with my "locked up" Netgear. Below is the relevant subsection (not the whole dump again...). 77680 window update packets 10349 packets recovered after loss 8558 packets received after close 2 bad resets 0 discarded for bad checksum 127869 checksummed in software 127837 segments (9756384 bytes) over IPv4 32 segments (1408 bytes) over IPv6 0 discarded for bad header offset field 0 discarded because packet too short Thanks! |
@ghdprentice , thanks. I am very happy with my streamer (Magna Mano Ultra MkII) and my DAC (RME ADI-2). The only required action currently is either fix or replace the router since it cannot be controlled. That's why the post. Cheers. |
@yoramguy1, wireless is truly inferior. It's like going back to MP3's instead of CD's. Digital signals in routers, cables and WiFi are not 1's and 0's. They are analog square waves that get decoded as 1's and 0's. All sorts of things - cheap routers, cheap power supplies, EMI and RFI - all interfere with those square waves being perfectly square. If they're not square, the timing gets distorted. Sending a low-buck radio signal through the air - WiFi - gets interfered with really easily. Ethernet cables do a much better job. The UpTone Audio EtherRegen switch cleans up the problems really well for the price. If you want to spend a lot of money - and who does? - you can use a reclocker and get more perfect square waves. I've got a relatively expensive system, $7k speakers and $5k amp, and use the EtherRegen. I've got SQ and soundstage depth and width that most audiophiles only dream about. WiFi will only give you distortion. I had an electrician run an ethernet cable from my router about 60' to my listening room for $600. $600 incredibly well spent. With your Bryston system - assuming it's set up correctly and your speakers are well positioned - you'll hear a clear improvement in soundstage and SQ.
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- 149 posts total