English Electric 8Switch

Personally I think going forom consumer and/or commercial switch x to y to z is chasing unicorns. If one is serious about a jump in sq with a switch then either pony up and go with an audiophile one and/or an audiophile fiber bridge. This is speaking from experience - anyone need a TP-Link, Netgear, Cisco 2960 blue , 2960 POE switch or TP-Link FMC’s 'cause I have a closet full of them…

IIRC, Hans has an SBooster linear psu and a Belgian hand-built Syntaxx Xtreme linear psu (costing about 850Euros + shipping) that he is very keen on:

So it’s probably one or both of those that he is referring to, depending on which one has the correct voltage and amperage for the switches.

Given how many switches you have in your cupboard, it does seem you have been chasing unicorns on that front, Charles.

Perhaps best to flog the spare ones and put it towards upgrade of core aspects of your system, e.g. the dac or preamp or speakers?

It’s good that you seem to have come out of these expts with a switch/network chain that works for you - although will it work optimally if and when you ever upgrade your dac?

I think you have probably spent a higher proportion of your hifi budget on the ‘router to dac’ section of the system than anyone else I can think of on this forum - but it has yielded good SQ results for you in the end, so was worth it.

In my case the ER (with standard psu) after 3 weeks running in did not sound better than my PoE Cisco 2960s - so I sent it back and am delighted with what my PoE 2960s do in my system.

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Well, I didn’t spend anything more than $30 for each, and this is over the last seven years or so, so not complaining, and the time spent trying to resell worth a dinner out. They did what they did, and the one Cisco POE I did spend a bit more on ($60) is now doing duty on the top floor of the house. Thing is I really love the sound and form/function of the DAC V1 and Sonore streamers so sticking with those. The biggest impacts to the sound have been the new speakers last year, and the CB 160BD this year, as well as upgrading from the microrendu to the opticalRendu. Cleaning up the power with a clutch of iFi AC iPurifiers and good but not crazy power cables has been the cream on top. Pretty dang happy, and no need for an etherRegen personally IMO.

My point is one can try the gradual nickel and dime experiments as I have, or if the $$ allows just bypass that and get an audiophile switch. Though the Cisco’s are a great place to start and for some maybe all that will be needed. I still have the 2960PS -16-PT-L as a whole house/office switch (a 2017 model I picked up for $155), and it feeds fiber to both my opticalModule bridge for the opticlRendu, and to a 10Gtek FMC before my Unitiqute in the office. What I’ve found is that even at the lower end like the V1 or UQ, whatever I’ve done before them (esp the V1) brings a gain.

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What app do you use to control it?

Sorry, but is a switch, no matter the type, only necessary if you are plugging in more than one item?

Me? Roon.

Are you interested in the ER?

I find he talks me into the ground…small doses only.

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I bypass him at all costs.

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Yes.
Despite parting company with mine recently.

Second thoughts, Jim?

Double Dutch….?

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Nope.

If it was a trivial cost, I’d have kept it.

But with a posh psu it was enough to stop me from upgrading my actual hifi.

So this LPS degrades sound quality thing… I think the problem with reviewers when it comes to the context of our systems is that what we generally prefer and what the audio reviewers/masses prefer is sometimes different. The ER switch with its stock P/S is much more forward and HiFi sounding. Add a decent LPS and the effect is removed but the sound stage depth rather than width so much improves and there is a beautiful naturalness to the tones of instruments and voices. Emotional connection between the vocalist and listener improves BUT at the expense of the ‘drama’ the stock P/S brings. In an all Naim system the effect of a LPS on the ER’s in my experience is wholly beneficial to the sound I like to hear but can understand others who prefer the stock P/S.

If someone already has a system that communicates beautifully to them but sounds a little flat and needs a bit more bite then the stock P/S in this instance maybe their preferred choice.

I think with ethernet cables and switches the effect they have can be very dramatic and can shape the sound or just organically add to what the system is already doing. No two people will probably agree as music presentation is very personal.

In my system I have 2x ER & an expensive custom LPS but use basic Catsnake Cat6a cables everywhere apart from the very last leg where I am trialing a Vodka but still love the Catsnake more for emotional connection and natural instrument sound. The Vodka brightens things up but is like a sweetener vs sugar. You can tell its slightly artificial when compared back to the Catsnake which I do every few weeks.

I much prefer the experience of our Naim community right here when considering system changes vs any reviewers thoughts. For me it is relevant real world experience with ‘our’ black boxes that counts and with multiple people always chipping in, once digested you can almost always find a good starting point for further exploration into aural pleasure.

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There has been too much consensus on here from Naim users regarding the benefit of a good LPS over the stock SMPSs (that come supplied with the EE and ER) for me to ignore. If/when I make the jump to an ER (probably) I will try out a LPS.

It is interesting however that Hans pretty much agrees with most on this forum on everything else regarding the EE and the ER i.e they both offer SQ improvement over cheaper switches, and, when compared directly, he preferred the ER over the EE. He also explained the similarities and differences between the EE and the Bonn Silent Angel switches.

I think Hans is worth listening to but should not be the only source of advice on network stuff. Of course the very best source of information is listening to these devices yourself in your system. Listening ‘in your system’ seems to be the critical stipulation here as we have seen that each and every set up/listening environment will impart its own unique noise shaping characteristic.

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Hans also - even more interestingly - claims that the ER offers a SQ improvement in his system that is greater than that of more expensive switches.

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Very impressive man, not sure he was as good company as you expect though. If you haven’t read it I can recommend:

image

A great biography and also insight into the early development of quantum theories. Another even greater read where Dirac figures is:

image

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The effect of any switch bears no relationship to cost, but depends on the rest of the network, the electrical environment - and the DAC or streamer. Therefore no-one else’s experience will tell you how a switch will sound to someone else, unless they have at least the same streamer/DAC or one with same susceptibility, and similar network and environment. Add to that the fact that people’s preferences for sound differs and yoy really have to hear for yourself. Re SMPSs, there have been good examples of excellent sounding hifi products powered by SMPSs that it is by no means a given that a LPS will be any better, and it is entirely possible that a less than perfect LPS could sound worse.

I’ve ordered a Cisco 2960 8TC…I may need help getting started with it…any tips?..I already have an EE and am enjoying its improvements on my listening experience.