Yes, I did try a second switch but found it a bit of an ‘overkill’ sound wise. I ended up preferring just the single switch as it seemed to give the music a little more life.
My dealer has been trying to get hold of a Silent Angel LPS for me to try. I’ll let you know what I think when I get it.
@Geko thank you for your reply. I was wondering about running 2 English Electric switches, having previously run 2 Cisco switches. I was never fully convinced of the benefit of the second Cisco switch. What I can say, is that adding the Silent Angel F1 power supply to the English Electric switch is a noticeable and positive difference. I will leave you to come to your own conclusion.
My final thought, the F1 is capable of powering 2 English Electric switches. I wonder if you repeated the 2 English Electric audition again, with the F1, if the outcome would be the same
I tried the C-Stream but found the sound a bit thinner and more brittle. Slight vocal recess but not on all music. Replaced my Catsnake after a while and prefer that.
I just swopped the Chord streaming cable that came free with the EE8 for a 1.5M AQ Carbon silver-coated solid core streaming cable with Telegartner plugs.
Ran it day and night for 200 hours but the balance across the frequency range was never right, and the top end sounded wrong.
Replaced it with a 1.5M BJC Cat6a and the music was restored.
Such a relief after 2 weeks of it not sounding right.
I will just register my preference for Chord C-Stream over either the Catsnake or BJC. A lot will depend on the rest of your system and room. For me, they bought a welcome little more control in the bass and a bit more detail. I quickly got used to the slight change in tone.
A dealer told me the one to try though, if you have the money, is the Shunyata Venom (£450 for 1.5. metres which is the smallest length available). Maybe one day but I’m in no rush.
@mikehughescq Unless I have missed this, on your system and I apologise. However, the main common denominator of the members who like the Chord C- stream, is they all run English Electric network switches. Taking things a stage further, my self and @GraemeH are running these in conjunction with a Silent Angel Forester F1 power supply. I know myself and @GraemeH found the cable more than satisfactory on it’s own, before the addition of the power supply for the switch.
I will not come on hear and preach that the Chord C-stream is like the second coming, and certainly not the answer to all systems. However, if you could try with the EE switch on a trial basis, you might find out if this is the cause of your recessed vocals. If you have already tried, then please ignore and enjoy your Sunday afternoon
I’m working very slowly and incrementally. So, at this point in time, there is no switch in my setup. The one you reference has definitely been mentioned by my dealer in subscriber emails. However, I’m in no rush.
Here’s another register of preference for the Chord C-Stream. I also run the EE switch and have both both Catsnake and BJC available, plus I’ve tried the more expensive Chord stuff and I must admit I still prefer the C-Stream.
I swopped BJC 6a for Chord C-Stream when I got it with the EE8, and preferred the Chord.
The Chord isn’t long enough to reach from the EE8 to the ND5XS2 where it is now, but I will move it closer soon and repeat the comparison (having ruled out AQ Carbon).
This thread makes me think it is sensible to try a Chord C-Stream from my ISP router to EE8 too as others have found this to work well.
I have found that silver plated cables, whether they be digital or analogue, sound almost soul-less, lacking real emotion and warmth. Loads of sparkling fizz and high end detail with lots of transparency for sure, but quite mechanical and linear sounding with the boogie factor all but gone…