The AVB switch is just … Ethernet switch following the IEEE standards(IEEE 1588), physically they’re using the same PAM modulation technology like any other switches out here.
In home network, the stand alone avb switch can be a grandmaster clock source to synchonize for whole system.
The main idea of avb is to provide the timestamp for synchronize the whole system, it is not just the timestamp, it is the bandwidth reservation, and latency garrantee ( QoS in general), for the non-avb awareness, they can be passive listener in a system taking advantage of the avb timestamp frames from network by just install deamon/service of PtP protocol.
The avb switch that certified for audio/video streaming must be very precise at nano and sub nano seconds generate clocking on their grand master clock, it is better, much more precise clock genterating than any other consumer switch cost you few bucks on Amazon, Ebay or any rebrand Linksys switch with modding clock and isolated transformer on each ports called “Audio switch”, these are still dumb switch without awearaness of 802.1 avb, and they can not garrantee for the audio packets latency, no vlans, traffic shaping for QoS,… the basic feature of Layer 2, they have the “body” of the “audio switch” but lacking the real “soul” of being what a IEEE standards that an audio switch need to be at the OS level.
This is likely having the external clock source to sync with your DAC via 10Mhz BNC, something like that ( just example you can imagine, but the tech in fact a bit different)
Ethernet module from Intel, BroadCom, Juniper, Realtek… have come with 802.1 avb compliant and shipp on the firmware to 3rd manufacture lately, so check the spec of the DAC you going to buy if they are 802.1 AS support
AVB switches that are from CISCO, JUNIPER, HP, LENOVO… should be no doubt on the quality for noise floor even they are not using linear power supply. My Ubiquiti 48 ports is so clean on noise floor vs other cheap switches i tried ( Netgear, Linksys, other low price ). With VLAN separating and traffic shaping for QoS, the Ubiquiti make it really good for streaming. To Motu 5 ports i just have deliver the same thing, have not trying the Cisco 3650 (WS-C3650-24PDM, WS-C3650-48FQM) yet since they are too expensive
…
btw, I have btried to recompile and load the gPTP service into kernel for the Synology NAS ( intel chip) and run as avb listener and this NAS serve the music via DNLA. the Music Server, uPnP, DNLA devices with linux base kernel can be done this easily…, for the DAC/streamer the one without avb capability ? the noise floor that bleeding from ethernet port which tagged for avb port is less than any other dumb switch you had. that why i’m saying without direct benefit from 802.1 avb on device not support it, the device can still inherit the clean noise floor from avb port physically.
I belive the DAC/Streamer, any with linux kernel support 802.1 avb at ethernet circuit will come to market very soon. And they (avb ethernet module) came on many network circuit on HP, Lenovo, Dell…servers, and the Macbook pro
