[Mr BubbaHyde]

@Mr BubbaHyde what's the difference between this device and something like a Baaske MI-1005? Why would someone choose this device instead of just getting a switch? Ifi needs to define the use case for this product better, and give their potential customer base some expectation or use-case parameters. Right now the the page for this just screams "Hey, buy our crap because we're ifi and we put something new out. Don't care what port you shove it into once you get it." It says so little that it borders on insulting. You can ride the line and market to both the subjective and objective crowds, but as-is everything's so intentionally vague that it's not saying anything.

edit: this coming from someone who does use and appreciate network tweaks.

I think as is the case with most of products like this, it would be geared more towards someone with network issue or one who suspects they are getting noise from this means.

I think it is along the same lines as the product you mentioned, and also I myself have only started exploring these types of products less than a year ago, (networking, noise suppression) and am trying to learn more about it as I can.

I think the idea of "where you put it was more out of flexibility than non caring, lol

Cheers!!

 

[applesnowleo]

I just ordered a ifi Lan iSilencer, one thing I have sure, is that will change the sound, every accessory is a win loss relation, ordered 3 of these to experiment on the switches and streamers, if they give something without degrading other music information I will be more than happy. If they degrade in some way the sound I could post a lesser happy opinion.

I will use one of them in my NDX2 that is connected with an audioquest diamond cat7 to the switch, if it works then I will add the other two after on the server and on the router.

 

[vext01]

Folks. I don't think this device makes sense.

The device claims to reduce noise and jitter on an ethernet link.

The network stack, from the physical connection (the link layer) right up to the TCP layer, is already designed to be highly resilient to noise and errors and operates at a speed high enough to make jitter for audio applications negligible.

The product description talks about Galvanic Isolation, so it wouldn't surprise me if this device is no more than an opto-isolator circuit. This would electrically isolate the receiving host's network interface in the sense that there is no copper connection between the peers any more. I've seen this kind of thing used in things like MIDI interfaces, where the link is inherantly noisy and lacks error correction. For ethernet though, I don't see why this would be necessary.

What could this passive device possible do to improve the quality of audio being received via an ethernet interface?

Someone should open the device and post a pic of what's inside, and then there's a couple of simple experiments that you could perform to see if this device is necessary or does anything at all:

- Compare the audio signal of a file being played off a local hard disk vs. the same file being played from a NFS or Windows networks share. They should be identical. If so, why is the LAN silencer necessary?

- Now compare the audio signal of a file streaming from the network with and with the LAN silencer inline. Is there a difference? If not, does this device do anything?

Can someone prove me wrong? I'd happily concede

 

[applesnowleo]

Folks. I don't think this device makes sense.

The device claims to reduce noise and jitter on an ethernet link.

The network stack, from the physical connection (the link layer) right up to the TCP layer, is already designed to be highly resilient to noise and errors and operates at a speed high enough to make jitter for audio applications negligible.

The product description talks about Galvanic Isolation, so it wouldn't surprise me if this device is no more than an opto-isolator circuit. This would electrically isolate the receiving host's network interface in the sense that there is no copper connection between the peers any more. I've seen this kind of thing used in things like MIDI interfaces, where the link is inherantly noisy and lacks error correction. For ethernet though, I don't see why this would be necessary.

What could this passive device possible do to improve the quality of audio being received via an ethernet interface?

Someone should open the device and post a pic of what's inside, and then there's a couple of simple experiments that you could perform to see if this device is necessary or does anything at all:

- Compare the audio signal of a file being played off a local hard disk vs. the same file being played from a NFS or Windows networks share. They should be identical. If so, why is the LAN silencer necessary?

- Now compare the audio signal of a file streaming from the network with and with the LAN silencer inline. Is there a difference? If not, does this device do anything?

Can someone prove me wrong? I'd happily concede

Not trying to start a complicated discussion, but changing the power supply of the switch, changing the switch, changing power cable or even the network cable changes the sound of my system, and not everything is giving an upgrade sometimes. I notice this changes on my system easily, what I noticed is that more items on the network is not always better and degrade the signal. So I am curious about this ifi lan isilemcer.

I have used in the past an ifi iUDB 3.0 with great results, until start upgrading to better dac’s and found that with more expensive dac’s the iUSB was not doing good, because it gived something but degraded also the sound. But with dac’s until 1500 euros it was pretty good, more expensive ones not so good, it gives and takes at some point. So I Am very curious to see this one.

 

[vext01]

> changes the sound of my system

How are you measuring?

 

[applesnowleo]

> changes the sound of my system

How are you measuring?

How do you measure the sound that comes out of your speakers when you change a cable or a component. You are free to choose your sound by specs, I choose from the result that comes out of my speakers, if it works stay, if not, comes out.

I respect you need measurements, In my case they are not so important to me, the data Will always be data, no matter what the 0 and 1 will get there, but there are people more knowledge than me to explain the nuances of this filters.

Anyway ordered 3 to play around, if it works is great if not goes back. Replying to your question, I measure with my ears in my system final result as the system is for music, some tweaks work others don’t.

 

[vext01]

I understand your argument, but I wouldn't trust my ears/brain to make an unbiased decision.

When you receive yours, could you please see if they are easy to open, and if so post a picture of the circuitry inside?

 

[Mr BubbaHyde]

I understand your argument, but I wouldn't trust my ears/brain to make an unbiased decision.

When you receive yours, could you please see if they are easy to open, and if so post a picture of the circuitry inside?

I don't know if they are helpful to your inquiry but there are pics of the internals posted on the webpage for the unit here...

https://ifi-audio.com/products/lan-isilencer/

I am sure someone will open theirs though, lol, that's what we do 'round here!

Cheers!!

 

[rsbrsvp]

I have tried double ehterregens with oxco clocks and linear PS, Innuos Phoenixnet, network accoustics muon passive ethernet filter, and other superstar ethernet filters. In my system, and in IMHO, none of them is as good as playing local files from my SSD. Just download from Apple, Amazon, Qobuz streaming services to your hard drive and play direct from your fanless PC or streamer; as it give the best results. It takes under 10 seconds to download an average album in lossless quality.

As an aside, any ethernet cable plugged into my PC harms the sound even if I am not streaming. I use wireless to control my PC by remote and always keep the ethernet cable unplugged.

 

[applesnowleo]

I look at tweaks with a grain of salt, some work, and some don't, most of the time putting something between the cable and the final connector degrades the sound, the Best connection if possible is allways the simpler and shorter one, less variables, less problems better sound and detail.

What I Will want do discover is if this lan silencer wil not degrade the sound of my main setup, ifi products are good to a degree of áudio gear and they add something, after we go a little more up some of their product tweaks just degrade more than give.

For an example, the pro idsd losses clarity with an iUSB 3.0, other example the ifi supernova lacks some transfarency and air on a good system, the ifi powerstation is great but not on Niágara 1000, 1200 or 3000 ground, is musical but lacks on other respects. I find the ifi products twaks are great but not exelent.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

I have tried double ehterregens with oxco clocks and linear PS, Innuos Phoenixnet, network accoustics muon passive ethernet filter, and other superstar ethernet filters. In my system, and in IMHO, none of them is as good as playing local files from my SSD. Just download from Apple, Amazon, Qobuz streaming services to your hard drive and play direct from your fanless PC or streamer; as it give the best results. It takes under 10 seconds to download an average album in lossless quality.

As an aside, any ethernet cable plugged into my PC harms the sound even if I am not streaming. I use wireless to control my PC by remote and always keep the ethernet cable unplugged.

It's mostly likely an issue with real time streaming, bandwidth limitation, streaming service quality, on the fly reconstruction of downloaded bits, etc., than ethernet protocol.
You can easily test if by downloading files to local NAS and playing from there.

 

[sabloke]

Do you know what has the absolute best galvanic isolation? Wi-Fi

 

[AussieMick]

But living in an apartment complex with a few dozen other wifi networks makes it noisy as. Horses for courses.

 

[Davesrose]

Being wireless, Wi-Fi is inherently different than ethernet. I've found it pretty easy to get a solid signal with multiple hotspots around (which is about congestion). I guess one advantage of 5GHz, apart from higher data rate, is that it's also shorter distance than 2.4 (so potentially having less congestion in a office complex/apartment). It also has more channels, and most people are just on an auto channel (which all routers default to just a few). Depending on router, I've found I have improved my signal if I do a scan of Wi-Fi channels to see what's empty and set my router to that.

FWIW with noise, my house is near a radio station tower: so I do hear RF interference in some amps as static, hum, or the station. The fix has been RF filters in my power strips and I needed a ground loop isolator for the amp plate with my HT subwoofer. I haven't detected different speeds off ethernet with different devices. Wi-Fi, I can. I have a Wi-Fi 6 router, so my newer devices have faster speeds than some older devices.

 

[vext01]

I also learned yesterday that the ethernet specification **requires** interfaces to be galvanically isolated.

The connection from your audio device to your router or switch will therefore already have been galvanically isolated **twice**. Adding the lan silencer would unnecessarily isolate the link a third time.

(The large chip on the topside of the lan silencer is an ethernet PHY. It contains two coils that isolate in a similar way to an optoisolator)