Posh switch - another cause of Audiophilia nervosa?
Posted by: hungryhalibut on 17 November 2016
There have been various threads recently about posh Ethernet cables and mention has been made a few times that plugging them into an el cheapo consumer switch like my little Netgear might not be getting the best from them.
The idea of a pro switch was a bit scary as I'm something of a numpty and want plug and play. Then I discovered that pro switches could be used very simply if required.
SiS has mentioned the Cisco catalyst 2960 as being very good indeed, but at a price of course, like over £300. However you can pick up used ones for much less and my eBay purchase arrived today. It has a proper mains lead rather than wall wart, and amazingly after a minute or two it just worked. I was rather astonished by that, as computer stuff rarely runs smoothly in my house....
It's been warming up for a few hours and it will be interesting to see how it does and whether there is a difference. It's certainly built like a brick outhouse and the post leads go in with a reassuring thunk.
Let's see.
OK, Cisco kids: i hopped aboard the bandwagon and installed a used 2960 this afternoon, bought for the princely sum of $50 from ebay.
plugged it in, and... nothing. none of the ports seemed to have been enabled. let the head-scratching begin!
the instructions on Cisco's website say that you need a PC to administer the switch -- naturally, i only have a MacBook. to be honest, even if i had a PC, i'm not sure i could follow any of the instructions on offer.
after a bit more Googling, i ran across a YouTube vid showing how to reset the 2960 by holding down a button on the front panel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UK79B04J-TQ .
now, button-pushing i can handle! this method worked just great, and the Cisco is up and running. first impressions: yep, the sound does seem smoother -- in a good way -- and more spacious.
Ok, all posts seem positive re quality and I can also handle button-pushing so looks like I'll be following the herd ...
Joe9407 you have it sorted - but a Mac or PC will work if you need - you connect via a web browser if set up to or a telnet session via the console lead - the console lead is the blue lead with either USB or RS232 on the end that you should have got with the switch.. to set up some of the cool features for rapid port uptime for sleeping NASs and improved speedier UPnP / or any other multicast discovery will need to go via this way if one gets curious
I just bought one on Fleabay for $53.00 US. That's about 42 quid. G_d help me.
Simon-in-Suffolk posted:BTW I am not sure this neccessarily applies to any Cisco switch - the Cisco Catalyst switches have a specific internal design - certainly the 2960 Catalysts - and those are the ones I initially discovered sounded better than more regular chipset designs from other vendors.
The switch in question was an 8-port 2960 Catalyst - will be looking forward to an extended listen soon.
MMcCulloch posted:I added the Cisco 2960 today in place of a Netgear switch. The Cisco was a used model, reset to factory settings. It was plug-and-play and everything worked right away (Unitiserve, NDX, NAS). First impressions are that some subtle high end hash / sibilance has been removed; soundstage is slightly more immersive; everything is a touch smoother, which is not always necessarily a good thing, but it's a very enjoyable listen. I plan to keep the switch in place and continue to monitor how things progress, but so far so good.
......my findings exactly! I have also noticed a mild 'tidying up' of the bass as per the recent comments made. Overall it seems to have brought about a level of refinement and a touch more...dare I say reality or believability to voices. It's effect is subtle...from an A to B comparison, but more obvious on a prolonged listen, if that makes sense?. Intriguing really!
Not a bad investment for a few quid, thanks for the recommendation Simon.
I've just looked back at what I wrote when I first made the change to this switch, and it seems I said 'nicer and more natural'. I think that sums it up really, to which I'd add 'more engaging'. The music draws me in more; it's hard to explain. Just over two weeks on I'm delighted with what it's done, and it's a super addition to the AudioQuest cables I added a while ago. Who would think that a little blue box could make such a difference? I've still no idea why, but that's OK.
Hungryhalibut posted:I've just looked back at what I wrote when I first made the change to this switch, and it seems I said 'nicer and more natural'. I think that sums it up really, to which I'd add 'more engaging'. The music draws me in more; it's hard to explain. Just over two weeks on I'm delighted with what it's done, and it's a super addition to the AudioQuest cables I added a while ago. Who would think that a little blue box could make such a difference? I've still no idea why, but that's OK.
Nigel - I too have just jumped on the Cisco 2960 Catalyst bandwagon and ordered a used (and hopefully factory reset) 8 port jobby from that big auction site. There seem to be different versions of this model. Is yours an 8 port version and which model of the 2960 Catalyst did you end up with?
Same question to others on this thread who might care to divulge?
Simon, are the different versions of the 2960 Catalyst likely to have any influence in terms of installation and operation?
It's the 8TC-L with the internal power supply. I've treated it to some rubber feet now, to keep it cool and off the floor.
Cheers - I have ordered the same model.
Hungryhalibut posted:It's the 8TC-L with the internal power supply. I've treated it to some rubber feet now, to keep it cool and off the floor.
same here -- save for the rubber feet. i thought it might be a good idea to avoid the wall-wart that comes with some models of the swtich.
Nigel, i agree that post-switch, things just sound nicer. i tend to hear minimal differences among analog cables (of a certain standard of quality, at least) and yet this switch seems to be doing some mystical shit or something. the mind boggles.
The 8TC-L is the one I've installed.
If the Cisco switch does sound better, I will have an iFi iPower SMPS going spare that I am using on my current Netgear switch. I would try it on the BT HH5 but I think it is a different voltage and current rating to the the Netgear switch.
Nigel - I think you had the iFi iPower on your Netgear switch. Did you manage to redeploy it or am I mistaken?
joe9407 posted:Hungryhalibut posted:It's the 8TC-L with the internal power supply. I've treated it to some rubber feet now, to keep it cool and off the floor.
same here -- save for the rubber feet. i thought it might be a good idea to avoid the wall-wart that comes with some models of the swtich.
Nigel, i agree that post-switch, things just sound nicer. i tend to hear minimal differences among analog cables (of a certain standard of quality, at least) and yet this switch seems to be doing some mystical shit or something. the mind boggles.
'Things just sound nicer' seems on first reading like a bit of a rubbish description, but it's absolutely appropriate. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what's different, but I'm listening to music at the moment and it sounds lovely - very natural, involving and yes, nicer.
Mine is a Catalyst, but 24 port. I definitely need more than 8 ports. Could use 2 switches of course, with the 2690 dedicated to hi fi, but I found a 24 port Catalyst.
nigelb posted:Hungryhalibut posted:I've just looked back at what I wrote when I first made the change to this switch, and it seems I said 'nicer and more natural'. I think that sums it up really, to which I'd add 'more engaging'. The music draws me in more; it's hard to explain. Just over two weeks on I'm delighted with what it's done, and it's a super addition to the AudioQuest cables I added a while ago. Who would think that a little blue box could make such a difference? I've still no idea why, but that's OK.
Nigel - I too have just jumped on the Cisco 2960 Catalyst bandwagon and ordered a used (and hopefully factory reset) 8 port jobby from that big auction site. There seem to be different versions of this model. Is yours an 8 port version and which model of the 2960 Catalyst did you end up with?
Same question to others on this thread who might care to divulge?
Simon, are the different versions of the 2960 Catalyst likely to have any influence in terms of installation and operation?
Mine is the Catalyst 2960 8TC-S. Looks the same, no idea if there's any difference from the 8TC-L.
Jason posted:nigelb posted:Hungryhalibut posted:I've just looked back at what I wrote when I first made the change to this switch, and it seems I said 'nicer and more natural'. I think that sums it up really, to which I'd add 'more engaging'. The music draws me in more; it's hard to explain. Just over two weeks on I'm delighted with what it's done, and it's a super addition to the AudioQuest cables I added a while ago. Who would think that a little blue box could make such a difference? I've still no idea why, but that's OK.
Nigel - I too have just jumped on the Cisco 2960 Catalyst bandwagon and ordered a used (and hopefully factory reset) 8 port jobby from that big auction site. There seem to be different versions of this model. Is yours an 8 port version and which model of the 2960 Catalyst did you end up with?
Same question to others on this thread who might care to divulge?
Simon, are the different versions of the 2960 Catalyst likely to have any influence in terms of installation and operation?
Mine is the Catalyst 2960 8TC-S. Looks the same, no idea if there's any difference from the 8TC-L.
Not sure what the difference is between the 8TC-L and 8TC-S. Both seem to have on board power supplies. Maybe Simon knows what the difference is.
Maybe one is Lowly and one is Super.
Hungryhalibut posted:Maybe one is Lowly and one is Super.
Dammit, I've just got switch envy and I haven't even received mine yet!
Well, mine's lowly, but it still sounds super. So it's all good.
Nigelb, it's possible the larger switches may 'sound' different. I only tried the little 8 port 2960s. I have one with inbuilt PSU and other with an offboard 48 volt DC supply brick.
Hungryhalibut posted:Maybe one is Lowly and one is Super.
The L version is more powerful, can switch more data and has a higher specification set of functions than the S version. The L version costs more than the S version. I have only listened to L devices.
Simon
My switch envy has just turned to switch smugness. 
The idea of a "Posh" switch I think is ill founded. More expensive managed or enterprise switches include large switch-mode power supplies and loud fans that make them poor for domestic use. All the small density switches that you would use at home are using the same commodity chip sets and spending more does not get you any better results. The only benefit you can get from spending more is by getting a less noisy is a less noisy power supply. iFi makes a good number of cost effective solutions that are compelling. There maybe others, but the iFi is a cheap upgrade to your TP-LINK, Netgear, ASUS or other wall wart devices.
HH, your thread title was most precsient!