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Routers, how do they sound?

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racerxnet

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Curious about others thoughts on routers and their impact on audio reproduction. I see people powering them with a LPS and big buck cables. Swearing over their mothers grave they can hear improvements. Anyone have any measurements to show an improvement in the waveform from the dac, or pre-amp possibly. I did a search and didn't find anything. Maybe I answered why just now.

Your thoughts please!

MAK
 

RayDunzl

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Opinion:

Digitally, no sound.

Electrically - as in noise over the electrical connections external to the data being transferred - possible, but generally unlikely.

Measurements I've made here don't show anything unexpected - at least not in an audible range.

Sometimes there is a little spike at 8kHz and multiples, probably something to do with USB rates, but still way below being problematic. Could just be a measurement artifact and not part of the signal.

And there can be some 60Hz and harmonics from "power". I have a rats nest of cabling behind the rack.

Here's a loopback on a Focusrite claret 4Pre USB.

Shows some power harmonics, and the 8k (assumed) USB noise

Signal is PC -> USB -> powered hub -> across the room, possibly on a powered "extender" cable -> another powered Hub -> Focusrite.Channel 1

Channel 2 output looped with a cheap TRS to XLR cable to Ch 2 input.

Channel 2 ADC -> Channel 2 of USB back through the hubs and extender to the PC:

1601504577805.png


Without the analog cable, just idle channel, even those little blips disappear:

Changed the FFT from 128k to 1m to dig deeper...

Channel 2 ADC with no analog cable - just "data"...

1601506061805.png



After monitoring for another 30 minutes or so, to catch any "events"

1601508152455.png
 
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racerxnet

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So why do people say they hear a more Orgasmic/ organic sound with the LPS and so on? Can they hear 100 angels on a pin head singing?

MAK
 

MakeMineVinyl

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I can't hear mine over the air conditioner.
 
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racerxnet

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Honestly, I am curious if this is actually making a difference? Any technical replies welcome?
 

Blumlein 88

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So why do people say they hear a more Orgasmic/ organic sound with the LPS and so on? Can they hear 100 angels on a pin head singing?

MAK
Angels are actually imaginary. And so are the improved sounds people hear with such things.

We can do lots of things, try and measure it etc. etc. It has been done, and other than possible and unlikely noise leakage mentioned by Ray there just isn't anything to this. Nor should there be if you know how routing of data works. There is no basis for the sound to be changed.
 

SIY

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Curious about others thoughts on routers and their impact on audio reproduction. I see people powering them with a LPS and big buck cables. Swearing over their mothers grave they can hear improvements. Anyone have any measurements to show an improvement in the waveform from the dac, or pre-amp possibly. I did a search and didn't find anything. Maybe I answered why just now.

Your thoughts please!

MAK
Fortunately, their mothers are dead.

When someone demonstrates that they can hear the difference in an ears-only test (double blind, level matched), then you can take it seriously. Don’t hold your breath, what you’ll likely get is the usual lame excuses about why they have to peek.
 

murraycamp

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"Routers, how do they sound?"

Great!
 

Sukie

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I must admit that my old router had a significant impact on audio quality. Basically it was temperamental and when it wasn't working I heard f**k all.

My new router is great in the sense that it has absolutely no impact whatsoever on the SQ of what I'm listening to. It does like nice though.
 

pozz

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DonH56

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BDWoody

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So why do people say they hear a more Orgasmic/ organic sound with the LPS and so on? Can they hear 100 angels on a pin head singing?

MAK

Because they spent money on something after someone told them to.

Without any listening controls, people will generally hear what they expect to.

Likely they hear veils lifted with every new cable, power conditioner, magic bean, and quantum audio coupling someone can tell them about.
 

amirm

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Honestly, I am curious if this is actually making a difference? Any technical replies welcome?
I have tested them and they don't. Our imagination is quite strong. If I told an audiophile a different sock they wear would make their audio sound better, they would do that and indeed "hear" a difference. That is no evidence then of sound waves changing from their systems.
 

thewas

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The problem is that many audiophiles haven't read how data are transmitted in the used OSI model.
If they had, they would know that their music players (layer 7) don't see and thus care whether the data packages (layer 1) are transmitted via a gigahertz network or by pigeons transporting sheets of written toilet paper as long as they arrive in time. And if not, you don't need to be a golden ear to hear the interrupts and corresponding artefacts.
 

RayDunzl

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Honestly, I am curious if this is actually making a difference? Any technical replies welcome?

I gave my opinion.

Now for a Technical Reply (having been associated with both nationwide and international undersea networks for WorldCom, Sprint and C2C:

Ready?

"No".

My question:

Did those bits make it through the network and its routers intact and without noise?

Routers between me and the chat here:

1601506732466.png


The data passed through many more pieces of equipment along that route. You can only see the pieces that are configured to and capable of responding to the tracert (Traceroute) query.
 
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a2lowvw

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I have tested them and they don't. Our imagination is quite strong. If I told an audiophile a different sock they wear would make their audio sound better, they would do that and indeed "hear" a difference.

But blue socks diffuse the sound waves differently than my red socks. I usually match my zip up sweater to my cables so i can better enjoy the subtle nuances. I made sure to order some fog lifters with the red string to match my red cables for maximum clarity.[/QUOTE]
 
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