Just substitued my old Ifi wall wort (previously used on an inexpensive TP-Link switch), replacing the EE supplied wall wort. I must say, the Ifi sounds noticeably more natural, at least to my ears. Early days, but think I’ll keep it in.
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Thanks for the idea Charles!
I’ve had a play and mini A/B between the two - EE8’s own and the iFI - for about half an hour each. Not exactly exhaustive, I know, but I really like and prefer the iFI.
Subtle maybe but enough for my ageing ears to discern.
I’ll leave the iFI connected for a few hours then switch back to the EE and reassess later.
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The iFi SMPS’s are the quietest of all, but SMPS’s are not all noisy, yes the cheep-as-chips ones designed for minimum cost will be.
A well designed SMPS can (& many are) be quieter than a LPS.
I use Friwo SMPS’s on my switch, wireless hub & listening room phone, these are all mounted on a noise suppressed & isolated power strip.
Apparently Chord went to some lengths to source a satisfactory power supply (and chose SMPS over Linear) - but critics would say that they’d say that 
I’m lucky in that my situation allowed me to have a completely independent consumer unit supplying the Hi-Fi, so all the SMPSs in the house are on a different circuit.
I tried S-in-S’s suggested AM radio test on a couple of iFi iPowers a while back, and was surprised how much noise they seemed to be generating. That made me wonder why, if they were as clever as iFi claimed, they still felt the need to put a ferrite on the DC outlet lead.
Our system has a dedicated radial. The switch, router and nas are powered from an uninterrupted power supply that is connected to the ring main in another room altogether.
I’ve been using an EE for the past week. I only borrowed one to see what the fuss was about and my dealer was happy to lend me one for a week with no pressure to buy. My expectations were low, probably non-existent really. I was rather surprised to hear a clear improvement. The sound is more engaging - I find I’m drawn into the music more - and it’s easier to hear everything that’s going on in the performance. I imagine that this is extra detail, but it’s detail that doesn’t distract from the musical experience, but instead enhances it. It’s rather like the effect of the MusicWorks mains block in that respect. It simply makes things nicer.
When I went into the shop earlier today they told me that nobody who has borrowed one has taken it back. One of those who bought one has a Statement preamp and is of the view that ‘every Naim owner should have one’. I’m not sure I would go that far, but to me it’s certainly a thing well worth having.
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Glad the English Electric network switch has worked out for you, and that you have also confirmed my findings.
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Hi Chris, I did the same on my iFi’s when I had them, yes they do emit noise, but I found it to be from the PS body itself & thats not always indicative of the DC output. I had a look at that on my little Fluke 'scope & found it to be very quiet compared to a Netgear SMPS unit.
I’ve since changed from iFi to Friwo medical grade units, these are quieter on the AM radio test, the DC side is quiet enough, just a minor ripple.
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I take it you didn’t return it the end then Nigel? Mine is certainly staying here. The other thing i really like about it (apart from the nicer sound) is my urge to try out different Ethernet cable has completely evaporated. I just use the full BJC 6a now and all else is forgotten about. Including different PSUs. Now i can just simply get on with listening to the music again.
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This has to be the nicest part about going optical to an optical input streamer (Sonore opticalrendu). I now only have one ethernet cable in the mix, a BJC 6a 2’ patch from the main Cisco switch to the opticalModule that feeds fiber to the opticalRendu (USB out to V1).
It’s bound to happen sooner or later. I notice Sonore already offer what appears to be a completely ordinary OM1 optical cable for $50 to $120. No attempt to explain how it might be any different to a regular certified cable at around a tenth of the price. I dread to think what will happen when they start making them with metal plugs and fancy braided coverings.
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Yep. I do think for small companies like this cable is a bit of a make up for losses elsewhere. For the couldn’t be bothered kind of customer. A bit like the AVOptions ‘Plus’ cable - for $150 more I can snip and assemble a decent socket to some cable. What I can’t do is source and cryogenically treat the wire so will pay the premium for that. Sonore core products are great, but like a lot of add ons, just source them elsewhere.
At the end of the day, just sitting down and listening to the music is what it’s all about. I believe the EE uses very little energy, which is a nice little bonus. I’m very happy with mine.
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Glad you like the EE! Suggest you might like to try substituting an iFI 5v wall wart for the EE supplied one. Only GBP 50 on Amazon, and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Isn’t there a £ 99 X low noise version of the iFi as well ? Would that be overkill ?
Not sure if that’s available in 5v
Indeed, the fact that a device emits electrical noise doesn’t have to mean that the noise ever manages to get somewhere it can cause problems. Still, given the manufacturers claims I was a little surprised by the noise I heard from the iPowers, and if they still require a ferrite to keep it down, that almost seems like an admission that it must be generating some.
I’ve always seen it as a matter of good housekeeping to choose devices that aren’t noisy rather that trying to take measures to mitigate any issues that result. So even my lightbulbs get the AM radio test before I use them. Possibly a bit OTT, but when you count the number of potentially noisy devices around your house and it’s into the hundreds, I’d like to think they’re not all churning out interference.
Once Hunglyhalibut has decided to keep it, sales will go up quite a bit.
Not bad at all for one post.
Now if it were only made (AND designed fully) in Wiltshire… 
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Pleased to HH’s decision. I was confident he would see the light and hear the music.
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