SOtM sNH-10G Network Switches x2 : The NEW KING of USB/Network Gadget Setup

[BMCG]

And a different story.
Until the day before yesterday, I used Ch Precision t1.
I got OP21 from Cybershaft yesterday and am using it for my DAC, dCS Vivaldi Clock, SToM, and Uptone.
The purchase amount is less than one-third (including tax) of CH Precision t1, but is very good.

Yah - am intrigued, between the CH T1 and the OP21 which do you prefer?

 

[justubes]

We did compare that aspect too.
In general if employing optical fibers directly to the server/endpoint, the sound is less musical than using a good ethernet cable auch as Vertere or Dalby Audio Meda.

However the reverse is true for the connection between the two switches.

I too employ 2X Sotm switch connected via fibre withe the Dalby ethernet cables.

I did test initially with a ocxo fibre converter to 2x Sotm switches via the Dalby ethernet initially and it may have possibly been more impactful.

However, i need 8m fibre between the 2 x sotm switches in order to simplify my networking setup qith 1 less box and felt that is currently good enough.

At the back of my mind, adding a third Sotm switch might be another jump in performance.

Just too many boxes, as i am now going to test the Audiowise opto dx spdif to fibre and back to spdif for electrical isolation to my dac.

 

[CKKeung]

I like tests, too.
I currently own a lot of network switching hubs.
This is my personal opinion of the switching hub that I recently tested.

1. SOTM sNH-10G (including sCLK-EX)
The sound is heavy.
The low-pitched expression is very good.
Complete reference of audio-level switchihg hub

View attachment 59643

2. Uptone otherREGEN
Good expression of weak sounds (music is sweet)
There is a pleasure to listen to music even in small volumes.
However, the quality of sound is poor when used for a long time due to the high heat.
(The problem seems to arise as the case follows the unique design of the uptone.
I think it would be much better if I tuned the case out loud.)



View attachment 59644

3. Telegartner M2 GOLD
Very disappointed to hear the sound of purchase.
Originally born for industrial use, it is not audio-level.
if you want to buy it, you should do it after the test.

View attachment 59645

4. GigaFOILv4 (but not a switching hub)
Connecting to the end of the SOTM sNH-10G and using it on my DIY PC.
The background is getting very dark. The noise disappears completely.
It's also industrial, but it's much more audio grade than Telegartner M2 GOLD.
I highly recommend.


And a different story.
Until the day before yesterday, I used Ch Precision t1.
I got OP21 from Cybershaft yesterday and am using it for my DAC, dCS Vivaldi Clock, SToM, and Uptone.
The purchase amount is less than one-third (including tax) of CH Precision t1, but is very good.

View attachment 59646

View attachment 59647

Hello yah1233,
Thanks for your report!

I will be able to borrow the CH Precision T1 Clock for a listen in 1 or 2 months' time.

Your new Cybershaft is the new top model : 21A.
Please tell us what you feel when comparing it and the T1.
Thank you again!

 

[yah1233]

Before I bought the OP21, Kenji Hasegawa of Cybershaft replied:

"CH T1
better than -105dBc / Hz @ 1Hz deviation
better than -125dBc / Hz @ 10Hz deviation
better than -145dBc / Hz @ 100Hz deviation

OP20A
better than -120dBc / Hz @ 1Hz deviation
better than -140dBc / Hz @ 10Hz deviation
better than -148dBc / Hz @ 100Hz deviation

The larger the negative number, the better the phase noise value.
Exp. -100dBc / Hz vs -110dBc / Hz (good)
Since the audio clock is a time axis, the characteristics of the short-term stability of Alain dispersion can be further examined."

Of course, my OP21 has a better figure than the OP20.

And I already have Ch precision T1 (with GPS option) and I love it too ^^
I find it hard to say that any product is better than any other product.

However, the Ch precision T1 has a choice of sine waves and square waves (different sounds for selection)
, richer outputs, and additional features like TTL input for external synchronization.
Also my personal preference is the ONE model. (I have Ch L1, X1, M1.1)

The OP21 sounds very good based on a very precise OCXO.
The price is also far lower than that of Ch Precision T1.
In particular, using the Spike insulator SPF-01 (I already have several types of footers compared) will give you a better sound.

My biggest hope is that it would be best if I could replace the OCXO in OP21 with the OCXO of Ch precision T1.

P.S : The sound of the m12 gold switch is getting better and better over time.

 

[Kris]

Just had an audiophile gathering last night and did what you wanted.
Will give all interested WBF brothers a report here.
Stay tuned!

CKKeung
you are the best !
I asked for this multiple time in many forums.
I just asked what many of us wanted to know
You did fantastic work !
Thank you

 

[Kris]

CKKeung
Could you please be so kind to to let us know what is your current ” King of Network setup „ ?
There are some looking for the best only.
Please list prices for each network component if possible.

Also are you able to perform this network SQ tests with Taiko extreme linked via opitical and ethernet separately?
I would love to know if any additional nework swich or component could significantly improve already perfect optical connection of extreme .

 

[CKKeung]

CKKeung
Could you please be so kind to to let us know what is your current ” King of Network setup „ ?
There are some looking for the best only.
Please list prices for each network component if possible.
Also are you able to perform this network SQ tests with Taiko extreme linked via opitical and ethernet separately?
I would love to know if any additional nework swich or component could significantly improve already perfect optical connection of extreme .

Hello Kris,
I am an audiophile/consumer and not in the hifi industry.
Organizing a comparison gathering such as #221 is not easy.
My friends and I cannot test every possible products/configs/accessories.

I can share with you only my personal experience :
1. Up till now, the best audiophile switch is SOtM, followed by EtherRegen.
(But I have not heard the new Anuz PowerSwitch Series and Melco S-100)

2. Dual-switch configs such as SOtMx2 or SOtM-ER are better than single switch.

3. Whenever there is an optical fiber section within the network pathway, please add into the pathway a top ethernet cable such as Dalby Meda or Vertere HD to strengthen the musicality aspects of sound.

4. Adding an external 10M clock to audiophile switches is icing on cake. Upgrading from single switch to dual-switch is a more cost-effective upgrade.

 

[Taiko Audio]

3. Whenever there is an optical fiber section within the network pathway, please add into the pathway a top ethernet cable such as Dalby Meda or Vertere HD to strengthen the musicality aspects of sound.

Good suggestion!

 

[yah1233]

I agree 100% with Mr. CKKeung's reply.

 

[nuway]

Can anyone recommed a good cleaning solution for optical fiber connectors?

 

[Kris]

Hello Kris,
I am an audiophile/consumer and not in the hifi industry.
Organizing a comparison gathering such as #221 is not easy.
My friends and I cannot test every possible products/configs/accessories.

I can share with you only my personal experience :
1. Up till now, the best audiophile switch is SOtM, followed by EtherRegen.
(But I have not heard the new Anuz PowerSwitch Series and Melco S-100)

2. Dual-switch configs such as SOtMx2 or SOtM-ER are better than single switch.

3. Whenever there is an optical fiber section within the network pathway, please add into the pathway a top ethernet cable such as Dalby Meda or Vertere HD to strengthen the musicality aspects of sound.

4. Adding an external 10M clock to audiophile switches is icing on cake. Upgrading from single switch to dual-switch is a more cost-effective upgrade.

Thank you for sharing this wilth us !
WE are unable to get this results elswere now so thats why I asked.
I trust your methodology and comparison.
By getting your opinion I am also aware that this might not be the case in my system.
But it looks like we still have the same king . More costy for sure but still it is the one .

I wish you have access to Anuz and Melco to give us much bigger perspective.
Agan thank you very much for sharing your opinion with us.

 

[QuadDiffuser]

I agree 100% with Mr. CKKeung's reply.

It depends.

I auditioned the SOtM OCX10, connected to all three of my SOtM components (the USBultra and two NH-10Gs), using the expensive SOtM 50ohm clock link cables, powered by the superb PLiXiR BDC 12V 2A LPS, and auditioned them for a two-week period. The results were unsatisfactory - compared to the control sample (sans the OCX10 and clock signal cables) with everything being identical otherwise, music was:

- compressed; with smaller and flatter soundstage
- less black space between instruments and voices
- harsher, edgier, noisier
- less organic

As the final USB source signal enters the MSB Technologies Pro ISL module which “pulls” data packets at the natural sampling frequency cadence of the source material through the optical fibers, synced to the Femto 33 master clock, perhaps there is an undesirable interaction between the SOtM-clocked components and the MSB clock.

More likely, as 10.000MHz does not divide precisely into audio sampling frequencies without truncation, the local PLL circuit having to synthesize audio frequencies renders the concept of an outboard Master Clock (a metronome which doesn’t even beat at the correct audio frequency) pretty futile, not to mention the forest of wires, connectors, ferrite blocks, and conductor circuits gumming up the critical precision of the clock signals, and generating undesirable jitter.

 

[Abyss Man]

It depends.

I auditioned the SOtM OCX10, connected to all three of my SOtM components (the USBultra and two NH-10Gs), using the expensive SOtM 50ohm clock link cables, powered by the superb PLiXiR BDC 12V 2A LPS, and auditioned them for a two-week period. The results were unsatisfactory - compared to the control sample (sans the OCX10 and clock signal cables) with everything being identical otherwise, music was:

- compressed; with smaller and flatter soundstage
- less black space between instruments and voices
- harsher, edgier, noisier
- less organic

As the final USB source signal enters the MSB Technologies Pro ISL module which “pulls” data packets at the natural sampling frequency cadence of the source material through the optical fibers, synced to the Femto 33 master clock, perhaps there is an undesirable interaction between the SOtM-clocked components and the MSB clock.

More likely, as 10.000MHz does not divide precisely into audio sampling frequencies without truncation, the local PLL circuit having to synthesize audio frequencies renders the concept of an outboard Master Clock (a metronome which doesn’t even beat at the correct audio frequency) pretty futile, not to mention the forest of wires, connectors, ferrite blocks, and conductor circuits gumming up the critical precision of the clock signals, and generating undesirable jitter.


View attachment 59792

Hi,
Maybe you should have tried it with the sps-500 instead of the plixir LPS. If the LPS is not well designed, it will not be able to "keep up". There is a reason why soTm went with a SMPS design with filters. I might be grossly wrong though. but I am using the Trifecta with the master clock, all indivually powered by sps-500 except for the switch which it shares with the sms. My BNC cables are Black Diamond Tellurium. I like what I hear.

 

[QuadDiffuser]

I did try the sPS-500, but the sound was even more constrained, grayer, and grainier. Note that its core SMPS module is but a $15 generic component; I suspect that it generates a substantial amount of ultrasonic noise, a small amount of which finds its way not just into the DC output, and perhaps a larger amount back to the AC line as contamination, though heavily attenuated because of the inductive reactance in the AC power source, which in my case are the thick copper bus bars of the PS Audio P-20.

The audio jargon “can’t keep up” runs the risk of being too generic - without decomposing exactly what the limiting factors in the voltage and current delivery parameters are in a particular PS unit, it may be misguided to simply categorize SMPSs and LPSs into good and bad camps.

The PLiXiR Elite BDCs are very quiet and dynamic, designed with balanced isolation toroidals (unique in the market), and precision double-regulation circuits.

I place greater importance on the value of an actual audition, rather than specs alone, so I would urge all audiophiles to conduct (if possible) home auditions prior to committing to substantial purchase decisions.

For some reason, the OCX10 simply did not work in my system, but I’m quite happy not having to worry about adding those additional peripherals because I’m satisfied with the optimization process through carefully auditioning a variety of components and keeping only those which (albeit subjective) are not subtractive to the reproduction of the harmonic richness of instruments presented in the correct balance, proportion and size in my listening space, indicative of time domain coherence.

BTW, the USB cables I’m using are the Intona Ultimates: https://www.whatsbestforum.com/thre...olators-2019versions.28439/page-4#post-613357

 

[Abyss Man]

I did try the sPS-500, but the sound was even more constrained, grayer, and grainier. Note that its core SMPS module is but a $15 generic component; I suspect that it generates a substantial amount of ultrasonic noise, some of which finds its way back to the AC line as contamination, though heavily attenuated because of the inductive reactance in the AC power source, which in my case is the thick copper bus bars of the PS Audio P-20.

The audio jargon “can’t keep up” runs the risk of being too generic - without decomposing exactly what the limiting factors in the voltage and current delivery parameters are in a particular PS unit, it may be misguided to simply categorize SMPSs and LPSs into good and bad camps.

The PLiXiR Elite BDCs are very quiet and dynamic, designed with balanced isolation toroidals (unique in the market), and precision double-regulation circuits.

I place greater importance on the value of an actual audition, rather than specs alone, so I would urge all audiophiles to conduct (if possible) home auditions prior to committing to substantial purchase decisions.

For some reason, the OCX10 simply did not work in my system, but I’m quite happy not having to worry about adding those additional peripherals because I’m satisfied with the optimization process through carefully auditioning a variety of components and keeping only those which (albeit subjective) are not subtractive to the reproduction of the harmonic richness of instruments presented in the correct balance, proportion and size in my listening space, indicative of time domain coherence.

BTW, the USB cables I’m using are the Intona Ultimates: https://www.whatsbestforum.com/thre...olators-2019versions.28439/page-4#post-613357

I am more than pleased with the sps-500 in my system. I was thinking of getting a Farad 3 though to try it out. Let's see, said the blind man, What? said the deaf man. LOL. Happy listening Mr Quad.
Thank you once again.

 

[QuadDiffuser]

I am more than pleased with the sps-500 in my system. I was thinking of getting a Farad 3 though to try it out. Let's see, said the blind man, What? said the deaf man. LOL. Happy listening Mr Quad.
Thank you once again.

Hello, and thanks for your kind words. Out of curiosity, I Googled “Farad 3”, and browsed through the manufacturer’s website - very solid design and White Papers articulating the science ! I had fully expected the market for outboard DC power supplies to proliferate, and many products to be available in the marketplace, and hence was curious to see them evolve, and was on the lookout for better-sounding DC delivery systems, but I didn’t even know about this particular LPS. This Dutch review is delightfully full of technician measurements, together with subjective listening notes, and shows that the Farad 3 is the unequivocally superior PS, with an astonishingly low noise floor. As such, I’m going to look more deeply into potentially buying it, as my SOtM USBultra can benefit tremendously from it, as it’s the “last mile” component, right before the MBS Technology USB>optical dongle. My double-stacked PLiXiR BDC 12V 2A LPS will then be feeding my dual SOtM nH-10Gs. Perfect !

https://www.alpha-audio.nl/review/multitest-externe-12-volt-voedingen/

 

[Kris]

Saying the 2x Sotm with cybershaft is still the king of Auio swiches by comparing with the some others is great.

CK Keung I hope you will get new Melco S100 that looks impressive for further comparison.
It looks very interesting based on the data and pictures available .
Also I am not aware of the listed Anuz swich you listed.
Where is that posted ? Web page ?

 

[CKKeung]

Also I am not aware of the listed Anuz swich you listed.
Where is that posted ? Web page ?

https://ansuz-acoustics.com/products/powerswitch

 

[Kris]

https://ansuz-acoustics.com/products/powerswitch

ineresting , thank you.
I hope you OR some of your friends will get both swiches : Ansuz and Melco
so you can compare them with „ new king„ listed.
please be so kind to keep us posted.
your experience is unique here as far as I see.
Thank you CK

 

[Abyss Man]

Hello, and thanks for your kind words. Out of curiosity, I Googled “Farad 3”, and browsed through the manufacturer’s website - very solid design and White Papers articulating the science ! I had fully expected the market for outboard DC power supplies to proliferate, and many products to be available in the marketplace, and hence was curious to see them evolve, and was on the lookout for better-sounding DC delivery systems, but I didn’t even know about this particular LPS. This Dutch review is delightfully full of technician measurements, together with subjective listening notes, and shows that the Farad 3 is the unequivocally superior PS, with an astonishingly low noise floor. As such, I’m going to look more deeply into potentially buying it, as my SOtM USBultra can benefit tremendously from it, as it’s the “last mile” component, right before the MBS Technology USB>optical dongle. My double-stacked PLiXiR BDC 12V 2A LPS will then be feeding my dual SOtM nH-10Gs. Perfect !

https://www.alpha-audio.nl/review/multitest-externe-12-volt-voedingen/

Rajiv actually did carry out a comparison of a few LPS including the Farad 3. U might want to check out at CA for the write up, but yes, if I do get it I will let you know Mr Quad. Cheers.