Hi, I recently bought an AirLens and a Direcstream DAC mk2 to join my older perfect wave transport disc player and am now delighted with the sound of my digital system. I am impressed with how good the sound quality I am getting with streaming through a Roon nucleus one server (stored library and Tidal/Qobuz). However, The PWT still sounds significantly better to me even when comparing a CD rip stored on the nucleus SSD and playing the CD on the PWT (even with HiRes files). I am using Audioquest Vodka HDMI for I2S inputs from both devices into the DSD. Using the AirLens I get the sense that the detail is all there itās just not being presented as well as from the PWT. A flatter & narrower soundstage with a bit less body. I am considering investing in an Ethernet filter to see if that helps bring the streaming sound quality closer to the PWT. I am looking at the Network Acoustics Eno2. I note Paul advocates against the benefits of audiophile switches/filters etc as the galvanic isolation of the AirLens protects it from network noise. Iām wondering what is the experience of others with an AirLens using Ethernet switches & filters? Have you noticed a benefit in the real world? Cheers. Gino
Yes in my experience Airlens can still be improved with good ethernet cable and audiophile switch - had chance to hear real-world comparison at friends place - after replacing eth cable with AQ Vodka and adding Paul Pang Quad switch the improvement was clearly there
Thank you for the feedback. Itās helpful to hear that improvements in the ethernet network can benefit the airlens. Iām going to take the plunge with the Eno2. Network acoustics offer a 60 day return policy so i have that as a backup in case i donāt get an improvement.
Itās been 2 months since my original post and I thought it might be useful to others to hear about my experience using Ethernet filters with my AirLens/DirectStream DAC mk2 combo. As mentioned originally, although streaming sounded good, I felt it was not as good as what I was getting with my PS Audio PWT disc player also connected to the DSDmk2. Both units were connected to the DAC via I2S using audioquest Vodka HDMI cables. I felt that although the detail was good, the presentation via the AirLens was not as full and had a narrower soundstage and less body than the CDs. Music was being played from a Roon Nucleus One in the study connected to a network switch in turn connected to the streamer in my music room via 20 meters of CAT8 ethernet cable.
I ordered a Stack Audio SmoothLan network filter knowing Stack Audio have a 60 day return policy if needed. Connecting the filter input to the ethernet port using 1m AudioQuest Forest ethernet cable and the output plugged in to the AirLens using the supplied Stack Audio Ethernet cable, did have a modest positive effect. The sound was more relaxed and had increased body and slightly improved soundstage width. It still wasnāt a match for the PWT playing the same CD that had been used to rip the file streamed via the AirLens. However, it demonstrated that the AirLens could benefit from network filtering. I decided to then try the more expensive Network Acoustics ENO2 Ethernet Filter (also supplied under a 60 day trial). When it arrived I connected the input from the ethernet port using the AQ Forest cable and plugged the output in to the AirLens using the included Network Acoustics ethernet cable. The improvement in sound quality over the SmoothLan was immediately apparent. Once again, an even more relaxed sound, with a deeper and wider soundstage with better imaging and more body. It was now very close to the PWT but still not quite to the same level. Trying the SmoothLan and ENO2 in various combinations daisy chained or at each end of the Ethernet cable connected to the AirLens gave a āthickā and less dynamic sound which I did not like. Based on this finding I returned the SmoothLan and Stack Audio were great in refunding the purchase with no issues. Nevertheless, I thought further improvement might be possible. Based on highly complimentary reviews of EAHibrid cyberfilters which claimed these performed better than even the top of the line Network Acoustics Muon Pro filter, I decided to try this option too. I ordered an EAHibrid EAL2000 cyberfilter from the manufacturer in Taiwan. This unit is more expensive than the ENO2 and is priced similarly to the NA MuonPro. However, the EAL2000 comes as a complete unit with input and output cable hardwired to the filter box. I was very pleased with the sound of the EAL2000. I preferred it to the ENO2 and the sound I obtained was finally comparable to the PWT when playing redbook CD files.
My OCD nature led me to try the two units together, but fully intending to return the ENO2. To my surprise the combination when daisy chained sequentially to the AirLens exhibited cooperative improvements. Interestingly, and for reasons unknown, when playing HiRes 24/192 files the daisy chained combination (EAL2000 to ENO2 to AirLens) sounded better than with the EAL2000 alone. The soundstage was the broadest observed, individual instruments better defined in detail and space with a solid and āorganicā presentation. I then tried installing the two filters at different ends of the network and quite surprisingly the synergism between them was even more pronounced with my preferred result obtained using the ENO2 between the network switch and the 20m Ethernet cable with the EAL2000 connecting the network to the AirLens. With this combination the sound at least equalled the PWT for CD with HiRes 24/192 files from Qobuz or Tidal providing better overall sound quality than CD. I was torn since keeping both the ENO2 and EAL2000 is a significant investment (the combination costing more than what I paid for the AirLens itself). In the end, I decided to just enjoy the music and keep both units. My preferred sound has always been through my beloved vinyl setup and comparing my vinyl playback to the streaming setup I still prefer the sound of the vinyl versions of my music, but I am finding myself spending at least as much time now exploring and listening to music through streaming. Hopefully, this investment now helps me reduce my vinyl purchasing and address to some extent, my issue of lack of space to store my expanding vinyl collection. All I can say is that for my setup and my tastes, these passive network filters transformed the sound of my streaming network and met my objective of equalling the sound of CD via the PWT player. I had an experienced audiophile friend listen (semiblind) and he confirmed my own observations.
From my first hand experience I am now a believer that EMI/RFI noise can pollute Ethernet signals and impact the quality of the sound produced via streaming. I know this can be a contentious topic, but I know what I heard and passive network filters can be beneficial, even for streamers that use galvanic isolation in their design to mitigate this.
Great post! Many find cables, filters, and switches all make difference even on the best streamers out there. I finally made the streaming sound as enjoyable as playing discs (they still sound different but of equal enjoyment). However, with the latest PMG SACD transport, the disc playing is ahead again. Welcome to the rabbit hole!
Great info Vairo. For me, PWT is still King
Yes. I have downloaded a couple of DSD files from HD Tracks and I love how they sound. I have a new project I am about to embark on. I have bought an old Sony Blu Ray/SACD player that will allow me to rip DSD (dsf) files from SACD and I will stream them via the AirLens. Native DSD playback with the Directstream DAC sounds fantastic and to me is a step above HiRes PCM files. I can borrow SACDs to rip and hopefully avoid going too deep down another rabbit holeš¤Ŗ
Yes. I have downloaded a couple of DSD files from HD Tracks and I love how they sound. I have a new project I am about to embark on. I have bought an old Sony Blu Ray/SACD player that will allow me to rip DSD (dsf) files from SACD and I will stream them via the AirLens. Native DSD playback with the Directstream DAC sounds fantastic and to me is a step above HiRes PCM files. I can borrow SACDs to rip and hopefully avoid going too deep down another rabbit holeš¤Ŗ
Yes. The PWT sounds fantastic and for me it was the benchmark that I used to improve my streaming sound quality. The ability to play HiRes PCM files on DVD is an added bonus and the few HiRes downloads I have burned to DVD are truly excellent. I can only imagine what the new series optical player from PS Audio must sound like. I do however, really enjoy exploring new music with streaming from Tidal or Qobuz and this now provides me a high quality music source option.
I am interested to hear your experience on ripping SACD. I have the old Sony Blue Ray too, and I was able to rip about a dozen SACD without issue. But after that It did not work anymore. I deleted and reinstalled the program, and I even bought another Blue Ray to try without success. So, I wonder if that program and method are still working.
I only have 500 more SACDs to rip.
Thatās a concern. I am only going by what i have seen on YouTube and read on various websites. I havenāt got the bluray player yet as it is being delivered later this week. Did you update the firmware on the BluRay player -could Sony have disabled the ability to rip DSD in later firmware. I hear they did that with the PS3 ripping function.
Iād be interested to hear how you improved the sound quality of streaming in your setup?
No, not on the Blue Ray, but I remembered it stopped working after a Window update more than one year ago. Whether that was a coincidence or it has something to do with Sony I am not sure.
I have not seen many discussions on SACD ripping lately either.
Regarding your other question on improving SQ on streaming. Well, that opens up a deep rabbit hole for sure. It seems everything cost money helps including lan filters (check Network Acoustics products), Switches (also NA, LHY Pro line, and many others), fiberoptic isolation, ethernet cables, and streamers themselves. Once you improve these, there are audiophile power supplies for routers, moderns, nodes too. Well, like I said, everything. 
PWT falls short when it comes to double-rate DSD. I can burn single-rate DSDs onto DVDs as DoP files and the PWT processes them like a champ and sends them to the DS through i2s. It is not able to process double-rate DSD, which is a shame. I find that ripping vinyl to digital is worthwhile only when done as double-rate DSD.
I wasnāt aware (or forgot) it would read DoP files. Iāll give that a try too. Iām planning to rip DSD from SACDs which are dsd64 so could be converted to DoP for the PWT to play on the Directstream. A defacto SACD player!!
Do you copy vinyl to DSD yourself? That would be very cool.
I have hundreds of ripped SACD albums. No SACD player though. It can stay that way. Ripped properly, they seem nice enough. I brought home that new $2699 player that will play through any and all DACs. It feeds a BACCH-SP adio perfectly. I had it for two weeks and I couldnāt make myself hook it up and try it. SPDIF or AES is all I needed and had. I feared I might like it.
I have a friend who had a Sony and he ripped all the SACDs I would bring him. The Sony broke. So I donated an Oppo 105 to him as it is supposed to work. He tried and failed to get it to work. He is a lazy friend. But I have no new SACDs.
By the way, a Bacch4Mac setup negates the need for most of those things Donald mentions. If you have a DAC you donāt need the AirLens with the B4M.
The BACH sounds interesting. I did some research and thought about going down the BACH for mac route. I went to a dealer for a demo and was underwhelmed by what i heard. I suspect they hadnāt set it up correctly. Iām looking forward to ripping SACD and building a dsf music library. I just hope i can get ripping to work. The Blu ray player i ordered arrives today!