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Emile has tested a bunch of different transceivers with his Taiko Extreme server and reported that he liked the StarTech SFP1000zxst transceivers the most. They are expensive at around $90 a piece, but every now and then they pop up new on eBay for $15-$20 if you are patient. I bought two of them cheap but have not tried them. They work with single mode fiber, so make sure you have compatible cable if you decide to try them.

However, the weird thing is that they are extended range transceiver designed for 80 km distance. Connecting them with a much shorter fiber cable (a few meters rather than 80 km) would have some consequences. For example, the transmit light would be very strong, and it could potentially burn the receiving transceiver module. A workaround to this would be to use light attenuators, but as far as I know Emile, and a few of his customers, don't do that and don't have any issues.

I have access to many different transceivers, including Cisco, Arista, and some third party ones but no desire or time to perform a transceiver shootout. If anyone is really interested and committed to do such thing I might be able to help with some test samples.

Industry disclosure:
https://chicagohifi.com

Dealer for: Taiko Audio, Conrad Johnson, Audio Mirror, and Sean Jacobs

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35 minutes ago, Superdad said:

 

Well come on, just order an 80km spool of single-mode fiber off Amazon. x-D  Can such a thing even exist?  That's 262,000 feet of cable. Guess you dedicate your garage to housing it! :P

 

You can actually buy one, but not on Amazon. It would be $30K+ (but what's that in hifi) and would be the size of big speakers (so you can still park your car in the garage). Exchanges in the financial sector do all kinds of crazy things to decrease/increase/control latency. Here is one example - https://youtu.be/d8BcCLLX4N4?t=158.

Sorry for the off topic message.

 

Industry disclosure:
https://chicagohifi.com

Dealer for: Taiko Audio, Conrad Johnson, Audio Mirror, and Sean Jacobs

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5 minutes ago, cat6man said:

 

no no no no no...........you've got it all wrong.

 

the financial industry pays mightily to reduce latency but to do that they get rid of the fiber!

there are digital microwave links to connect the markets from chicago to NY built solely to eliminate the wasteful latency of fiber links.

propagation time through the air is much less than the propagation time through fiber!!!!!!!!


I know!!
But did you watch the video from my post? It shows how one of the exchanges put a 38 mile coil of wire to introduce 350 microseconds of latency.

I’ve also seen places where they measure the longest wire and make every wire that length (again by coiling wire), so no one has latency advantage.

However, as you said, most companies do all kinds of crazy things to decrease latency and squeeze a nanosecond or two.

@Superdad would have to do some cleanup again it seems :). Sorry, but he started it. 

Industry disclosure:
https://chicagohifi.com

Dealer for: Taiko Audio, Conrad Johnson, Audio Mirror, and Sean Jacobs

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25 minutes ago, Superdad said:

 

No, this is THE free-for-all thread. I will never "clean-up" anything here no matter how wacky! x-D

 

Excellent! Let's start with four questions I have on my mind, then. 

1. Do cables make a difference?

2. Is vinyl better than digital?

3. Bits are bits, right?

4. And... what did you guys say about measurements and blind tests? I can never remember how those go...

 

Haha, just kidding. I am off this thread now. Just until I come back from Garrett's, though.

 

 

Industry disclosure:
https://chicagohifi.com

Dealer for: Taiko Audio, Conrad Johnson, Audio Mirror, and Sean Jacobs

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  • 2 weeks later...
31 minutes ago, thotdoc said:

StarTech.com 1000BASE-SX SFP Transceiver Module - 1 Gbps - 550 m - TAA Compliant - MSA Compliant Fiber SFP (SFPSXMM)

 

I'm assuming this is the correct one. 

 

If not, let me know.

 

I do not know the implications of ZX vs SX other than distance; which is irrelevant in this case.

 

Also, it seems that better ones at each end would be best. I will try that if I hear any difference at all with one, unless someone knowledgeable says that you need 2-of the better transceivers to make a difference.

 

That's a different transceiver. Here is the one Emile recommended - https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-1000BASE-ZX-SFP-Transceiver-Module/dp/B0747WZ8LZ/ 

Industry disclosure:
https://chicagohifi.com

Dealer for: Taiko Audio, Conrad Johnson, Audio Mirror, and Sean Jacobs

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  • 4 weeks later...
8 hours ago, emailists said:

I have 2 things to report, the second I find quite disturbing.

 

After some encouraging discussion here, I decided to try plugging the ER into my power conditioner, the Niagara 7000.

 

My first thought was keep the ER far away from the system and off the same power circuit.

 

I was proven wrong on both accounts.  Moving the ER close to the DAC with a short Ethernet cable gave great results I had posted previously in the listening impressions thread.  

 

Now attaching the ER into the power conditioner took the instrument I was paying attention to from more forward and amorphous to refined, receded and specific. 'A very nice improvement' I thought and best of all it was free by utilizing my existing investment in the Garth Powell (from Furman now Audioquest) designed conditioner. 

 

What I did next was put the ER up on 3 cones with a TTweights 5 pound or so copper label weight from my turntable on top.

 

This was the biggest shock of all.  The music gained a liveliness and force like it was being squeezed out of a tube.

 

I was enjoying it for a day or two and I wanted to play some lp's  so I took the copper weight off the ER.  I was surprised how hot was.  It was a fantastic heat sync (as were the cones.)  So hot I had to let it cool before risking it on a piece of vinyl.  

I played the LP with a different label weight, not of copper and half the weight.   Once the copper weight cooled I placed it on the turntable (mid LP) and the sound gained an authority similar to what I heard the weight do for the ER!  It was a little weird, one being analog the other digital, but I have always been a proponent of mechanical grounding (preferably by copper or brass) as opposed to floating isolation. 

 

The next day I played the ER with NO cones or weight, to hear the baseline once again.  After 1 track I slipped the cones and weight back into place and wow!  Just a whole new take on the performance.  Outstanding.    

 

Which leads me back to the thing I found disturbing.  If my 'add on' mass and mechanical grounding has such an impact on the ER, then the enclosure is limiting the ER's true sonic potential... by a lot! 

 

I'm not saying a $650 item should have any kind of audio jewelry, but in this case I feel a much better and more massive case upgrade is warranted.  An enclosure that allows as much of the vibration inherent in the boards to drain into something more massive, and lowers the resonance is definitely something I could see being beneficial.

 

 

 

 


I have been keeping my ER on top of a stillpoints ultra6 with a heavy weight since day 1. The ultra6 foot is more expensive than the ER but I had one spare anyway. 
There is a good opportunity for an aftermarket case for the ER. At the end of the day, it is just a PCB board that can be easily moved to a better chassis. 
I have mentioned that to @Superdad. But he would always have different types of users - those who prefer compact/small (you may add cheaper as well) and those who want to squeeze out every last bit of performance and are ready to pay for a chassis carved by a one big block of aluminum. And anything in between. I guess it’s hard for a company like UA to create a range of products to satisfy every client out there. That’s why we have all these aftermarket accessories. 
Vibration control is always beneficial for devices with clocks. The ER is no exception here. 
What I am wondering is if in your case you also get a performance gain from the additional heat dissipation. I have noticed with my digital sources that even when you use wide temperature parts (I.e. the Apacer RAM that is designed to work in the -40°C~95°C range), there is a nice sound improvement when you manage to keep the parts cooler.

Can you try a different weight (non copper) and check if it copper makes a big difference? 

Perhaps one of these - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KWPU1RY/ ?

Industry disclosure:
https://chicagohifi.com

Dealer for: Taiko Audio, Conrad Johnson, Audio Mirror, and Sean Jacobs

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1 minute ago, RickyV said:


Why non copper or do you mean non-ferro, iron. It is my understanding that we need to keep magnetic metals away from audio signals. Stainless is also non-ferro.


Copper dissipates a lot of heat and acts like a heatsink. I was wondering if the improvement comes from simply the added vibration control or from the additional heatsink. Hence suggested to try with a different weight that would not act as a heatsink. That may tell us if the ER benefits from additional heatsinking to keep it cooler. Or the benefit is strictly from the better vibration control.

Industry disclosure:
https://chicagohifi.com

Dealer for: Taiko Audio, Conrad Johnson, Audio Mirror, and Sean Jacobs

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2 hours ago, RickyV said:


The components that generate heat in the ER have no contact with the case, via heat transfer pads or something. So between the heat generating components, and most of them have heatsinks on top of them, is air. Air does not conduct heat very well so if you cool the ER with heatsink imo you are just cooling the case, not the components on the pcb. 
If you want to cool the inside of the ER you have let out the “hot” air, so dril holes so cooler air can get in and hot air out. Or you can unscrew the front and screw it back with washers in between the front and the case. Both sides maybe.

 

But what is hot? My ER case is 40C. The oscillator inside the ER likes a “hot” stable temperature. Maybe the specs of the oscillator gives a ideal temperature.


Wasn’t there a comment from Alex that the case acts as a heatsink? 

Industry disclosure:
https://chicagohifi.com

Dealer for: Taiko Audio, Conrad Johnson, Audio Mirror, and Sean Jacobs

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5 hours ago, emailists said:

I can try try some alternative weights when I can find an appropriate one around the house.

 

 

How about putting something between the ER and the weight (i.e. a thick carton, plastic, rubber, etc.)? This way the weight would not act as a heatsink.

Industry disclosure:
https://chicagohifi.com

Dealer for: Taiko Audio, Conrad Johnson, Audio Mirror, and Sean Jacobs

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  • 1 month later...

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