2. digital
  3. 179628-176920

Where to invest the most in the "digital chain"?

Dear All,

I'd love to get everyone's opinions on where best to invest/invest the most, in the "digital chain".

Using my current "basic" system as an example I have very good Internet service into a very good router with the stock PSU on a dedicated power conditioner strip with an ifi AC iPurifier. From there I have Audioquest Pearl Cat6 to a Cisco 2960G with an upgraded Russ Andrews Power Cable. There follows another AQ Pearl Cat6 to an English Electronics 8Switch with an ifi iPowerX. From there I have the Chord C-Stream Ethernet to my ifi Zen Stream with a 15V ifi iPowerX. Then a Wireworld Chroma 8 cable to an ifi iPurifier3 into a Zen DAC v2 also with ifi iPowerX. The EE8, Stream and DAC benefit from a power-conditioner/surge protector and a pair of AC iPurifiers.

I've got a SotM iSO-CAT7 on order which I am intending to put between the EE 8Switch and the network transport with a dCBL-CAT7u into the network transport.

Phew, that was a lot of words!

My question is, and this applies to all systems as a generic question, where is it best to invest the most? Should the best Ethernet cables and/or switches and/or isolators be first in the chain (i.e. from the Internet source) or at the end of the chain (into the DAC/Music Streamer/Network Transport)? Similarly, where should the best power supplies be placed? Or does it all matter equally?

This is purely about the digital chain, I'm well aware that great speakers and a great AMP with good power and speaker cables make all the difference too!

I'm interested in opinions and I will of course experiment for myself.

jabbaman

Showing 3 responses by herman

herman
2,212 posts
 

It's always amusing when someone posts a completely outrageous scenario and the audiophools pile on thinking it was serious. 

Bravo !!! You got these phools to believe you spent almost $700 on an ethernet switch, thousands on power supplies and wires,  and less than $200 on a DAC.

always like to start my day with a hearty laugh.... thanks

 

 

 

 

herman
2,212 posts
 

Quality room correction is not cheap, unfortunately

I have a Trinnov too, but you don’t need to spend that kind of money to get room correction. It is fairly inexpensive to create and use convolution filters that can be used within Roon, HQplayer , and many other software packages. Way too complex for a tutorial here but here’s a start

https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/bits-and-bytes/accurate-sound-launches-multichannel-hang-loose-convolver-r1140/

 

 

herman
2,212 posts
 

You can’t recover lost DATA after the source , so I think of the streamer as a modern day "Transport"

While this is true, it is not a reason to spend more on a streamer. Every streamer, every ethernet switch, every cable, passes bit perfect data unless you choose an option to somehow manipulate it with DSP. Streamers are computers. Computers do not lose data.

If you are hearing differences it is not because any data was lost

Jitter is the bane of digital and reclocking the USB and Ethernet is the starting point.

. Data is sent in packets. The DAC does not use the clock from the USB or the Ethernet so reclocking the Ethernet and USB has absolutely no bearing on any jitter in the DAC.

If you are hearing differences it is not because of jitter from the source

 

 

 

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