Unlike analogue, where any additional device will affect the sound through changing capacitance and impedance effects on the transmitted signal, the signal path of digital requires only avoidance of noise incursion and maintenance of clock accuracy. It seems therefore to follow that the number of devices and cable links -as long as they satisfy the above conditions- is immaterial. While I agree with the simplicity mantra on analogue, my experience on digital points in a different direction.
Streaming Sound Quality - Want the very best sound quality? Network Acoustics ENO...
Like many of you fellow Agoners I am striving to get the best sound quality out of my digital streaming front end. To that end I have invested in various high end switches, re-clockers, ethernet cables, various USB filters/re-clockers, high end servers and delved into fiber optic conversion configurations. All of these measures did improve sound quality at varying levels. I felt my system sounded as good as a decent CD transport on many streaming recordings in Qobuz. However, I still felt there was something missing. I felt my system was still being held back. You can see my system under virtual systems here.
Well, I stumbled across something that has finally enabled my digital system to be all it can be. I cannot fully express the level of sound quality improvement realized with the addition of the Network Acoustics ENO Ag filter and ENO Ag streaming ethernet cable. It has been 10 days now since I added these to my system and I can now confidently say my streaming and system are all they can be sonically.
Here is the set up that has caused me to sell off and move past many other powered filters, reclockers, fiber optic options, and other streaming tweaks and gadgets. Frankly, the ENO additions are miles ahead of these other options sonically in my system and experience. Miles. This is my personal experience and please understand this perspective.
Netgear NighHawk modem/router power by an LPS > Supra cat 8 ethernet cable > English Electric 8Switch > Network Acoustics ENO Ag streaming cable > ENO Ag ethernet filter > Innuos Zenith III > Mojo Audio Evo dac
The English Electric 8Switch is also wonderful. Will a lower cost, standard switch sound as good in this set-up? Not sure as I have not tried. I am so ecstatic with my sound system that I don’t want to touch it!
There is a certain rightness from top to bottom that’s intoxicating. The tone is so beautiful and natural with no hint of electronic glare or digital artificiality. Music flows with far greater ease and has an uncanny, unforced nature to it. The stage is far deeper with the music flowing from a plane that is layered and completely separate of the speakers. This aural sensation, at this level of nuance, is new to my system and experience. The ENO products made this possible.
Instruments are presented with a new realism that is arresting to my senses. There is a wholistic presentation that spreads out all around me and my space. Just a joy to experience. Yes, the speakers seem to float the music into my space without any attention or localization of the speaker box or physical presence.
No part of frequency spectrum is out of place or forced. I am sure this has to do with the absence of noise. My music is equally articulate and resolved at low or loud volumes. Music stays controlled and enticing no matter how complex or bombastic the recording.
The ENO filter is passive, not powered, so there is no need of any power supply or plug. This is a huge plus.
Hope you streaming audiophiles find this helpful.
Bill
Well, I stumbled across something that has finally enabled my digital system to be all it can be. I cannot fully express the level of sound quality improvement realized with the addition of the Network Acoustics ENO Ag filter and ENO Ag streaming ethernet cable. It has been 10 days now since I added these to my system and I can now confidently say my streaming and system are all they can be sonically.
Here is the set up that has caused me to sell off and move past many other powered filters, reclockers, fiber optic options, and other streaming tweaks and gadgets. Frankly, the ENO additions are miles ahead of these other options sonically in my system and experience. Miles. This is my personal experience and please understand this perspective.
Netgear NighHawk modem/router power by an LPS > Supra cat 8 ethernet cable > English Electric 8Switch > Network Acoustics ENO Ag streaming cable > ENO Ag ethernet filter > Innuos Zenith III > Mojo Audio Evo dac
The English Electric 8Switch is also wonderful. Will a lower cost, standard switch sound as good in this set-up? Not sure as I have not tried. I am so ecstatic with my sound system that I don’t want to touch it!
There is a certain rightness from top to bottom that’s intoxicating. The tone is so beautiful and natural with no hint of electronic glare or digital artificiality. Music flows with far greater ease and has an uncanny, unforced nature to it. The stage is far deeper with the music flowing from a plane that is layered and completely separate of the speakers. This aural sensation, at this level of nuance, is new to my system and experience. The ENO products made this possible.
Instruments are presented with a new realism that is arresting to my senses. There is a wholistic presentation that spreads out all around me and my space. Just a joy to experience. Yes, the speakers seem to float the music into my space without any attention or localization of the speaker box or physical presence.
No part of frequency spectrum is out of place or forced. I am sure this has to do with the absence of noise. My music is equally articulate and resolved at low or loud volumes. Music stays controlled and enticing no matter how complex or bombastic the recording.
The ENO filter is passive, not powered, so there is no need of any power supply or plug. This is a huge plus.
Hope you streaming audiophiles find this helpful.
Bill
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- 214 posts total
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@antigrunge2 Exactly, my experience as well. Still, my search is on for the most efficient means to extract maximum sound quality. My present thoughts along this line is server with optical out capability into streamer or streaming dac with optical in capability.
I'd also add complexity vs maximizing simplicity is a trade off. More complexity means more cables, connectors, devices, power supplies, all can generate, be conduits or allow leakage in of EMI/RFI. Greater separation of devices at the same time may theoretically decrease this same noise. I have Trifield Meter and the greatest generation of RFI comes from server/computer motherboards, transformers of all kinds and storage devices such as ssd and hard drives. Put these all under one roof, not good.
Paradoxically, the best solution should be something in between the two extremes. While I'd like to see power supplies, and perhaps storage in separate enclosures, I wouldn't mind seeing optimized usb within servers which may negate need for all kinds of usb thingies, or separate streamers for that fact. They could also offer clean ethernet inputs within servers, devices like Uptone Etherregen wouldn't have to be separate and external. Storage could also be well shielded within server, eliminating the need for NAS or USB external storage. Having the ethernet and usb optimized within a single server also serves to eliminate possible clocking incompatibility, per what you mentioned above.
I do think the Taiko Extreme and Wadax servers address all my requests, minimal devices and maximum sound quality all under one roof. Unfortunately, this comes at prohibitive price for most of us! |
I am very interested in trying out the Eno filter in my system. However, I don’t stream and all playback is from locally sourced files residing in the music server itself. The server is connected to the home network only to control Roon. Curious if anyone found improvement with the Eno filter in such scenario ? |
I’m well aware of your somewhat idiosyncratic system approach. My point is simple, it is very easy to get carried away in our pursuit to improve performance to nth degree. There is this breaking point where adding more ‘tweaks’ will only result in marginal or subtle improvements if your baseline is weak. It’s like putting a ‘lipstick on a pig’ :-) Streaming is no longer in its infancy, it has matured. I see some of the posters here regularly peddling their convoluted biases like setting a good streaming system is equivalent of setting up a science lab. The way I see, it’s not very helpful to readers that are trying to venture into streaming. |
- 214 posts total