"Audiophile Grade" Ethernet Switches - The new generation

[David A]

No that is not possible, in the first setup you have always PLC connection: ER > ethernetcable > dialog > PLC > phantom golds.

Dialog > ethernetcables >  phantom golds is not possible.

The only way to go without PLC is the second set-up, and i think that is giving the sound quality improvement with the ethernetcables directly to the phantoms

That is also the reason that i think there is another improvement possible with the software upgrade from DOS1 to DOS2 and the dialog can then be deleted. So, The A-side from the ER only to the phantoms and no dialog

If you connect the ethernet cables directly to the phantoms they will automatically switch from PLC to Ethernet



@Snoopy8 thanks for the good explanation with the nice drawings.

I did not suggest doing without the PLC connection. What I suggested was disconnecting the NAS and NUC from the Orbi and having the NAS, NUC, and Orbi each connected directly to the EtherREGEN. The only things that I suggested changing were on the A side of the EtherRegen in the first diagram. The connection from the B side of the EtherRegen to the Dialog and the PLC connections from the Dialog to the Phantoms would remain unchanged.


The reasoning behind my suggestion is as follows:

The ER provides some isolation for signals passing from one device on the A side to another device on the A side and maximum isolation for signals passing from a device on the A side across the moat to a device on the B side.

In the first diagram only the Orbi is connected to the A side. Signals between the NAS and the NUC don’t pass through the A side of the ER, they pass through the Orbi which provides the switching and no isolation between the NAS and the NUC. You get isolation across the moat between the Orbi and the Dialog.

What I’m suggesting provides isolation on the A side of the ER between the NAS and the NUC, and between the Orbi and the NUC for music streamed from the internet. It also provides isolation across the moat for signals passed from the NUC to the Dialog. Signals between the NAS and the NUC do not need to pass through the Obi at all as it does not act as a switch connecting the NAS and NUC, the A side of the ER does that job, and the ER is the only device acting as a switch between NUC and Dialog.

The PLC connections from Dialog to Phantoms are not changed, they remain unaltered.

So, in theory, my suggestion should provide isolation between NAS and NUC, and also between the internet and NUC that the setup in the diagram does not provide. In addition the signal from the NUC to the Dialog doesn’t have to pass through the Orbi on the way to the Dialog, it goes directly from the NUC to the A side of the ER then across the moat to the B side connection to the Dialog. The ethernet signal path is shorter and you get increased isolation between NAS and NUC, and between the internet via the Orbi and the NUC, plus you also eliminate the Orbi as a potential source of noise between the NUC and the Dialog.


Sorry but you misinterpreted what I was suggesting.