Cisco 2960 - Power Cables

perhaps he had time to make a burn out.....24X365X10= around 85000 hours of use....

Well, on my Cisco 2960G 8TC-L I've just tried swapping a standard moulded IEC lead for a Naim IEC lead and...

No detectable change.

Huge posted:

Well, on my Cisco 2960G 8TC-L I've just tried swapping a standard moulded IEC lead for a Naim IEC lead and...

No detectable change.

Well, that is swapping one kettle lead for another.... You might want to try a more esoteric audiophile cable. Might not be better, but will probably be more different. 

I power my Ciscon2960 via power over Ethernet and can dispense with local power supplies completely.... sounds wonderful. Recommend it if you can, keeps the clutter down and possible noise from nearby SMPS. 

Even if I did PoE the physical layout of my house means that I still couldn't get the PSU and power injector that far away from the system
- not until we get Power over WiFi!

I also only have one Power Line and that's (firmly ) shoved into the 555PS.

Simon-in-Suffolk posted:

I power my Ciscon2960 via power over Ethernet and can dispense with local power supplies completely.... sounds wonderful. Recommend it if you can, keeps the clutter down and possible noise from nearby SMPS. 

can you explain how to power over ethernet?   

French - you need the correct switch to begin with. I believe it’s the pd models. 

charlesphoto posted:

French - you need the correct switch to begin with. I believe it’s the pd models. 

so 8tc-l is unable to do that?

French Rooster posted:

charlesphoto posted:

French - you need the correct switch to begin with. I believe it’s the pd models. 

so 8tc-l is unable to do that?

It is either a model with PoE, or it’s not. There is normally a yellow band under the ports with Power over Ethernet written on it, so they are easy to spot. 

ChrisSU posted:

French Rooster posted:

charlesphoto posted:

French - you need the correct switch to begin with. I believe it’s the pd models. 

so 8tc-l is unable to do that?

It is either a model with PoE, or it’s not. There is normally a yellow band under the ports with Power over Ethernet written on it, so they are easy to spot. 

i will check this.  So if i disconnect the power cable, it will work normally ( if POE) ?

To use PoE, you need to have an external power-supply and a power injector on an Ethernet cable.

ah ok, so i will stay like that for the moment.    Do you have poe too?   is it better than powering my cisco switch with a power cable?

Huge posted:

To use PoE, you need to have an external power-supply and a power injector on an Ethernet cable.

Huge, or use another switch as a PoE power-source, which is more common and usual than using injectors, and is what I do.,  I would say if powering an edge switch with an PoE injector, there is probably no point, and you might as well directly power the switch.

i use a WS-C3560-8PC as my PoE source.

i just checked the specs of the cisco 2960 8tc-l model: no poe.    What are the advantages, for sound quality, of poe vs non poe models?

My main advantage is that I can keep some devices close to my audio equipment power supply free, this frees up clutter and potentially noisy power leads and also keeps away potentially noisier SMPS. I generally find less stuff and clutter makes better sound.

French Rooster posted:

Obsydian posted:

Hi guys

FINKFAN - good to hear, sorry i just popped out to pick up a Wireworld 6 way, just about the try the Powerline into that, then all my router, switch, fibre bridge)

FRENCH ROOSTER - yes it is a disaster, i have tried, listened and back to a pre build. I have the Indigo and C Stream in place, everything is singing to well to disturb, but YES i was always intending to remove the network bridge (just to hear), but i like to make one change at a time. So you have no fibre bridge now.

HUGE - my first 3 cables where sub £10 from Amazon : ) at the moment VERY seriously looking at the Sarum T, but as MR ROOSTER mentioned i want to trial something else.

 

yes Obsydian, i have no fiber bridge now.  I think the audioquest diamond ( or other high quality lans) are removing the noise as the network bridge, but in the same time the sound has more prat and edge, without being edgy or hard.  All is more musical now.

But with entry level lans, the fiber bridge was quite essential.

For me, the way to go now is 2 high quality lans and the cisco 2960 between the router and the streamer.

I didn’t experienced Charlesphoto or Ciscu fiber bridge with 2 cisco 2960.  Maybe one day....

FrenchRooster - I just did an A-B-A  (A = with FB and B = without FB), I managed it with 1 change, that being to just switch my cable to the Nova to either the FB (A) or direct switch (B).

Result I will be keeping the FB ; ), did not take long to decide.

Obsydian posted:

French Rooster posted:

Obsydian posted:

Hi guys

FINKFAN - good to hear, sorry i just popped out to pick up a Wireworld 6 way, just about the try the Powerline into that, then all my router, switch, fibre bridge)

FRENCH ROOSTER - yes it is a disaster, i have tried, listened and back to a pre build. I have the Indigo and C Stream in place, everything is singing to well to disturb, but YES i was always intending to remove the network bridge (just to hear), but i like to make one change at a time. So you have no fibre bridge now.

HUGE - my first 3 cables where sub £10 from Amazon : ) at the moment VERY seriously looking at the Sarum T, but as MR ROOSTER mentioned i want to trial something else.

 

yes Obsydian, i have no fiber bridge now.  I think the audioquest diamond ( or other high quality lans) are removing the noise as the network bridge, but in the same time the sound has more prat and edge, without being edgy or hard.  All is more musical now.

But with entry level lans, the fiber bridge was quite essential.

For me, the way to go now is 2 high quality lans and the cisco 2960 between the router and the streamer.

I didn’t experienced Charlesphoto or Ciscu fiber bridge with 2 cisco 2960.  Maybe one day....

FrenchRooster - I just did an A-B-A  (A = with FB and B = without FB), I managed it with 1 change, that being to just switch my cable to the Nova to either the FB (A) or direct switch (B).

Result I will be keeping the FB ; ), did not take long to decide.

thanks for your report. I was curious.    Different systems, different results...  I am waiting the new cisco switch i got for a bargain price on bay.  I will report here after.

For the network bridge effect, my new audioquest diamond lans have some sort of filtering ( dbs filters outside the cable), which gave probably similar results.  With the fmc it is perhaps too much, so the prat is affected.

Yes after and and given you and some other persuaded me to try the fibre bridge ; )

I guess I was hoping like you say regard the AQ the Chord Indigo would be better alone.

Well there are multiple Cisco 2960 threads so I might as well post here as it is the most current.

My Ebay $149 White 2960 Gigabit switch, manufacture date October 2013 (since newer ones seem to be better) arrived last night. Based on previous postings I am simply going to use the supplied power lead.

A few "philosophical" questions regarding installation.  

There is an long "starting" ethernet run of CAT5 from the garage ONT (which provides 150/150 internet via Fiber) to the router/modem in the listening room.  Files for my KDS are stored on a downstairs kitchen iMac.  This iMac is also connected to the upstairs listening room via 100-150 feet of generic CAT5.  

A mesh type wifi system (currently Google Wifi but soon to be testing Linksys Velop) is connected to the listening room router/modem.  There is a "parent" node of the wifi system connected via generic 10' ethernet cable to the router/modem.  A second ethernet cable then runs  from this parent node to the Cisco 2960 switch in the listening room.  The switch will host the other computers in the house, 3 other google wifi "child" nodes - and finally the KDS.

One "fancy" Blue Jeans cable was purchased  to go between the 2960 switch and KDS.  Would it be beneficial to replace and use Blue Jeans cables between the router/modem (effectively the "source") to the Google Wifi "parent", and then from the Google Wifi parent back to the Cisco switch?  My plan was to only use a fancy Blue Jean ethernet cable between the Cisco switch and KDS. 

Keep in mind the cost of two additional Blue Jean cables is negligent.

Are you streaming Tidal? If so, then anything pre-2960 might make a small but subtle difference. Post switch only the one to the KDS will make any difference, not the WiFi. But I wouldn’t bother with BJC and just use something like Amazon Basics Cat 6 for the longer Cat 5 run. You have to figure in the hassle factor of replacement more than the cost though. 

I changed my generic Cat7 cable from router to Cisco switch with a 20m length of Meicord. Tidal sounds better for it for sure. 

FYI here’s my network: Asus coaxial modem (12v R-core linear power supply - stove circuit)> patch to AirPort Extreme (same circuit)> 25’ Generic Cat 6a> Cisco 2960 (office circuit with NUC server> all traffic> SFP> Cisco 2960 in living room (dedicated circuit)>Ghent Audio JSSG RJ45 to microRendu, (generic to Roku). Sounds very good!

Hmmm, now you have me wondering about replacing that 25’ of generic from the airport to the 2960, dang you!

Obsydian posted:

Yes after and and given you and some other persuaded me to try the fibre bridge ; )

I guess I was hoping like you say regard the AQ the Chord Indigo would be better alone.

before i put a second audioquest diamond, from the router to the cisco, the system sounded better with the network bridge.  But recently i replaced my meicord opal lan in this section by the audioquest diamond, and now it changed the whole thing.

Perhaps if you replace your c stream from your router to the cisco by a second indigo, you will find the same as me.   But difficult to predict.

charlesphoto posted:

Are you streaming Tidal? If so, then anything pre-2960 might make a small but subtle difference. Post switch only the one to the KDS will make any difference, not the WiFi. But I wouldn’t bother with BJC and just use something like Amazon Basics Cat 6 for the longer Cat 5 run. You have to figure in the hassle factor of replacement more than the cost though. 

I do stream Tidal however I mainly stream my FLAC's.  At the beginning of lossless streaming (ie TIDAL) I was one who believed that TIDAL steams were effectively the same as lossless FLAC's.  I no longer subscribe to that and feel that they are inferior to my rips (digital watermarking?).

I cannot change any of the longer runs as they are in the walls - it would be a royal pain.  The only runs which could be changed are those which are post router/modem.  For me, unless someone says otherwise, I consider the cable/router to be the start or source of the data stream.  That is why I questioned if the short 10' runs to the Google Wifi and then back from the Google to the switch should also be changed.

So yes in the end it sounds like the one which counts is the one which I am addressing - the ethernet run from the switch to the KDS.  Maybe I will also change the back and forth to the Google router - after all they are only two $20 Blue Jean cables.  This way I will have changed all I can short of ripping open the walls!

Time to swap in the Cisco switch during the next few days and see what it does.

the last lan, which goes to the nds, is the most important.  But the first lan, from the router, has also an important impact.  But some argue that a lan is a lan and it changes anything....