There must be over a hundred compositions of Stabat Mater out there. I heard Kim Andre Arnesen’s version on YouTube and loved the beautiful work.
Stabat Mater dolorosa (youtube.com)
The problem is that the only way to buy the music is through the link on Arnesen’s website. No download is available. I paid 10 pounds for express shipping from England for the 8-pound CD. I ripped the CD into FLAC and loaded it on the streamer to listen.
Stabat Mater – Kim Andre Arnesen Music (kimarnesen.com)
First, two LAN iSilencers were removed from both ends of a Melco Ethernet cable between an outlet Ethernet adapter and the streamer. The album was recorded with a natural perspective (no close miking) at a low level to preserve the dynamic range. No loudness issues here. For the first two tracks, I heard a distant and opaque sounding choir. The venue for the live recording looks decent (recording session link below). I could not tolerate the sound and put back the two iSilencers. I immediately sensed a louder volume. I suspect the lower noise floor restored better transparency, instrumental colors, and spatial qualities. You may describe the benefits differently. So, the iSilencers worked for me.
Verdenspremieren rørte de store følelser (haderslevpigekor.dk)
After playing a few albums, the next experiment was to disconnect the Ethernet cable entirely from the wall Ethernet adapter and relistened to an album without Roon or remote control. No notable improvements were detected. This experiment is informative to show that two IFIs are good enough for me. I think that isolation switches, Ethernet filters, or Ethernet cables are inferior to no connection at all. For me with limited hearing abilities, I am happy to find that a high-end switch, Ethernet filter, or Ethernet cable won’t help. Other people’s better hearing may justify such an investment.
Concerning the album, it is one of my best collections; well worth it.
Stabat Mater dolorosa (youtube.com)
The problem is that the only way to buy the music is through the link on Arnesen’s website. No download is available. I paid 10 pounds for express shipping from England for the 8-pound CD. I ripped the CD into FLAC and loaded it on the streamer to listen.
Stabat Mater – Kim Andre Arnesen Music (kimarnesen.com)
First, two LAN iSilencers were removed from both ends of a Melco Ethernet cable between an outlet Ethernet adapter and the streamer. The album was recorded with a natural perspective (no close miking) at a low level to preserve the dynamic range. No loudness issues here. For the first two tracks, I heard a distant and opaque sounding choir. The venue for the live recording looks decent (recording session link below). I could not tolerate the sound and put back the two iSilencers. I immediately sensed a louder volume. I suspect the lower noise floor restored better transparency, instrumental colors, and spatial qualities. You may describe the benefits differently. So, the iSilencers worked for me.
Verdenspremieren rørte de store følelser (haderslevpigekor.dk)
After playing a few albums, the next experiment was to disconnect the Ethernet cable entirely from the wall Ethernet adapter and relistened to an album without Roon or remote control. No notable improvements were detected. This experiment is informative to show that two IFIs are good enough for me. I think that isolation switches, Ethernet filters, or Ethernet cables are inferior to no connection at all. For me with limited hearing abilities, I am happy to find that a high-end switch, Ethernet filter, or Ethernet cable won’t help. Other people’s better hearing may justify such an investment.
Concerning the album, it is one of my best collections; well worth it.
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