audiobomber

I used the Korg DS-DAC-10R and VinylStudio to rip my vinyl collection to 24/88.2. I am very pleased with the results. https://www.korg.com/caen/products/audio/ds_dac_10r/ I used my phono stage, because the Korg RIAA input is moving magnet only, I use a moving coil. Recording goes straight to the Korg, never enters your computer. It was hard to tell whether the LP was playing, or the copy. Some LPs actually came out better in digital format due to the handy click and pop tool in VinylStudio, and the sound keeps getting better as my network audio system improves.

Thanks for your response, but my YouTube Music Liked Songs playlist contains about 400 songs. My Qobuz library Favourites tab shows no individual songs, and only nine albums.

On YouTube Music, I have a playlist called Liked Music. I did not specifically create this playlist, it contains all the tunes that I have given a "thumbs up". When I migrated my playlists from YTM to Qobuz in Soundiz, the Thumbs Up tunes received a Qobuz heart, but no playlist was created. How can I play my favourite (heart) selections?

Does networking make a difference in your hi-fi system? Yes… 100%. It is audible and also just plain measurable. We hope that this really ends the discussion whether a switch, filter or power supply can make a difference in listening pleasure. https://www.alpha-audio.net/background/hard-evidence-a-network-affects-playback-quality/ IME, digital noise in the network can result in loss of microdetails, loose bass, aggressive highs and a compressed soundstage.

And very hard to believe. 😝

Getting rid of the WAP and replacing wi-fi with ethernet, then fiber, resulted in progressively better sound in my system.

I don't believe that data degradation causes poor sound quality. The data arrives intact, otherwise there will be heavy distortion or dropouts. What I believe degrades sound quality is that there is digital noise riding on the data signal from ground loops, jitter, EMI and RFI. LAN isolators, shielded cables, switches, etc., prevent and/or remove the grunge, resulting in improved soundstage, accurate tonality, improved microdetail, etc.

I have an oMD connecting my ER via optical cable. A television and Chromecast Audio streamer also connect to the ER A-Side. I have tried disconnecting the TV and CCA a few times to see whether they affect the sound of my B-side streamer. Connected or disconnected, I heard no difference at all. Neither ethernet cable on the A-side is shield-tied, which may not matter given the ER moat, but that is what I chose to implement, to avoid any potential for a ground loop.

Proper orientation is modem, router, switch. That will provide security to your network.

And a security risk. A router provides a firewall, a switch does not.

A common ABX test, consisting of a random panel in an unfamiliar room, with only one person in the sweet spot, listening to an unfamiliar system and someone else's music is useless for judging audio, as evidenced by decades of tries where they can't distinguish basically anything. I have faith in extended listening in a well known room, through a familiar system, for an extended period. Measurements are great, and I like to see them, but they are mostly unreliable for determining sound quality. I like them because I don't want a flawed piece of gear. A DAC for example should have great measurements. If it deviates from the norm, I would like to know about it. I do value head-to-head comparisons with competitors' gear, but I understand they are not always feasible. For decades, Ultra High Fidelity, a Canadian audio magazine was my favourite read. (They have been left far behind since the advent of network audio, and no longer publish). The gear under test was installed in a reference system and listened to privately and with a three person panel who were very familiar with the setup. The reference system provided a baseline for comparison with previously tested gear. There was no attempt at level-matching. Levels were set based on the monkey-bone factor. Based on my own listening experiences, I was able to develop a great deal of confidence in their evaluations, and bought several pieces they recommended. Some reviews include a long list observations based on random tunes. I almost always skip these and go directly to the conclusion because I find them boring reading. UHF Magazine used a few standard pieces of music for every review. This may have been boring for them, but again provided a standard for comparisons with previously reviewed gear on transient performance, detail, soundstage, tonality, etc.

If you have more than one connection to the router LAN outputs, you should consider adding a switch. If the PC is the one connection to the router LAN outputs, a LAN Isolator would suffice. Either way, you want to isolate the noisy router from your audio system.

I got help in the Q&A Forum a few times, but nothing I couldn't have asked in another of the Topic forums. I don't think the posters here paid much attention the the Q&A forum. A couple of times I had to request help in another forum and via PM to get informed replies.

I was connecting to my audio system via wi-fi for galvanic isolation, but when I tried a CAT8 ethernet cable with LAN Isolator, I heard a more palpable sound. With wi-Fi, the sound was more ethereal, not as solid. When I replaced the LAN connection with fiber optics, I heard improvements in transient performance, microdetail and tonality. The copper and fiber setups I compared had a similar cost. I have since upgraded my fiber optic system and experienced further improvements.

CAT8 cables have the shield grounded at both ends, which is a risk for ground loops. I like CAT8 a lot, but I only use it with a LAN filter, or if both components it joins are connected to the same ground point. Long runs are the main reason that balanced cables were invented. They would work for the 100-ft run, but I would suggest instead that you connect your router and PC to a network switch with SFP ports. Use single-mode optical fiber cable and SFP modules with the switch. 100 feet is considered a very short run for fiber optic cable, which can broadcast for miles with no degradation.