Similar to my experience then.
EE8 vs. Netgear GS108 - struggled to hear an improvement. Better quality PSU into GS108 - clear improvement.
Makes me conclude that it works in some set ups but not others.
Consider exchanging the AQ Cinnamon for a proper ethernet spec cable and see how that sounds. The AQ was a weak link in my network and others here had similar experiences.
It would be very strange if this was not the case.
There is a general belief that switches and network cables affect sound quality by altering and filtering out electrical interference which can sometimes find its way into your analogue electronics where the damage is done.
This interference is caused by a multitude of different sources, some of which are not even inside your house, but also any of the many electrical devices we all use. This includes every single charger, kitchen appliance, light bulb, etc. etc. so potentially dozens or even hundreds of different sources. The interference may then be transmitted by power cables, network cables, or just through the air as RFI.
So every HiFi system will be in a unique electrical environment, in which its various analogue components may or may not be affected by these many variables.
(I’m pretty sure there are other ways in which a switch can affect sound quality too, but that’s another ball game.)
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Yes, I agree although one interpretation of your comment is “if you don’t hear it, it’s an issue with your hearing or your training”.
I am assuming that’s not what you actually meant. I can hear very subtle differences that maybe casual listeners who aren’t as crazy about hifi as some of us wouldn’t , but I can’t really comment for them 
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Certainly aligns to my experiences of using a dedicated mains spur for my hifi. Others have described it as “more than a black box upgrade” which in a way makes sense because with a dedicated mains spur you’re not just changing/affecting one unit, you’re affecting them all.
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How did it effect the sound of your system on the 272?
This is the best short summary of why switches (and digital cables) change SQ I’ve seen.
There’s nothing in it that I’ve not heard before, but it summarizes what I think most sensible streaming people on this forum believe based on hundreds of detailed test reports by well-known members.
Should be put up as a FAQ.
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This is very strange if this is the case. If it is good → it is good, if it works → it works, you will know it. However, whether it is minuscule or big changes depending on you, your psychology, your ability to hear things and ultimate your HIFI system (including your env, your venue).
So presumably you have some other theory as to how network equipment alters sound quality that does not involve the unpredictable and ever changing levels of electrical interference in their environment?
Just placebo 
I dare say there is a great deal of that around here, but if you’re saying that bits are bits and they cannot ever affect sound quality that’s another matter altogether.
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This is your words @ChrisSU, not mine.
I am not saying anything, just only if you change something, you will know it, like many moons ago, I tried the ER, I felt it changed marginally, but not positively.
Exponential improvement as you might expect. Well worth the s/h cost.
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I don’t think there’s only an electrical reason, related to isolation from noise. Good switches have better clocks too . The reason of using the ocxo clocks by switches like Etheregen or Innuos.
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Well, I would say it’s pretty well established, and easy to measure that bits are bits, so if there’s a difference it must come from electrical noise, no? You aren’t seriously suggesting non audiophile switches aren’t bit perfect, right?
Many moons ago, I, too, tried the ER, I felt it changed SQ marginally, but not enough to spend even more money on a posh LPSU, so I returned it to the seller.
(But I had a different and less resolving system then.)
No two hifi systems are the same thus there are many variables that could impact on the effect it has. All the following likely have an impact:
Amount of noise from mains
Whether system is on a dedicated mains spur
Quality of the system (active vs passive, 500 series, other etc)
Whether streaming from the internet or from NAS
Whether system was using a dedicated switch or an ISPs router
Etc
When you consider all these variables is it really surprising that different people get different results?
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Interesting that you quote my first paragraph but not my second where I state: I am assuming that’s not what you actually meant.
So I guess if I’m putting words in your mouth then you are doing the same through selective quoting…
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I think that’s a valid point. I tend to avoid expensive audiophile networking equipment, but everything has a clock in it. I recall when @Simon-in-Suffolk first proposed that the Cisco Catalyst switches sounded better than some cheap consumer grade switches he proposed that the reason might be down to a better clock reducing jitter. People seemed to ignore this observation and become fixated on a vague notion that it’s all down to noise from power supplies, and the ability of a switch to remove this, as if it were some sort of magic filter.
Most of us, myself included, are laymen with limited understanding of this stuff but I can’t help thinking that this obsession with noise and the evils of cheap power supplies is to some extent misguided.
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I prefer the signal.
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