Mike’s Message

Network Infrastructure

There is a tendency in Hi-Fi to always be looking at replacement components in an effort to elevate the performance of a system. If you have heard better streaming than you currently enjoy in your system the first port of call is often, ‘I had better replace my streamer’.

Like most components though, streamers and servers are often far more capable than they may appear to be, as long as they are receiving the best possible signal. So rather than changing a main component, I would often advocate improving the peripherals around it.

Broadly this falls into three categories, router, switch and cabling. All contentious subjects in the world of Hi-Fi, but all of which I firmly believe, can bring improvements. 

Routers are oftentimes provided by our broadband supplier and few of us want to mess around with bringing in third party routers and learn our way around things, so this almost plug and play solution is usually not up for negotiation. These are made to a price and come with the cheapest power supply which will do the job reliably. Predominantly basic switched mode supplies, which are notorious for their potential to generate high-frequency noise and RFI, which in turn can bring unwelcome noise into a system. An upgrade to this power supply can bring a notable improvement to a system.

Network switches in the audio space have gone from a tweaky improvement to a broadly accepted upgrade. Timing errors, ‘jitter’, can be reduced with clocking improvements, quality power supplies bring a lower noise floor and the knock on from this can be heard in a range of improvements. SFP connections are increasingly featured, bringing optical isolation into a system which can create an effective ‘firebreak’ from noise being created on the network from other devices within a home. Better separation, reduced digital glare and quieter background are all improvements I have heard, as well as widening of soundstage.

Ethernet cables again are always subject to scepticism, ‘it’s just ones and zeros’ etc etc. I have heard cables that make seemingly no difference, cables that made a change but were detrimental, and cables that really worked in a system. As always synergy is key, and the differences can be as stark as a change to a power cable or an interconnect.

This isn’t really an exercise in persuading you a change in ethernet cable will make a difference or putting a new switch in will be a Road to Damascus moment. It might be though, and that is why we advocate home trials where possible before committing to a purchase. See our Accessories and Cables categories for the products we advocate.