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Logitech Transporter FYI

I am posting this info up as an FYI for those who own this device after a recent discovery I found while testing the various connection methods offered by the device.

I have owned the Transporter for about a year and have been very happy with its SQ capabilities while exclusively using it's WLAN connection option to feed my BelCanto DAC3. I have never used the internal DAC of the Transporter.

Anyway, I recently decided to try the CAT5 Lan connection on the Transporter instead of the wireless G interface and was floored by the difference in SQ between the two connections. Up until now I have never tried this hard wired method of connectivity mainly because I didn't imagine it would make much of a difference, especially since I did perform bandwidth testing on the Wireless link between my router and the Transporter and found no signs of bandwidth issues over the Wireless G connection. Despite not having any issues previously it was hard to deny the far better SQ I experienced while using the hard wired connection.

After going back and re-listening to several albums that I know very well I found that bass output now plays with much more authority and appears to reach lower octaves then it did before. In terms of soundstage, everything seems to have more meat to it (ie..more 3 dimensional) while also extending further outside the boundaries of the speaker then it used to.

In summary, if you haven't tried the hard wired connection of your Logitech device please do yourself a favor and give it a go. I understand this may be old news to some folks but it's new news to me and figured if there were any other folks out there like myself who live under a rock it would be worth mentioning these findings.

Feel free to add your experiences with the various connection methods here as well
eniac26
jax2
3,031 posts
 
I completely concur with your observations. I've tried this with my old Modwright Transporter, as well as my current SB Touch and the improvement is immediate and not subtle in both cases. My own knee jerk initial reaction was that everything sounded richer and more fleshed out. It's definitely a good tip to getting the most out of your SB device.
ecruz
402 posts
 
I'll add my "I agree" to that too. I own a heavily modded SB3 and the wired connection sounds much better to me also.
riffer
362 posts
 
I've never tried the wireless, but it's good to know I didn't waste my time routing Cat5e across the room.
forrestc
89 posts
 
This is true and only true is your WLAN is grossly overloaded or your Transporter suffers from a weak signal or interference from your neighbors' WLAN that may be on the same channel as your WLAN. Countless other 2.4Mhz devices such as cordless phones, garage door openers as well as bandwidth polluters such as microwave ovens can wreak havoc on your WLAN as well.

From my experience with my Transporter, going wireless to wired and back, I hear no discernable differences. But then again, I made sure that I'm not on the same channel as any of my neighbors and I'm using a directional antenna on my wireless router, which yields a solid 86 signal at my Transporter.

I don't doubt that you hear differences in your wired vs wireless setup; however, those differences probably have more to do with your WLAN environment than anything else.
else.
jax2
3,031 posts
 
I don't doubt that you hear differences in your wired vs wireless setup; however, those differences probably have more to do with your WLAN environment than anything else.
else.

In my case at least two of my comparisons were done with a 98% signal strength. Dual-band routers have the option to operate at 5ghz and avoid conflicts with other devices. I obviously cannot speak for the OP. All I can say is that differences were unmistakable. As far as the WLAN network; my understanding with streaming, and please correct me if I'm wrong, is that it either delivers the information or it does not. 2.4ghz interference issues and signal strength issues might result in dropouts, but I've never heard it blamed for SQ issues. I've also had three or four different friends using SB devices have the same finding (that ethernet yields better SQ) independent of my saying so.
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