[welldonehd]

There have been some people mentioning about the Ifi Lan Silencer here. I'm so curious about the SQ improvement after adding Ifi Lan Silencer into the lan network, even there have been the fiber isolation with FMCs. For my case, i have been using the double fiber isolation FMCs with Sonore Deluxe, Buffalo 2016Gs and SOtm Ng10. Ifi Lan Sliencer is worth of being added into the chain, isn't it?

 

[vo_obgyn]

There have been some people mentioning about the Ifi Lan Silencer here. I'm so curious about the SQ improvement after adding Ifi Lan Silencer into the lan network, even there have been the fiber isolation with FMCs. For my case, i have been using the double fiber isolation FMCs with Sonore Deluxe, Buffalo 2016Gs and SOtm Ng10. Ifi Lan Sliencer is worth of being added into the chain, isn't it?

I’m doing the same thing: Router Ethernet Cable > Fiber Media Converter > Fiber Optic Cable > Fiber Media Converter > Short Ethernet Cable > 2Go/Hugo2.

Small Green Computer suggested that this would be a nice set up.



Personally this is all I am going to do and invest in, but others may chime in here.

 

[welldonehd]

I’m doing the same thing: Router Ethernet Cable > Fiber Media Converter > Fiber Optic Cable > Fiber Media Converter > Short Ethernet Cable > 2Go/Hugo2.

Small Green Computer suggested that this would be a nice set up.



Personally this is all I am going to do and invest in, but others may chime in here.

I'm just curious about the IFI Lan Silencer.

 

[markush8]

Don’t want to be the party crasher though the iSilencer has also some drawbacks sound wise. Though it might be how advanced your system already is when you experience the „tipping point“

 

[Mr BubbaHyde]

Don’t want to be the party crasher though the iSilencer has also some drawbacks sound wise. Though it might be how advanced your system already is when you experience the „tipping point“

All opinions are important here, perhaps you could be kind enough to share your hookups, as there are some folks who already pointed out that on some already "higher end" setups the difference was not there as it was in other setups.

Getting a handle on equipment used is part of the experience here, and of course what works well for some may not work out well for others.

Cheers!!

 

[Yoram Diamand]

Could anyone explain the difference between the iFi audio LAN iSilencer and the Sotm iSO Cat. 6/ Cat.7? There is a price difference.

 

[Mr BubbaHyde]

Could anyone explain the difference between the iFi audio LAN iSilencer and the Sotm iSO Cat. 6/ Cat.7? There is a price difference.

There are a few products on the market that appear to be very similar to the LAN iSilencer, and I am sure each one has its reason for its pricing.

It could come down to simply better/more expensive components. I have not found a lot of internal shots of these others (there are some of ours on the website) so I couldn't speak to them.

It may simply come down to iFi breaking down a price barrier in this category, but the best I can say is at our price I would at least give it a try first to see if it offers you any benefit before moving to the higher-end stuff. I say that because I once tried a very inexpensive DDC to see if it made a difference for me, (it did) and the next step up, (hundreds of dollars) also made a finer improvement, but I would not have made the second step if the first wasn't productive.

With anything in this category, sometimes you just gotta test drive it if possible!

Hope that helps,

Cheers!!

 

[Jake2]

Don’t want to be the party crasher though the iSilencer has also some drawbacks sound wise. Though it might be how advanced your system already is when you experience the „tipping point“

All good. You're not the first to find it isn't without drawbacks in certain systems. If you don't mind elaborating on your experience with it in your system that would be of interest - always good to get different data points.

 

[Yoram Diamand]

There are a few products on the market that appear to be very similar to the LAN iSilencer, and I am sure each one has its reason for its pricing.

It could come down to simply better/more expensive components. I have not found a lot of internal shots of these others (there are some of ours on the website) so I couldn't speak to them.

It may simply come down to iFi breaking down a price barrier in this category, but the best I can say is at our price I would at least give it a try first to see if it offers you any benefit before moving to the higher-end stuff. I say that because I once tried a very inexpensive DDC to see if it made a difference for me, (it did) and the next step up, (hundreds of dollars) also made a finer improvement, but I would not have made the second step if the first wasn't productive.

With anything in this category, sometimes you just gotta test drive it if possible!

Hope that helps,

Cheers!!

Thanks, but in Holland, where I live, it isn't easy to try these kinds of products. What you can do is buy, and sell, if it isn't for you. Cheers, to you too, best wishes, y

 

[runningwitit]

David C. Snyder Hi David, you’re right, but not all Ethernet ports - especially consumer grade ones - are isolated due to cost reasons.

And even if they are, no isolation is perfect as all magnetic isolation has coupling capacitance (one form of parasitic capacitance) and so noise, albeit reduced, will still pass through the isolation and into the system. Therefore, adding an extra level of isolation will further improve this noise isolation, and less noise will get into the system as a result.

When specifically looking at a system with a streamer, it allows the digital signal to pass through without the accompanying noise and so there is less overall noise in the DAC system. This makes the ground noise in the DAC at the point of conversion cleaner, resulting in cleaner Ground and Reference Voltages and a more precise conversion (in terms of timing) with better sound.

Got this from Facebook

 

[Jake2]

David C. Snyder Hi David, you’re right, but not all Ethernet ports - especially consumer grade ones - are isolated due to cost reasons.

And even if they are, no isolation is perfect as all magnetic isolation has coupling capacitance (one form of parasitic capacitance) and so noise, albeit reduced, will still pass through the isolation and into the system. Therefore, adding an extra level of isolation will further improve this noise isolation, and less noise will get into the system as a result.

When specifically looking at a system with a streamer, it allows the digital signal to pass through without the accompanying noise and so there is less overall noise in the DAC system. This makes the ground noise in the DAC at the point of conversion cleaner, resulting in cleaner Ground and Reference Voltages and a more precise conversion (in terms of timing) with better sound.

I've found the ports on my LHY SW-8 switch (built around the Linksys LGS108) are not isolated. Interposing iFi LAN iSilencers (ILS for short, as this lower/upper case mix is a right PITA to repeatedly type) between noise producing components (server, upstream switch/router) and the SW-8 definitely improved things. Leaving the final leg from SW-8 to streamer/DAC direct with no ILS inserted.

The last para you quote is appealing from an ethernet-borne noise angle and is probably often true. But not always. There's a few streaming DACs like the Mola Mola Tambaqui and DCS Bartok that have a reputation for being pretty decent.

Also doesn't hold true for my much more modest R26 streaming DAC vs my separate Ifi Zen stream > U18 DDC > R26 chain, as despite what I'd already invested in the latter chain by the time I got the R26, I found pretty quickly I preferred the sound of the R26 internal streamer - more natural and dynamic, a perceived quieter, more relaxing background (a typical sign of less jitter - from whatever source - in the DA conversion). Held true even after several cable upgrades. Suspect the reason for this is in part the additional variables introduced around power supply quality and cables (x2 in my case), quality of USB generation and/or I2S stream clocking and generation, and then the quality of the DAC's USB and/or I2S receiving circuit. The other reasons might include - I hope - the effort I've put into improving the quality (incl noisyness) of the ethernet signal and lessening all-source ground plane noise in the DAC whilst also improving its clocking, which incidentally probably also benefits the precision of the internal streamer/renderer section.

 

[SoftwireEngineer]

Cheers. I was considering the Kanta, but there was a tempting deal for the Sopra in a change of the NZ distributor close out sale… still massively blew my budget. Getting them has proved even more expensive in upgrades though, the beryllium tweeter ruthlessly revealing of digital glare, two months with a Topping E50 as a bridging measure was torture, gave me serious buyers remorse. Everything in my sig, apart from the LFD amp, was acquired since I got the Focals just under a year ago. It’s been a rewarding crash course, the sound and setup a world away from the technically good and elegantly simple but ultimately unsatisfying KEF LS50w actives I had for three years.

Re my chain/sig, I actually run direct ethernet from the LHY SW-8 to the R26, best sound I’ve achieved so far. The square bracketed stuff - USB chain incl DDCs and a Zen Stream I got before the R26 - I’m still occasionally experimenting with via cable upgrades etc which has closed the gap to the R26 LAN, but there’s still daylight between em. I need to sell a few unused things methinks, though will likely keep the U18 around.

EDIT - for clarity full network chain as it is today (will be adding FMCs and maybe a EtherRegen v2 in future) is:

Cable modem > Huawei wifi Router > Switch 1 (Netgear GS108E) > cat 5/6 UTP > iFi LAN iSilencer #1 > Switch 2 (LHY SW-8). Switch 2 is also connected to:
- iFi LAN iSilencer #2 > Cat 6 UTP > Mac Mini
- Cat 6 UTP > R26 LAN input

Got it, I understand your chain now. So confirm again, the R26 LAN configuration sounds way better than the tweaked USB path ?

 

[SoftwireEngineer]

I scored a wonderful deal on Kanta 2 about 16 months ago and leapt in. At the time I’d done lots of demos of Kanta 1 and 2, as well as Sopra 1 and 2. The luxurious sound from the Sopras blew me away, but the extra resolution available from the newer generation tweeter on the Kanta was also alluring. Would I change to the Sopra now? Yes, for that extra bit of luxury, but I’ve never felt that I’ve needed to “settle” for the Kanta 2. It’s paired with a single REL S510 in an 8m x 4.5m room and works really well. Driven by a Pass Labs integrated And fed by an Innuos/HMS/TT2 digital front end. And they’re a beautiful speaker, too! I really wanted the Gaulois Blue and black, but the deal was on an all black pair. They are stunning in the flesh.

I have REL S510s and I am eyeing the Kanta No2. So tell me more about the difference between the "luxurious sound of the Sopra" vs the Kanta. I know it is almost double the price, so I should not be surprised

 

[AussieMick]

I have REL S510s and I am eyeing the Kanta No2. So tell me more about the difference between the "luxurious sound of the Sopra" vs the Kanta. I know it is almost double the price, so I should not be surprised

The Sopra has an extra richness to colours and body to images. Meaty and palpable. But not thick or less resolving, just brilliantly balanced.

 

[Jake2]

The Sopra has an extra richness to colours and body to images. Meaty and palpable. But not thick or less resolving, just brilliantly balanced.

Ok phew, that's good to know/a relief Mick, as I didn't audition both, just the discounted but still double-the-price Sopras and clearly didn't do my research particularly thoroughly as hadn't realised the Kanta had a slightly later gen tweeter till you mentioned it. FYI I got familiar with the Sopras through Alpha Audio using them as their speaker reference for reviews (including any number of speaker comparatives) for years until last year when they upgraded to the TAD Evolution 2. I find Alpha Audio's high quality recordings of component and speaker comparatives to be a great resource, probably the best I've heard short of listening in person, listening via HQ headphones even over compressed YT let alone to their uncompressed FLAC files.