Using optical Ethernet input for your Hifi Rose RS130

Hey OP:

So it looks like you have an SFP port.  These ports are configurable thanks to the plug-in nature with anything from Ethernet to fiber.  Here’s a link to possible options.  

On your router side, you can use an Ethernet to fiber converter or you can get an Asus router with a built-in SFP port as well.

Typical fiber comes with SC or LC connectors and cables can have one of each on either end.  I suggest using LC connectors and cables as they are physically smaller and more convenient. 

So, overall my recommendation is to use SFP modules with LC connectors and LC cables.  Of course the Ethernet/fiber converter is super affordable but if you have the desire to reduce clutter and need to upgrade your router anyway the Asus router with the right SFP module is a cleaner but much more expensive alternative.  Personally I use Ethernet/fiber/Ethernet conversion but mostly as a safeguard against lightning coming in on the entrance. 

Good luck!

Erik

Sorry, should have been more clear.  You should use multimode fiber with LC connectors unless you want to reach a mile distance. :)

@erik_squires  Thanks for your thoughts! Yes, LC to LC is the way I went. I don’t know if I made it clear above that I (finally) got the optical input working. The router you mention is interesting in that it has an SFP port! It’s an SFP+, which, apparently, would hurt the RS130, which requires SFP. My copper Ethernet cable from Morrow comes from a mesh satellite. I guess you’re saying that if I had an option of a router or satellite with an SFP port, I’d get a better SQ. Interesting. One thing I learned is that my service provider (Spectrum) doesn’t permit more than one modem in the house (one works, a second won’t). If and when I upgrade my wifi network, I’ll look for a system that has an SFP port.

As for single-mode and multimode, there are significant differences that matter for data centers and transmission lines, but maybe not for audio. Single mode uses a higher bandwidth, a single core, and can transmit light for a 1000 miles - whatever. Multimode uses multiple fiber cores, a lower bandwidth, and is used for shorter runs---still miles in length. Both support the 1-2 meters we need between our router and streamer--although, I guess you could run a fiber cable all the way from your router (instead of coming from a mesh satellite) without degradation or electromagnetic interference. Anyway, how any of these differences influence the sound quality, I don’t know. I just go with my ears. I read that "some audiophiles find single mode provides a superior sound." It was very anecdotal. I ended up trying multimode first because I didn’t know what I was doing. ("Oh, OM4 must be better than OS2 because 4 is bigger than 2!" -nah...OM is multimode, OS is single mode.) I found MM did a great job creating a crisper SQ in my system, but finally got single-mode working. And frankly, there wasn’t much of a change. Perhaps I heard something a little better, but that might have been wishful thinking—it takes minutes to switch out the SM for MM components, and the longer the delay, the more the imagination plays. 

Bottom line, the rig is working with the parts I listed above — listed in case someone doesn’t want to go through trial and error. MM or SM might sound different in your system. Perhaps a router with an SFP port would improve the SQ. And, in my system, optical input is noticeably superior to copper Ethernet input - although I know that’s not the case for everyone. 

I’m sure all this is TMI for just about everyone but the two of us! LOL.

Thanks for your suggestions!

Hey OP:

As I understand it, the router may have an SFP+ port, but that just expands the speed of the modules you can plug into it and the port itself is backwards compatible with SFP modules usually.

Obviously, you are limited by the lowest common denominator of 1 Gbit so as long as you select the appropriate matching SFP modules on both ends you’ll be fine.   

Also, that's a very expensive router. :D 

Erik 

:-)   With all the stuff in my system, I’m not sure what "expensive" means anymore!

SFP supports up to 1 gig bps, SFP+ supports up to 10 gig bps. Both are plenty fast. I’d use the plus, but I read (somewhere) that SFP+ can hurt the RS130 because it runs a 1 gig, not faster. Otherwise, I’d prefer the faster speed (although in all practicality, it might not make a big difference). But coming straight from a router instead of going through a transceiver suggests there might be an improvement in SQ. and yes, I see there are routers with SFP ports! thanks!

You'd have to stream 100 high res music streams at once to use up that bandwidth.  

The big advantage IMHO is that the cable won't transmit noise to other components or cables and being lightning proof. :) 

Definitely, the optical isolates the system from EMF that runs through copper. My previous streamer was an IFI Neo Stream that comes with an optical Ethernet input. I A/B'd copper and optical, and there was a noticeable difference in my system--crisper, more detailed. But that's just my system. That's why I took the pains to figure out the optical components for the RS130.