Pimping your router

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.

@aschuh,

the real test would be to have a dedicated hard-wired streamer feed your Oppo via ethernet or USB. In your current setup you don‘t really have a way of assessing the upgrade potential. Unfortunately wifi receivers have their own noise issues. Additionally you may be in a neighbourhood without bandwidth constraints on wifi through multiple users; most people tend to not be in that happy position.

I stream wirelessly but did notice a perceived improvement in sound quality when switching out the two really cheesy DSL cables from wall to router provided by my ISP with those in the link below. 

Much more substantial in terms of both cable and connectors, and I would expect shielding as well. 

And if I'm imagining things, the cost was quite low. ;)

http://www.cablestogo.com/product/28721/7ft-rj11-high-speed-internet-modem-cable