BTW thanks for sharing. It is illuminating. When done like this, switching from one box to the other, Ibam surprised that the difference is so noticable. They all sound great of course. The Meraki Fiber option though seems like the GoldiLocks choice to my ears. Sounds very complete. The CAT7 SFP seems slightly more dynamic, but kind of pinched in the higher frequencies. This gives the impression of perhaps a tiny but more 'sizzle' but at the cost of sounding a bit less natural too me. The Zytwlbis very good also, but ecer so slightly veiled / recessed compared to the other two. Of course on its own it would sould really great 👍
Thanks for sharing this kind of swich tests, because there are a lot of audiophiles that really think that a proper swich can't improve the sound quality. They tend to associate them with snake oil. Subtle, but audible. It's seems that the Meraki is even more transparent (more air/space).
You have to try other fiber modules. Some sound better than others. Yes fiber modules do sound different, some better than others. In this test, Fiber is cleaner, less noise, less grainy, but can sound a tiny bit controlled and resricted. Cat7 is kind of more free flowing, but at the expense of more noise and slightly less resolution. It is up to personal taste which one is preferred. But with higher grade audio switches, and better gears, you will hear more differences. I have gone through more than a dozen expensive audiophile switches with various configurations. More than you have done here. And this is an area that is at an infant stage. More products will come out, and better performance will be available. Nordost will soon release a new switch too. So, a lot more to come. One way to compare is to play a file from harddisk in the server/streamer as reference, and play same file from NAS via fiber vs cat7. See which one is closer to the local file. Use high end stuff like Aurender N30 or Taiko SGM Extreme. You will easily get good conclusion.
Meraki Fibre sounds best to me. Sounds less 'electronic' than CAT7 SFP, which has pinched edge. The Zyxel Fibre by comparison - leading edge is slightly softer, vaguer, less defined by comparison?
Really enjoyed this test! To my ears I’d say the meraki was more transparent - the CAT 7 connection was tighter and faster....the Fiber was softer and perhaps a bit smoother. Thanks for the great work.
Trank you for these very interesting test samples. The Meraki device is a cloud-managed Switch and as far as I know you have to buy a subscription license for the Cloud configuration. This costs have to be added to the Product costs. How do you Order and configure your Switch?
@@TheAlphaAudio I do not know if I understand you right. Meraki devices can only be cloud-managed. Without a valid cloud license you can only test the features for a 30 day test period. After this you do not have access to the switch configuration on the cloud. So is there a hidden trick to use Meraki devices without the cloud license?
Thanks for the effort! Frankly I can't hear a difference. I do wonder whether listening tests over TH-cam streamed through an apple laptop to a Mojo dac and Sennheiser HD650 headphones is truly a hifi medium. What kind of sound quality is the TH-cam audio stream?
can not find that Meraki switch for around 100 bucks, it starts at 400,-€. or refurbished 240,€. Are there different models around or have I got something wrong?
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=meraki+ms220-8p&_trksid=p2334524.m4084.l1311.R1.TR11.TRC1.A0.H0.Xmeraki+ms.TRS0&_odkw=meraki+.s&_sacat=0 I see them cheaper than 200 bucks. They were cheaper. But i guess they noticed they are populair.
www.ebay.com/itm/Cisco-Meraki-MS220-8P-Ethernet-Network-Switch-Unclaimed-Tested-Working/324238517357?epid=219526690&hash=item4b7e1f246d:g:n6gAAOSwhElfFd1N This one is 109 bucks.
TheAlphaAudio - thx for your effort. Yes it is 109 + 56 shipping cost, which makes it 165 + VAT + import duty which works out more than 200,-€. Yes it seems that the pricing went up considerably.
I had the exact question.... see the same prices as Manfred states.... no where close to 100 euros. Furthermore, did you test this Meraki against the SILENT ANGEL BONN N8 / English Electric 8Switch?
I think this is as nerdy as it gets outside of DIY audio... ;-) I'm not sure I can hear the difference... I might hear a tiny, really small difference on the first sample track where I prefer the Zyxel.
HOW do you use the Meraki? I thought it needs license before you can use it. Also, there's BOTH MS120 and MS220, MS220 has BUILT-in power supply, MS120, has external power supply. Which one you're using?!
BTW thanks for sharing. It is illuminating. When done like this, switching from one box to the other, Ibam surprised that the difference is so noticable. They all sound great of course. The Meraki Fiber option though seems like the GoldiLocks choice to my ears. Sounds very complete. The CAT7 SFP seems slightly more dynamic, but kind of pinched in the higher frequencies. This gives the impression of perhaps a tiny but more 'sizzle' but at the cost of sounding a bit less natural too me. The Zytwlbis very good also, but ecer so slightly veiled / recessed compared to the other two. Of course on its own it would sould really great 👍
I can totally hear the differences even on my speaker setup.
Thanks for sharing this kind of swich tests, because there are a lot of audiophiles that really think that a proper swich can't improve the sound quality. They tend to associate them with snake oil. Subtle, but audible. It's seems that the Meraki is even more transparent (more air/space).
It is... It's subtile but audible. People should not expect a huge difference though.
Excellent. I love these videos!
@alphaaudio Thank you Alpha Audio. Tried this device, I had better luck without the fiber connection hmm… This device is superb. Thank you
Dyeing of the tone in English would be called decay. Great videos guys.
Thanks! Was looking for that word ;-).
Thanks for the hard work! Love it!!
Welcome!
You have to try other fiber modules. Some sound better than others. Yes fiber modules do sound different, some better than others. In this test, Fiber is cleaner, less noise, less grainy, but can sound a tiny bit controlled and resricted. Cat7 is kind of more free flowing, but at the expense of more noise and slightly less resolution. It is up to personal taste which one is preferred. But with higher grade audio switches, and better gears, you will hear more differences. I have gone through more than a dozen expensive audiophile switches with various configurations. More than you have done here. And this is an area that is at an infant stage. More products will come out, and better performance will be available. Nordost will soon release a new switch too. So, a lot more to come.
One way to compare is to play a file from harddisk in the server/streamer as reference, and play same file from NAS via fiber vs cat7. See which one is closer to the local file. Use high end stuff like Aurender N30 or Taiko SGM Extreme. You will easily get good conclusion.
Thanks. Can you give us some hints as to what's good, better and best in various price ranges?
Meraki Fibre sounds best to me. Sounds less 'electronic' than CAT7 SFP, which has pinched edge. The Zyxel Fibre by comparison - leading edge is slightly softer, vaguer, less defined by comparison?
Really enjoyed this test! To my ears I’d say the meraki was more transparent - the CAT 7 connection was tighter and faster....the Fiber was softer and perhaps a bit smoother. Thanks for the great work.
Welcome!
Great test!! You should have a lot more subscribers!! Do you sell these components in your shop?
Thanks...! We don't have a shop. Just tests.
Trank you for these very interesting test samples. The Meraki device is a cloud-managed Switch and as far as I know you have to buy a subscription license for the Cloud configuration. This costs have to be added to the Product costs. How do you Order and configure your Switch?
You don't need the subscription. It works fine without it. You can just login and configure the basics. No worries.
@@TheAlphaAudio I do not know if I understand you right. Meraki devices can only be cloud-managed. Without a valid cloud license you can only test the features for a 30 day test period. After this you do not have access to the switch configuration on the cloud. So is there a hidden trick to use Meraki devices without the cloud license?
@@TheCorvettehead no. There is no hidden trick. I use mine for a year now without a licence. You can only login locally on the switch. But it works.
@@TheAlphaAudio How do you log in locally?
Thanks for the effort! Frankly I can't hear a difference. I do wonder whether listening tests over TH-cam streamed through an apple laptop to a Mojo dac and Sennheiser HD650 headphones is truly a hifi medium. What kind of sound quality is the TH-cam audio stream?
The differences are small. Our lossless samples let you hear it more clearly.
can not find that Meraki switch for around 100 bucks, it starts at 400,-€. or refurbished 240,€. Are there different models around or have I got something wrong?
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=meraki+ms220-8p&_trksid=p2334524.m4084.l1311.R1.TR11.TRC1.A0.H0.Xmeraki+ms.TRS0&_odkw=meraki+.s&_sacat=0
I see them cheaper than 200 bucks. They were cheaper. But i guess they noticed they are populair.
www.ebay.com/itm/Cisco-Meraki-MS220-8P-Ethernet-Network-Switch-Unclaimed-Tested-Working/324238517357?epid=219526690&hash=item4b7e1f246d:g:n6gAAOSwhElfFd1N
This one is 109 bucks.
TheAlphaAudio - thx for your effort. Yes it is 109 + 56 shipping cost, which makes it 165 + VAT + import duty which works out more than 200,-€. Yes it seems that the pricing went up considerably.
@@mawe6628 In Holland i can find several on a local site. That makes it cheaper. Maybe in your country as well?
I had the exact question.... see the same prices as Manfred states.... no where close to 100 euros. Furthermore, did you test this Meraki against the SILENT ANGEL BONN N8 / English Electric 8Switch?
hello thanks for your videos you think hedd tipe 07 studio monitor speaker its better than Adam a7x in that range of price thank you
I think this is as nerdy as it gets outside of DIY audio... ;-) I'm not sure I can hear the difference... I might hear a tiny, really small difference on the first sample track where I prefer the Zyxel.
It is definately nerdy! :-)
I just bought a Meraki to connect to a OpticalRendu. What SFP module do i have to buy for the Meraki? There's dozens variations... Thanks!
It should be the same model / type as in the OpticalRendu. SFP's should be matched for decent results.
@@TheAlphaAudio thanks for the clarification!
Hi, Can you please provide the model number of the Netgear SFP module that you used in your test? Thank you
Agm731f
Where can I buy the Meraki at 100€? There is a new version called Meraki Go. Is it the same quality ?
You can try eBay. Haven't tried the Go. So can't tell if it's any good.
@@TheAlphaAudio meraki go is the same as normal meraki just with no licensing
HOW do you use the Meraki? I thought it needs license before you can use it. Also, there's BOTH MS120 and MS220, MS220 has BUILT-in power supply, MS120, has external power supply. Which one you're using?!
Good question? eBay ours say clamed or something, using optical rendu , want to use meraki