Is optical mostly a waste of time versus Ethernet?
The only value I see with a fiber optical cable is if you have a long long run.
All the noise coming into an optical fiber is preserved and comes out the other side. I guess there is a value in not creating more noise while it is traveling through the optical cable. But if it's a short run of two Feet then is it really worth it. Seems a well shielded Ethernet cable would do just as fine without all the hassle of converting to optical which is a pain in the ass.
I always thought there was value with optical but it seems they're really may not be. Maybe I'm wrong. It seems a switch likely produces a lot of noise and inserting an audio grade switch is very prudent and going optical really doesn't solve switch noise problem. The benefit of re-clocking offered by a decent switch to clean up the signal is worthwhile.
I appreciate you AND @theaudiomaniac for sharing your knowledge. The chest bumping not so much. Unfortunately, there is a little more of that on Audiogon these days and I know I've done my part to perpetuate it from time to time. Have a terrific day. |
There are networking 'experts', and those who've integrated that knowledge with an understanding of how it relates to and affects audio streaming sound quality. People like John Swenson of Uptone Audio, and some others who can be found at audiophilestyle forum, these are the 'experts' I rely on for guidance in streaming.
Add to this expertise, a knowledge base formed from those with practical experience, those with open minds who've tried a variety of audiophile focused streaming products.
Between these two cohorts of expertise, one finds guidance on how various products work and their efficacy. And then we have the final 'expert', if one trusts their sensory perceptions, they become the final arbiter of what is effective and not in their unique streaming setup.
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@sns John is not a networking expert or anything networking. He is, as he says himself, a silicon chip designer. ”John Swenson is widely known as a talented engineer, with decades of experience in silicon chip design (he was a senior project lead at a major integrated circuit firm for 30 years).” |
@sns and others, like I said previously, John and UpTone are not wrong when they say there can be leaks via Ethernet that would interfere with internals of a streamer or other component. This used to a huge issue in the 90s for computers, and it has continued with cheap components that have found themselves into non computer related devices like audio equipment. But most networking cards today don’t have these issues, even the really cheap ones. And I am hoping that streamers and other components that costs thousands of dollars like my NAD M50.2 don’t use really crappy components, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they did, after all, they are audio engineers, not networking experts. But, and more troubling for John and UpTone, you can measure this very easily, and UpTone Etherregen does not eliminate any of this at all. |
