MATRIX AUDIO SS-1

SS-1: Built for Hi-Fi StreamingSS-1 is an audio-grade network switch Matrix Audio designed specifically for Hi-Fi streaming rather than adapting a data-centre switch. Power system, clock system, cooling and component selection are all chosen for lossless transmission of high-resolution audio.

Matrix Audio’s reasoning is that a switch built for higher speeds inherently has a higher stability ceiling - so a high-speed design running at modest streaming bitrates has lower timing error than a switch built only for those lower speeds.

SS-1: Isolated 10 Gbps PortsSS-1 provides two SFP/SFP+ ports at up to 10 Gbps, accepting either fibre or RJ45 modules, so the upstream network and the digital audio player can be fully electrically isolated from each other via fibre optic cable.

That isolation keeps high-frequency noise generated by routers and network gear from reaching the audio equipment through the ground wire.

SS-1: Independent Ethernet SocketsSS-1 also carries four 2.5 Gbps Ethernet ports plus two 100 Mbps ports - the slower ports let an audio device deliberately negotiate down to reduce bit errors during transmission.

Each socket uses 10 Gbps-grade independent Ethernet transformers with individual metal shielding, and the wider spacing between sockets leaves room for large-bodied audiophile network cables.

SS-1: Femtosecond Clock ReferenceSS-1 is timed by an ultra-low phase noise femtosecond clock acting as the reference for the main controller - critical in a switch, since its internal circuits function as a series of high-speed switching elements that must operate with precise timing.

The result is a network switch built to move Hi-Fi streaming data without adding the jitter and noise an off-the-shelf data switch would introduce.