Yes you do. I have a Chinese Ocxo Switch in front of an Etherregen and removing either results in immediate deterioration of sound quality. Actually, accurate clocking is one of the great misunderstood issues in digital music. It’s the accuracy of the timing of the Ethernet and USB connections, not ‘lost bits’ that matter. So any improvement in clocking accuracy or reduction in phase noise is highly beneficial. And while we are at it: difference between accurate 75 or 50Ohms BNC cables and lesser ware are very audible, too.
Do I really need an " Audio Grade Network Switch "?
I think it's been a quite controversial topic for years, like what's the difference between normal network switch and an audio grade network switch, the price difference is certainly obvious though...
Anyway, I've done some researches, most audio reviewers say that under this " new digital streaming era " that an network switch is a must for an audio system, which is understandable for me, I mean because if I wanna play TIDAL or Qobuz or Spotify, I gotta use network so I can stream these online services, so yeah I get that if the network quality is good enough, it can possibly level up the music performance.
But anyhow, I'm new to this area, so I don't like to spend big bucks on my first purchase hahaha... there's a very wide range of the prices though, the top one is Ansuz Power Switch I think, the inner circuit and design look pretty sharp, and surely over my budget lol
So I'm choosing between Bonn N8 and SW-8, these two both got good reviews, and the prices seem so darn much friendly to me as I'm looking for an entry level switch now, do any of you have any insights to share?
or should I just go for the higher level ones?
Best,