Network Switches

jaytor, there is NO SUCH THING as noise on an ethernet switch.  It is DIGITAL.  It is either so badly distorted that even the error correction codes (read up Hamming codes, Viterbi decoding) cannot fix it or it is perfect.  There is NOTHING In between.

Based on my experience in the networking field and 50 years of audio tinkering, I truly believe that audiophile network switches are utter nonsense, designed solely to bilk gullible audiophiles, and those that hear a difference do so because they REALLY, REALLY WANT TO.  That being said, no one is listening to reason in this thread, nor is anyone listening to the counter claims - as silly and uninformed as they are.  This thread is becoming a shouting match with no possible resolution.

Signing off.

Cakyol, I didn't say there was noise on the switch. There is noise on any signal that is transmitted via an electrical connection. This doesn't mean this will affect the decoding of the digital signals. I completely concur that, with the error correction present with Ethernet protocols, the bits are the bits and they are highly likely to get too the streamer/DAC correctly. However, any electrical noise carried along with the signal has to be filtered out or it will have some effect on the generated audio. Whether it is audible is debatable. 

What I was saying is that, if you believe it is audible, it makes a lot more sense to provide the best filtering close to the digital to analog conversion than to try to produce super clean Ethernet output at the switch, since you're likely to pick up more noise on the way between the switch and the steamer/DAC. 

Again, I don't believe that noise on the Ethernet connection has any effect on the actual digital data that is being transferred. But there is at least a theoretical possibility that noise on the incoming connection could affect the analog output. It's up to the last device in the digital chain to adequately isolate this noise so that it doesn't adversely affect the output. 

Before I go looking at a switch for issues, try looking at all the cables and connectors first, then if you are using copper for your outside network, change that to fiber. When I did corporate networks in the early 90’s, we would verify/signature every cable we would make with a fluke meter and a good number of them had to be reterminated because of too much noise. Also, most home network cables are terminated using the cheap plastic ends. In my house, I use a 1G fiber to the outside (probably much more important than any switch because the lack of noise), and cat 7 cables to my audio and server components. 

I just got Silent Angel Bonn N8 switch from Crux Audio USA ($399.00) The difference in sound quality was shocking, it was like listening to a new much improved system. A couple of reviews:
https://www.lexicommultimedia.nl/review/silent-angel-bonn-n8-ethernet-switch/
https://www.hifi.nl/artikel/28188/Review-Silent-Angel-Bonn-N8-ethernet-switches.html