Tip of The Day - PhoenixNET Connection

[Stephen Healy]

A common question we receive is how best to wire in the PhoenixNET, in terms of the order of Ethernet connections.

The general rule of thumb, is that all your most important audio network devices should connect via the PhoenixNET

If you have one of our servers or streamers, you will have a 'Streamer' port which is a bridged Ethernet connection allowing you to connect another streamer/network device. However, the PhoenixNET outperforms the Streamer port on all of our models, including the STATEMENT Next Gen, so where possible all your most important network audio devices should always communicate with each other through the PhoenixNET.

 

[frank7036]

Hi Stephen,
On a related topic, what is Innuos recommended “category/Cat#” cable connections to-and-from the Pheonix NET ?
I have seen recommendations for using Cat8 after the NET and I have seen others saying the shielding in Cat8 cable introduces a path that existing noise (how much is left after NET??) may propagate along the cable to downstream products.
Is the general “cable cluster mess” at the back of a HiFi system considered a “noisy” environment for Ethernet cables and do Innuos have a view on preference for Cat6 or Cat8 , or in fact whether it matters either way and each user should give both a go and choose which sounds best to them?

 

[Stephen Healy]

Each category comes with a set of standards for shielding requirements, but we generally don't have any recommendations for one category or another. Many HiFi Ethernet cables will be shielded well above industry standards anyway, and if all the other cables behind the rack are well shielded then i don't think you will have many 'noisy environment' problems. Some cables have better grounding than others, so that could be something to look out for, but ultimately the classic rule of HiFi applies, which is that it is best to test different ones out for yourself to see what you think!

 

[frank7036]

Are the ethernet ports electrically isolated from each other ? I am currently using the NET switch to connect my ZENith NG (port1) and also to connect (port2) an ASUS router as part of my wifi mesh and Cat6 house LAN.
I want to check if connecting this way could the ASUS router introduce noise into the connection to the ZENith NG?

 

[frank7036]

Does the PhoenixNET galvanically isolate the data in , data out ? It isn’t specifically mentioned in advertising or is this what the statement in the technical advertising for the NET means??
“Massive individual Network Isolation Transformers to further isolate from noise coming from router or connected devices”

 

[Octaviars]

@frank7036 if you look at the circuit board from the PhoenixNET you will see 4 isolation devices placed next to each RJ45 connection this isolates the data transfer between connected components.



All equipment that has a network connection have some sort of isolation that is a part of the IEEE standard. The isolation de ices can be built a bit different how they suppres noise on the network connection. Just an example how it can be done.

 

[Stephen Healy]

@Octaviars sums it up well - also keep in mind that any open socket can still be a conductor for RFI/EMI, so the isolation transformers also help to combat this.

 

[frank7036]

@Octaviars sums it up well - also keep in mind that any open socket can still be a conductor for RFI/EMI, so the isolation transformers also help to combat this.

Thank you gentlemen.
For the open ports , is it recommended to put some sort of “cap/cover” on them to keep out stray RFI/EMI ?