network streaming tweaks

To be honest with you, I don't think any of these will make a blind bit of difference to the SQ and imho you would do best  to do the minimum of what you fancy doing and spend the rest of the money on music. Enjoy anyway!

best

David

i don’t think the unitiqute is enough resolving to be able to hear differences with network tweaks. Perhaps a not too bad lan cable.  As for a nas, if you can try first , perhaps....

You can try chord c stream lan cable.  A little dedicated switch will improve a bit too.

if i am not mistaken network tweaks are about lowering the noise floor than about anything to do with the unitiqute. 

for most part i am just trying to understand the setup. where it makes sense i might go for it. or sometimes not based on cost.

anyway what is the logic with the switch? is the chain supposed to be : router -> switch -> unitiqute ?

and is the nas supposed to be hooked up to the switch?

appreciate the clarification.

yes, router_switch_uniqute, nas also to this switch. you can add an ifi power to your switch, to replace the smps ( the stock ps).  

Get  Cisco switch and as a start the chord entry cables one from router to switch and one from switch to streamer.

With regards to both I would no regard them as tweaks if anything essential components.

French Rooster posted:

yes, router_switch_uniqute, nas also to this switch. you can add an ifi power to your switch, to replace the smps ( the stock ps).  

A picture paints a thousand words .........  assuming you can read a schematic

Mike-B posted:

French Rooster posted:

yes, router_switch_uniqute, nas also to this switch. you can add an ifi power to your switch, to replace the smps ( the stock ps).  

A picture paints a thousand words .........  assuming you can read a schematic

your schematic doesn’t show clearly that the nas and streamer should not be connected to the router directly but to the dedicated switch.  Or i am silly and can’t read a schematic....

French Rooster posted:

Mike-B posted:

French Rooster posted:

yes, router_switch_uniqute, nas also to this switch. you can add an ifi power to your switch, to replace the smps ( the stock ps).  

A picture paints a thousand words .........  assuming you can read a schematic

your schematic doesn’t show clearly that the nas and streamer should not be connected to the router directly but to the dedicated switch.  Or i am silly and can’t read a schematic....

Schematic shows switch is optional, to extend the network in any or all directions.  The router itself is a switch (on the LAN side) if it allows you to directly connect more than one device.  Some routers have only one port, and thus require a separate switch to attach any number of nodes (computers, NASes, printers etc.)

Nick

Obsydian posted:

Get  Cisco switch and as a start the chord entry cables one from router to switch and one from switch to streamer.

With regards to both I would no regard them as tweaks if anything essential components.

you are right, these tweaks are essential but took separately, one by one, they give minor improvement. But the global network upgrade improve significantly :  dedicated switch with linear ps or minimum ifi power, or cisco 2960, good lans cables , optical bridge on linear ps ....

I am not sure that the op should invest in all these tweaks that cost nearly the price of the unitiqute.  For an ndx or nds level, it is worthwhile 

I would go just for a cisco 2960 used and factory reset , with a lan cable like chord c stream or meicord lan cable.

NickSeattle posted:

French Rooster posted:

Mike-B posted:

French Rooster posted:

yes, router_switch_uniqute, nas also to this switch. you can add an ifi power to your switch, to replace the smps ( the stock ps).  

A picture paints a thousand words .........  assuming you can read a schematic

your schematic doesn’t show clearly that the nas and streamer should not be connected to the router directly but to the dedicated switch.  Or i am silly and can’t read a schematic....

Schematic shows switch is optional, to extend the network in any or all directions.  The router itself is a switch (on the LAN side) if it allows you to directly connect more than one device.  Some routers have only one port, and thus require a separate switch to attach any number of nodes (computers, NASes, printers etc.)

Nick

So i read it like you.  The op asked if the streamer and nas should be connected to the dedicated switch to improve sound quality.  A direct connection to the router for the nas and streamer is not a good option for sound quality.

French Rooster posted:

 

your schematic doesn’t show clearly that the nas and streamer should not be connected to the router directly but to the dedicated switch.  Or i am silly and can’t read a schematic....

Yes you're right about one thing,  you can't read a schematic

Does this help??

Mike-B posted:

French Rooster posted:

 

your schematic doesn’t show clearly that the nas and streamer should not be connected to the router directly but to the dedicated switch.  Or i am silly and can’t read a schematic....

Yes you are right,  you can't read a schematic

Does this help??

this schematic is better for my understanding and shows clearly that nas and streamer are not connected directly to the router.  But perhaps you are right, i didn’t know how to read correctly your first schematic.  I am not a scientific....

Hmmm...when I connected my NAS to the switch the iPad didn’t find it. I had to connect it directly to the modem/router for it to be found.

Am I doing something stupid? 

NAS connected to modem/router connected to switch connected to 272.

G

Mike I think you are being unnecessarily rude to the OP. I can read a schematic and as an engineer they are my bread and butter. I also understand completely about what your schematic is showing, but I don't think the first one with the dotted lines was clear at all. This latest one is though!

best

David

GraemeH posted:

Hmmm...when I connected my NAS to the switch the iPad didn’t find it. I had to connect it directly to the modem/router for it to be found.

Am I doing something stupid? 

NAS connected to modem/router connected to switch connected to 272.

G

i don’t think you are doing something stupid.  But i have not the knowledge to explain you why your ipad doesn’t find your nas if connected to the switch.

You should ask Simon in the suffolk or Mike B....

For myself, my unitserve is connected to the dedicated switch and also my nds, the switch is connected to the router. All is working perfectly with the app.   The router is noisy, so a connection to the dedicated switch, on ifi power or linear ps, is better for sound quality.

GraemeH posted:

Hmmm...when I connected my NAS to the switch the iPad didn’t find it. I had to connect it directly to the modem/router for it to be found.        Am I doing something stupid?      NAS connected to modem/router connected to switch connected to 272.      G

Hi Graeme,  either your switch is faulty or it has not been set up correctly.  What switch ???   If its a simple unmanaged switch they normally 'learn' the network devices in a few minutes,  or it might need to be powered on first before the individual connections are powered on or are connected when already live.  If its a managed switch,  its read the manual time,  reset to default & then diagnose if indeed it is defective.   

David Hendon posted:

Mike I think you are being unnecessarily rude to the OP. I can read a schematic and as an engineer they are my bread and butter. I also understand completely about what your schematic is showing, but I don't think the first one with the dotted lines was clear at all. This latest one is though!

best

David

thanks David...

I didn’t follow the first one either. 

Graeme, if you connect up like in Mike’s second picture, and start the router, then the switch, then the Nas and then the 272, leaving a little while for each to sort itself out, everything will work itself out and your iPad will see the music on the nas. 

That setup is all the OP needs. A cheap Netgear switch and standard wires are fine. A nas is ideal as it is always available and means that the music can be played without needing to turn the computer on. 

Tis the cisco 2960. 272 found and all fully functioning otherwise Mike.

Maybe I’ll give it another go. Does it matter which port I use?

G

David Hendon posted:

Mike I think you are being unnecessarily rude to the OP.      David

If the rooster thinks I'm being rude,  I apologise.  It was intended as a light hearted leg pull in response to his own words.   But if it takes a  to make it clear its a leg pull,  OK.  

A pair of TP Link fiber media converters powered by iFi’s pre my UQ make a nice little jump in sq. A better power cable and ethernet cable as well, but it’s all pretty subtle and YMMV - I wouldn’t spend a lot of $ tweaking a UQ. 

Mike-B posted:

David Hendon posted:

Mike I think you are being unnecessarily rude to the OP.      David

If the rooster thinks I'm being rude,  I apologise.  It was intended as a light hearted leg pull in response to his own words.   But if it takes a  to make it clear its a leg pull,  OK.  

a little rude but no problem Mike B....  When you say »my own words « , don’t forget that i am thinking in french language when i am writing in english....

GraemeH posted:

Hmmm...when I connected my NAS to the switch the iPad didn’t find it. I had to connect it directly to the modem/router for it to be found.

In most cases this has to do with the IGMP protocol. If the switch does support it but its implementation is buggy this can lead to problems in finding UPnP streamers or servers. If the switch offers the possibility to configure it, you could could check if the IGMP protocol can be turned off.

With a fine working IGMP support the detection time of the UPnP components should be quicker than without IGMP.

GraemeH posted:

Tis the cisco 2960. 272 found and all fully functioning otherwise Mike.

Maybe I’ll give it another go. Does it matter which port I use?

G

sometimes , but it is rare, my unitserve is lost and doesn’t appear. I restart my nds or the app or the serve( like nas) and all is working.  Try to switch off then on your 272 first. I not working, restart all....  I have also the cisco 2960 , it is a bit temperamental or capricious ( i don’t know the good word).

Hungryhalibut posted:

I didn’t follow the first one either. 

Graeme, if you connect up like in Mike’s second picture, and start the router, then the switch, then the Nas and then the 272, leaving a little while for each to sort itself out, everything will work itself out and your iPad will see the music on the nas. 

That setup is all the OP needs. A cheap Netgear switch and standard wires are fine. A nas is ideal as it is always available and means that the music can be played without needing to turn the computer on. 

Thanks HH & FR just spotted the replies. Will try.

G