Overall Isolation - network, USB, and power

[Albrecht]

LOL, looks like my smart-person facade is working! Bwaaahaaahaaa, next to take over the world!!!!

I am frankly surprised I can hear a difference between one of these and an OK linear supply. Then after all of that, I was just as surprised that I didn't hear much difference using an Uptone Audio LPS-1 powering the downstream FMC... those supplies have made huge differences on just about everywhere else I've tried them.

 

Greg in Mississippi

 

Hi, FWIW, I tried the iFi, a stock SMPS, and a JameCo $11 LPS. I thought that I heard a little bit of difference with JameCo and the iFI, - with the JameCo being a little better, with a touch more detail and body. The far, far, more significant difference was using Optical with two FMCs in the first place. The iFi was a friend's and since I'm not much of a fan of their products, or the people who run iFI, - maybe i "wanted" the iFI to be worse.

I walked away thinking that I have fairly OK power in my building, Plus a decent power conditioner, plus the $11 JameCo is a good deal. Moreso, I am just happy to be running Fiber, representing a much greater value than an expensive CAT6 cable.

 

Someone else's unique circumstances will vary, - but I wouldn't go battery, or buy an expensive LPS, - without ....

 

1. Proving to yourself that Fiber is significantly better than Ethernet

&

2. Trying the $11 JameCo

 

I also have a LPS-1, - but I haven't tried it with the FMC, and then using the mRendu with the feeder Teradak 30w Linear. I doubt that I will, - I almost don't want to know for fear of unrestrainingly buying a $400+ LPS for just an FMC...

 

Cheers,

[Albrecht]

Hi @Albrecht,

 

Have you tried using the LPS-1 with a Y-cable to power both the downstream FMC AND the mRendu? You could use the Teradak 30W as the energizing supply for the LPS-1.

 

If I had an mRendu, that's what I would try.

Hiya,

Thanks for your thoughts & suggestion. Yes, - I had one of those Y cables in my Amazon cart and decided to bail. I am using the TeradaK 30w LPS as the energizing supply for the LPS-1.

I am going to get the Sonore/Cardas $140 cable to replace the stock LPS-1 cable to the mRendu. I am thinking that I have no reason to throw away the $11 JameCo LPS that's powering the TPLINK FMC. All the Power Supplies in the audio rack, - including the LPS for the Kimber HDMI switcher that i have there, - are all linear power supplies. I have enough power outlets on my Art Audio PB4X4. If I didn't, saving an outlet might be a bigger deal.

 

Thanks again..... Cheers,

[Albrecht]

Hiya,

 

Gotcha... Thanks again!! Surely won't hurt to try a $6 Y cable. Here's my chain...

 

[Albrecht]

Wait - just realized this won't work. The RUR needs 6-9V DC, and the USB power is 5V, of course.

 

Hi, The microRendu and the FMC (TPLINK mc200cm) are both 9v. My F-1 (USB to SPDIF) uses the microRendu 5v USB power. I could get an iFI, USB ipower, - but I don't want to mess with that particular part of the playback chain. (I would bet that the iFi ipower would play muckymuck with mRendu, Cardas adapter, F1 SQ). I don't have a DAC per se, - but a digital input on my Universal Player.

[Albrecht]

Didn't mean to confuse.

Right now the system is all wired with Ethernet cable. Except between the microRendu and the Ethernet switch in my listening room.

 

So I'm basically asking if replacing the Ethernet runs used through out the system with TP-Links and fiber instead will impact the sound quality? Or is the critical piece of fiber between the microRendu and the Ethernet switch that I have already the only place I need fiber optics?

I am doing the same thing that you are. My QNAP 251+ has two RJ45 Ethernet ports and I'm load balancing it into a switch in the room beside my listening room that has the NAS: it's two RJ45s have two CAT7 RJ45s going into the switch. The only fiber I have is with the 2 MC200cms going to the MicroRendu. I haven't yet set up the QNAP to do a "Virtual Switch" and plug the 200CM sender right into the QNAP. My downstairs neighbor and I share the network and we have just rewired our 1911 SF building with CAT6. So I'm not going to be upgrading any RJ45 sections to Fiber anytime soon. I can say that our network performance increased significantly when we pulled all CAT5e out.

 

I haven't experimented enough to say how much benefit you would garner by adding in more fiber.

[Albrecht]

Has anyone compared the SOtM iSO-CAT6 and Etalon LAN isolators?

 

Hiya,

 

Just curious, are the Etalon Isolators available to purchase & ship to the USA?

 

Thanks,

[Albrecht]

41 minutes ago, Cornan said:

 

For sure the ham radio world have a lot to offer. Just look at their extensive use of grounding solutions! ?

 

Here is an interesting take on the subject of our own guru in case you have missed it?

 

 

Thank you.. I missed this in the discussion: (faraday sleeves). Do you have a pic of your ET02s with these on them, - or do you have a link to the discussion and application of the sleeves? Thanks in advance, and sorry to make you repeat...

[Albrecht]

2 hours ago, Cornan said:

 

You're welcome! ?

I have a bit of both. First my Ghent ET02 (15cm & 50cm).

My DC cables and USB cable have JSSG as well.

 

 

 

Here is one of John's many posts in the subject.

 

The CA search engine is recently improved vastly. Just search JSSG and you will find a lot of info. ?

 

Hi, 

Sorry again. I have been using a Ghent JSSG USB cable in my bedroom system. And, - I've been looking at the Ghent JSSG ethernet cables. I mis-understood as I thought that you did some more tweaking and added another DIY tweak on top of the stock cables available for purchase on the Ghent site.

Thanks again.

Cheers,

 

[Albrecht]

1 minute ago, Cornan said:

 

No, not on the Ethernet cables, but on Ghents Canare starquad DC cables and my 8 conductor starquad USB cable and starquad DC cable from ATL Hi-Fi where I have added the JSSG though. It improves there just as much as on the ethernet side.

 

 

Cool....

Thank you again Cornan!

Cheers,