I’ve been impressed with what the standard MCRU PSU does for the EE and SQ overall. I have an Uptone JS-2 and the MCRU, and both are very good, the latter slightly warmer may be. Of the upgrades I would only consider a DC cable (assuming a decent mains lead).
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Thanks for the advice. I’ve just seen the prices of your recommendations and am quite happy take a punt on them. And I agree with you. I could clearly hear, what appeared to be, timing differences in the LPS’s I tried. For some reason the Chord SMPS seemed to have a rhythmic snap and drive that the LPS’s somehow lacked. I did read somewhere that the best LPS’s need to be small and fast?
I haven’t compared the 3 options, and doubt that someone has done it here. All I can say that I had the option 3 on my ex Etheregen switch and was astonished by the difference.
I have now the PhoenixNet, which costs more than double of the Etheregen with the top MCRU. It’s better but not night and day. The MCRU 3 on Etheregen vs Etheregen with stock SMPS gave really night and day differences: much more natural, free going sound, more open and organic. It was audible the first seconds.
With MCRU you can test 14 days and return if not possible.
The only caveat is the look of it : it comes with 2 boxes, a little one and a bigger one, with a cable, not flexible, between both.
The Farad didn’t work so well for me, a bit edgy for my tastes. But as always all is system dependent. You can also try it and return . But when I returned it the seller ( Farad) took me 30% of its original price….
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@Farthings-cat Really, don’t get caught up in all the minutiae here.
Nothing ‘slow’ or otherwise about the F1 which is largely designed around the EE8. It sounds GRRREAT.
I’ve used it in a very revealing system for over a year now and wouldn’t be without it.
Incidentally it’s plugged into my Isol-8 Powerline Axis along with my Naim PowerLines. I would never have done this with the supplied SMPS.
G
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Thanks FR, yes, indeed unlikely anyone has tested all 3 but appreciate your input yours and Simon’s comments along with a few others have helped me get to where I am now.
I have recently added Plixir power supply to the Adot, a Cisco 2960 and the EE8 switch and am impressed with the uplift in performance.
I never planned on investing in the “back end” but for a relatively modest outlay it has brought more to the party than I imagined, suspect I would have to spend considerably more on a black box upgrade to receive a better outcome….
I think I’ll do some tidying up and let it all settle down and then peruse the MCRU power supply for the EE8 - not sure if I go for level 1,2 or 3 - which supplier does them on sale or return?
The only thing I haven’t fathomed out is it was mentioned that a cat6e cable of 30m + in length between EE8 and streamer was recommended but I don’t see how I achieve that with the Adot in play - a ny thoughts?
Regards
Gary
I can’t comment on the deeper technical aspects of an SMPS vs. a LPS but I did compare the stock EE8 SMPS vs. the ifi iPowerX, the ifi iPower Elite and the Farad Super3. This was a more or less gradual improvement with the little iPowerX and the Farad Super3 providing the biggest improvement.
Bang for buck wise, the affordable iPowerX was the winner. But the Farad Super3 (+ upgrades) added so much more refinement, depth and texture that there was no going back. Albeit at 10 x the cost. Timing and overall substance (if that makes sense) was way beyond both ifi options.
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Wise words Graeme, the F1 could be the way to go then. With active speakers and a pair of Rels I have no more plug slots available in my power block!
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Identical journey and experience. Farad 3 on EE8 is 
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A bit strange for me that the length recommendation is 30 m for the Ethernet cable. Mine is 0,75 m from router to switch and 0,75 m from the switch to Nds and same to my Melco.
For MCRU, i have ordered on their UK site , directly, online.
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This is true! Btw, Netgear is not a cheap Chinese made.
30 euros……Netgear gs105 .
An EE8 probably cost the same to make. It is probably made by ThunderData, which is a small OEM manufacturer in Guangdong, China
Forrester F1 for me. Benefits from a decent mains cable as well and the Bastei cables Silent Angel do
Other bonus is it can power 2 5v devices- raspberry Pi WIim etc
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Interesting. I was gifted the Orange Bastei to try and preferred the supplied cable.
G
Tried the Orange one Graeme ended up with the Snowy White which is the most expensive one
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EE8 is a Silent Angel switch with a better casing. The Silent Angel is made in China, but costs ten times the price of the Netgear.
This ThunderData is the very same startup in China that makes the EE8 and the Silent Angel, and some other cheapie switches with the board. This is just FYI because I don’t care if you want to spend your hard-earned money or not.
It’s not so much about what it costs to make, but whether the potential buyer considers the difference it makes - if any - to be worth £500. It’s no different to something like a PowerLine Lite; it sells for over £100 but probably costs no more than a fiver to make. Cost price and selling price really aren’t related.
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Mulling over the MCRU or a Farad 3 at the moment. I want to keep the cost below £500 to avoid import duty in NZ. Also finding the “upgrade” options somewhat baffling….That should complete the streaming side of the system.
Do you use a switch before your streamer, Gary?