ADOT Fiber Optic Gigabit Network Conversion Kit MC01/02/03 Review

Introduction: Revolutionising Digital Streaming with Fiber Optic

Streamed music has managed to hold its own against the return of the king – vinyl. Now, streamers are comfortably sharing hi-fi racks with turntables. ADOT has striven to enhance the medium with its fibre optic solution to send the digital bits into your hi-fi intact.

ADOT – Audiophile Digital Optical Technology – realise that even the digital 1s and 0s passed through copper Ethernet cable are still prone to electronic interference and crosstalk, compromising sound definition. The packet data pulses lose focus, resulting in jitter and timing errors. ADOT's system aims to refocus that messy data. Residential networks, based on copper CAT5 or CAT6 cable, are very effective antennae collecting interference from switch mode power supplies, phone chargers, washing machines, etc., in your home.

The Simplicity Behind the System

This system is simpler than it seems. The MC01 box (media converter) receives the Ethernet, works its magic and sends the cleaned data through a fibre optic cable that isolates any conducted electrical interference and noise that copper wire is prone to. The fibre optic cable connects to components with the supplied SFP adaptors that make the conversion between electronic and light transfer.  But . . . since your audio components rarely sport SFP ports, the most common choice is an ADOT DUAL Kit. Kits involve two MC01 boxes – one sender, one receiver – the receiver simply converts back to standard copper Ethernet for the last short leg of the journey into your streamer's Ethernet port.

Exploring Upgrade Options:

There are two steps you can take to enhance your ADOT system. You can upgrade the fibre cable from multi-mode to single-mode. Single-mode is a finer cable, fine enough to inhibit the light reflections within the fibre itself, giving a more focused transfer of the digital pulses. In the real world (the world outside high-end hi-fi upgrades), single-mode fibre is used for distances like crossing oceans; multi-mode is used in buildings.

These boxes need power, and power is fed via one of three power supply upgrades: the 'MC02' involves a linear power supply instead of the noisier switched types used with the 'MC01'. The 'MC03' offers one of two high-end power supplies: the NuPrime LPS-205 or Plixir Elite BDC2A.

Optimal Setup

The best way, we found, to use a kit was at the component end. This is important when using power supply upgrades since the accessory kits provide a splitter cable to power both media converters. Only a short length of the supplied fibre optic cable is needed before the data is fed into your gear.

Performance Evaluation:

ADOT's demonstrators used a contemporary favourite for testing: Birds by Dominique Fils-Aimé. Its minimalist instrumentation and Dominique's panned layered vocals filled the stereo image. Feeding our Melco N5 streamer, we began with the MC02's linear power supply. Compared with listening with no ADOT at all, it instantly made the song punchier with more powerful lower-mids; vocal layers began pleasantly separating.

Swapping to a single-mode cable dug deeper still into the mix, splitting apart the tonal range of Dominique's overdubbed lines. As we further upgraded our ADOT setup, we discovered just how much was going on with the subtleties of the track's percussion. The delicate nuances of the percussive taps revealed how dynamic the production of this music was. As always, we removed everything and listened again to hear what we missed – flatter, sluggish-sounding audio.

Being forthright, benefits from the power supply upgrades can be justified only from the most high-end systems. But, they aim for stable output voltage to boost performance by rejecting powerline noise.

Concluding Thoughts: When is ADOT Right for Your System?

I know what you're thinking: 'My network is the last place I need to add audio enhancements.' You're right – until you have got your power cords and speaker cables up to scratch, you're not likely to reap the rewards from £500 to over £1000 worth of fibre optic tech. But when you reach that point, you want your streamed music riding up to the next level, there is a world of tweaks to pursue. ADOT has seen the light.