Pimping your router

I understand the possibility of interference when electronic components are very close, but besides that, why so much concern? Digital packets either arrive, or they don’t. For instance, a few feet and a few dozen feet mean nothing to data integrity. Turns out they do matter if you want your buy to be first in the stock exchange. But again, that’s an issue of a data packet being first, not of it losing integrity or not arriving.

I’m genuinely curious. To those of you who have noticed a difference from this kind of effort? What percentage of the total music experience does this add? If your current listening experience is considered 100%, does this add 50% better sound, 10%, 0.5%? If it’s a low percentage, how are you sure that it’s real and not perceived? Again, I’m being genuine here, not snarky.

@ohmy,

the issue isn‘t about loss of data but rather about EMI/RFI as well as ground level noise getting into the system alongside the data and subsequently messing with analogue stages. This manifests itself with harsh treble, reduced imaging and a generally washed out, less dynamic presentation. Hence the lengths to which I have gone on keeping them out. Hope that helps.

ohmy

Digital packets either arrive, or they don’t ... I’m genuinely curious. To those of you who have noticed a difference from this kind of effort? What percentage of the total music experience does this add? ... if it’s a low percentage, how are you sure that it’s real and not perceived? Again, I’m being genuine here ...

The notion that you can describe an improvement in a percentage doesn’t make sense to me. There’s just no standardized measure. On the other hand, if someone says, for example, "it improved the bass a lot," that’s something to which most people can relate. Or, as @antigrunge2 wrote above, there is "harsh treble, reduced imaging" without it.

If you’re genuinely curious about this tweak, why not try it for yourself and report back?

My set up:
Spectrum broadband cable (200 Mbps) -> Arris Surfboard Modem (up to 1 Gbps) -> Linksys WiFi mesh system (no bandwidth loss when compared to speed of service at modem; note that CAT5 is spec'd at 100 Mbps).

This allows for modem, router and switching power supplies be physically distant from the system, in my case ca. 30'. No incremental noise. When these items are close to the system and connected on the same circuit, they add audible noise, even with use of a decent power conditioner (Shunyata Hydra alpha). 

I run a Roon core on a MacBook pro (set as priority client on Linksys system), which is via Toslink connected to a DSPeaker 4 and via WiFi to an OPPO 205 (10 ms buffer). Both configurations are excellent, the OPPO has an edge over the DSPeaker.

I realize frequent comments here that using a computer as server is inadequate and "noisy". In my case extensive comparisons with an Aurender (fed via Ethernet) and Auralic device (WiFi) did not reveal any discernible difference and visitors with trained ears could not reliably tell one source from the other.

It seems in the end this is all about implementation. In my experience you can achieve excellent streaming results via WiFi. 

Good luck!

@antigrunge2 - Gotcha. The interference I get. Thanks for explaining. I thought part of the problem you were describing was data loss and that just didn’t make sense to me.

@cleeds - I guess that’s the way my brain works when thinking of these things, but what you said makes good sense to me, too. Thanks for the thoughtful reply and I might have to give it a go.