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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!

yoramguy1
romanesq
95 posts
 

Late to the party but let's say you don't have to spend much money at all. I got this used: Motorola MG7540 AC1600 Dual-Band DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem Router.

Connected it via ethernet, short cable but the key: power.

Running the combo modem/router via a battery-powered:

TalentCell 12V Lithium-ion Battery PB120B1, Rechargeable 38400mAh 142.08Wh Li-ion Battery Pack with DC 12V and 5V USB Output for LED Light Strip, CCTV

That made a nice difference. 

 

antigrunge2
1,460 posts
 

In remote areas where there aren‘t too many networks competing for bandwidth wireless can work very well without some of the vagaries of wired connections. In an urban setting, interference however tends to be too high.,What definitely doesn‘t work are mainsborne range extenders.for wifi.

antigrunge2
1,460 posts
 

Here is a simple tweak: get some Black Ravioli footers under your router and a VPI brick on top. Use a $100 Chinese LPS. If you feel rich, get an Acoustic Revive Ethernet filter on top.

wsrrsw's avatar
wsrrsw
1,088 posts
 

OP, inliers & outliers,

Garbage in….Garbage out.

Just as lamp cord for speaker connections is poor so is the entire Ethernet chain if not treated accordingly. Gussy that up and reap the rewards.

yoramguy1 OP
69 posts
 

In my understanding, a digital signal (defined by a stream of binary bits) can be distorted in one of two ways ("failure modes"):  a) a "high bit" or "1" is read as a "low bit" or 0 or vice versa, and b) the timing of the bits is unsteady or fluctuating.

In order to prevent failure mode a) the bit stream includes checksum bits which are verified and in case of error the packet is either corrected or rejected which causes buffering or a drop, not a distortion (amplitude, phase, harmonic) of the sound.

The way to minimize failure mode b), which is also called jitter, is to use good clocks and power supplies.

With careful setup of my wifi network I am not experiencing failure mode a).

The reason for my original post was the potential to minimize failure mode b), the current extent of which I am not able to discern without hard comparison. I am open to practical and cost effective (not pie in the sky) suggestions that target potential jitter with an approach that I can understand.  The battery concept proposed by @romanesq makes some sense in this regard.

Please note that once we move to the DAC and analog stages it's a different story.

Cheers!

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