Network Acoustics Muon2 network switch
With Dela (£12,999), Xact (£6,000) and now Innuos (£21,500) making high end, high priced network switches it must be becoming clear to the bits is bits brigade that there is more to getting good sound out of a streaming system than a decent DAC. Network Acoustics have been making filters that reduce noise on the network for quite a while now and they have had a lot of success, a couple of years ago this led to their first active component the Tempus network switch and now we have an a more ambitious addition to the line in the form of the Muon2. If the word on the digital grapevine is any indication this will be joined by a new filter built along the same lines by the time the doors open for High End in Vienna next month.
You will note that the Muon2 looks rather different to both the Tempus and all the other high end switches on the market, that is because the case is not metal but wood. That deluxe lacquered finish may disguise the fact but this enclosure is machined out of solid beech, see the image of the inside below for a better idea of what I’m talking about. As far as I know this is the only example of a machined wooden chassis in the audio electronics world, there are a few loudspeakers that go this far and Aavik use a wood composite in some of their electronics, but I don’t recall seeing anything like the inside of the Muon2 in the past.
Why on earth are Network Acoustics doing this you might ask, the cost must be significant when the multi layered paintwork is considered and what’s wrong with aluminium after all? The answer to that last question is ‘quite a lot’ in my experience. Almost every material that is used to encase electronics leaves it signature on the sound that they produce, and many have noticed that prototypes laid out on a piece of MDF sound better than finished electronics in metal cases. Denis Morecroft discovered that aluminium is magnetic enough to induce hysteresis when attached to electronic components, he built his DNM amplifiers into acrylic cases and they sounded superb, Tom Evans still does this and his phono stages are very hard to beat.
But why wood? Rich Trussel and Rob Osbourn of Network Acoustics were also aware that while machined metal might be the easiest material to build attractive audio equipment it compromises sound quality. So they set about listening to the alternatives, starting with tube amp favourite copper, which sounds lovely but has a distinct character, they also tried a number of other options including different types of wood (including Panzerholz), metal and plastic and found that all of them either deaden the sound or add their own character. Beech proved to have the least character and to be optimal in terms of its impact on the sound. This is not a wood that is often found in audio, not even loudspeakers where walnut and oak are popular and laminated birch has its followers.
The reason why beech is so good must come down to a combination of its non magnetic nature and the way that it responds to vibration. The extent to which vibration affects electronics cannot be underestimated, you only have to put a set of isolating feet under a DAC to hear as much. It makes sense that casework has a significant influence for this reason and many companies have attempted to minimise it with isolation and damping but few have adopted alternative materials. The Muon2 case is made in Germany by the speaker makers AUER Acoustics which adds to the cost of course but has resulted in a very high quality of build and finish.
For the data processing side of the Muon2 Network Acoustics worked with an industrial switch manufacturer to select and tailor a switch to their specific requirements, then they developed a hybrid power supply that allows the switch board to operate in as optimal a fashion as possible. By minimising noise introduced by the power supply they have built a switch that is likewise as electrically quiet as it can be.
For the clock Network Acoustics tested a range of options and chose the best they could find, however it wouldn’t have the ultra-low jitter that it does without the hybrid power supply that was developed for Muon2. This side of the equation is critical in NA’s view and the new generation power supply has lower noise than even their standalone Origin PSU, a device that I have used to turbocharge the performance of my Lumin U2 Mini streamer to startling effect.
In a further effort to reduce vibration they have also sourced some unusual pyramid shaped stone feet to support the Muon2 – the switch is supplied with three of these and their points locate into metal receptors underneath the device. I’m told that positioning them will be made a lot easier with the template that is supplied with the finished product, my sample was a little bit to early for that luxury.
The Muon2 offers five network ports that work at speeds between 10Mb and 2.5Gb, which is faster than the Tempus, and even if audio signals don’t require that sort of throughput the headroom should be beneficial. There is a single 10Gb SFP port for optical network connection but Network Acoustic only recommend this be used to connect with the router. The other two connections are for an IEC power lead and a ground connection on a 4mm socket. Tempus had a separate power supply but for Muon2 this is inside the box which makes for less clutter and that’s always a good thing.
Sound quality
When this switch arrived I still had the Xact N1 switch to compare it with. I was very impressed by that switch, you can read my findings here, so it was quite surprising to hear that the Muon2 is clearly better. It costs nearly a thousand pounds more but nonetheless I wasn’t expecting the increase in transparency to detail, the extra harmonic detail and definition that the the Network Acoustics brought to the sound. It seems to remove more of the subtle blurring between notes and open up the sonic picture so that more of what the musicians are doing can be appreciated.
The amount of space that this switch finds in almost any recording is uncanny, you get the sense that the noise floor has been dropped and this allows fine detail to be heard that was previously hidden. Essentially that’s what’s happening, the noise floor, that inaudible until it’s reduced blanket that obscures the quietest sounds, is lower in the Muon2 than it is in any other switch I have had in the system. the result is digital streaming that sounds more like analogue sources if those had a flat response.
I loved the structure that the Muon2 brought to my favourite music, you might think that the quiet sounds are not important but when combined with the fundamentals these harmonics and reverberations paint a more three dimensional, and realistic picture that is distinctly more real sounding and musically involving. This switch invigorates streaming sound in a way that I have rarely heard. Better DACs have a similar effect but they depend on a low noise signal to achieve as much, this switch delivers precisely that and allows a good streamer and converter to turn the signal into an exhilarating musical experience the like of which is usually limited to the best analogue sources.
As ATC were rather tardy collecting their spectacular EL50 active speakers I was able to use the Muon2 with them and the rather nice Cinnamon Galle DAC together, and that was simply a revelation. I have not heard imaging like it, the phase accuracy of the ATCs combined with this digital system delivered depth and solidity of imaging that was off the scale. But you don’t need that degree of resolution in the speakers to enjoy that this switch does, I will shortly be writing about a compact pair of Bowers & Wilkins speakers (£1,550) and these too delivered results that were fabulously engaging, not least the open, clean and extended nature of the treble that the Muon2 allows. High frequencies have long been the achilles heel of digital audio, they are either grainy and thin or smooth and dull, if the source has the slightest hint of noise a revealing system will let you hear it. And these B&Ws are nothing if not revealing in the treble, but the presence of this Network Acoustics switch meant that they were the best sounding affordable speakers I have enjoyed for quite some time.
You need a decent digital source, streamer and DAC to fully appreciate what the Muon2 can do but I suspect that anyone who is intimate with their streaming system will hear straight away that its ability to clean away the blurring of attack and decay makes their music sound more lifelike, open and enjoyable. Did I mention timing? I am obsessed with timing, it’s the key, and this switch makes it better for the same reason that it clarifies everything, noise, jitter, call it what you like is the enemy of good timing and the Muon2 stops more of that noise.
Conclusion
Does the Muon2 what it says in the literature, does it “bring music to life”? The answer has to be a resounding ‘yes’, it stops more of the noise than the competition and as a result streaming sound has more vigour and clarity, it sounds more like the real thing because you hear more of each note and less of the grunge that plagues streaming systems.
That this result has been achieved with a case made of solid beech suggests that other products could also be improved if alternatives to metal were found, I for one hope that this network switch heralds a new dawn of renewable materials in our industry for both ecological and sonic reasons.
Suffice to say that if you want to hear what your favourite music files have hidden in their bits the Muon2 is worthy of an extended audition, I should warn you however that it will be very difficult to go back to the grungy sound of most network switches.
Pros
Exceptional clarity and transparency
Vast, holographic soundstage
Superb timing and realism
Innovative wooden chassis design
Refined, noise-free treble
Excellent build quality
Cons
Very high price
Best with top-tier systems
Unconventional appearance
Fiddly installation