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

[auricgoldfinger]

Hi guys, I have a question about the standard and upgraded versions of this Switch.

Earlier this month, I borrowed the standard Switch + standard PSU from a local distributor to try, and after hearing a clear improvement, I ordered the fully upgraded versions (Switch + PSU), and based on the boxes the specs are as follows:
- PSU: Silver DC Cable / SE-S / CAP / eABC
- Switch: sCLK-EX / 12V / MC75 / SE-S / EVOX / eABS

I received them earlier last week and when I replaced them with the loaner (standard), I was surprised that this upgraded version sounds brighter / harsher and not as full-bodied as the standard version.


I stacked them and compared both with the same AC + LAN cables and the difference was very clear.

Units with gold badges are loaner (standard version) and units with silver badges are mine (upgraded).

I truly have no idea what might have caused this and below are my observation:

- Is it because of the voltage? The standard version uses 9V but mine uses 12V. I understand that if the external clock is installed, 12V is required... is this correct? Would voltage affect how the unit sound? What will happen if I reduce my voltage setting behind the PSU from 12V to 9V?

- Now mine have around 70-75 hours on them (both PSU and Switch) but still sound brighter than the loaner (that has countless hours on... possible thousands). How long would it take for the Switch / PSU to fully burn in?

- Is it possible that all the silver upgrades/components inside the black unit cause it to be bright?

Any suggestions or tips / settings I might try to make it sound more full would be appreciated!

FYI, I made sure to recheck the voltage setting of the PSU and both units were setup correctly (standard version with 9V and upgraded with 12V).

Thanks!

Were the upgrades done by SOtM or a vendor? The silver wire SOtM uses is not the best quality, and it tends to impart a brighter sound. This would be especially true if they used the silver wire in the switch itself. In my experience, the voltage settings have little to no audible effect on sound quality.

 

[auricgoldfinger]

Hello, I’m thinking in investing in a sNH-10G with EX clock and external 10MHz clock input. I understand that there is option for 50 or 75 ohms. Owner of a Cybershaft OP21, i can use both 50 and 75 ohms. Seems SoTM recommend 50 Ohms but this solution is quite limited if i understand well in terms of cables. So, would you have any recommendation concerning 50 or 75 ohms ?
Other question, other options are possible like internal silver wiring etc…would you recommend such option ?

Thanks for your valuable feedbacks.

You can't go wrong with a 75-ohm cable. There is no difference in sound quality, and as you mention, the availability of cables is much better. They also have better resale value.

 

[PrTv]

Were the upgrades done by SOtM or a vendor? The silver wire SOtM uses is not the best quality, and it tends to impart a brighter sound. This would be especially true if they used the silver wire in the switch itself. In my experience, the voltage settings have little to no audible effect on sound quality.

Upgrade was done by SOtM and yes the silver wire was installed in the switch.

So from your experience, this cable “upgrade” brought about excessive harshness in my system? If so what’s the best resolution?

Would you guys suggest after-market internal cable? If so which one?
Is there any disassembling instruction as it seems to be a bit tricky getting the board out. It seems to be inserted into the case enclosure.

Thanks!

 

[Kris]

Hi guys, I have a question about the standard and upgraded versions of this Switch.

Earlier this month, I borrowed the standard Switch + standard PSU from a local distributor to try, and after hearing a clear improvement, I ordered the fully upgraded versions (Switch + PSU), and based on the boxes the specs are as follows:
- PSU: Silver DC Cable / SE-S / CAP / eABC
- Switch: sCLK-EX / 12V / MC75 / SE-S / EVOX / eABS

I received them earlier last week and when I replaced them with the loaner (standard), I was surprised that this upgraded version sounds brighter / harsher and not as full-bodied as the standard version.


I stacked them and compared both with the same AC + LAN cables and the difference was very clear.

Units with gold badges are loaner (standard version) and units with silver badges are mine (upgraded).

I truly have no idea what might have caused this and below are my observation:

- Is it because of the voltage? The standard version uses 9V but mine uses 12V. I understand that if the external clock is installed, 12V is required... is this correct? Would voltage affect how the unit sound? What will happen if I reduce my voltage setting behind the PSU from 12V to 9V?

- Now mine have around 70-75 hours on them (both PSU and Switch) but still sound brighter than the loaner (that has countless hours on... possible thousands). How long would it take for the Switch / PSU to fully burn in?

- Is it possible that all the silver upgrades/components inside the black unit cause it to be bright?

Any suggestions or tips / settings I might try to make it sound more full would be appreciated!

FYI, I made sure to recheck the voltage setting of the PSU and both units were setup correctly (standard version with 9V and upgraded with 12V).

Thanks!

Every small thing matters .
Voltage can clearly change the overall presentation.
Did test that many times with regulatet top class LPS.

Other thing is the internal DC cable. This also has very significant impact.
I tested many cables .
I use Mundorf siver gold DC 1.5 mm wire for my Buffalows 2016.

Also the use of clock model impa ts the SQ very much.
Even if there are the same model number each individual piece is different by about 2 - 5 dB in the noise flooor.
So one will be different then the other.

If you use high end clocks the difference migth me much higher.
I repleced mine in Buffalo with Pinkfaun Ultra
It is a top class performance

Grounding might impact the SQ . Not only being present or disconnected but also the size of grouding wire.

One of the most important and often forgotten things is the clock internal connection cable . Its quality is one of the most important factors to the proper SQ

Settings of the switch are giving the major impact. I tested thausends of options and some are just amazing in what they do
I am able to corre t any sound presentation to my preference any time.

Ethernet cables , not only the quality of that cable but also the lenght and shielding are extreme important in the SQ tunning.

SFP and if you use the optical cable is a rabbit hole.
Thausend of options to pick.
SFP and its speed has very big impact on SQ.

I could keep listing things as I spent 3 years testing just switches in my system. So much fun related to that !

Thats why I love Buffalo 2016 swiches.
They are giving you enless possibilities and you are a decission maker of what you want or prefer , not the person who was designing swich as it is in almost all other audio swiches.

 

[Kenc]

I haven't read through this whole thread so I apologize in advance if this has been covered.... I use two sNH-10G switches tethered by fiberoptic. I found my current Finisar FTLX8571D3BCL to sound much better than the 10Gtek transceiver I originally experimented with. Is there a consensus on the best sounding transceiver to be used in this context?

 

[Kris]

I tried many .
The best is here attached.
Many have confirmed it is their preference.

Recently the best SQ you will get with long 15 - 30m unshielded !!! run of Ethernet cable. This is only true with Taiko extreme.
But it will cost you only 20 Euro to check if it works in your system.

For all the others SFP attached is probably best option to isolate it.

 

[Kenc]

thanks for the rec! is the -HW suffix important?
I've looked on eBay and it seems that finding these is not dissimilar to locating good vacuum tubes.
there are apparently fakes floating around as well!
any good reliable sources for these?

 

[PrTv]

Don’t know why… now my system sounds terrible with the upgraded version. With reference to my previous post, now the switch should have around 130hr on. Comparing with the stock version this upgraded one sounds terrible (treble emphasis), making some albums unbearable. I’m sure there must be something wrong here. Equipment with this price range (maxed out both the switch + psu) can’t sound this bad.

I triple checked that
- these are maxed out edition (clock board / capacitors / etc)
- PSU set to 12V but I can’t know the setting inside the switch if 12V is selected… the box says 12V though

Any idea guys?

 

[the sound of Tao]

Don’t know why… now my system sounds terrible with the upgraded version. With reference to my previous post, now the switch should have around 130hr on. Comparing with the stock version this upgraded one sounds terrible (treble emphasis), making some albums unbearable. I’m sure there must be something wrong here. Equipment with this price range (maxed out both the switch + psu) can’t sound this bad.

I triple checked that
- these are maxed out edition (clock board / capacitors / etc)
- PSU set to 12V but I can’t know the setting inside the switch if 12V is selected… the box says 12V though

Any idea guys?

Could be the wire change especially if it’s not good silver cable. Mine was a 9 volt version with stock wall wart and I did a move to a 12v linear psu and have used better cabling on that and didn’t find any emphasis on treble or any losses at all and very glad I did it… it moved just a bit more towards lifelike and effortless. Not night and day but a good move still.

 

[Kris]

thanks for the rec! is the -HW suffix important?
I've looked on eBay and it seems that finding these is not dissimilar to locating good vacuum tubes.
there are apparently fakes floating around as well!
any good reliable sources for these?

I should have 10 pairs as far as I remember.
If you are from EU I can ship them to you
PM me .

 

[Kris]

Don’t know why… now my system sounds terrible with the upgraded version. With reference to my previous post, now the switch should have around 130hr on. Comparing with the stock version this upgraded one sounds terrible (treble emphasis), making some albums unbearable. I’m sure there must be something wrong here. Equipment with this price range (maxed out both the switch + psu) can’t sound this bad.

I triple checked that
- these are maxed out edition (clock board / capacitors / etc)
- PSU set to 12V but I can’t know the setting inside the switch if 12V is selected… the box says 12V though

Any idea guys?

Maxed edition has a silver wire . Very detailed and harsh sounding.
Also the 12v is highlighting the upper frequency .
Try to lower the voltage to 10v . You should have a big relief, but the main problem is still there - clock cable that needs to be replaced.
I know few who were forced by bad SQ to replace this clock wire.

 

[Patatorz]

What clock wire : the one of the Masterclock (50 or 75 ohm) or the ones of the superclock (sCLK-EX) ?

thanks

 

[kostas6a3]

I tried many .
The best is here attached.
Many have confirmed it is their preference.

Recently the best SQ you will get with long 15 - 30m unshielded !!! run of Ethernet cable. This is only true with Taiko extreme.
But it will cost you only 20 Euro to check if it works in your system.

For all the others SFP attached is probably best option to isolate it.

It's the same?

https://gr.mouser.com/ProductDetail/II-VI-Finisar/FTLF1321P1BTL?qs=D%252B6gCNt%2Fg2AFvV5LBXQhDA%3D%3D

 

[Levitator]

Don’t know why… now my system sounds terrible with the upgraded version. With reference to my previous post, now the switch should have around 130hr on. Comparing with the stock version this upgraded one sounds terrible (treble emphasis), making some albums unbearable. I’m sure there must be something wrong here. Equipment with this price range (maxed out both the switch + psu) can’t sound this bad.

I triple checked that
- these are maxed out edition (clock board / capacitors / etc)
- PSU set to 12V but I can’t know the setting inside the switch if 12V is selected… the box says 12V though

Any idea guys?

I had a similar experience with the upgraded silver wire in the SOTM switch - I changed the internal wire to an unshielded OCC copper wire based on some suggestions from others here - made a positive difference and removed the glare that I was experiencing. Chat to Steve at Audio Sensibility (steven.huang@audiosensibility.com) and he should be able to assist….

 

[Blackmorec]

Don’t know why… now my system sounds terrible with the upgraded version. With reference to my previous post, now the switch should have around 130hr on. Comparing with the stock version this upgraded one sounds terrible (treble emphasis), making some albums unbearable. I’m sure there must be something wrong here. Equipment with this price range (maxed out both the switch + psu) can’t sound this bad.

I triple checked that
- these are maxed out edition (clock board / capacitors / etc)
- PSU set to 12V but I can’t know the setting inside the switch if 12V is selected… the box says 12V though

Any idea guys?

Hi there,
any progress on the SQ now it’s had months to settle in?

 

[PrTv]

Hi there,
any progress on the SQ now it’s had months to settle in?

Hi, thanks for asking... I did quite a lot of experiments:
- Switching AC cords (affected the sound quite a bit)
- Switching DC cable from PSU > from silver to copper
- Switching Ethernet cables

None could make the fully upgraded unit sound "right" for me (in my system it's just too bright).

I also got to test Melco S100, and it sounds most right with my system, with fully upgraded SOtM PSU + copper cable, so I ended up keeping the Melco S100.



I also found that adding Hifistay footer did help. I don't know why, but the switch clearly sounds more focus with tad better/tighter bass. I prefer to use it direct with no dish.

 

[Blackmorec]

Hi, thanks for asking... I did quite a lot of experiments:
- Switching AC cords (affected the sound quite a bit)
- Switching DC cable from PSU > from silver to copper
- Switching Ethernet cables

None could make the fully upgraded unit sound "right" for me (in my system it's just too bright).

I also got to test Melco S100, and it sounds most right with my system, with fully upgraded SOtM PSU + copper cable, so I ended up keeping the Melco S100.



I also found that adding Hifistay footer did help. I don't know why, but the switch clearly sounds more focus with tad better/tighter bass. I prefer to use it direct with no dish.

Hi PrTv,
In my system I once tried an SoTM Tx-USB Ultra with SP500 PS and it also sounded too bright. I took out the unit and all the magic returned. Turned out after much experimentation that what caused the problem was plugging the SP500 into the same mains circuit as my DAC and AMPS. That discovery persuaded me to replace the SMPS I had powering an AQVox SE switch and the difference was jaw-dropping.
I have a Melco S100 and I use it with ISOacoustic Orea footers to great effect.

 

[PrTv]

Hi PrTv,
In my system I once tried an SoTM Tx-USB Ultra with SP500 PS and it also sounded too bright. I took out the unit and all the magic returned. Turned out after much experimentation that what caused the problem was plugging the SP500 into the same mains circuit as my DAC and AMPS. That discovery persuaded me to replace the SMPS I had powering an AQVox SE switch and the difference was jaw-dropping.
I have a Melco S100 and I use it with ISOacoustic Orea footers to great effect.

Very interesting find!

You mean, to resolve this is to : 1. replace the SP500 altogether or 2. just separate the SP500 into different power source?

In my case, the SP500 (right side) also shared the same isolation transformer as my Dac & DDC (left side). Is this similar setup as yours that cause the brightness?

 

[Blackmorec]

Very interesting find!

You mean, to resolve this is to : 1. replace the SP500 altogether or 2. just separate the SP500 into different power source?

In my case, the SP500 (right side) also shared the same isolation transformer as my Dac & DDC (left side). Is this similar setup as yours that cause the brightness?

View attachment 94829

In my case I chose solution 1 but in your case I would try solution 2 first and if that doesn’t do the trick i would try the system without it then reach a conclusion

 

[audiophilac1]

Anyone have similar experience with SOtM SNH10G switch and Finisar FTLX1475D3BTL,
The fibre module doesn't work after a reboot.
I'm required to disconnect/reconnect the module everytime