Best audiophile switch

[Republicoftexas69]

Shows what a couple of dedicated -and very bright- people can accomplish without big head count, marketing budgets or expensive plant & equipment. I wonder how much overhead Allo had accumulated before they went dark -or how much Network Acoustics and Stack Audio have today?

Stack is very small as is NA.

 

[Superdad]

Next week's new small test board is interesting in that it really just has a couple of PHY chips, one RJ45 several SFP cages, and lots of header pins to both connect SGMII inputs and outputs and to monitor packets and raw bits. John has reprogrammed an original EtherREGEN so that its switch chip goes into SGMII mode and puts that (instead of the essentially identical fiber-mode) out through its SFP cage--as a means of testing SGMII from the Microchip switch to our new PHY.
There is a chance that some of the trouble he had lately is with the resetting of the PHY. So he revised some things. Depending upon what he discovers, there is even a chance that frustrating main switch chip can be used after all (I'd like to save that $6K and to not have all the time for nothing). That's why this new small board will have various means of getting SGMII in and out--so he can hook back up to the above big boards well.

Another week, and another test board. Here is the layout of the one mentioned above. And a pic of the board on John's new Pandaplacer pick-and-place machine. (He designed and 3D printed the parts strip holders you see mounted in front of the PCB; This machine is vastly better than the Finnish Lite Placer he built before from a 1,500 piece kit--you can see remnants of it--silver beams on either side of the black Pandaplacer.)
Placing and soldering--in his desktop vapor-phase reflow oven--begins tomorrow morning.

Crossing our fingers that these tests yield the results we want so that we can move onward!

 

[PYP]

After having disconnected a second TV and TV box as well as upgrading the ISP router there were improvements in sound quality. That was a surprise. As was the more recent improvement in sound when I replaced my aging iMac with a new mac mini (what a great little computer!). Every box with an SMPS is a potential polluter.

So, for those fellows who turn off the fridge before "serious" listening, don't forget to unplug everything else too.

 

[PYP]

Just kidding regarding the last part. I get a kick out of reading about folks who turn off the fridge to listen to music.

That said, I'm always grateful for the parts of the year that require no HVAC.

 

[GSOphile]

Thanks for asking!
As you may have read, we have been working hard in development of EtherREGEN Gen2 for almost 2 years—utilizing more readily available parts and incorporating a number of technical advancements. These include Gigabit capability on both the ‘A’ and ‘B’ sides of our unique active-differential-isolation moat, even lower jitter clock synthesizers, an exceptional new PHY chip, and the world’s best sine-to-square wave converter (benefiting those who chose to pair with an external 10MHz reference clock). The new version will even include a second SFP cage—on the ‘B’ side—to improve performance for users of optical endpoints.

Unfortunately, due to documentation and programming issues with the different main switch chip we have been developing with—and now forced to abandon and pivot back to the expensive one as used in the original EtherREGEN—we now expect first shipment of EtherREGEN Gen2 will not take place until about August/September 2025.
Price is not yet firmly set, but like the original, EtherREGEN Gen2 will be priced incredibly reasonably for the advanced tech and high cost parts utilized. I always planned on it being in the mid-$700 range, certainly less than $800.
But now with the pivot back to the expensive main switch chip (the 1/4 priced one we now abandoned would have helped offset some of the above costly feature/perfomance additions) and the uncertainty of tariffs (our aluminum cases come from Japan and the boards are assembled in Canada), I am not at all certain where the final price will land.

I'm very interested, but this thing always seems to be just a few months away. I'll believe it when users report.... in 2025??

 

[Superdad]

I'm very interested, but this thing always seems to be just a few months away. I'll believe it when users report.... in 2025??

I know! And I sure hope so!
(It’s been torture for us too. Especially watching all these other switches come to market—and knowing that none of them are attempting what we are about.)

 

[Elliot G.]

Reiki Audio JundoStream Last-Link Network Cable - Gy8

Pure By Name…

gy8.eu

 

[PYP]

to quote myself: https://www.whatsbestforum.com/thre...ou-may-not-even-know-about.40543/post-1056984

 

[Di-fi]

'Network Acoustics Tempus Ethernet Switch & Muon Pro Ethernet Filter'
Maybe a good universal (Audiophile) network tip? Power cycle your router.

I should also add that, as good as the filtering provided by the Network Acoustics devices or any of the other internet data cleaners I’ve used in the past is, for reasons unknown to me, these devices do not negate the necessity of periodically power cycling my Xfinity router. If you begin to hear anomalous sound from your system--left/right imbalance, a smaller or more recessed soundstage, generally decreased apparent volume, a less dynamic presentation, are but a few examples—don’t despair. Just power cycle your router, unplugging it for a minute or two and then plugging it back in again. You may be amazed if you don’t regularly do this.

 

[orange55]

I could be wrong for your specific setup, but I would think that connecting two switches to a common external clock can reintroduce a path for electrical noise, especially ground-related noise, which the connection via an SPF cable would otherwise isolate. It seems you’ve experimented with several configurations though.

Out of curiosity—you DID power both switches separately, did you maybe try grounding them separately/run one w/o clock cable , and if so, did you notice any sonic differences?

Sure, achieving isolation by running two REF10s might be an expensive way to break a ground loop—but hey, if it lifts the veil, who’s counting?

A rather late follow up on this post. You raise a good point and while two REF10's my well bring about an improvement, it would need to be geart for the cost outlay. Not sure It would in my opinion.

What I have done is test removing the clock from one of the switches and seeing what improvements that brings. First I tested the clock on just the first of my switches and then just the second one and got the same effect both times. It was like the picture when blurry, that is the best way of describing it. Even thought we are talking about sound. It was a noticeable step down in clarity by only having the clock attached to one of the two switches.

Therefore, if there is ground related noise being transmitted by having the two switches attached to the same external clock, the effect of the clock on the sound massively out ways any impact of the ground noise.

If anyone wants to loan me a REF10 I would be more than happy to see what impacting having two of them does to the sound.

 

[jasond]

Interesting review

 

[orange55]

'Network Acoustics Tempus Ethernet Switch & Muon Pro Ethernet Filter'
Maybe a good universal (Audiophile) network tip? Power cycle your router.

Quick touch on routers, but not wanting to side track the thread.

Some routers allow you to automate a reboot. I have a Draytek router and it allows me to set it to reboot at a set time. I have it set to reboot Friday morning at 1am, ready for the weekend of usage. I have never done any A/B testing to see if I can hear the difference afterwards, but I do remember the first time I did it after 90 days of up time it was noticeable faster when surfing the web.

Final note, if your router supports QOS, (Quality of Service) setting this up does improve the sound and the responsiveness of streams starting. I have Streamer, Apple TV, Melco Music Server, iPhone control device all with fixed IP addresses set inside QOS network range of my router. I highly recommend this as a free upgrade if your router supports it.

 

[jasond]

QoS and traffic priority settings is an efficient way to optimize network performance and thus audio performance.

 

[Di-fi]

Yeah, routers usually allow for managing by adjusting certain settings, since they run software (and could be updated over time). Switches, on the other hand, generally don’t offer those options—they’re mostly just hardware.

This overview doesn’t aim to be absolute — it's simply meant to demonstrate the wide range of variables that can exist in a high-end audio network before the streamer. Devices are listed in a logical signal-chain order, but most setups only use a subset — for example, just a router and a switch or filter.

There are so many variables — also EMI/RFI and power supplies and network and power cables — that the usually unmanaged best audiophile switch is just one piece of a much bigger puzzle influencing sound quality. Its perceived impact will always depend on the rest of the home or audio network.

Component	Function	Managed?	Unique Audiophile Role	Comments
ISP Router (+ Wi-Fi)	Provides internet access to home	Usually yes	Entry point to optimize (settings, PSU) or isolate	Typically retained; never replaced. Audio traffic can be routed through a separate audiophile router.
Wi-Fi Access Point	Wireless access for control devices or NAS	Yes	Should be placed after audiophile router if possible	Often used for control apps or NAS access.
Audiophile Router	Dedicated routing for audio network traffic	Yes	Optimized for minimal interference and traffic isolation	Comes after ISP router. Used only for audio devices.
Ethernet Filter	Passive filtering of high-frequency noise	No	Reduces EMI/RFI before signal reaches streamer	Has 2 RJ45 ports. Often placed last before the streamer.
Switch (Standard)	Distributes Ethernet to multiple devices	Some	Can influence timing/jitter and noise if not optimized	Consumer-grade; rarely ideal for audio.
Audiophile Switch	Like standard switch, but optimized for audio performance	Some	Better clocking, lower noise floor, higher-quality PSU options	Can include SFP port(s); can be used with optical modules.
Media Converter	Converts Ethernet to fiber or fiber to Ethernet	No	Optical decoupling eliminates electrical noise	Used in pairs unless router or switch has an SFP port.
Optical Isolation Unit	Specialized media converter focusing on signal purity	No	Designed specifically to reduce electrical noise and leakage currents	Functionally a media converter, but tuned for audio.

 

[Di-fi]

Below comments apply to router management, of course (not the switch), but since everything is connected, it might still be useful to know. After all, you can’t not have a router.

QoS and traffic priority settings is an efficient way to optimize network performance and thus audio performance.

reducing the subnet to 16 addresses (e.g., /28) instead of the typical 256 (/24) has a very noticeable impact on sound quality — tighter focus, lower perceived noise floor, and better dynamics.

with a smaller address pool, the router and connected devices spend less time broadcasting, scanning, renewing DHCP leases, etc. There’s also less multicast and ARP noise, especially in consumer-grade networks with mixed IoT devices.

Edit:

Combining VLAN isolation with a narrow subnet range is a solid approach for maximizing audio performance.

 

[Di-fi]

Two network setups from Munich High End 2025, each showcasing a top-tier audiophile network switch or filter in the spotlight—one featuring the XACT N1 (a ’hybrid ’ managed switch), the other a complete Reiki Audio system including the Super Switch, Optical Bridge, RakuStream, and the new JundoStream cable. ( For details click on the pics.)
These pics are hands-on and purely functional—which I actually think is a nice touch.



XACT N1 (hybrid managed switch)


Reiki Audio network stack

 

[jasond]

Munich High End 2025 really had some stunning listening setups. I also spotted Network Acoustics in some rooms. Apart from Tempus switch and the Muon Pro/Eno2 filters they had a new hybrid power supply.

 

[Blue58]

Just got my network provider to change the subnet mask to 28 and it’s completely f…up the network. I managed to Speedtest, just, and it showed 40% packet loss and slow speed.
I’m asking them to change it back otherwise I can’t surf or stream.

 

[Marcin_gps]

Just got my network provider to change the subnet mask to 28 and it’s completely f…up the network. I managed to Speedtest, just, and it showed 40% packet loss and slow speed.
I’m asking them to change it back otherwise I can’t surf or stream.

This actually has nothing to do with your ISP — it concerns the available IP address pool in your local network.

A /28 subnet provides only 16 IP addresses, which might not be enough for all the devices on your network. That’s likely the cause of the issues you’re seeing.

Before making any changes like this, it’s a good idea to check a DHCP table to see how many devices are actually connected. That will help determine what subnet size is appropriate for your setup.

 

[Blue58]

This actually has nothing to do with your ISP — it concerns the available IP address pool in your local network.

A /28 subnet provides only 16 IP addresses, which might not be enough for all the devices on your network. That’s likely the cause of the issues you’re seeing.

Before making any changes like this, it’s a good idea to check a DHCP table to see how many devices are actually connected. That will help determine what subnet size is appropriate for your setup.

Not sure I follow the difference between the isp router and a 28subnet.
Maximum 8 devices on the network at anytime.

It could be that the devices still had IP addresses and leases that didn’t fall into the new DHCP scope or something like that. Beyond my pay grade but thanks for the info.