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TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.
Location: NE Leics
Posts: 85
I'm Nigel.
No one is saying they get corrupted. I was saying they would have to get corrupted for a difference to be heard. I don't think they do so a difference won't be heard. But this is in MY system where the NAS PSU is not on the same mains circuit as my hifi; it is not a generalised statement that a linear NAS PSU can't ever make a difference.
If this doesn't make sense you need to read back through some of my and related posts. Taking things out of context can mislead.
Location: NE Leics
Posts: 85
I'm Nigel.
Location: NE Leics
Posts: 85
I'm Nigel.
In the context of ethernet packets, it doesn't make a difference. In other areas, it can. Cat 6 has a very different shielding configuration to Cat 5e in order to bring down crosstalk so that it can be used for longer runs and for higher density data. The overall signal ground of any analogue system can be affected by this, altering RF levels at the DAC. The data hasn't changed. The analogue system might however.... It's going to be very system dependant.
Nottingham Analogue Spacedeck / Kuzma Stogi S / Benz Micro Ace S L
Lenco L-75 / Carl Ellis Plinth / Ortofon AS-212 / Ortofon SPU Classic GM E MkII
Ortofon ST-7 SUT / Nick G Modded Lentek Head Amp / Croft RIAA
Cambridge Audio CXU / Theta DS Pro Prime
Classé Model 30 / Luxman M-383
Usher Compass X-719
May contain opinions that others find disturbing.
Location: NE Leics
Posts: 85
I'm Nigel.
Location: NE Leics
Posts: 85
I'm Nigel.
Last night I thought I might have found a better way of explaining why I believe a linear PSU might be making a difference in Marco's system and cautioning why we must be careful about the mains "topologies" into which we extrapolate his experiences.
Marco's NAS is on the same mains supply as his hifi. I believe that the improvements he is hearing are due to the replacement of a noisy switched PSU on his NAS by a quiet linear one and nothing to do with the digital signal being transferred from the NAS.
This experiment, carried out without expectation bias (bear with me...), should demonstrate whether I am correct. Unfortunately Marco won't be able to do it like this as it would be a waste of his hard-earned, but it's a clear illustration of the principles at play.
So our compliant subject Marco buys another identical NAS with its original switched PSU. He has it in position but not plugged into the mains; his system is as it is today. He listens to his music and loves it.
Now he plugs in the second NAS to the mains, maybe in the socket next to the one the linear PSU is plugged into. He powers up the second NAS using the original switched PSU from NAS 1 (to eliminate another variable as this could have been an unusually noisy one) but note that this second NAS is not connected to anything other than the mains supply and is not transmitting data to anything.
I believe this will make Marco's system sound as it did before his linear PSU upgrade. The noise of the switched PSU is back in the system. I believe the second NAS is required so that current is drawn by the switched PSU but someone might correct me here.
The clear distinction which I'm trying to draw here is between the noise in the mains - which affects genuinely analogue signals and therefore sound quality - and the "digital" signal being transmitted in analogue form from the NAS. The two are not connected. Many of the posts here lose the connection with the context of Marco's system, and the arguments made as a result are invalid extrapolations to the general case.
Somebody please tell me this helps?
Nigel