Network Switches

@thyname I’m a long-time Sonore customer and currently have their previous gen (non optologic) Sonore Signature Rendu SE player. I’m also a long-time customer of Small Green Computer for their servers. I’ve paired SGC with Sonore for a number of years now.

I had the opportunity to try Sonore’s (as they refer to it) "Signature Rendu SE - single enclosure opticalRendu and linear power supply" very early on but chose to hold off until SGC released a server with an SFP. SGC is out with their unit, but I’m holding off on making a final choice in a Server.

I also followed the very lengthy Computer Audiophile (now AS) thread on addressing network (and noise) isolation with the use of layered fiber solutions. I chose to hold off on doing so for a number of reasons, primary among them was the need to hear a fiber based system to determine if the resulting sound quality / performance met my needs and goals.

You didn’t have specific questions in your previous post. If you do, let us know and I’ll respond if I’m in a position to address them.

I have been watching this thread since its inception as the subject matter is of great interest to myself as a possible upgrade.
Then it got a little out of hand but now seems to be on an even keel again and with Davids blessing feel I need to post this.

But first a bit of background to set the scene;
My "trade" is installing and commissioning huge multi million dollar high speed production packaging lines all over the USA.
These comprise of many individual complex pieces which are now all connected and communicated to/from by industrial Ethernet. This entails many I/o drops, repeaters and switches.
Obviously these have to be of the highest quality and robustness as we cannot afford any part of the system crashing, stopping, performing none approved actions etc as millions of dollars are at stake!
Nearly all of our electronics are Siemens.

Ok, so I started to think what if?
Just so happens I had an eight port switch and its matching 24v LPS in my "office" so time to test it out.
Now this was a quick down and dirty install as the LPS is mean to be hardwired inside cabinets fed by 460/120v transformers in the field so no power cord as such, ended up butchering a stock power cord to make it work for today.

So this setup replaced my el cheapo (sub $10) 4 port 5v USB power switch that then feeds direct into my Ayre EX8 super integrated from my modem/router. All Siemens cat 7 cabling by the way, don’t ask the source.... lol.

Well first up I streamed some ripped CD,s from my NAS and what did I hear?
Well nothing tbh. And by that I mean the absolute blackest midnight inky silence between notes I have ever heard, period!
It is not subtle at all.
I must have had more bass bloom/boom that I thought as now bass notes are so well delineated that it is almost like a new instrument has been thrown into the mix!
The texture of acoustic guitar for example is startling in its intensity.
This is obviously something I should have looked at LONG ago!
But I was a bit of a doubter that something so simple could be so big.
Now this gear is not audiophile ( whatever the heck that means anyway!), but it is of the highest industrial standard and cost to the consumer would be about $900 for the switch and LPS.
Now I just have to make up something a little bit better and neater for power and best place to locate it etc.

This I only got round to this morning so low listening hours for sure but that will change rapidly I can assure you!

But I am now a believer!

Good you found out for yourself by actually doing it and testing. Now you have first hand experience! I have done the same as was also very impressed with the sonic results! Be sure and use great ethernet cables like the Cat 7 sold by SOTM. At least try it! A good low cost one is the Cat 8 from Supra.  

@david_ten  : thanks for your post on Sonore. I was replying to someone else. 

I am very familiar with the company. I currently own two opticalModules from them and SGC linear power supplies. Over the years, I have owned other products for them, including microRendu, ultraRendu, and SGC server (i5).

I have been using Sonare products since the first day the microRendu became available. After I used the Rendus' I became confident that, FOR ME, the Rendu isolated the computer processing from the audio signal. What I mean is that a busy CPU did not correlate with a degraded audio, FOR ME. Unlike a direct USB connection from the CPU to the DAC. I listen 8 hours a day M-F for years with the Rendu.  The Rendu's are awesome products. BTW - I said FOR ME.

I have not bought the Optical yet because I am waiting for any bugs to work themselves out. Only issue for me now is that the next DAC (demo of speakers upcoming) I get may already have an RJ45 Ethernet streaming built-in (noisy) so I may live with that until I get more funds.