AUDIO over IP - REDNET 3 & 16 Review. AES67 Sets A New Standard for Computer Audio

[rb2013]

I was talking about with the TPlink minigbic module. And in Canada I save $40 per unit going with this. Another reason why I don't like to recommend the SFP port version is because when people have the option to do something poorly it never fails that it often happens. I've only tested the unit with the TPlink minigbic modules. Some might use $10 generic minigbic modules and get poor results. Then fail to mention they did so. Then they end up with poor results based on my recommendation. By eliminating the option of making this a possibility, this will never occur.

For this kind of thing I really appreciate the simplicity and fool proofness.  Let's hope SQ wise an improvement.

 

[mourip]

   
 
I want Focusrite or any other Manufacturer to have a streamlined read here.

+1 for that!

 

[gldgate]

 
Have you tried on the Rednet yet?

 
Not yet. I wanted to get about a week with the system as a "baseline" before I start fooling around with adding optical isolation, different power supplies etc.

 

[rb2013]

   
Not yet. I wanted to get about a week with the system as a "baseline" before I start fooling around with adding optical isolation, different power supplies etc.

Makes sense.  The Postman just dropped off the Purist Audio Design Colussus XLR SPDIF so time to give her a go!

 

[rb2013]

 
Makes sense.  The Postman just dropped off the Purist Audio Design Colussus XLR SPDIF so time to give her a go!

Well this was a fail.  Not new at all - reeks of cig smoke.  And it looks like all the fluid has leaked out - strangely flexible.
 
Tried it  - not bad - but the Audio Sens Silver is just plainly better.  This is a tough digital cable to beat.
 
So another EBAY 'to good to be true' isn't.  Back to this seller (even the box it came in reeked of cig smoke).
 
Next up optical ethernet this Friday.

 

[gldgate]

One quick comment on Optical Ethernet. While I had instituted optical isolation on my entire system, the area I found that benefited most was NAS drives. I keep all my music files on NAS drives (not direct PC storage). While I do not have measurement equipment, I would not be surprised to find that NAS drives (I have both Synology and Qnap) are amongst the noisiest computer devices an audiophile could have in his system.   

 

[somestranger26]

I have the same optical converters that rb2013 bought (MC210CS) on the way. I listed my LPS for sale since I didn't have anything to use it with, so I'll try it with the fiber isolation first to see if it's worth keeping. Bought the converters from Amazon so easy returns if need be, and altogether I only spent about $90 (open box FTW).

 

[Kelowna]

One quick comment on Optical Ethernet. While I had instituted optical isolation on my entire system, the area I found that benefited most was NAS drives. I keep all my music files on NAS drives (not direct PC storage). While I do not have measurement equipment, I would not be surprised to find that NAS drives (I have both Synology and Qnap) are amongst the noisiest computer devices an audiophile could have in his system.   

When you optically isolate the Rednet from the rest of the network, you are isolating it from everything including NAS's. There's no need to add any additional isolation elsewhere in the network as long as the endpoint is isolated.

 

[thisisvv]

When you optically isolate the Rednet from the rest of the network, you are isolating it from everything including NAS's. There's no need to add any additional isolation elsewhere in the network as long as the endpoint is isolated.

I have been to this route. And in my experience it becomes little more complicated than this. if your PC ,NAS & Rednet  can be in pure optical world that is the best solution. So yes you have to connect your NAS to an ethernet to fiberoptic , PC and Rednet all to fiber optic switch. That is an decent change in sound,.
 
 
Want to take it further put them in separate subnet than your rest of the home with a Managed switch. See the difference in sound than.
 
Sharing by experience.
 
V

 

[thisisvv]

 
My experience with toslink is pretty miserable.  I get the GI part.  But maybe today the Electro-Optical converters are better - they have increased throughput to match coax.  Every test on a DAC I have seen the Toslink jitter is ridiculous.
 
The native TB3 connection looks interesting...

 
 
yes agreed but the Mutec 3 can really help in this situation. Also we can do some TB3 to spdif converter . Just thinking out loud.
 
V

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

When you optically isolate the Rednet from the rest of the network, you are isolating it from everything including NAS's. There's no need to add any additional isolation elsewhere in the network as long as the endpoint is isolated.

What sort of sound quality gain is possible with the fiber isolation in your experience? Since it doesn't change the signal, I'm presuming it's remedying something that exists in certain networks - noise? Also could not using an LPS on the receiver side make things sound worse than without the added gear? This requires an LPS to properly hear the gains?

 

[Kelowna]

I have been to this route. And in my experience it becomes little more complicated than this. if your PC ,NAS & Rednet  can be in pure optical world that is the best solution. So yes you have to connect your NAS to an ethernet to fiberoptic , PC and Rednet all to fiber optic switch. That is an decent change in sound,.


Want to take it further put them in separate subnet than your rest of the home with a Managed switch. See the difference in sound than.

Sharing by experience.

V

I can see that helping with throughput, but I can't see how it would have an impact otherwise. With Ethernet we aren't carrying a clock signal that matters for audio jitter. As long as the data all makes it to the endpoint, and as long as it's devoid of noise, anything upstream shouldn't affect it. Just think about streaming music from Tidal. Think of how many links, switches, and clocks are in the picture between the servers in Olso, and the DAC's around the world. And the data is 100% preserved.

 

[Albrecht]

 have the same optical converters that rb2013 bought (MC210CS) on the way

 
Hi,
 
FWIW, - I'm using them now. A significant difference in SQ, and much cheaper than more expensive CAT7/6-connectors cables.
 
Cheers,

 

[mhamel]

I can see that helping with throughout, but I can't see how it would have an impact otherwise. With Ethernet we aren't carrying a clock signal that matters for audio jitter. As long as the data all makes it to the endpoint, and as long as it's devoid of noise, anything upstream shouldn't affect it. Just think about streaming music from Tidal. Think of how many links, switches, and clocks are in the picture between the servers in Olso, and the DAC's around the world. And the data is 100% preserved.

 
 
This... and especially on a home network where you are most likely not even coming close to saturation. I could see if you had heavy traffic it might help latency/throughput, but this is a system designed for many channels at once, and we're only using two of them. The most utilization I've seen on the Dante network here is around 20Mbit... around 2.5 MBytes/sec... which is nothing for GigE.

 

[Kelowna]

This... and especially on a home network where you are most likely not even coming close to saturation. I could see if you had heavy traffic it might help latency/throughput, but this is a system designed for many channels at once, and we're only using two of them. The most utilization I've seen on the Dante network here is around 20Mbit... around 2.5 MBytes/sec... which is nothing for GigE.

Yes and remember AES67 can operate over WAN with no compromise to the sound as well. If setup properly, the server for someone's Rednet 3 could be located in China. How much traffic is on the World Wide Web? This is why the key is throughput. If we have enough of this, we are good to go.