Lan noise reducer

What happens is EMI/RFI gets into an audio device via the ethernet, another way is the power cable (even more critical). That EMI / RFI gets into the analogue stage of DAC's, it can also effect timings in clocks. This is why all the high end DAC's and higher sound cards they focus on reducing this noise. For example the Asus STX II has improved noise filtering over the original Asus ST /STX range. Now the argument against using any additional ethernet filtering is that ethernet ports are galvanic so there is no need for any additional filtering, if you look at the link I posted above someone has measured the noise on Ethernet cables, it's clear regular ethernet ports don't isolate all noise.

The following is the cheap way of reducing the interference, it's Amazon Basic's cat 7, there is a galvanic voltage isolator, wrapped in aluminium kitchen foil for shielding. Below has cost me little over £30, about the same price as half a tank of petrol. I can confirm that this improves audio. All cables are aerials, and the Amazon Basic cat 7's are well constructed with good outer braid.

AIL4fc8L5Xh1vFgqw99rb9epoJWyVnch0Z5DDR6ON-c8t4nsBNfMn2nRtWdCr1ihRLcAm19ScvlGaE9Fd98HvPSCA7_-PKa_5xV53TUfswmO6owOAqMVKz8-gxbP_v6fWmsuh1vXjf7VO53xDuPbfhiNx0cJ=w800-h600-s-no


Hans Beekhuyzen is talking in this video about an £1800 ethernet filter and why it works, however you can have the £30 solution above.
www.youtube.com

Network Acoustics Muon Pro Streaming System ethernet filter

This is the third time I review an ethernet filter by Network Acoustics, specialists in digital audio connections. Did they again manage to improve the sound...
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com

This chap is also talking about his experience with noise from ethernet switches.
www.youtube.com

Hi-Fi System Streaming Tweaks! - Part 3 for Audiophiles!

Part 3 of our "How to get best sound for Hi-Fi Audiophile Streaming" series.Please join my FB page here: https://www.facebook.com/GreekAudioGeek/Winning Entr...
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com

You can have a joke at this post, however if your running a good DAC or streamer via ethernet, almost certainly there will be EMI/RFI entering and degrading it's sound.
 
Last edited:
Armageus said:
So why has no one produce some actual figures using scientific equipment
Click to expand...

When I was at the North West Audio show, I've seen these puritan power conditioners being switched in and out, and the noise difference on the scope. We know there is interference on ethernet, Cisco has documents describing this.

This is the demo I mentioned, I can confirm it's real as was standing next to the filter when the test was done.

youtu.be

PSM136 at Bristol Sound and Vision 2018

Mike Lester, founder and CEO of Puritan Audio Laboratories, demonstrate the devastating efficiency of the PSM136 Mains Conditioning Unit live at the 2018 So...
youtu.be youtu.be

And to add something else. North West Audio show has the large demos from companies selling full range of products. However in the small hotel rooms, often these small demo's are tiny companies selling speakers only. However if you look at their demos, they all run some form on mains conditioning / expensive power cables. Their not promoting these things, but using them to improve their own audio, that is normally just their speakers they are selling. If these audiophile products did not work, they would not be running them.
 
Last edited:
JasonM said:
And you do realise noise gets into DACs / audio gear and degrades sound?
Click to expand...
You haven't answered my question, and it's an important one. If people are swayed by placebo effect in hifi, just like they are in every other avenue of life, how do you know if the effect your hearing is real or perceived? Ideally measurements (of the sound output, not RFI at x MHz) should be shown, but they never are, or blind testing which is seems to be avoided at all costs.

Regarding noise - not all RFI noise has an audible effect on sound, this is how Russ Andrews managed to partially get around the ASA slapping them down in 2008 ish if I remember rightly, they didn't prove a difference in sound but did show they managed to reduce some RFI frequency noise.

This is what the chap is showing in your video above, RFI noise may be reduced but he doesn't demonstrate any difference in the sound output, just presumes it'll would have made the DAC "struggle" if it hadn't been filtered (and he points out the power supply will filter this also to "some degree").

You can read the BS Russ Andrews peddled when the ASA got involved here:

Oops! We ran into some problems.

www.hifiwigwam.com www.hifiwigwam.com

"They said mains borne noise was a recognised problem in audio reproduction and believed it was an acknowledged cause of sound quality degradation. They believed it was not possible to measure such degradation objectively using conventional Harmonic Distortion techniques. They maintained that mains borne electrostatic, electromagnetic and harmonic noise and spikes passed through the power supply by a variety of mechanisms to pollute the inherent noise characteristic of the amplification path. They said noise on the input, the output and the power supplies compromised the ability of the amplifier to follow faithfully the signal resulting in audible degradation. They believed any listeners would characterise it as distortion although it would not appear in conventional distortion measurements."

Lots of "belief" but:

"They believed that variations in sound quality were a matter of subjective assessment by the listener and therefore not capable of objective substantiation, but maintained that the difference made by the cables was significant."

Very handy that no proof is possible.
 
Last edited:
JasonM said:
When I was at the North West Audio show, I've seen these puritan power conditioners being switched in and out, and the noise difference on the scope. We know there is interference on ethernet, Cisco has documents describing this.

This is the demo I mentioned, I can confirm it's real as was standing next to the filter when the test was done.

youtu.be

PSM136 at Bristol Sound and Vision 2018

Mike Lester, founder and CEO of Puritan Audio Laboratories, demonstrate the devastating efficiency of the PSM136 Mains Conditioning Unit live at the 2018 So...
youtu.be youtu.be

And to add something else. North West Audio show has the large demos from companies selling full range of products. However in the small hotel rooms, often these small demo's are tiny companies selling speakers only. However if you look at their demos, they all run some form on mains conditioning / expensive power cables. Their not promoting these things, but using them to improve their own audio, that is normally just their speakers they are selling. If these audiophile products did not work, they would not be running them.
Click to expand...

I would need five of those.
 
Minstadave said:
Regarding noise - not all RFI noise has an audible effect on sound, this is how Russ Andrews managed to partially get around the ASA slapping them down in 2008 ish if I remember rightly, they didn't prove a difference in sound but did show they managed to reduce some RFI frequency noise.
Click to expand...

I'm running eithernet filter, Russ Andrews power cables, Russ Andrews power blocks, Russ Andrews fuses, Russ Andrews mains conditioning products. Then I use Van Damme Silver interconnects that are made from pro guitar cable.

The different to my audio is HUGE, if you were in my house and everything was swapped out, you would not even be posting on here.

The differences it's like component changes, it's the totality of the improvements, it's stunning the improvement of everything.
 
Last edited:
JasonM said:
I'm running eithernet filter, Russ Andrews power cables, Russ Andrews power blocks, Russ Andrews fuses, Russ Andrews mains conditioning products. Then I use Van Damme Silver interconnects, their studio cables.

The different to my audio is HUGE, if you were in my house and everything was swapped out, you would not even be posting on here. My home audio is the best it's ever been.
Click to expand...
Yeah and other people believe Ivermectin cures COVID, aliens abducted and probed them and Trump is the second coming of Jesus. They're not right though.

Are you immune to choice-supportive bias? I doubt it.

You've also still not answered my original question.
 
Last edited:
Minstadave said:
Yeah and other people believe Ivermectin cures COVID, aliens abducted and probed them and Trump is the second coming of Jesus. They're not right though.

You've also still not answered my question.
Click to expand...

It's good people have strong opinions, but people should at least test for themselves first.

I was sceptical also, but then I tried. I started with some pre-owned RA entry level power cables, that was the start of my journey down this path.
 
What happens if the equipment in the studio recording the audio in the first place isn't covered in all this very-expensive-and-definitely-works-trust-me-bro filtering equipment and the RFI noise ends up 'degrading' the original recording data anyway? :p
 
JasonM said:
It's good people have strong opinions, but people should at least test for themselves first.

I was sceptical also, but then I tried. I started with some pre-owned RA entry level power cables, that was the start of my journey down this path.
Click to expand...
Still avoiding the initial question.

Subjective testing does not trump objective testing.
 
Last edited:
Kenai said:
What happens if the equipment in the studio recording the audio in the first place isn't covered in all this very-expensive-and-definitely-works-trust-me-bro filtering equipment and the RFI noise ends up 'degrading' the original recording data anyway? :p
Click to expand...

They do, the BBC uses balanced mains units.

The interconnect cables I use are some Abbey Road uses.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom