Re: It's so Ethereal
Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2020 2:40 pm
There is a lot of electrical shit transferred through a wired network so maybe results are not so surprising. I'm wondering how this compares to a well implemented wireless network where direct electrical connections are eliminated between source and playback?Fretless wrote: ↑Sat Jan 11, 2020 11:48 pm Finally settling down for a serious blast to see what's going on.
One odd thing was that the Sonos devices had no IP troubles and maintained their access to the NAS, however the units running Volumio needed to be reconnected to the storage library.
The first that got fired up was the least 'audio' system that I have, which is in the kitchen - a JVC minisystem with a Sonos Connect running off the WiFi. Currently on repeat there is Floyd's 'Momentary Lapse of Reason'. Whilst cooking up some chicken risotto I heard a certain improvement in the SQ in terms of control and clarity. Surprising, in that this unit is a fair distance from the NAS and not even on the Silent Angel switch circuits at all (the NAS is)
So now we're on the main rig and the Gods of Snake Oil and/or Quantum Mechanics appear to be smiling benevolently upon me. I can report that this network switching unit does have a definite impact on audio quality. The only way I can describe it is that it sounds like somebody replaced the whole system with something 5x more expensive! Really!
The recent rounds of Tinkerboard and Wyrd improvements have had me listening very critically to the setup and overall performance has just been severely cranked up, and not just by a mere notch or two. There is a sense of relaxed refinement that I haven't heard here before. Instruments/voices are more 'in the room' with a 3D tactile presence. Black Silent Space in-between.
Some reviewers go on about 'micro-detail' and now I finally get what they mean. Tiny little audible scraps and inflections that are perceptible where they previously were not.
Like the Wyrd, cleaning the electrical mush out of the USB link, the Silent Angel switch is doing a similar job in the Ethernet connection. Allowing the music datastream to flow without distortion or disruption.
This thing has just arrived but - bottom line looks to be that those using streaming devices as primary audio sources should certainly be considering the Silent Angel network switch as a serious sonic upgrade.
Oh, and it costs about the same as a 1.5m length of Audioquest Vodka ethernet cable.