LAN status

Reviewer: Srajan Ebaen
Financial interests: click here
Main system: Sources: Retina 5K 27" November 2020 iMac (i5, 256GB SSD, Ventura 13.3, 40GB RAM), 4TB external SSD with Thunderbolt 3, Audirvana Origin, Qobuz Sublime, Singxer SU-6 USB bridge, LHY Audio SW-8 switch, Cen.Grand DSDAC 1.0 Deluxe, Sonnet Pasithea DAC; Active filter: icOn Gradient Box 2; Power amplifiers: Kinki Studio EX-B7 monos, Goldmund/Job 225 on subwoofer; Headamp: Cen.Grand Silver Fox; Phones: HifiMan Susvara, Meze 109 Pro; Loudspeakers: sound|kaos Vox 3awf + sound|kaos DSUB15 on Carbide Audio footers, Audio Physic Codex, Qualio IQ [on loan] Cables: Complete loom of Allnic Audio ZL; Power delivery: Vibex Granada/Alhambra on all source components, Vibex One 11R on amps, Furutech DPS-4.1 between wall and conditioners; Equipment rack: Artesanía Audio Exoteryc double-wide 3-tier with optional glass shelves, Exoteryc amp stands; Sundry accessories: Acoustic System resonators, LessLoss Firewall for loudspeakers, Furutech NCF Signal Boosters; Room: 6 x 8m with open door behind listening seat
2nd system: Source: Shanling M3 Ultra into Soundaware D300Ref SD transport to COS Engineering D1, iFi iDSD Pro Signature or Denafrips Terminator Plus 12th Anniversary firmware; Preamp/filter: Vinnie Rossie L2 Signature or icOn 4Pro, icOn 4th-order/80Hz active filter; Amplifier: Crayon CFA-1.2; Loudspeakers: MonAcoustic SuperMon Mini or Acelec Model One + Dynaudio S18 sub; Power delivery: Furutech GTO 2D NCF, Akiko Audio Corelli; Equipment rack: Hifistay Mythology Transform X-Frame [on extended loan]; Sundry accessories: Audioquest Fog Lifters; Furutech NFC Clear Lines; Room: ~3.5 x 8m
Desktop system: Source: HP Z230 work station Win10/64; USB bridge: Singxer SU-2; DAC: legacy Auralic Vega; Head/speaker amp: Enleum AMP-23R; Speakers: EnigmAcoustics Mythology M1;  Headphones: Final D-8000
Upstairs headfi system: Source: Shanling M3 Ultra, Soundaware D300Ref; DAC/headamp: iFi iDSD Pro Signature; Headphones: Meze 109 Pro
2-channel video system: Source: Oppo BDP-105; All-in-One: Gold Note IS-1000 Deluxe; Loudspeakers: Zu Soul VI; Subwoofer: Zu Submission; Power delivery: Furutech eTP-8, Room: ~6x4m
Review component retail: SW-6 $794, SW-8 $594

Get packing. It's the mantra whenever a review publishes. My LAN à la LHY assignment had wrapped. Time to hit up the hifi closet for associated empty boxes; just not the lot. To call my cloud-streaming hardware completed, I meant to keep the SW-6. It perfectly finishes off the above router-to-iMac LAN line. With SOtM's passive isolators and LHY's SW-8 already part of my toolbox, I could iron out the review's fiber-optic wrinkle involving LHY's big SW-10 switch. That, two Finisar fiber-optic cartridges and 20m/1m fiber samples forwarded to Romanian reviewer Sandu Vitalie in Bucharest, now home also of Roland Krammer ex Crayon Audio. If I didn't already own the SW-8 and isoCAT7 bricks, I would have bought a ~€35 RJ45/SFP converter to replace our 20m CAT8a run with fiber direct into the SW-6's SFP port then out from its isolated copper port into the iMac. Same sound quality, different route. Meanwhile the LHY OCK-2 clock from the same review would stay on my desktop to clock-sync its Singxer SU-2 USB bridge and iFi iDSD Pro Signature DAC. My pre-iMac chain had knocked the OCK as unnecessary yet the desktop had responded with a grin. When audiophile deities smile, it's best to obey; particularly when a modest tax return can cover the invoice. So there you have it, my now dialled, done and dusted Qobuz Sublime stream for the main system. As far as I can tell, that finally equals the playback of local files. Hurray. Thank you, LHY.

And yes, I'm now eating crow on the whole cascaded LAN switch notion which I used to poo-poo as audiophile extremism. As it turned out, it really works for me. That's all I need to understand. Or perhaps I've just made peace with being an audiophile extremist myself? As far as that runny yolk on my face goes, I still feel like a good egg though. Over and out.