Aurender has launched the NH10, a gigabit network switch marketed as an audiophile-grade device with a price tag of $4700. The manufacturer claims the unit provides electrical isolation and improved sound quality, which they describe as having an emotional impact.
The device features eight gigabit ports, including six copper ports and two SFP slots for fiber or copper connections. Four of the copper ports utilize seven stages of electrical filtering, while the other two use two stages. The company claims these configurations were determined through listening tests.
The internal hardware includes a Realtek RT8370N switch controller, an AMD/Xilinx Spartan 6 FPGA, and an MV85 oven-controlled crystal oscillator (OCXO) for clock synchronization. The unit also includes a BNC input for an external clock source.
Technical analysis indicates the hardware components, such as the Realtek controller, are standard industrial parts. Experts note that standard Ethernet protocols already include error correction and CRC mechanisms, making the impact of such a switch on digital audio data transmission negligible.
