Given no one has tried it yet I think it’s more being amused at the hyperbole of the advert.
I’d be interested in what it does. I have the EE switch so maybe it complements and improves that.
Well, quite.
To try something out in your system and to not like it or to think it’s not worth the asking price is one thing.
To take the mick out of a product or it’s associated literature before even hearing it just strikes me as being plain daft and utterly meaningless.
That said, Chord have something of a habit of turning out very expensive and slightly fantastical products. I tried a thing that went in the Burndy socket of a bare 272 that sold for £500 and allegedly brings great improvements. I paid £125 for mine, it made no difference at all, but I sold it for £225, so that was good. Then there are those tube things that you add to unused sockets. People were wetting their pants about those when they came out, but they don’t seem to get mentioned these days. The EE8 seems to be a solid product, but a lot of the other stuff seems to fall into the ‘saw you coming’ category. It will be interesting to see into which category the EE1 fits.
2 Likes
Personally I’ve had nothing but good experiences with Chord stuff. I use their cables exclusively, other than three Powerlines as the Chord mains cables were just too stiff to dress for where they needed to go. I’ve been very pleased with my S6 mains block and Power Array.
I haven’t tried the products you mention though. I think with all these sorts of products, as opposed to for instance cables. one is sailing very close to the boundaries of present knowledge and therefore perhaps things can be even more unpredictable than usual. To give them credit, they do always strongly advise that you try these things out at home before purchasing and they have demo sets available for loan through their dealers.
1 Like
iFi released the exact same thing recently - for about $100 on amazon.
I doubt if it’s exactly the same thing. It’s a device claiming to do the same thing sure, but that’s all. No different to different speaker cables or different equipment stands. Its performance may be entirely different. Or not as the case may be. Time will tell.
The two are not at all comparable, either technically or performance-wise. One kills the dynamism and joy in the music. The other lowers the noise floor so the music stood out even more. I leave it up to you to guess which one…
4 Likes
So did you actually hear the Chord one in action? It wasn’t obvious from your earlier post
Yes, I heard it in May, when it was included as a small part of a larger demo of Chord products.
2 Likes
And are you going to buy one?
Maybe, but not right now, if I’m going to buy something new for the system from Chord it will be a PowerHAUS M6 which was also on the demo.
3 Likes
I use an EE8 switch between my Melco and BT router. It occurred to me, could the EE1 be superior here at providing isolation and reducing network noise reaching the Melco by virtue of the fact tht it is passive? The EE8 switch , being powered, presumably generates some noise itself.
1 Like
I too have a “hi fi switch” sitting between my RJ-45 wall outlet and my ND555. It’s not switching anything . . . .
Would be interesting to compare the passive EE1 to a switch that isn’t switching anything!
2 Likes
A bit of info re the EE1….
Available from 24th October 2023 and will retail @ £250……
3 Likes
I’ve been trying one out for over a week now and have tried it at various locations along the streaming chain.
To put things into context, that “chain” consists of BT Homehub 2.0 Disk via C-Stream to EE8 (standard p/s but GroundAray) via C-Stream to PhoenixNet (w/ GroundAray) -connected via Sarum T to Innuos Zenith Mk 3 and via ChordMusic to Linn KDSM (Katalyst and a brace of GroundArays).
On first inspection it’s a very tidily made, solid construction. Quite small (it’s an early example that didn’t have any of the packaging it would ordinarily come with to lend it any physical bulk), it fits into the palm of your hand. The in/out directions are clearly marked on the casework and, importantly, you need an additional length of streaming cable to be able to use it.
I didn’t have any C-Stream lying around so decided to use a length of the cable supplied with the Zenith (could have belonged to the PhoenixNet but it was Innuous nevertheless). Initially I connected it, as I’d been advised to do, between the PhoenixNet and the KDSM, effectively severing the ChordMusic. And… OK I can see what it’s doing but at the expense of some of the Music’s magic. So, out it came to be relocated immediately post BT disk, feeding the EE8. Oh yes, much better. In fact very nice indeed and I relayed my thoughts to the supplier who suggested that the Innuos cable may not be the best choice and immediately despatched a short length of Chord Shawline.
That arrived last week and since then I returned the EE1 to the initial position, post PhoenixNet and tried it everywhere in between. With the Shawline in place it was significantly better in all of positions in comparison to the Innuos, but my preference was between Zenith and PhoenixNet, which is just lovely.
What does it do? Hmm, it’s what I imagine it might be if you’d had tinnitus one day and not the next, or if you’re used to driving a Ford Focus at “motorway speed” and then do the same journey, at the same speed in a Merc S Class. Everything is there but much more relaxed. There’s a removal of hash I didn’t even know existed and rather than compare demo track to demo track, I ended up just listening to several fantastic albums one after the other, which has to be a good sign. One album in particular was quite a revelation, Journey by guitarist Matteo Mancuso, a recent release on which Matteo’s guitar playing is utterly sublime and sort of puts the drummer and bass player into the “they were probably mates, that’s why they’re on the album” category into “OK, so that’s why they’re in his band”.
The cable “issue” is interesting; I suspect that if you’re using something like Music or any of the other high-end cables to connect to your streamer, you may want to invest in a cable at the same level if you’re going to place the EE1 right before your streamer. If you’re in the BlueJean or similar camp, I don’t think it’ll be a problem. Be that as it may, I’ve placed my order - if it is “only” £250, that’s something of a bargain in my opinion.
Should add, I think this will be entirely system and environment dependent, but if your’s is similar to mine, I think you may want to try one.
7 Likes
Quite cheap by Chord pricing. Their noise interference gizmos usually cost £500 ish.
Hopefully Chord’s new pricing structure is sell em’ low and stack em’ high .
Maybe this will close the gap with the EE8/ EE1 combo against the Phoenix Net for us impoverished types.
Delusions of grandeur on my part no doubt.
Anyway, well worth a punt for a cheap dirty thrill hopefully.
2 Likes
You could close that gap by replacing the EE8 supplied SMPS with a Farad LPS IMO. I have both switches and have tried several permutations. With the Farad in place it becomes more like which type of sound you prefer. I actually like both switches cascaded and have switched between the both for 1st and 2nd.
I’m presently running :
Sky Router into PN via Belden CAT6 in my hallway.
Then a 15m run of Belden CAT6 into EE8/Farad on FRAIM .
Core on FRAIM into EE8 with Belden CAT6
EE8 into ND555 with a Chord Music Streaming Cable.
The two switches and the Core are on the downstairs ring main along with a Chord PowerARAY. The rest of my hifi is plugged into a M6 block with a dedicated AC supply and earthing. The router and switches definitely sound better in my home when kept away from the rest of the kit mains wise and benefit tremendously from the noise reducing device. I know that having the PN as the first switch contradicts the advised protocol but I’ve switched back and forward twice now, with a weeks listening each time and prefer it this way. Great sound!
5 Likes
You could, of course, try one irrespective of whichever switch you use. I’m pretty sure it would have a positive impact.
3 Likes
The Vinyl Groove Preston are offering the
English Electric EE1 - Available For Home Trial
1 Like