27-Jun-2020, 12:16
I'll add to the comments made by @ogs
I'm running a Roon Nucleus+ with internal SSD for my library. It works well and it's convenient for me to have the internal SSD rather than adding a NAS to my network so I made that choice based on convenience. I have my 140 connected via ethernet to my network, also for convenience and because I can't get a reliable wifi connection from my wifi router which is in a different room on the other side of the house. I use an ethernet switch to connect the Nucleus+ and the 140 to an ethernet wall point which provides a wired connection to the router.
I've tried using USB from the Nucleus+ to the 140 and discovered I preferred the sound I get with an ethernet connection. There's a lot of devices you can add to improve the sound quality with USB but I haven't tried them, partly because they involve adding more boxes and I like keeping things simple with as few devices as possible. I did replace a normal ethernet switch with an ETHERRegen which gave what I think is a nice improvement in sound quality and there are other audiophile ethernet switches which claim to improve sound quality as well but I haven't tried them. Replacing the normal switch with the ETHERRegen didn't add any extra boxes to my setup which was also a plus but it's possible I could get equally satisfying sound with USB and one of the devices you can add to improve sound quality on a USB connection. Whether you use USB and an add on device, or ethernet and a switch like the ETHERRegen, you may have the option of adding an external clock device to improve sound quality further. I haven't tried that.
@ogs mentioned wifi providing galvanic isolation. If you use ethernet you can also achieve galvanic isolation by using ethernet to fibre converters. My router is on a different power circuit to my audio system so I used an ethernet to fibre optic converter and fibre optic cable between the ETHERRegen and the ethernet wall point near the audio system. Etthernet to fibre optic converters are quite cheap as are network fibre optic cables. You could use a normal ethernet switch and connect your Devialet to it with a couple of ethernet to fibre optic converters and SFP modules and a network fibre optic cable for a very modest cost and probably get a lot of the benefit of an audiophile ethernet switch for a lot less money and achieve the same galvanic isolation that wifi gives. What it would mean, however, is having an ethernet cable from your switch to a converter, fibre optic cable from that converter to a second converter, and another ethernet cable between the second converter and your Devialet. You have to find space for the converters and even if you use short ethernet cables and a short fibre optic cable, you may end up with a much longer cable run between your switch and the Devialet than you currently have and you have to find somewhere to place the converters and that extra cable.
If you use a normal 100 Mbps network switch instead of a gigabit switch or a managed switch and set the port to which you connect your Devialet to 100 Mbps you can also avoid the gigabit ethernet problem the Devialet has with RAAT. I use RAAT and have no problems with my 140 connected to the ETHERRegen's "B" port which provides a 100Base-T connection.
In the end there's a lot of different connection options and all of them can work very well. Since you already have your NUC and your Devialet connected to the network via an ethernet switch I'd stick with that and decide whether you want to go for an audiophile switch like the ETHERRegen or one of the alternatives available but I'd consider starting by simply inserting an optical fibre link between your Devialet and your current switch to provide galvanic isolation. I think everyone who has tried an optical fibre link has had positive results, it's easy to do, and it's cheap. You can always swap your current switch for an audiophile switch later and keep the fibre optic link.
Ethernet cables do make a difference and there's lots of options there. USB cables can also make a difference if you choose to go with USB.
I use a Keces P8 to power my Nucleus+ and the ETHERRegen. I haven't tried alternatives to the DC power cords which came with it so I can't help on that question.
I'm running a Roon Nucleus+ with internal SSD for my library. It works well and it's convenient for me to have the internal SSD rather than adding a NAS to my network so I made that choice based on convenience. I have my 140 connected via ethernet to my network, also for convenience and because I can't get a reliable wifi connection from my wifi router which is in a different room on the other side of the house. I use an ethernet switch to connect the Nucleus+ and the 140 to an ethernet wall point which provides a wired connection to the router.
I've tried using USB from the Nucleus+ to the 140 and discovered I preferred the sound I get with an ethernet connection. There's a lot of devices you can add to improve the sound quality with USB but I haven't tried them, partly because they involve adding more boxes and I like keeping things simple with as few devices as possible. I did replace a normal ethernet switch with an ETHERRegen which gave what I think is a nice improvement in sound quality and there are other audiophile ethernet switches which claim to improve sound quality as well but I haven't tried them. Replacing the normal switch with the ETHERRegen didn't add any extra boxes to my setup which was also a plus but it's possible I could get equally satisfying sound with USB and one of the devices you can add to improve sound quality on a USB connection. Whether you use USB and an add on device, or ethernet and a switch like the ETHERRegen, you may have the option of adding an external clock device to improve sound quality further. I haven't tried that.
@ogs mentioned wifi providing galvanic isolation. If you use ethernet you can also achieve galvanic isolation by using ethernet to fibre converters. My router is on a different power circuit to my audio system so I used an ethernet to fibre optic converter and fibre optic cable between the ETHERRegen and the ethernet wall point near the audio system. Etthernet to fibre optic converters are quite cheap as are network fibre optic cables. You could use a normal ethernet switch and connect your Devialet to it with a couple of ethernet to fibre optic converters and SFP modules and a network fibre optic cable for a very modest cost and probably get a lot of the benefit of an audiophile ethernet switch for a lot less money and achieve the same galvanic isolation that wifi gives. What it would mean, however, is having an ethernet cable from your switch to a converter, fibre optic cable from that converter to a second converter, and another ethernet cable between the second converter and your Devialet. You have to find space for the converters and even if you use short ethernet cables and a short fibre optic cable, you may end up with a much longer cable run between your switch and the Devialet than you currently have and you have to find somewhere to place the converters and that extra cable.
If you use a normal 100 Mbps network switch instead of a gigabit switch or a managed switch and set the port to which you connect your Devialet to 100 Mbps you can also avoid the gigabit ethernet problem the Devialet has with RAAT. I use RAAT and have no problems with my 140 connected to the ETHERRegen's "B" port which provides a 100Base-T connection.
In the end there's a lot of different connection options and all of them can work very well. Since you already have your NUC and your Devialet connected to the network via an ethernet switch I'd stick with that and decide whether you want to go for an audiophile switch like the ETHERRegen or one of the alternatives available but I'd consider starting by simply inserting an optical fibre link between your Devialet and your current switch to provide galvanic isolation. I think everyone who has tried an optical fibre link has had positive results, it's easy to do, and it's cheap. You can always swap your current switch for an audiophile switch later and keep the fibre optic link.
Ethernet cables do make a difference and there's lots of options there. USB cables can also make a difference if you choose to go with USB.
I use a Keces P8 to power my Nucleus+ and the ETHERRegen. I haven't tried alternatives to the DC power cords which came with it so I can't help on that question.
Roon Nucleus+, Devilalet Expert 140 Pro CI, Focal Sopra 2, PS Audio P12, Keces P8 LPS, Uptone Audio EtherREGEN with optical fibre link to my router, Shunyata Alpha NR and Sigma NR power cables, Shunyata Sigma ethernet cables, Shunyata Alpha V2 speaker cables, Grand Prix Audio Monaco rack, RealTRAPS acoustic treatment.
Brisbane, Qld, Australia
