Router for Audio Streaming
I have been streaming Pandora, Spotify and Qobuz through a wifi network streamer from a Netgear AC1750 R6400v2 router with no sound quality complaints.
Recently a router firmware update failed (a known issue with these) and as a result it is no longer accessible for administration. It still seems to perform ok and accepts new devices however the network settings are "frozen" and I am unable to view device IP addresses or traffic, neither via desktop browser nor via the Nighthawk app.
I will try a factory reset but have read that quite often this does not work in these situations, so I started investigating getting a new router to be able to pull the trigger quickly if needed.
I heard/read that routers can make a difference in sound quality, beyond just being able to keep up with streaming with no buffering. I'm wondering what router experience and recommendations folks have here for reliable audio streaming with superior sound quality at a reasonable price.
Thanks!
@pcrhkr , I'm with you. UPS is a good idea. Have been considering one for a while. Which one do you have/recommend? Had quite several good years of use from my Bluesound Node 2. It developed the known red LED issue but kept running fine. Ended up replacing it and my squeezebox duet not long ago with a single streamer to increase flexibility and improve the DAC. Staying with the Netgear for the time being. |
@kota1 @yoramguy1 : I, too, heartily recommend the ADD-Powr Symphony I/O to improve your streaming experience with the Netgear router. |
Gents, no offense intended or taken. I simply have not enough time or money to try every audio gizmo without some basic understanding of why, how and to what extent it works, and whether it is intended to address a specific "opportunity" with my current setup. Same is the case for dietary supplements, fitness programs, investment plans, etc... In this case I read through some of the available literature online and cannot convince myself that this stuff works at all or that its effect is perceptible by the human ear. I am an engineer with some grasp of vibration theory and signal processing, including Fourier series etc. As to subjective evaluation, in my audio experience, when you have a very good system to start with, and you are introducing a subtle tweak -- not a very different speaker or an amp of a different performance category or bass traps etc. -- the only reliable way to evaluate its effect with no placebo effect requires: a) blind A-B-A auditioning, and b) immediate and brief back to back auditioning - e.g., a 5 sec. segment repeated within 1-2 seconds. These are impossible to accomplish on our own. Of course I could be wrong. And of course it could be that I am currently complacent and content with our sound quality and happy to just enjoy the music and not chase the ever receding horizon of promised improvements... Cheers. |
