I Indydan Audioholic Intern Feb 27, 2026 #1 I have to talk about people beleiving ethernet switches can improve sound quality. Synergistic Research makes an ethernet switch for 3000$ US dollars. Not to be outdone, Nordost has one for 5000$. This is madness. Pure snake oil. It sickens me!
I have to talk about people beleiving ethernet switches can improve sound quality. Synergistic Research makes an ethernet switch for 3000$ US dollars. Not to be outdone, Nordost has one for 5000$. This is madness. Pure snake oil. It sickens me!
j_garcia Audioholic Jedi Feb 27, 2026 #2 Well, we always say it here: There's one born every minute. As well as the fact that there is a company/industry to cater to each specific sucker.
Well, we always say it here: There's one born every minute. As well as the fact that there is a company/industry to cater to each specific sucker.
paldo2 Audiophyte Mar 16, 2026 #3 As long as the network isn’t dropping packets or causing buffering issues, the switch itself shouldn’t change the sound quality. It’s easy to see why people are skeptical about expensive “audiophile” networking gear.
As long as the network isn’t dropping packets or causing buffering issues, the switch itself shouldn’t change the sound quality. It’s easy to see why people are skeptical about expensive “audiophile” networking gear.
BoredSysAdmin Audioholic Slumlord Mar 16, 2026 #4 paldo2 said: As long as the network isn’t dropping packets or causing buffering issues, the switch itself shouldn't CANT change the sound quality. It’s easy to see why people are skeptical about expensive “audiophile” networking gear. Click to expand... 1) FTFY 2) It's Zeros and Ones. There's no analog magic here. No skin effects, etc.. 3) The vast majority of network traffic is TCP/IP-based, and it includes its own reliability method using CRCs and retransmissions. This is why all modern audio streams are always async and have some buffer. 4) This isn't hard. Ethernet switches have absolutely no effect on sound quality.
paldo2 said: As long as the network isn’t dropping packets or causing buffering issues, the switch itself shouldn't CANT change the sound quality. It’s easy to see why people are skeptical about expensive “audiophile” networking gear. Click to expand... 1) FTFY 2) It's Zeros and Ones. There's no analog magic here. No skin effects, etc.. 3) The vast majority of network traffic is TCP/IP-based, and it includes its own reliability method using CRCs and retransmissions. This is why all modern audio streams are always async and have some buffer. 4) This isn't hard. Ethernet switches have absolutely no effect on sound quality.
lovinthehd Audioholic Jedi Mar 16, 2026 #5 Indydan said: I have to talk about people beleiving ethernet switches can improve sound quality. Synergistic Research makes an ethernet switch for 3000$ US dollars. Not to be outdone, Nordost has one for 5000$. This is madness. Pure snake oil. It sickens me! Click to expand... Nordost and SR make no real audio products in the first place for the most part (the cables can work, but are overpriced and the "technology" is a joke). Let alone digital stuff
Indydan said: I have to talk about people beleiving ethernet switches can improve sound quality. Synergistic Research makes an ethernet switch for 3000$ US dollars. Not to be outdone, Nordost has one for 5000$. This is madness. Pure snake oil. It sickens me! Click to expand... Nordost and SR make no real audio products in the first place for the most part (the cables can work, but are overpriced and the "technology" is a joke). Let alone digital stuff
