English Electric 8Switch

EE bye eck …

A demo unit from those nice people at Acoustica turned up today. After a 30 second install and half hour switching it in and out I can happily say the Chord EE Switch is a keeper.

There’s a noticeable difference in the overall sound quality, particularly the base which seem to have more definition & extension along with a sense of the music filling the room now. It had me looking behind myself at one point on a very familiar track the sound stage had improved so much!

Just using the standard cable that came with it, no fancy ps, great straight out of the box. This was a new unit and as other have noted improvements can continue as the box burns in.

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Welcome! Glad you liked it. I had a similar reaction.

EE…Nice improvement but very small comparing to Cisco in my system…the reason i think is it because my Melco is behaving as a switch

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Compared to difference between Cisco vs a standard consumer switch? (i.e. EE worse than Cisco when both compared to standard switch?)
Or EE compared to Cisco is an improvement over Cisco but less improvement than Cisco over standard switch?
Or anything else? :slight_smile:

I’ve ordered one yesterday but apparently thanks to forums like this they’re out of stock and I won’t get it till mid January at the earliest. Thanks guy. :rofl::rofl:

I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of difference it makes and who’ll I’ll hold responsible if there isn’t any. :grin:

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I would blame the OP (@Nick.Lees), @anon4489532 and @Stephen_Tate if the EE does not work right for you. :slight_smile:

For me, unlike the ER, the EE is a keeper.

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I’ll have those 3 on my short list. :rofl::rofl:

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Pete, I have had an EE 8Switch at home for the past couple of weeks on demo. I noticed a positive lift from the first time I plug it in. It sits a flight down and it will be replacing a small Netgear switch. Perhaps my next move will be to replace my standard internet cable with some blue jeans 6A!

You already have something to look forward to in the new year…

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That on top of turning our back on a horrible year. :+1:

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I think you only need one EE to connect directly to the streamer.

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I’m hoping but I have been noticing some pop and crackle (very minor and not often) out of my Muso over the last few days.

that is most unusual, I would talk to the dealer and Chord about it.

I think it’s more to do with my network, my Muso is connected to the cheap Netgear switch in my office, there’s so many things running off it. Think it’s just a bit of electrical interference. Might review how and what’s connected over the break.

Just make sure you’re not listening to the new Earth Radio station in FLAC. They play vinyl and you can audibly hear the pop and crackle of the old discs. It took me a double take to realise what was going on.

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I’ve spent a few hours over the last couple of days trying out a loan EE switch. First of all I substituted it for the Cisco 2960 in the lounge to which my 272 is attached. I then tried it in place of the 2960 in my study to which my UnitiServe is attached.

Honest opinion? I truly could detect no difference whatsoever! Unlike the significant improvement that resulted from replacing my £20 Netgear switches with the Ciscos, this experiment has come to nothing. Tried as I might I could hear none of the differences/improvements extolled by many on this thread.

Whether it’s simple luck or my cloth ears, at least it’s saved me a fair chunk of cash, and I have no outstanding itches!

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Interesting. One of my dealers suggested that I go for one but the other who fitted my new streamer and speakers last week said that I should stay with what I have given that I have a mains powered Cisco. Nothing like finding a way of saving 450!

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Part of me truly wishes I had experienced the uplift in SQ described by so many - in the context of my system, such an improvement would be well worth £500!

Very happy with my EE switch. It’s provided a blacker background so I can hear deeper into the music plus the tone and timing are just right. Ended up switching to Catsnake 6a floating ethernet cables and sold my Vodka and Cinnamon ethernet cables as they sounded lean compared to the Catsnakes. I also added a Paul Hynes SR4T LPS and it made a substantial improvement over the stock switching power supply. Very happy with this set up!

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I had a mains powered Cisco, the 2960 8TC-L and tried the EE, expecting no improvement. But much to my surprise it sounded more musical and natural and for the improvement I got, £450 seemed very reasonable. It’s a tiny little thing compared to the big clompy Cisco, and the lights are very discreet. So I sold the Cisco for £50, which is what I paid for it about three years previously.

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I did as well—at first. Then it occurred to me that not hearing an ‘uplift in SQ’ might not be a bad thing; that it might mean the mains or system—whatever one wishes to attribute to the perception (or lack of one) is already pretty optimal or at the very least minimally affected in such a way to need whatever these switches provide (be it EE or eR or any number of these on the market). In other words, some peoples’ systems may need or require such a device more than others.

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