TL;DR
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ETH-68 is a Linux Ethernet audio interface described in a report on the product’s website. The developer reports 3.620 ms round-trip latency at 48 kHz with a 64-sample buffer, and says synchronized units can add channels without increasing that audio round-trip figure.
A report on the ETH-68 describes a Linux-focused Ethernet audio interface with 6 balanced inputs, 8 balanced outputs and a developer-measured round-trip latency of 3.620 milliseconds at 48 kHz with a 64-sample buffer. The report says the system works with JACK and PipeWire and that multiple units can be synchronized to expand channel count.
The device uses a Burr-Brown PCM3168A codec and an STM32H7 microcontroller running custom bare-metal firmware. According to the product report, the firmware emulates a netJACK1 master endpoint, sending audio over Ethernet to a Linux host. The interface also supports 48 kHz and 96 kHz sample rates, DIN MIDI connectivity, and a 1U, 19-inch rack chassis.
For JACK, the report instructs users to run the netone backend; the JACK server creates audio ports when it receives the first capture packet from the interface. A separate client, pw-eth68, provides a direct connection to a PipeWire session. The report says that this PipeWire client can manage streams from multiple ETH-68 units without the separate proxy application used in the JACK setup.
The published latency table gives measurements taken with jack_delay and a loopback cable. At 48 kHz, reported round-trip latency ranges from 2.288 ms with a 32-sample buffer to 11.621 ms with a 256-sample buffer. At 96 kHz, the figures range from 1.148 ms to 5.814 ms for those same buffer sizes. The developer says the 64-sample, 48 kHz result is 3.620 ms; these are report-provided measurements, not independently verified results.
More Channels Without More Audio Delay
ETH-68’s central proposition is that Ethernet can carry audio to a Linux host while keeping the reported round-trip latency low at the tested settings. That may interest musicians and audio engineers who use Linux workstations and need several physical inputs and outputs, MIDI connectivity, or rack-mounted equipment. Actual performance will depend on the host computer, network setup, audio software, and system responsiveness.
The report also describes a way to increase the number of physical channels by synchronizing multiple units. It says this adds channels without increasing the measured audio round-trip latency of a single unit. That distinction matters for studio or live setups that need more connections, though it does not mean overall processing delay or the risk of audio glitches is unchanged. The report notes that the JACK arrangement adds a proxy application and an extra processing hop.
The quoted latency is audio signal travel time through the hardware and software path, not the time required for a computer to process an audio buffer. The developer says processing delays can still cause xruns and audible glitches if a system misses its buffer deadline. A low loopback measurement alone does not establish how reliably the interface will perform across different Linux systems or demanding workloads.
Ethernet audio interface for Linux
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How ETH-68 Connects to Linux
The report presents ETH-68 as a networked audio device rather than a conventional PCIe card or USB interface. Its custom firmware emulates a netJACK1 endpoint, while software on the Linux host handles the network audio stream. Users can work through JACK’s netone backend or use the supplied PipeWire client.
For comparison, the report includes figures for an RME HDSPe AIO Pro PCIe card. It says ETH-68 matches that card’s listed latency at 48 kHz and is 0.33 ms lower at 96 kHz in the reported comparison. The table contains entries marked unavailable for some buffer sizes, and the supplied material does not describe a broader independent test. The comparison should be read as the developer’s account of those measurements, not as a general ranking of the products.
For multi-unit operation, ETH-68 units share a high-frequency clock over daisy-chained BNC cables. A broadcast UDP synchronization command is used to align their sample transfers. The report says JACK requires eth68proxy to combine capture packets and distribute playback packets across units, while pw-eth68 handles multiple devices itself.
“3.620 milliseconds of round trip audio latency at 48 kHz with a buffer size of 64 samples”
— ETH-68 product report
multi-channel audio interface rack mount
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Independent Testing and System Limits
The supplied report does not provide an independent review, test data from multiple host computers, or details about the network conditions used for every measurement. The latency figures are developer-reported, and performance in a particular setup may differ. The report’s comparison table also has missing entries, so it does not support a complete comparison across every buffer size.
It is also unclear from the supplied material how the interface is priced, where it can be purchased, whether units are currently shipping, or what level of ongoing software and firmware support is available. The report describes the hardware and software behavior but does not give a release schedule or product availability information.
The developer reports that synchronized outputs from two units aligned to less than one microsecond in a scope test, and that multi-unit operation retained the same round-trip audio latency in a loopback test. Those results are attributed to the report; test conditions and independent replication are not provided in the material supplied here.
balanced audio inputs outputs interface
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Availability and Real-World Tests
The next useful developments would be information from the developer about pricing, availability, supported Linux distributions, and the status of the JACK and PipeWire software. Independent testing could establish how the reported latency and synchronization behave across different computers, Ethernet configurations, and audio workloads.
For prospective users, the practical questions are whether their host can sustain the chosen buffer size without xruns, whether their workflow fits the available channel configuration, and whether the required software is ready for their Linux audio setup. The supplied report does not state a date for a release or provide a next product milestone, so no launch timing can be confirmed.
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Key Questions
What is ETH-68?
ETH-68 is an Ethernet audio interface described for Linux use. It has six balanced line inputs, eight balanced line outputs, DIN MIDI connectivity, and a 1U rack chassis, according to its product report.
What latency does the report give?
The report gives 3.620 ms round-trip latency at 48 kHz with a 64-sample buffer, measured using jack_delay and a loopback cable. It also lists measurements at other buffer sizes and at 96 kHz.
Does ETH-68 work with JACK and PipeWire?
Yes. The report describes a JACK setup using the netone backend and a separate pw-eth68 client for PipeWire sessions.
Can multiple ETH-68 units be used together?
The report says units can be synchronized to add channels. JACK operation uses the eth68proxy application to combine and distribute streams; the report says pw-eth68 can manage multiple units without that proxy.
Is the reported performance independently verified?
Not in the supplied material. The latency and synchronization figures are reported by the developer; independent test results and performance data from a range of systems are not provided.
Source: hn
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