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AQVox AQ-SWITCH-8
(26-Apr-2017, 11:52)Confused Wrote: To add to the confusion.....

Some say connect the input to port 1 and output to port 8, because port 8 is prioritised......  (I just happened to use port 1 in, and 3 out, when I did my A/B test)

Then I see this picture.......

http://www.aqvox.de/index_en.html

Perhaps I can help with a small surveillance from my side. The time I got a dedicated laptop for streaming I'd the choice to stream from either the 2 USB3 Ports on the left or the 2 USB2 Ports on the right side of the laptop. In some forums it was always said that USB2 sounds superior to USB3 (due to more complex protocol of USB3...I don't know).
I listened to every 4 USB2/3 Ports and sure enough they all sounded different but what was more the USB3 sounded better. It was only as I opened the laptop for further tuning that I saw the USB3 Ports were directly soldered to the mainboard but the USB2 Ports were contacted via an adapter cable. I think this adapter cable holds back the USB2 Ports from eventually sounding better than the USB3 Ports. Maybe the hardware design overrules software design here. Who knows.

In case of the AQVox Switch it might be that by hardware design the signal paths from port1 and port8 have a special constellation that one user found out sound was best when connecting the ETH cables to only this ports. I bet AQVox itself is not aware of this 'hack'.

gui


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"Oh, you can buy the other. But then it is a cost intensive learning process"
berlin
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The suggestion to use port 8 was based on the fact that the standard D-Link switch used QoS (Quality of Service) protocol that prioritises data to port 8.
1000 Pro - KEF Blade - iFi Zen Stream - Mutec REF10 - MC3+USB - Pro-Ject Signature 12
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Hello, small info to QoS,

QOS ACCORDING TO IEEE 802.1P
Quality-of-Service (QoS) prioritizes network traffic so that time-critical data is delivered, even with high data traffic volumes. In this way, optimal performance is ensured for media streaming, VoIP calls and online games. It is not the priority of ports set !!
Aavik U-280 / Audio Physic Cardeas / Melco N1ZS + D100 / Melco Switch S100 / KECES P8 Dual / Transparent Audio PowerWave X / Cable: Audioquest, Shunyata, Transparent, Ansuz Digitalz A2 Ethernet, USB
Remote: iPad-Pro
Roon Nucleus+(B), Lifetime / Qobuz Studio Sublime                                                                                                          
Germany / Bavaria
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(27-Apr-2017, 17:15)K4680 Wrote: Hello, small info to QoS,

QOS ACCORDING TO IEEE 802.1P
Quality-of-Service (QoS) prioritizes network traffic so that time-critical data is delivered, even with high data traffic volumes. In this way, optimal performance is ensured for media streaming, VoIP calls and online games. It is not the priority of ports set !!

Yes, thanks for the clarification.

I was quoting a post from Computer Audiophile, it shows you should check your facts!  When I did my A/B comparisons at the weekend I didn't have anything else connected to the Aqvox anyway, so it is all fairly irrelevant I'm sure.  If you start hearing sound quality differences between Ethernet ports it is probably time to seek medical help anyway! Sad
1000 Pro - KEF Blade - iFi Zen Stream - Mutec REF10 - MC3+USB - Pro-Ject Signature 12
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(27-Apr-2017, 17:46)Confused Wrote:
(27-Apr-2017, 17:15)K4680 Wrote: Hello, small info to QoS,

QOS ACCORDING TO IEEE 802.1P
Quality-of-Service (QoS) prioritizes network traffic so that time-critical data is delivered, even with high data traffic volumes. In this way, optimal performance is ensured for media streaming, VoIP calls and online games. It is not the priority of ports set !!

Yes, thanks for the clarification.

I was quoting a post from Computer Audiophile, it shows you should check your facts!  When I did my A/B comparisons at the weekend I didn't have anything else connected to the Aqvox anyway, so it is all fairly irrelevant I'm sure.  If you start hearing sound quality differences between Ethernet ports it is probably time to seek medical help anyway! Sad

Hello Confused, gladly done!
Sometimes I also think I need psychological help with regard to "HiFi-Audio" Huh
Aavik U-280 / Audio Physic Cardeas / Melco N1ZS + D100 / Melco Switch S100 / KECES P8 Dual / Transparent Audio PowerWave X / Cable: Audioquest, Shunyata, Transparent, Ansuz Digitalz A2 Ethernet, USB
Remote: iPad-Pro
Roon Nucleus+(B), Lifetime / Qobuz Studio Sublime                                                                                                          
Germany / Bavaria
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I have been using the Aqvox switch for about a week now. I did comparisons yesterday and every single time the music sounded slightly better with it, more natural and better defined soundstage, than with my old device. 

I have been thinking that did I have some expectation bias when doing the comparison. Perhaps yes, but anyway the music didn't sound so natural with my old device. I agree with @Confused that differences are not completely dramatic but I think significant enough for me to justify the price. It's a keeper! Smile
Bluesound Node > Matrix Audio X-SPDIF 2 > Genelec 8351B & 7360A
Devialet 1000 Pro
Bluesound Node 2i > Genelec 8330
Tampere, Finland
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(04-May-2017, 16:48)petrik Wrote: I have been using the Aqvox switch for about a week now. I did comparisons yesterday and every single time the music sounded slightly better with it, more natural and better defined soundstage, than with my old device. 

I have been thinking that did I have some expectation bias when doing the comparison. Perhaps yes, but anyway the music didn't sound so natural with my old device. I agree with @Confused that differences are not completely dramatic but I think significant enough for me to justify the price. It's a keeper! Smile

That's good to hear. 

Where I am really noticing a difference is with streaming of Qobuz material. To my ears the improvement is pretty profound, whereas previously it could sound a bit thin and just not as good as the hard drive version (enough to bother me actually). Now I think it sounds fantastic, to the point where I could just live with Qobuz material.

Guillaume
Industry disclosure: UK distributor for Shunyata Research

220 PRO, totaldac d1 server with additional external power supply, totaldac d1-seven, Echole PSU for Totaldac, Wilson Audio Sasha 2, Shunyata Research cables, Shunyata Hydra Alpha A10 + DPC-6 v3, Various Entreq ground boxes and cables, Entreq Athena level 3 rack, 2 X SOtM sNH-10G with sCLK-EX + 10MHz Master Clock input + sPS-500 PSU, i5 sonicTransporter w/ 1TB SSD

UK
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(04-May-2017, 18:58)GuillaumeB Wrote:
(04-May-2017, 16:48)petrik Wrote: I have been using the Aqvox switch for about a week now. I did comparisons yesterday and every single time the music sounded slightly better with it, more natural and better defined soundstage, than with my old device. 

I have been thinking that did I have some expectation bias when doing the comparison. Perhaps yes, but anyway the music didn't sound so natural with my old device. I agree with @Confused that differences are not completely dramatic but I think significant enough for me to justify the price. It's a keeper! Smile

That's good to hear. 

Where I am really noticing a difference is with streaming of Qobuz material. To my ears the improvement is pretty profound, whereas previously it could sound a bit thin and just not as good as the hard drive version (enough to bother me actually). Now I think it sounds fantastic, to the point where I could just live with Qobuz material.

Guillaume

That's really interesting, thanks for sharing.

I think the Aqvox might benefit from a proper burn in time since it seems to get better and better all the time. The more I listen with it, the more I like it.

And I haven't yet tried grounding it. It will be interesting to hear whether that makes any difference.
Bluesound Node > Matrix Audio X-SPDIF 2 > Genelec 8351B & 7360A
Devialet 1000 Pro
Bluesound Node 2i > Genelec 8330
Tampere, Finland
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(04-May-2017, 19:31)petrik Wrote:
(04-May-2017, 18:58)GuillaumeB Wrote:
(04-May-2017, 16:48)petrik Wrote: I have been using the Aqvox switch for about a week now. I did comparisons yesterday and every single time the music sounded slightly better with it, more natural and better defined soundstage, than with my old device. 

I have been thinking that did I have some expectation bias when doing the comparison. Perhaps yes, but anyway the music didn't sound so natural with my old device. I agree with @Confused that differences are not completely dramatic but I think significant enough for me to justify the price. It's a keeper! Smile

That's good to hear. 

Where I am really noticing a difference is with streaming of Qobuz material. To my ears the improvement is pretty profound, whereas previously it could sound a bit thin and just not as good as the hard drive version (enough to bother me actually). Now I think it sounds fantastic, to the point where I could just live with Qobuz material.

Guillaume

That's really interesting, thanks for sharing.

I think the Aqvox might benefit from a proper burn in time since it seems to get better and better all the time. The more I listen with it, the more I like it.

And I haven't yet tried grounding it. It will be interesting to hear whether that makes any difference.

Yes I agree as I have noticed it getting better all the time with some interesting changes around 200 hours or so. 

In my setup grounding it has made a significant improvement. I made a change to the type of grounding recently so it's difficult to be sure if it was this or the continued burn in that accounted for a recent improvement that had me really amazed by what I was hearing from Qobuz. I suspect a bit of both given what you have also experienced. Also I spoke to the manufacturer and they mentioned the burn in thing to me too. Anyway the end result is that I am more than happy with the results. 

Guillaume
Industry disclosure: UK distributor for Shunyata Research

220 PRO, totaldac d1 server with additional external power supply, totaldac d1-seven, Echole PSU for Totaldac, Wilson Audio Sasha 2, Shunyata Research cables, Shunyata Hydra Alpha A10 + DPC-6 v3, Various Entreq ground boxes and cables, Entreq Athena level 3 rack, 2 X SOtM sNH-10G with sCLK-EX + 10MHz Master Clock input + sPS-500 PSU, i5 sonicTransporter w/ 1TB SSD

UK
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(04-May-2017, 19:49)GuillaumeB Wrote:
(04-May-2017, 19:31)petrik Wrote:
(04-May-2017, 18:58)GuillaumeB Wrote: That's good to hear. 

Where I am really noticing a difference is with streaming of Qobuz material. To my ears the improvement is pretty profound, whereas previously it could sound a bit thin and just not as good as the hard drive version (enough to bother me actually). Now I think it sounds fantastic, to the point where I could just live with Qobuz material.

Guillaume

That's really interesting, thanks for sharing.

I think the Aqvox might benefit from a proper burn in time since it seems to get better and better all the time. The more I listen with it, the more I like it.

And I haven't yet tried grounding it. It will be interesting to hear whether that makes any difference.

In my setup grounding it has made a significant improvement. I made a change to the type of grounding recently ...... 

Guillaume
Guillaume

What did you do different with the grounding?

I received my Aqvox 2 days ago so only just starting to burn in, but would also like to look at the grounding option.

Thanks
John
1000Pro (Matte Black), Lenehan Audio ML5 Reference's, FoilTek Speaker Cable's, Paradigm Sub1, Entreq Poseidon, Antipodes CX, Roon (Lifetime), Curious Cable USB, Aqvox Switch, Gigawatt PC-3 Evo Se, Mad Scientist Link Cable (RCA/AES), PSC Power Cords

Australia (Perth)
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