The Ultimate Network Solution

[ASRMichael]

My Ultimate Network Solution  (local files)

 

Few weeks ago I saw a post by @Nenon & @romaz about isolating the network completely by buffering an entire album then pulling the network cable out. I tried this a few times and can confirm this is the optimum (ultimate network) solution. There’s only one issue and that’s getting up leaning over and disconnecting the cable each time, and in some instances the cable falling down the back of the unit. Arrhhh. So this got me thinking! How do I automate the process?

 

My Objectives;

 

·         Improved sound quality by Isolating the network completely by switching off the EtherRegen

·         Get back to listening to music rather than tinkering all the time and listening to the same reference tracks over and over

·         Stop the itch for spending more and more money on my network, switches, LPS etc

·         Buffer a full album, sit back and enjoy

·         My network to automatically come back online when the album finishes, ready to play the next album of my choosing.

·         All to be controlled from 1 App (My home automation app)

 

My network configuration;

 

Modem>Edge 12 Router>SFP>Edge X SFP>OM>EtherRegen>Server

                                                                                           +

                                                                                  NUC (As NAS)

 

·         All of the above are powered by SJ DC3 individual rails

·         NUC running Euphony (SMB Server only)

·         Server running Euphony Stylus+HQP

 

Well here’s how I’ve automated the process…..(note this is not hard coding)

 

·         Using home automation software Demopad, like Crestron, I integrated Euphony into the Demopad App.  (There’s Offline software where you program the layout and commands,            then upload to the App, In my case IOS app)

·         Demopad – Centro 8m Box. Setup Macros/scheduled events etc, using IR, RS232, IP Control etc. (again programmed from Demopad software)

·         Sean Jacobs is building me a box to connect to the DC3 rail to the EtheRegen. The box has an IR sensor. Affectively the box is able to receive an IR command on/off. On being it            will send power to the EtheRegen, Off being, isolating power to the EtherRegen

·         I’ve added a few additional buttons to the Euphony library page; note the power slider with green button. Top right

·         Once I press this it pops up a menu asking how long you want to turn the network off for? 10,20,30 minutes etc. Each button is programmed for an event to happen in that                      certain time in the future.  The event would be to send an IR command (off) to SJ box, the rail that powers the EtheRegen

·         What I do is.. I choose an album of my liking in Stylus note rough time add and play let it buffer. Then click power slider, choose from how many minutes I want the network      s              switched off for, for example 60 minutes. Then sit back and enjoy.

·         After 60 minutes a command is sent to SJ rail to power back on. Bingo the network is alive again ready for me to choose my next album.

·         Note red button on my mains screen which has volume etc. There a red icon showing, this indicated the network is currently shutdown. If the icon is not showing red, and only                shows Euphony icon means network is up and running.

·         I’ve also added a countdown timer which shows how long before the network comes back on.

 

I appreciate there might be downsides to this, like will power cycling the EtherRegen have any effect over time. I’ll find out I’m sure. Also how stable the EtherRegen clock will be. 

 

I would also like to change the menu “shutdown the network” from 10,20,30 option to actually type in how many minutes you want, but it’s a bit more work. Maybe do in the future.  

 

Will post further info once SJ box arrives, hopefully next week

 

 

 

[seeteeyou]

Many thanks for sharing your nice solution.

 

BTW, do you think that lesser cables / modems / switches / PSUs would still make any perceivable differences for Qobuz / TIDAL or otherwise?

 

https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/30376-a-novel-way-to-massively-improve-the-sq-of-computer-audio-streaming/page/705/?tab=comments#comment-1090704

On 11/19/2020 at 6:32 PM, cool_chris said:

I agree 100 % but as we all know now the noise gets "inprinted" in the data you are passing via switch .

Don't ask me why , I dont know. I wish we know all about it .

Good clock with great power device /SR7, DC4/Jcat Optimo will pass it to RAM undistructed or I should call it less distructed.

 

For instance, maybe we could try a generic switch with this PSU

 

https://www.mini-box.com/DCDC-USB-200

Quote

- Remote ON/OFF switch capable of switching up to 6A, 8A peak.

 

[austinpop]

I'm an advocate of disconnected listening too, you know!

 

Very interesting solution, and I'm sure this will be an area with further creative ideas. The hardest scenario to solve is the streaming case from streaming services like Qobuz. In this case, most caching players like Stylus stay 1 track ahead of the current - i.e. they cannot cache an entire album or playlist from Qobuz in advance.

 

What I wonder is whether there is a software approach, where the player can programmatically power down the network interface (or at least put it in the lowest energy state possible) after pulling a track, and then trigger a power-up just in time to pull the next track. Here's what I mean:

• Track n is playing, player has powered down the network interface, track n+1 is in buffer
• Track n ends, track n+1 starts
  • power up interface
  • download track n+2
  • power down interface
• repeat

[ASRMichael]

Yes was think that too. The device Sean has made me is wide range 5v-12v. So can put it wherever suits, but for now it will be used on the EtherRegen rail. 
 

Not sure if currently possible, but would be good as you say to buffer 2 Tidal songs, then shutdown the JCAT card. 
 

Question? Is there a way to shut off bus power for the JCAT Ethernet card? From pcie port? If so I would be better using Sean’s box on my JCAT Ethernet rail. 
 

I posted this here to try get people talking about it, which hopefully leads to Euphony being able to program something in their software. 

[seeteeyou]

Each lossless stream from TIDAL appeared to be a complete FLAC file according to the log files from multiple software

 

https://community.roonlabs.com/t/tidal-fails-to-play/79684

10/04 18:41:57 Info: [kitchen] [zoneplayer] Playing: http://sp-pr-fa.audio.tidal.com/mediatracks/CAEaKRInNWMwNjNjYzllZDYxMmQ1MTgxM2NkNTFkYWNiZmE3NjRfNjEubXA0/0.flac
10/04 18:41:57 Info: [kitchen] [zoneplayer] Queueing: http://sp-pr-fa.audio.tidal.com/mediatracks/CAEaKRInN2FjNDM5ZTU0MjlkZjVmMGYxM2YwMWVjODNjMDQxMzlfNjEubXA0/0.flac

 

https://community.volumio.org/t/glitching-15band-equaliser/41508/5

player: played "http://sp-pr-fa.audio.tidal.com/mediatracks/CAEaKRInY2NlZWQxMWUzYWI5MDJmM2FjYjQ2Yjg0ZTdjMWJhNWFfNjEubXA0/0.flac

 

https://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?113227-Tidal-cutting-off-end-of-tracks-worse-as-album-goes-on

[20-11-13 15:09:11.9311] Slim::Plugin::WiMP::ProtocolHandler::_getTrack (233) Getting next track playback info from SN for wimp://13852806.flac

 

---

 

If we're able to launch the software player from a script of some sort, then NIC could be disabled / re-enabled easily like this

 

https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/58164-building-a-diy-music-server/page/40/?tab=comments#comment-1086912

Quote

sudo ifconfig eth0 down
aplay filename
sudo ifconfig eth0 up

 

save that and exit

 

Make it executable e.g. 'chmod +x NetworkDown.sh'

 

Then run it e.g. './NetworkDown.sh'

 

Should do it. If you replace 'filename' in the file with "$1" then you can run the script and pass the filename as an argument e.g. './NetworkDown.sh myfile'

 

script to disable / enable network interface

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows8_1-networking/script-to-disable-enable-network-interface/8eb15e24-7d85-4a16-b42a-a874b9bb3a28

[ASRMichael]

The IR device had arrived! 

[beautiful music]

4 hours ago, ASRMichael said:

The IR device had arrived! 

 

What is that and what is the purpose of this?

[ASRMichael]

Read 

50 minutes ago, beautiful music said:

 

What is that and what is the purpose of this?

Read 1st post. It’s a power cable with IR sensor. Which isolates the power of My LPS rail to EtherRegen. 

[R1200CL]

The alternativ may be a device that disconnects the internet cable. Don’t think that has been made yet 😀

 

[ASRMichael]

As SeeTeeYou says, if Euphony could add a feature to “Add All & Play” then shutdown network card for the duration of the album. Then we’re much closer to perfect network solution. 

[darkfrank]

On 12/10/2020 at 9:16 AM, seeteeyou said:

 

 

script to disable / enable network interface

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows8_1-networking/script-to-disable-enable-network-interface/8eb15e24-7d85-4a16-b42a-a874b9bb3a28

Yes, I tried this method and its the best method that SQ is almost as same as to unplug the network cable.

Since I only play local files, I installed a second JCAT Femto net card on my normal PC, enter a separate subnet other then the Internet and connect to my server though a Lan cable. Install the ROON remote on this normal PC, create a pair of .bat file to enable network adapter>start ROON UI, select songs as usual, then click another .bat file to kill ROON process and disable network adapter.