2. digital
  3. 164400-25

Streaming Sound Quality - Want the very best sound quality? Network Acoustics ENO...

Like many of you fellow Agoners I am striving to get the best sound quality out of my digital streaming front end. To that end I have invested in various high end switches, re-clockers, ethernet cables, various USB filters/re-clockers, high end servers and delved into fiber optic conversion configurations. All of these measures did improve sound quality at varying levels. I felt my system sounded as good as a decent CD transport on many streaming recordings in Qobuz. However, I still felt there was something missing. I felt my system was still being held back. You can see my system under virtual systems here.

Well, I stumbled across something that has finally enabled my digital system to be all it can be. I cannot fully express the level of sound quality improvement realized with the addition of the Network Acoustics ENO Ag filter and ENO Ag streaming ethernet cable. It has been 10 days now since I added these to my system and I can now confidently say my streaming and system are all they can be sonically.

Here is the set up that has caused me to sell off and move past many other powered filters, reclockers, fiber optic options, and other streaming tweaks and gadgets. Frankly, the ENO additions are miles ahead of these other options sonically in my system and experience. Miles. This is my personal experience and please understand this perspective.

Netgear NighHawk modem/router power by an LPS > Supra cat 8 ethernet cable > English Electric 8Switch > Network Acoustics ENO Ag streaming cable > ENO Ag ethernet filter > Innuos Zenith III > Mojo Audio Evo dac

The English Electric 8Switch is also wonderful. Will a lower cost, standard switch sound as good in this set-up? Not sure as I have not tried. I am so ecstatic with my sound system that I don’t want to touch it!

There is a certain rightness from top to bottom that’s intoxicating. The tone is so beautiful and natural with no hint of electronic glare or digital artificiality. Music flows with far greater ease and has an uncanny, unforced nature to it. The stage is far deeper with the music flowing from a plane that is layered and completely separate of the speakers. This aural sensation, at this level of nuance, is new to my system and experience. The ENO products made this possible.

Instruments are presented with a new realism that is arresting to my senses. There is a wholistic presentation that spreads out all around me and my space. Just a joy to experience. Yes, the speakers seem to float the music into my space without any attention or localization of the speaker box or physical presence.

No part of frequency spectrum is out of place or forced. I am sure this has to do with the absence of noise. My music is equally articulate and resolved at low or loud volumes. Music stays controlled and enticing no matter how complex or bombastic the recording.

The ENO filter is passive, not powered, so there is no need of any power supply or plug. This is a huge plus.

Hope you streaming audiophiles find this helpful.

Bill
128x128grannyring
audiom3
152 posts
 

@debjit_g wrote: "of all these yrs that I have been experimenting, introducing fiber not necessarily translates to better sound - it’s just sounds different. In most cases (in some of my friends setup and mine) I have seen a softening effect to a point where it mars out the details slightly."

Interesting findings.  In my experimentation/complete overhauling of my copper to fiber LAN, there was never a marring out of details.  It was quite the opposite actually.  Much better extension, space and micro details when I removed all of the added distortion/noise from the infrastructure.  Fiber optics > copper+filters every day of the week.

debjit_g
280 posts
 

Interesting findings.  In my experimentation/complete overhauling of my copper to fiber LAN, there was never a marring out of details.  It was quite the opposite actually.  Much better extension, space and micro details when I removed all of the added distortion/noise from the infrastructure.  Fiber optics > copper+filters every day of the week.

It's vastly system dependent and also depends on who has the worst noise copper or fiber in a particular deployment. Just having fiber doesn't not mean better sound - that's a misconception. A lot of folks uses FMC to convert copper to fiber and then another FMC to convert is back to copper. Remember the Xilinx fpga used in most FMC creates a ton of noise and jitter by themselves and to top it over you have added power supply noise. All adds up but the bottom line is if you find fiber sounds better, that's what matters :-) 

Having said that, I still use fiber between the Buffalo and the EdgeRouter.

mitch2
3,995 posts
 

In my experimentation/complete overhauling of my copper to fiber LAN, there was never a marring out of details.  

My experience too.  I had switched back to 45 feet of Ethernet over the weekend and just switched back to fiber.   Even with the two additional converter boxes (both with LPS) the slight effect was a very slight smoothing or taking an edge off but more to the positive than the negative and without losing detail or sparkle.  Both sound good but I like the fiber just a touch better.

debjit_g
280 posts
 

I am looking at the NA website but there is no mention of Eno Ag anymore as has been mentioned several times in this thread. Did they remove the Ag and copper version and now has only one version to sell ? Is it Ag or copper ?

debjit_g
280 posts
 

My experience too.  I had switched back to 45 feet of Ethernet over the weekend and just switched back to fiber.   Even with the two additional converter boxes (both with LPS) the slight effect was a very slight smoothing or taking an edge off but more to the positive than the negative and without losing detail or sparkle.  Both sound good but I like the fiber just a touch better.

Folks, I think my use case might be completely different than yours. I am NOT talking about fiber through FMC vs direct copper. I am talking about the differences between the Fiber NIC vs JCAT Net NIC. This itself carries a lot of weight and sets the right context.

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