Network Audio Players/Servers

Looking at the rear of new streamers, especially from brands like Eversolo, HiFi Rose and Matrix Audio, you might notice a new SFP port. This stands for Small Form-factor Pluggable, allowing the use of a fibre optic network cable. While fibre was previously used for long haul connections, the rise of Fibre-to-the-Home and affordable optical network gear has brought the technology within the reach of regular consumers.

Yet it’s not the potentially higher speed that makes fibre interesting. An audio stream will rarely require the extreme bandwidths possible with fibre in any case – a regular gigabit Ethernet cable will suffice. It’s the fact that a fibre (light) connection necessarily galvanically isolates the streamer from the network – breaking any possible circulating RF or other earth currents. Streamers fitted with an SFP input will require the purchase of an SFP adapter which clicks into the device, offering a secure port for a fibre cable. Eversolo recommends several such optical transceivers, including the StarTech GLC-LH-SM pictured here. While there is some complexity due to different connector and cable types (single versus multimode, for example), most streamers opt for the basic SFP standard.