English Electric 8Switch

And the second is that “ well away from Hfi” , very often read too.
I have 1m from Router to switch, then 0,75m from ER to Melco and same from Melco to Nds. I sounds really really good.

My Atom itself puts out more EMI than my switch or when I had my Roon core in the rack.

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I’m in the opposite camp. I noticed a huge difference all be it using a Cisco. not an EE.
There are no rules in this game it’s all suck it and see.

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No discernible (audio) differences between TP-Link consumer switches and Cisco 2960 switches in my home audio network.

I’ve never had the urge to investigate more expensive switches.

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I’m one that’s been converted, I waited awhile before ordering a EE8 switch and on my system it made an audible difference straight out of the box. How much I couldn’t say.

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That i think is because it’s a true product and does exactly what it says on the tin. The ChordCompany were very confident in demonstrating one in front of hundreds of visitors at last year’s Bristol HiFi Show here in the UK. Those that attended that show (including myself), were very quick off the mark to purchase a EE 8Switch as soon as they were available. A fit and forget product. Music please. :slightly_smiling_face:

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I would agree with you, it seems that placing the EE8 upstream and far from the ND555 made a clear improvement.

Next, as you have suggested, I unplugged the other devices from the EE8. I couldn’t hear any difference but the other devices were probably not creating much noise as those are just 2 computers that were turned off at the time. I guess I would have to turn them on and try again. But since it sounded fine I just left the EE8 with the 10m ethernet plugged in.

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If your computers were turned off, it’s as if they were disconnected :grin:

Keeping in mind what we want from an “audiophile” switch helps with the setup :

  • isolation (we really want to cut off the streamer from the rest of the network)

  • clock accuracy and stability

So this is not something like choosing Ethernet cables, which is more about noise shaping.

The goal here is to really cut off network injected noise.

The EE8 does the job, to a certain point. Reducing noise, makes of course a difference.

But, if you wish to really separate your ND555 from the rest of the network, the only way to achieve that is through fibre connection.

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Thanks for the tips. Not ready to try fibre for now but I’m happy with what the EE8 has achieved so far, together with some tweaking of cables.

I was interested in the ER as well but reading how hot the unit gets spooked me.

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Don’t worry about the temperature.
That kind of devices tend to run hot :

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Where I live, and as I don’t like having air conditioning on all the time, the room temperature is already at 25-28 degrees. Then I would have the ER in a poorly ventilated cabinet. All this combined I don’t want to run a fire risk, or have a perception of that risk, being real or not.

As for the EE8, it stays nicely cool.

But is the only source of SQ change from the ee8 cutting em noise?

Or is there any processing in it that also changes SQ?

And you do well, prevention is better than cure.

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Ok, I’ll try to answer that without going too much into details.

A switch is a switch, no more no less.
Meaning it relays data.

Roughly speaking, that’s REALLY ALL it does : it transmits data.

The “sound”, or “music”, is produced in your DAC.

Before that, there is only data (data like in computer data).

So why bother paying a fortune for an “audiophile switch”?

A network is noisy by nature. There nothing we can do about that.

Unfortunately, that noise interacts with your DAC/streamer and compromises its delicate job (which is to reconstruct the music based on the data it receives).

Like any other switch, an “audiophile switch” transmits data to you DAC/streamer, but it does that without transmitting noise (or less noise).

So yes, the only goal of an “audiophile switch” is reduce noise, and provide an accurate and stable clock.

That’s it.

Hope it helps :smiley:

NOTA BENE - MISCONCEPTIONS :

  • Noise won’t alter data
  • There is no data loss with cheaper switches.
  • Higher speed rates won’t transmit “better data” then lower speed rates.
  • Audiophiles switches don’t transmit “better data”
  • There is no such thing as “better data” or “cleaner data”
  • Data isn’t sound/music
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Hi Thomas

I agree with all of what you say.
Unfortunately I didn’t learn anything from your post, though.

It doesn’t answer my question.
I know that a switch that’s designed as a switch is mainly just designed to pass or not pass on data.

But the ee8 is a modded switch.
Do the EE company modifications do anything else apart from reducing noise?

The same question can be asked of the ER too.

Jim

I suppose, and hope, they did a few other things in the direction of reducing noise, and providing an accurate and stable clock.

Absolutely. The ER adds the possibility to use fibre connection and probably a embeds better clock.

Better take informations on Whatsbestforum @anon77199223 . There are members who have mega bucks systems and tried the best switches, cables, optical converters existing and choosed what is really best sounding, not on theory criterias.
Optical is not the only way to achieve the best results , some prefer it, other not.

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Yes, various aspects of the clocking of the data could make a significant impact on SQ too, and how the switch clocking process interacts with the streamer and dac.

I guess I did answer your question :
" So yes, the only goal of an “audiophile switch” is reduce noise, and provide an accurate and stable clock. "

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Indeed, it is both accuracy AND stability that make the difference. And that’s not an easy task. Hence the price of certain clocks.

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