bits is bits

“Most audiophiles have come around by now to the realization that TCP is indeed bit-perfect - period.”
@devinplombier 

This part of the equation was never in doubt ~ the bits get there just fine. It’s what happens after that where things truly get interesting.  

As you pointed out, the issue revolves around parasitic noise propagating through conductive cabling, potentially coupling into the analog stages of components with insufficient isolation or grounding design, resulting in audible artifacts.  

The key is finding an isolation device that intelligently removes parasitic noise before those bits ever reach your streamer or server. Do that, and you’re golden.

@lalitk 

Doesn't a run of SFP fiber between listening room and utility room serve that purpose?

For the sake of completeness, the SFP converter on the system side should probably be equipped with a low-noise power supply, since it is located on the "sensitive" (read: non-isolated) side of the fiber run.

“Doesn’t a run of SFP fiber between listening room and utility room serve that purpose?”
@devinplombier 

Yes, it would. I personally didn’t care for using SFP fiber and converters in my system. For context, my streamer doesn’t have a native SFP port, so I ran a fiber optic link with converters on both ends between the router and the streamer. The result, though technically clean, made the sound feel sterile and dry. 

I settled a while ago on Telegartner Opt Bridge. It converts incoming copper (Ethernet) to an internal optical domain, then back to copper, thereby breaking ground-loops and removing parasitic noise. I am also using a LHY LPS to power the Opt Bridge. 

@sns I am streaming MQA from Tidal. Not everything was replaced. 
 

 

devinplombier

1,064 posts

10-26-2025 at 11:30pm 

@lalitk 

Doesn't a run of SFP fiber between listening room and utility room serve that purpose?

No. Most streamers use RJ45 connection. That long run of fiber will end with a fiber to copper converter and you are back to copper going into your streamer. Which isn’t the end of the world. Isolating it well and using good quality cables is easy. 
Let’s not overthink the cable aspect too much. Quality of recordings and a playback chain as well as room acoustics play a much bigger role than copper or fiber.
Don’t sweat it too much. 

I replaced the ethernet cable between my streamer and switch with SFP optical fibre. As far as I can discern, it made absolutely zero difference to sound quality.

That's in a highly resolving system. Both the Linn Klimax DSM/3 streamer and Melco S100 switch have SFP ports and I used the often recommended Finisar optical modules. 

Other changes I have made in the past like adding the Melco switch and upgrading the streamer have been beneficial, but the SFP optical fibre wasn't. Others using the same streamer have reported improvement from changing to fibre. Maybe the Melco is already providing sufficient isolation.