naim hdx connection to router .. too far!

davidsblue posted:

David Hendon posted:

An alternative to the Cisco that many of us use is the Netgear GS105 available new from the usual online places for about £25. Its both plug and play and fit and forget.

Best

David

hi .. tks fr advice ... that looks like very good value ... is the netgear one good enough in quality? .. lots cheaper than cisco one given by another member ....

tks again ... can buy one today I think

 

The GS105 is well up to the job, and was recommended by Naim a year or two ago as they had tried it themselves, which is why that particular model became a popular recommendation here. More recently, the 8-port Cisco Catalyst 2960 has been widely used, as some members reported a subtle improvement in sound quality from it, and that seemed to cause a bit of a craze in the network setup area! These Ciscos are very expensive if purchased new, but there is a steady supply of them on ebay for around £50. If space is tight, the Ciscos are quite a bit larger.

ChrisSU posted:

davidsblue posted:

David Hendon posted:

An alternative to the Cisco that many of us use is the Netgear GS105 available new from the usual online places for about £25. Its both plug and play and fit and forget.

Best

David

hi .. tks fr advice ... that looks like very good value ... is the netgear one good enough in quality? .. lots cheaper than cisco one given by another member ....

tks again ... can buy one today I think

 

The GS105 is well up to the job, and was recommended by Naim a year or two ago as they had tried it themselves, which is why that particular model became a popular recommendation here. More recently, the 8-port Cisco Catalyst 2960 has been widely used, as some members reported a subtle improvement in sound quality from it, and that seemed to cause a bit of a craze in the network setup area! These Ciscos are very expensive if purchased new, but there is a steady supply of them on ebay for around £50. If space is tight, the Ciscos are quite a bit larger.

space is tight .. so netgear it is then ... many thanks

As Chris says the Netgear GS105 (5 port) and the GS108 (8 port) are certainly up to the job and well made. You don't need to know anything about how they work. There is no setting up involved. You turn it on, plug in the Ethernet cables and it works.

if for whatever reason you connect the Ethernet cables first and then turn it on, it also works.

best

David

I have a Cisco 2960 8tc. Don’t have to go on the auction site. Google UsedCisco. It’s refurbished with a report. It’s delivered by UPS within a week. No noisy power supply to worry about. It’s plug a play. They cost a bomb new but yours for 64€. It’s so good the media player in my TV sounds as good as my CDX2 both through nDAC (except if I really concentrate). I’m really happy with my SQ overall on all my sources. Who needs NDX.

Phil

It may be the state of my network, but I am really pleased with the same Cisco. My Core on ethernet is now similar quality to Spdif output, it could sound a little “flat” before.

Yeah I found the Netgear devices a little electrically noisy, in fact my Netgear was causing low level  intermodulation RF interference into my nearby Naim Tuner. I have no such issues with my Cisco Catalyst switches, and I found a subtle SQ improvement on my streamer as  well.

The other thing a Cisco Catalyst switch allows you to do, albeit this part is not plug and play, is configure an IGMP querier, this allows Apple AirPlay and UPnP discovery to be lightning fast and 100% reliable every time on my home network ... no wait over several seconds for media servers and devices to appear in the Naim app... they appear instantly every time. There is more to home networks than just connectivity if you want them to support you the best way they can.

BTW one of the Cisco2960 8 port models can by powered by Ethernet making it suitable for discrete remote small footprint locations with a very low electrical noise footprint..

If you run the cable externally do you have a wall socket at each end?  So you end up having three cables plugged together to get from router to switch?  That would seem to give the best flexibility if equipment in the rooms gets moved at some point for example.  It also means you could run some other cable internally if that would make a difference.

I run mine in through an air brick  directly to a Switch in the living room. This is at the back of the TV so a wall socket did not make sense.

Professional installers will usually fit a wall socket to which you can connect a patch cable. Personally, I prefer to run the cable straight through to the switch or device you are connecting, but either way is fine.

air brick! genius! will go and locate the nearest one. thank you :-) 

Just a thought, how are people attaching their ethernet plugs to the end of their Cat6 /Cat5 data / ethernet cables? A cheap crimping kit? Professional installers?

bought mine precut and plugs attached 

I bought a crimping kit and plugs when i did mine. It's very easy to do but just be careful when aligning the cable pairs into the plug. A cable tester is well worth borrowing too which will allow you to check all the pins are connected correctly in the plugs. 

As James said, quite easy to do with a bit of practice, but do always check the cable afterwards with a cable checker... remember an Ethernet cable will still work with certain connections broken, but overall performance will / can (depending on  config) be impeded.