Ethernet Network converted to Fibre Optic Cable

Indeed... I've been running via a fibre link for 9 months, and do think it has improved things. I'm not going to say it's night and day, or anything that could be interpreted as hyperbole, but a worthwhile improvement for modest expense - well under £500 including a home-brew linear power suppliy for the media converter and switch.. There's a thread on here somewhere - Fibre dedicated network I think I called it...??? Less than a third of the price of a SL interconnect, so worth a try.

Interesting...so do you have coax coming into your house (cable), which then you use all fibre in the house from there,  or a Fibre Optic provider, then Fibre all over the house?

Standard ADSL into house terminated at a Draytek router, then into a Cisco managed switch which supports the SFP fibre modules. Everything is cat 6 copper, other than the drop into my listening room which goes from the SFP to a fibre media converter. I need a small 4 port switch to drop the gigabit link down to 100 meg for the NDS. Both the media converter and 4 port switch are powered from a dedicated linear PS I constructed.  I therefore isolate the NDS from any other noisy computer kit around the house.

Indeed some of us have dabbled with SFP fibre connections for various projects. Just make sure the SFP module is the same wavelength at both ends!!

However the main benefit would come IMO when the network audio equipment directly contain SFP modules and dispense with the noisy electrical ethernet connections. I just don't think electrical ethernet and low noise are happy bed fellows.

Simon

It'll be interesting to see what Naim come up with for the Statement level network streamer. The NDS, even with it's extra screening around the streaming module and internal electrical isolation still appears sensitive to it's network connections. 

James

James, quite, it does seem logical (!?) for Naim to extend to Ethernet SFP fibre connections in its quest for practical perfection... At least all the nonesence about Cat cable categories, earthing and RFI is dispensed with.. However the TCP/IP stack and broadcast frame processing will still be a source of electrical noise. Having a separately routed subnet with helpers only allowing certain frames through dependent on source would however also be an obvious development to reduce this. So a Statement level Streamer might also need a Statement level router or layer 3 switch.

Alternatively you could do as I do and largely decouple the DAC from network renderer and avoid many of these complications, but Naim seem to moving in the opposite direction currently.

Simon

PS just like working with mains voltages can be dangerous, Ethernet fibre lasers can seriously damage your eyesight or even blind you so do be careful....

I do love the way people are talking about a Statement level streamer as if it's a fact that it's being designed! 

Hi Graham -

The NDS (as good as it is) is a tricked up NDX with the usual Naim solutions of multiple power supply rails and isolation - not really a radical step as it's basically the same DNA across the whole streaming range.

You've seen (and own ) what Naim can produce, free from the usual constraints of size and cost. Applying this approach to a source product has got to be the next step. 

I think i read that Statement was 3 years in development, if a Statement streamer took the same amount of time it would be obsolete before it was released.

It may be a logical step from SQ perspective but that doesn't mean it's necessarily a sensible business step.  Hence why I'm not convinced we'll see anything soon.

Although the following neither confirms nor denies, when I first heard Statement at the 2014 Bristol hifi show they actually mentioned that Statement showed how good a source the NDS actually is, because it wasn't embarrassed by the better amplification.

Categorically incorrect. Naim streamers older than 3 years are still not obsolete.

Andy

There is no reason why a radical step is required to improve streaming SQ. Indeed Chords FGA approach was neither new to their Hugo nor was it radical. Yet a (very) few seem to think it is significantly better than other options, principally because of its 'advanced' technology. Simply not correct, nor logical. 

Andy

You could say the same about the amps - quite a risky development given the limited market. I would have thought there would now be a sound business case seeing how well the amps seem to be selling. I'm sure the NDS is a great source, but you've got far cheaper options snapping at its heels and to be honest, Naim have got to say that - it would look a bit strange if they fronted the statement with a non Naim source. 

I suspect you are doing the 'few' a disservice. I'm sure most would have based their decision on SQ grounds. Buying something for the sake of advanced technology would be a bit daft IMHO...

Indeed. The maxed SC-2Qute source I now use has a distinctly hand knitted feel to all its various bits and bobs. But at circa. £2.5k all-in it is a superb sounding and very versatile solution.

G

I think it would be excellent if Naim could include a SFP socket in the next generation streamers, Populate it with a copper Ethernet module for most folk, so it's just plug-n-play, but the option is there to add an aftermarket fibre module if desired.

Dave

Dave, quite right, perhaps I should have used the term 'Next Generation' as opposed to 'Statement'

Simon

...Half width case please Naim.

G

Wat, I agree that most choose DACs on sound quality vs other considerations.. and with the Hugo the sound benefit is its main pulling factor followed by price.. I don't think its features or usability..... however with regard to technology  the Hugo's FPGA is really just an enabler. The real sonic benefits are derived in my opinion from the proprietary DAC as opposed to industry standard multibit or delta sigma, the use of a high bandwidth oversampling and filtering techniques, and critically in my opinion the use of digital filter with very large sample windows or 'taps'. This allows reconstruction to be more accurate with less artefacts than has been generally possible/economic with traditional approaches.

The FPGA technology enables this approach for the last two items  in a low power, high density, relatively low cost package... but it in itself does not contain the innovative DAC algorithms.

Simon