As mentiomed above my experience points to clocking being more important than the power supply.
Questions about Ethernet Cabling
PLEASE READ: This is not a thread about the merits or demerits of audiophile-grade ethernet cables, or any cable for that matter. If you don’t believe in spending extra on expensive cables, I respect your opinion but please don’t turn this into a point of contention.
So before I ask my questions, let me describe how internet connectivity is setup in my house:
- [Home office/study] The modem (AT&T), router (Google Nest/Mesh), and switch ($25 TP-link basic switch) are located in the home office/study. I also have a second system in this room as well as other stuff connected through the switch. In other words, I can’t move the switch to another room.
- [Media room] The main audio system is located in the media room which is in the diagonally opposite side of the house (single story). This room has the ENO ethernet filter connected to the Innuous Zenith MK3 streamer, and so on.
[Long ethernet cable] A very long run of ethernet cable (CAT 6/over 100 foot) runs from the [Home office/study] router and terminates into the [Media room] ethernet jack/wall plate. This was done by the builder and it runs through the attic.
- [Media room] From the [Media room] ethernet wall plate, I then use another 6 foot ethernet cable (also CAT 6) that goes into an ENO filter and then on to the Innuos Zenith MK3 streamer.
So here are my questions:
1. Is it worth upgrading only the so-called last-mile ethernet cable, i.e. the one between the [Media room] ethernet wall plate and Eno filter while I continue using the long CAT 6 cable [Study >> Media room]? It is going to be difficult, if not impossible, to replace the long-run CAT 6 cable as it goes through the attic where several spots are not reachable without tearing down some sheetrock.
2. Is it worth adding a second audiophile-grade switch (e.g. uptone) in the media room while leaving the one in the study as is? Or is it better to upgrade the switch in the study first and place the cheaper switch in the media room? Or do I need to replace both switches (not prefered as it adds to the cost)?
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The best Ethernet cable should be the one going into the streamer , the uptone has on the output only 1 Ethernet port and benifits most going into the Zenith, and at least buy decent Ethernet cables the $200 Wireworld starlight is Avery noticeable upgrade vs cheap cat 7 cables I have compared , I use these , and most importantly the Ethernet cable going into the zenith most important ,For Sure and there are better sounding Ethernet cables my brothers top Jcat cable cost him $1200 and much better then any Ethernet cableto date ,we blind tested 3 of them with 5 people listening within a few minutes a Much more musical experience , I am currently looking into buying one . |
@grannyring Thanks for chiming in. It was actually your thread on Eno and Zenith that motivated me to purchase both recently. I do have a couple of questions if you don't mind ... 1. Do you leave the Zenith on all the time (talking about the front switch) or do you switch it off when not in use? I don't know if it makes a difference either way. 2. Is there a way to make Zenith the Roon core, but still easily switch back and forth between Sense and Roon? I know you can switch back and forth when using Zenith as a Roon endpoint, but not sure if the same is true when using it as Roon core server. Thanks
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@antigrunge2 I was looking at another Innuos product called PhoenixNET. It seems to be an audiophile-grade network switch with a nice power supply and a clock that's a trickle down from their top of the line Statement server. Not sure if you've heard anything about it. It seems to be quite expensive for what it is, but when you consider the alternative, it doesn't seem to be all that bad. If you get the etherregen + LPS + clock + LPS for clock, it starts getting quite pricey as well. And you have to deal with all the boxes and cabling. Not sure if anyone had a chance to try it yet. |
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