Other devices — SOtM sNH-10G

The sNH-10G is a network switch from SOtM, built specifically to deal with the noise that conventional network devices introduce into a streaming audio system. SOtM developed it after finding audible differences between various network devices and no existing product on the market aimed at that problem, and it is intended to replace an ordinary switch in the chain.

Key specs that matter

The switch has eight RJ-45 LAN ports and two SFP fibre-optic ports. It supports the IEEE 802.3 10Base-T, 802.3u 100Base-TX and 100Base-FX, 802.3ab 1000Base-T and 802.3z 1000Base-X standards, full and half-duplex operation and jumbo packets up to 9216 bytes. Input voltage is 9Vdc as standard, with 12Vdc or 6.5-8.5Vdc available as options when the sCLK-EX internal clock module with a 10MHz master clock input is installed. The aluminium case measures 296 x 211 x 50mm and has a carved design. The base model comes with a silver faceplate, the sCLK-EX version with a black one.

Engineering and use context

Every LAN port uses SOtM's own filtering technology. Because noise carried over Ethernet spans a wide frequency band, SOtM selected individual components matched to specific noise frequencies and combined them into one wide-band filter, the same technology used in the company's iSO-CAT6 product. A very low-noise voltage regulator and an active canceller acting on the internal clock further reduce the noise that reaches the audio components. The sNH-10G appears in some of the most elaborate streaming setups documented by enthusiast communities.

Pairing

With the optional sCLK-EX module and its 10MHz master clock input, the switch can be synchronised with SOtM's sCLK-OCX10 external clock. SOtM pairs it with its dCBL-CAT7 network cable and the sPS-500 linear power supply.