[yonson]

Speaking of internet speed and latency, heard an expert saying the new 5G would be faster than cable. Said cable and satellite knew it and was actually investing in 5G. Is 5G going to be faster than cable? I live in the sticks - cable is never coming. Living with slow DSL now. A cell tower is only 1.5 miles away. Expert also said 5G can brought into a home cheaper than any cable. Obviously that doesn't mean they would charge less. Sure would be nice to stream hi res.

Thanks.

I'll believe this when I see it...

Via cable I get right at 1 Gbps down, on wireless (802.11ac) less than 30 feet away I'm lucky to get 1/4 that, but it's usually more like 1/10th that.

I'm a lucky guy I live in a rural area but recently they have installed FTTH (fiber to the home). Never thought it would ever happen in my neighborhood.
Look at that speed and eat your heart out.

Definitely jelly of that upload speed! We are capped at 1/10th that...

 

[macdonjh]

New Stereophile came today. Here's a list of their Class "A" rated solid state amps. Price leader two years running goes to Schiit, surprising nobody.

The prices in this list do not surprise me. That's the biggest reason I quit subscribing decades ago. I got tired of reading about products I'd never be able to afford, and might not purchase even if I could afford them. Really, $180,000 for amplifiers? There are other things to do with that money.

What surprises me is the familiarity of many of the names. The Parasound A-series and Halo products have been around for what, twenty years? I think the Lamm M1.2 was a Class A amplifier in the 1990s. At least Pass, McIntosh and Levinson have changed their model numbers. I do see plenty of ads for products like this with 40%-60% discounts, so I'm not sure you actually have to pay $180,000 for a Dartzeel NHB-468. Still, cudos to all at Schiit.

I have a theory about who buys these products. A friend and I were talking about this very topic over the weekend.

 

[prof.utonium]

The problem is that 5G has very low range (1000 ft, or less than 1/5 of a mile) and requires a high density of cell towers to cover an area. Carriers have been dragging on 5G deployment because of the cost, and not motivated because of lack of competition at many locations. To contrast, 4G has a range of 10 miles (more than 50 times the range of a 5G tower).

Another problem in the US is low 5G performance because of the radio spectrum being used.
https://arstechnica.com/information...ile-other-countries-hit-hundreds-of-megabits/
https://arstechnica.com/information...than-4g-in-nearly-every-city-tested-by-pcmag/

For remote areas, satellite internet is promising:
https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/3/2...te-constellation-download-speeds-space-lasers

There are two kinds of 5G networks: mmWave, which is the super-fast 5G that most people are talking about when they talk about 5G speed improvements, and sub-6GHz, the 5G that most people are going to experience for the time being.

mmWave refers to higher frequency radio bands ranging from 24GHz to 40GHz, and Sub-6GHz refers to mid and low-frequency bands under 6GHz. Low-frequency bands are under 1GHz, while mid-bands range from 3.4GHz to 6GHz and are not considered "mmWave."

mmWave 5G networks are ultra-fast, but they're also ultra-short range. To use mmWave technology, you need to be within about a block of a 5G tower, which isn't feasible in suburban and rural areas. mmWave spectrum is also blocked and obscured by doors, windows, trees, and walls, further limiting its available range, and because it requires so many towers for coverage, it's expensive for carriers to deploy.

mmWave's limitations make it best suited for dense, urban areas, or specific targeted spots like airports or concerts. In rural and suburban areas, mmWave technology is not practical because it doesn't have enough range, which is where the Sub-6GHz networks come in. Sub-6GHz 5G is faster than 4G, but it doesn't offer the blazing-fast speeds that you can get with mmWave. Since it has a longer range and can better penetrate objects, it's much more affordable for carriers to implement.

 

[Roy G. Biv]

I'm a lucky guy I live in a rural area but recently they have installed FTTH (fiber to the home). Never thought it would ever happen in my neighborhood.
Look at that speed and eat your heart out.

Ah, that's cute . Not sure why my upload is so 'slow' though.

 

[Varejao17]

Speaking of internet speed and latency, heard an expert saying the new 5G would be faster than cable. Said cable and satellite knew it and was actually investing in 5G. Is 5G going to be faster than cable? I live in the sticks - cable is never coming. Living with slow DSL now. A cell tower is only 1.5 miles away. Expert also said 5G can brought into a home cheaper than any cable. Obviously that doesn't mean they would charge less. Sure would be nice to stream hi res.

5G is being overhyped. The highest bandwidth is for mmWave, which is short range, easily blocked by walls and even rain, and will likely never be deployed in rural areas.

Some flavors of 5G (not mmWave) may also interfere with existing GPS devices as well as other safety equipment on airplanes, but hey, the telcoms need to make more money.

 

[ev666il]

You guys have internet speeds I can only dream about—and I did ask my provider for the fastest internet they had to offer

 

[Ableza]

re: high-end audio prices. Products with prices like the list quoted are for people who can afford them, not for people like you and me. And then only for a very select group of those people.

I used to work for a billionaire who thought nothing of spending millions to support his hobby (fishing) but who thought I was insane for spending any money at all on audio. "The phone comes with ear buds, right? They must be good enough." So it's about resources (the person who could spend $500k on their stereo without thinking about it if they wanted to) and interest (the person who wants to.) It is not about "value" or "could the money be better used." Those are concerns for we mere middle-class peons.

 

[Ripper2860]

100mbps up/down for me. I could upgrade to 1Gbps, but frankly, I just don't feel the need for any more speed.

 

[Roy G. Biv]

100mbps up/down for me. I could upgrade to 1Gbps, but frankly, I just don't feel the need for any more speed.

I'm might downgrade my service because, for a guy like me, what can I do with 1Gbps that I can't do with 100mbps? I rarely DL large files and 100mbps is more than sufficient for streaming 4K video, much less any kind of music. The only issue for the slower speed tiers is that they all have data caps and most, if not all of our TV viewing is streaming. Just don't want to get any surprise bills because I went a single bit over the limit.

 

[MisterMoJo]

I'm might downgrade my service because, for a guy like me, what can I do with 1Gbps that I can't do with 100mbps? I rarely DL large files and 100mbps is more than sufficient for streaming 4K video, much less any kind of music. The only issue for the slower speed tiers is that they all have data caps and most, if not all of our TV viewing is streaming. Just don't want to get any surprise bills because I went a single bit over the limit.

Keep in mind, that limit will come up pretty fast IME. I get 1.2 Tb (or is it TB?) and sometimes that isn't enough. I download a lot of games though. And with some games the updates can be almost as big as the original game itself was just a couple of years ago. Add in streaming YouTube TV and now music, I don't know if it isn't worth it for me to upgrade to unlimited. Although that is quite pricey by itself. I have Comcast, though. But I used to have AT&T and they were about the same. Plus I am home all day so that is a factor.

 

[golfbravobravo]

Ditto on Roon, but once in a while I'd like to purchase some of the items I've added. Extremely hard work!

It's not the navigation per se. But a smart company would offer me the music that I have faved or added to my collection for purchase, easily and simply.

There are many small things that cry for the lack of a product manager (yes, I know they have one), like commas in prices not full stops (or even periods ) I know they do it that way in France, but we are not in France any more......

 

[golfbravobravo]

I'm might downgrade my service because, for a guy like me, what can I do with 1Gbps that I can't do with 100mbps? I rarely DL large files and 100mbps is more than sufficient for streaming 4K video, much less any kind of music. The only issue for the slower speed tiers is that they all have data caps and most, if not all of our TV viewing is streaming. Just don't want to get any surprise bills because I went a single bit over the limit.

I went with the symmetrical 1Gbps primarily because it has no data caps, and we are all internet based for tv, and I do sometimes move large files around outside of the home.

 

[golfbravobravo]

Ah, that's cute . Not sure why my upload is so 'slow' though.

Prolly because you have an asymmetric plan (the norm). I always had trouble with that before we moved to NC as we could ONLY get asymmetric plans and I often move large files FROM home.

 

[ig88b]

Not a bad ping.


Here's a more "fair" one that's not on my ISP's network:


Google fiber is the best ISP I've ever had, and probably the best ISP I'll ever have.

 

[JamminVMI]

I know many people like to hate on streaming, but I likely never would have found my way back to the audio hobby were it not for streaming.....

I know... sorry to disappoint some of you...

Hey, you got here. I don’t care which route you took!