I have been reading numerous threads on switches and managed to get a good deal on an EE8 switch
Despite reading the threads I’m a little bamboozled with regards to power supply for the EE8 - sounds like the general consensus is that adding a power supply is worthwhile.
Unfortunately a good psu will cost as much or more than the switch, i use a Plixir on my Etheregen switch. I have heard excellent reports of the Ferrum Hypsos……you can vary the voltage and listen and decide what voltage sounds best to you. But at a price £1100.
When I had the Etheregen switch, I could compare the Uptone Lps vs the top MCRU vs the Farad .
The two last were easily above the Uptone lps. I preferred the MCRU ( around 850 euros) vs the Farad ( 700 euros) for nicer tones and more organic sound.
The Farad is the nicest looking.
There are other to consider, as the Uptone JS1 , Sean Jacobs, Paul Hynes SR4, Plixir.
To really see a nice and clear improvement, you have to pay more than the EE8 switch, in my experience.
I’m using the iFi power elite and I like the uplift. I didn’t compare it to anything else however. It was essentially a free upgrade as I used an Amazon gift card someone sent me.
Farad super3. Buy and try going through their web page. Skip the Ifi switched power supply and go directly to a linear one. Naim products hate switched power supplies on their grid.
Chord specifically recommend not using a liners purer supply.
“ Casing & Power Supply
The machined aluminium enclosure offers excellent protection from both acoustic and electrical noise.
The minimal LED display on the front panel includes power, alarm and the link status/speed for each of the 8 ports.
The AV-grade power adaptor has been designed to reduce electrical noise from AC power and prevent mains quality issues from affecting the network signals. It also boasts high power efficiency, a no-load power consumption < 0.075W and protection from short circuit, overload and over-voltage.
Switches require high speed power supplies so we could not opt for a linear power source due to their speed limitations. We set about improving the power signal by using an extremely high-quality wall supply. This clean supply permits an optimum quality network signal, driven by high-accuracy TCXO clock technology.“
I was told by the guys from Chord that they really rate the SMPS that comes with the EE8 switch. I have to say, after having tried three quite expensive linear power supply’s, that they may be right. All sounded different but not necessarily better on my system. Each seemed to impact timing slightly making it sound less real and musical. I’m not giving up but make no mistake the standard PS is pretty good.
I think a usual mistake when measuring SMPS claiming their good is you measure them only towards the DC side. That’s great when all you care for is the performance of your single component. What many SMPS do is poluting the AC side which all your other components work against.
Uptone wrote exactly the same about their Etheregen switch, saying that their SMPS is very good and no need for an additional ps.
When I tried their entry level linear ps, the Lps , it did just a subtle uplift in sound vs the stock one. But when I added the top MCRU, the upgrade was even bigger than going from the Cisco 2960 to the Etheregen.
Naim Audio himself doesn’t recommend a boutique switch, just a cheap Chinese Netgear one. We are a lot here to experience the contrary.
Adding their cables and recommended fuse upgrade(s) takes things a (very) clear notch up still. Odd as it may sound, adding the Super 3 made a bigger improvement to the overall SQ than the EE8 itself.
Sell the EE8, get a DLink GS-108 instead and power the DLink with a LHY LPS25VA. That won’t slow down the timing of the music down as most lineair power supplies do paired with a EE8.
I see through google that the LHY LOS25V is a Chinese linear ps. So I don’t understand your post, neither share your point that linear ps tend to reduce the prat and timing. Apart maybe the cheap ones.