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Ever replace WiFi to your Mac with Ethernet from

97.94.130.80
Posted on August 18, 2015 at 19:41:06
Terry P
 an Airport Express and did it improve the sound?

I know this is pretty simplistic for the detailed technical mods that you guys discuss but I'm just curious regarding a low cost tweak. I'm a mostly vinyl guy trying to get the best sound out of my digital equipment.

My Mac Mini is currently connected to my network via WiFi. I keep reading that it's beneficial in music servers to turn WiFi off and use an Ethernet connection for noise improvement. If I used an Airport Express as a WiFi bridge to my existing Airport Extreme WiFi network I could connect it to my Mac Mini with Ethernet and turn the Mac Mini's WiFi off. But the Airport Express would only be 2 to 3 feet from the Mini because that's the location of the nearest non-system outlet. Bluetooth is already off and the Mac Mini is headless.

Has anyone done this and noticed an improvement? I use my Mac Mini for streaming Tidal Hifi. Thanks!

 

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RE: Ever replace WiFi to your Mac with Ethernet from, posted on August 19, 2015 at 04:13:40
likethesoup2@gmail.com
 Easy answer: try it.

My MB Pro is set up with an ethernet cable, no wifi.

 

RE: Ever replace WiFi to your Mac with Ethernet from, posted on August 19, 2015 at 08:04:08
Terry P
 I thought I'd check the collective wisdom before I went and spent $120 on a whim that may not offer any improvement. I know it works, the question is "does it improve sound quality?" [using Ethernet vs. WiFi].

 

RE: Ever replace WiFi to your Mac with Ethernet from, posted on August 19, 2015 at 10:54:31
Bromo33333
Audiophile

Posts: 3502
Location: Ipswich, MA
Joined: May 4, 2004
 What costs $120?
====
"You are precisely as big as what you love and precisely as small as what you allow to annoy you." ~ R A Wilson

 

The cost, posted on August 19, 2015 at 13:04:13
Terry P
 $100 for Airport Express plus $9 tax, $3 for Ethernet cable plus $2.70 tax plus $5 shipping equals $119.70.

 

I did it and it does sound better (to me), posted on August 22, 2015 at 17:08:36
Terry P
 Things I noticed: slightly better sound-stage; I can hear breath sounds in songs where I couldn't hear them before; more meaty, denser sound especially between the speakers, and, I can better hear the differences between NOS, over-sampling and up-sampling.

Another very positive (ergonomic) change was that screen sharing is now much more reliable. Where I would occasionally lose connection before (since Yosemite 10.4.4), now it's rock solid.

All I did was use an Apple Airport Express with an Ethernet cable to provide connectivity to the Mac Mini and turned off WiFi.

 

RE: Ever replace WiFi to your Mac with Ethernet from, posted on December 6, 2015 at 10:15:45
Doublej
Audiophile

Posts: 678
Location: Boston
Joined: January 11, 2009
 You can try it for a lot less than $120 if you want to go with a non-Apple device.

I replaced an intermittent wifi adapter in my imac with a TP-Link WR841N for $20(new)plus tax. The TP-Link is set up as a wireless bridge connected to the imac using the supplied ethernet cable. Many wifi routers can be configured this way.

It definitely sounds better now but that could be due to the fact that it's no longer an intermittent connection.

 

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