Replace router power supply?

Hawkmoon

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Feb 19, 2020
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So has anyone into streaming music found any gains by replacing the cheap switch mode power supply that comes with your router with something like an ifi one?
 

RobGardner

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Jul 22, 2008
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So, here’s my finding - yes, but!

I am currently sat listening to my system using one of those “hifi” Ethernet switches (arrived today) that polarise opinion in these forums. It came with a ”superior” power supply. On first listen it was a significant audio upgrade on the Netgear ethernet switch I was previously using. I had modified the Netgear switch to improve the audio quality and was genuinely surprised at the improvement my simple tweaks had made So I wasn’t really expecting too much from the new switch. I had also tried using a battery to power my old switch Thinking that might give a guide to how a linear psu might sound. Better than the walwart psu plugged into a mains conditioner. Is all I can say.
I noticed the new hifi switch had the same input voltage input as A Teddy Pardo psu a friend had given me that I had up in the loft . I got it down and plugged it in and was rewarded with another, but less noticeable improvement in sound quality. I reckon my streaming sound quality is now as good as it has ever been.
The audio uplift with the linear regulated psu should be considered small. I think you think about anything else you can upgrade before you bother.

Over the next couple of weeks I will swop kit around and check I remain of the same opinion. As the two switches use different input voltage I can’t directly compare them with the same psu. but the Teddy Pardo has a small but noticeable improvement.
 

RobGardner

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Jul 22, 2008
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Today the regulated linear power supply for my router arrived And yes it does sound different, I would say it sounds much better. It is interesting the impact that peripheral devices can make, but I suppose that as I only listen to streamed music everything relies on my router. I wish I had done this previously, but I was nervous about spending money on something so controversial! I suppose a barometer of whether they work is how many used ones you see for sale on eBay. Not many (I don’t know how many are sold, but I am sure it’s enough that if they were a waste of money there would be a lot of used ones for sale) . After years of listening to my system I know what it sounds like and recognise any positive changes in the presentation of music, and there was a definite uplift.
While I love to experiment I don’t like wasting money. I also don’t mind spending money on something that adds to my listening enjoyment. If the psu made no difference it would be quickly moved along. Previously I was very surprised at the difference in the sound quality of changing the mains cable to my nas drive made so I suppose the impact of a better engineered psu ought not to be a surprise. It has confirmed my very positive experience on the use of a Teddy Pardo psu with my Ethernet switch.
So here I am listening to my system that’s sounding as good as it ever has, and I can’t think of anything (for the moment) I can tinker with. I suppose I should just get on and listen to the music!


Oh yes - room acoustics, well we all know we should really start there!
 

RobGardner

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Jul 22, 2008
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Sorry for the delay in responding.
After changing the psu to my router and the switch and the psu to the switch (I only used the supplied one briefly) my system has never ever sounded better. I’m sat here writing listening to a an album I know very well. Sad to confess it’s Band on the Run, I have been listening to this album on and off in many formats for a very long time.
The switch has run in, the psu units are both used but they are warmed up - actually I leave them on all of the time and I am hearing things in the recording I have never heard before. The important thing though is that I am falling back in love with the album (please don’t tell anyone).
I have just swopped out my home assembled Ethernet cable between my router and my NAS drive and replaced it the one that came with the switch. I have to say initially I disn’t think there is very much difference but I do now and much prefer the presentation of my home assembled cable. It sounds less harsh and the music sounds more mellifluous. That may be because it has had many hours of 1s and 0s running through it which have polished the inside of the cable. It’s probably more to do with the better engineered telegartner plugs I used and the silver plated cable used. To put things in cost perspective, my home assembled cable cost about £50 to assemble and the Chord Ethernet cable costs about the same I think. I previously used a ugreen cat8 cable which very nearly sounded as good and cost a few quid. I will give that a go next. I still use a ugreen cable between my router and the switch near my audio gear. The main reason for swopping out the cables was I had got to the end of the album and I just thought I would try it. I am always trying things to get into the heart of the music. I might try some telegartner plugs on the end of a piece of ugreen cable and see what that’s like. I am thinking about putting my NAS in the loft so any thing to minimise the impact of a vertical Ariel running through the house between the NAS and router should be explored.
So I think that using a linear regulated psu in my system and a hifi switch has increased my enjoyment of music.
I think that you have to beg, borrow, steal things and try them for yourself and make up your own mind. A good hifi shop will let you home audition anything they sell and you should use this facility. I also buy a lot of my stuff second hand so if I am not enjoying it after a few weeks I will move it on and it might have cost me a small amount to do so, and some times I make a profit. After all hifi should be an enjoyable hobby and not a cause for neurosis!
The down side to the changes I have made is that I am now listening to music more and have missed episodes of Bake off and Master chef so it’s not all good news.
I think the other thing to put things into context as I have what may be considered a higher end system so the cost of the ancillaries is relatively small. I don’t say this to brag but to put things into context. If I can hear a small difference in Ethernet cables then they should probably be the last thing that you should bother upgrading. The hifi switch and power suppliers where on par with a serious cable upgrade, but even then I would say it’s more for when you are really happy with everything else.


I
 

RobGardner

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Jul 22, 2008
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Sorry, all that waffle and I didn’t answer your question. An English Electric 8 switch.
Try using some Dynamat in your Netgear switch, it really did make a big difference to mine at minimal cost. The other option I was going to explore was getting the Netgear switch reclocked - it’s about £110 or so, but a discount offer came up on eBay on the EE switch and I thought I would buy one and if it doesn’t deliver I could sell it on at a small loss - certainly less than a reclock, having scratched that hifi Ethernet itch.
 

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