Good mid-price audiophile switches
- Thread starter CKKeung
- Start date
Gene
I originally just had the Silent switch and added the Fiber Box II months later. There was an immediate improvement in the sound that was discernible using both. I have not compared them in any other configuration.
Mark
I'm curious has anyone compared LHY & Ediscreation? I have a very basic digital setup, with no "tweaks", I stream all my digital from my QNAP NAS drive, its connected to a consumer grade 24port TP Link switch, which feeds my music room (all original PS). I'm still on the fence if switches, ethernet cables, etc can make a difference (as I haven't experimented). I was going to pick up the LHY sw-6 as it appears well made & generally well reviewed. The SFP & isolated ethernet ports look like nice features, currently have a Simaudio Mind streamer but may swap to something like a Lumin U2, which could make use of the SFP port. With all the positive Ediscreation talk on here, I'm now second guessing & wondering if maybe I should go with one of his devices instead. I only require one connection so it sounds like maybe his Fiberbox II is a better choice then the SS OCXO. So I'm wondering what are peoples thoughts & if any have compared the two brands?
At risk of telling you what you already know, the best switch in the world won't make its maximum difference if you don't position it correctly. In domestic settings, switches were of course originally intended as port replicators and typically sit just after the router. By contrast, for audio purposes you want to give the switch the best possible opportunity to kill noise and to do this it needs to be just (say 0.5m to 1m cable) before the streamer.
Whichever switch you go for, I hope this helps.
Republicoftexas69
Well-Known Member
Actually not true if you are placing a filter at the front and backend of your network.
By back and front end do you mean one just after the router and one just after the streamer? If so then we agree and what I wrote is true, just only one part of the jigsaw puzzle.
I risked stating the obvious because I've had people tell me they tried an audiophile switch and couldn't hear much if any difference, but when quizzed they revealed they had installed it instead of their stock switch just after the router and with other devices than audio attached.
Republicoftexas69
Well-Known Member
Sure fine. I have a filter between my modem, switch and going into my TeraDak T-S 212 with OCXO clock, Fiber from the TeraDak to a MC into my Innuos Zenith. USB out to Wyred For Sound ISO Recovery to my LessLoss Echo's End R DAC. Crystal clear and almost as good sounding as my analog front end.
Cool. What are the cable lengths and types between those components, just to help me get my head around your audio network topology? I guess MC to Zenith is my primary interest here. I must check out the WfS ISO Recovery thing.
Republicoftexas69
Well-Known Member
I presume you mean 0.5 but if you do mean 0.05 then hats off to you sir! 0.5m is the best most people can achieve here so kudos for this.
Republicoftexas69
Well-Known Member
Is that a semantic point you're making or an actual question? As far as the playback chain is concerned, stopping noise going any further is the same as killing it, though obviously without the funeral, the flowers and the fond farewells. Maybe some switches just give the noise a good kicking so it's a feeble shadow of itself.
Would you care to clarify your question?
Republicoftexas69
Well-Known Member
No switch kills noise. Just some are quieter than others. Alpha Audio has done extensive testing.
If that were true, adding a switch between your router or NAS and streamer could not improve the sound. Yet it clearly does, IME.
As I say, semantics. The original discovery of the positive impact of a generic/stock/basic switch on sound quality, if installed just before the streamer, may have been accidental but it was a real thing, based mainly on the galvanic isolation inherent in most switch designs... only after that did audio-focused manufacturers seek to ensure the switch itself was quiet too.
It’s ridiculous that some are being so literal. From the many positive reports about better switches, it’s obvious that one of the benefits that often delights folks is a perceived reduction in the noise floor. “Kills noise” isn’t a technical term so it shouldn’t be taken as if you intended to use it that way.
At the end of the day, the way a switch reduces noise can get very complicated. It's not easy to just write down how they affect the signal. This requires a bit of effort on your part to find out why. Not for the members here to prove to you why or how they do.
This should be a great place to start getting your learn on. https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/...ables—and-a-money-saving-surprise-at-the-end/
I hope this helps.
Tom
This should be a great place to start getting your learn on. https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/...ables—and-a-money-saving-surprise-at-the-end/
I hope this helps.
Tom
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