@lalitk : Agreed. Rich is very responsive and helpful.
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
Thanks @lalitk, @yoby and @grannyring. I just sent an inquiry to Network Acoustics. Shall see what they have to say. I also read in another forum that adding a 100mps switch in front of ENO should help. Since the switch I have is a managed one, Buffalo BS-GS2008, maybe I can adjust speed for the connected port down to 100mps, hope that would work. |
Just got a response from Rich. What a nice and classy guy! See below. So I will configure the switch to make the ENO work with Melco for the time being, and will definitely order a Muon in the near future. "I’m sorry to hear you’re having trouble with the ENO filter working directly between your switch and the Melco. I’ve had a look at Melco’s website and it describes that particular device as a 1Gb/s Ethernet connection. If the Melco server won’t ‘auto negotiate’ down to 100Mb/s then the ENO won’t work as it is a 100Mb/s device. The reason it works between your router and your switch is that those devices will work at 100Mb/s. If their is a dedicated 100Mb/s port on your switch, try using that to the Melco, or if your switch is a ‘managed switch’ you could configure a port to be fixed at 100Mb/s. If it makes a worthwhile sound improvement in between the router and switch, then that’s where to use it, but if you wish to return it, then of course you can do that. We do have one product that works at 1Gb/s, which would work in your situation and it’s a much better sounding filter, the Muon Pro filter, it’s not yet on our website but we can supply it. It is a bit more expensive though at £1495 Best regards, Rich Trussell" Network Acoustics |
Hi All,
Great thread, it's rare for me to read every post! There are very few "it's all just 1's and 0's" comments too. Whilst I've never left music I have had a long hiatus from hi-fi but I'm now back and building up a pure digital system. I'm deliberately working at the budget end of the scale to see what's possible in terms of sound quality however I'm happy to add and remove components over time in pursuit of great sound (for me). My setup is pretty simple and basic compared to all of you guys: 5G (Mobile) Router certified cat 6a to TP-Link Switch AudioQuest Cat6 Pearl to 10Gtek FMC 10Gtek Fibre to 10Gtek FMC AudioQuest Cat6 Pearl to ifi Zen Stream (12v ifi iPower 2 SMPS) WireWorld Chroma 8 USB to ifi Zen DAC v2 (5v ifi iPower X SMPS) I also have a pair of ifi AC iPurifiers in the power strip.
Everything sounds pretty good, but I can tell there is more to be had here. I have over 30 years in a wide variety of IT roles but I'm not in the "it's just 1's and 0's" camp where audio is concerned. With my "budget" hat on I have ordered a reasonably discounted EE 8Switch that I intend to place between the second FMC and the Streamer. I've also got a couple of other iPower X's on order one of which will grace the Router and my Zen Can. My first (of many questions) for the experts here is: my Router has a spare switch port - should I plug the first FMC directly into this, or leave it in the TP-Link (along with the "rest of the house network")? Secondly, what's the consensus on the FMC's - shall I leave them in the path or remove them? (I'm happy to experiment of course). I've got my eye on various other upgrades but at some point, the dollars/pounds will be spent on the streamer or DAC rather than cables and digital magic boxes. Other than this, thanks for a great post!
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- 214 posts total