Hi I, anyone who heard this new switch? I did see it at a Swedish hifi show on Saturday but did not hear it. Internal PS (and possibility to attach an external), improved clock and a special version that also allow external clock… Price, roughly half of the Innuos switch.
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‘Heard’ a switch?
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Sorry, I wasn’t clear enough. I actually already know what it sound like if knocking on the top cover and when placing it on a wooden surface. Pretty much like most metal cabinet of similar size equipped with rubber feet (if any is wondering). I meant to write, if anybody had an opportunity to hear if it has any impact of the perceived sound reproduction in a audio streaming system. More specifically over say a standard switch or switch marketed for customers with stronger than normal interest in audio reproduction.
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I have ordered N8 Pro along with Power Supply Foster 2… I should be getting them soon… will update. I am using N8 with Foster 1 PS currently.
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My “core” switch is quite noisy. Fan noise that is.
In use, my Cisco switches (they’re fanless) and my Ethernet cables all sound exactly the same.
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I would be interested to hear about your experiences. The well-known Silent Angel Bonn 8 is a rather low-priced solution based on a Zyxel switch. The Bonn 8 Pro seems to be a new development with an update option (P2 power supply). However, financially it is in a completely different range ( Bonn N8 - 490 euros, N 8 Pro - 1,100 euros, Forrester F2 power supply - 1,300 euros). Does that pay off in terms of sound quality?
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I had a chance to demo SA Bonn 8/ Foster1 PS and SA Bonn8 pro/ Foster 2 PS with orange cable. I had for home demo for 2 weeks. I had AudioQuest Diamond Ethernet RJ45 then changed cable to Ansuz D2 Ethernet cable.
Conclusion:
1: difference improvement can be easily audible each steps ranking from Bonn 8, Bonn 8/ Foster 1PS, Bonn 8/Foster 2, Bonn8 Pro no additional PS, Bonn8 pro/ Foster 2 PS
- Adding Foster 1 or 2 to Bonn 8, the background went darker more sparkle and smooth. However, initially, musicality was lost, despite more bass, darker, more open… I did not like it. It felt like my ND555 had Loundness on
- Then I swabbed Audioquest Diamond out to Ansuz A2, Ansuz D2 … wow! Very very musical… what I am saying, once adding Power Supply to Bonn 8 pro, it enhances quality of Ethernet cable…
I still have all set for demo at the moment… I am getting a few more Ethernet cable coming for home demo next week…
- Bonn 8 pro without PS is better than Bonn8 with Foster 1 PS/ orange cable.
I will update more in the next 1-2 weeks after I have time to burn them in more
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Very interesting, especially that the Bonn 8 pro alone is better than the previous full set (Bonn 8, P1, orange cable). Also interesting your experience with Ansuz Ethernet cable. Expensive audiophile Ethernet cables are controversial here in the forum. Many are of the opinion that a similar result can be achieved with inexpensive cables e.g. BJC, Designacable, Chord C-Stream). Thanks for your post and enjoy the music with your wonderful system
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@JTheKop I am highly interested in your findings. I run Silent Angel Bonn 8 with Forrester 1 on ND555/552/300 and sofar very happy. Yet if I can find ways to better the SQ in my current set-up, I am very open to it. In this article (just use Google Translate) they compare the Bonn 8 Pro Forrester 2 to the Melco S100
Iver
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Interestingly, when Foster 1 PS was add to my Bonn 8, I found that more dynamic and a bit more detail. However, it was kinda edgy sound sometimes. Then Bonn8 pro without external PS, it is definitely more refined than Bonn 8+PS without edgy sound. ( BTW, I used Esprit Alpha power cable for Bonn 8 pro and Foster2 PS)
With Audioquest Diamond Ethernet Cable, Bonn 8 pro + Foster 2 PS/ orange cable… not a good match… bass booming and somehow in my room, not good… when I swapped AQ Diamond out for Ansuz A2 … then suddenly all music are in place and transparent, tight bass, and musical.
I am in the process of trying Ansuz A2 vs D2. Later next week, I hope to get Shunyata Sigma and Esprit Lumina cable to compare.
I previously like Esprit Cable a lot but now I have Ansuz Cable… Ansuz is great.
So bottom line, internet switch makes difference in SQ, adding linear PS gives more dynamic, but matching Ethernet cable is critical part of the process.
For some reason, AQ Diamond sounds not good when I add PS to Bonn 8 or Bonn 8 pro, to the point that I think my 10 dollars Ethernet is better.
Upgrading Internet Switch can expose sound signature of Ethernet cable… matching cable to your musical preferences is critical. Definitely different sound characters among Ethernet cable can be easily heard.
So far, I like Ansuz Cable more than AQ Diamond which I have had for 10 years.
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Interesting story! I had similar findings when initially I used an Audioquest Vodka with a similar combo, English Electric 8, powered by SA Forester 1. Swapping the AQ Vodka into an Ansuz A2 ethernet cable greatly improved the sound: more natural vocals and instruments, tighter bass and decreased noise level. Enjoying the (pricey) upgrade!
@JTheKop : did you compare the original basic black DC-cable with the upgraded SA Bastei Orange cable?
Yes, I much prefer orange cable
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Hi guys. I have been speaking with Dave Campbell at Kronos AV this afternoon. I rang them to discuss getting an audition on Marten Parker Duo speakers which he is arranging for me in the next week or so. However, what I thought would be a quick call turned into a very interesting and informative hour long chat on a tangent I had not considered previously. General chit chat turned to my main source of music which is streaming (ND5 XS2) via Tidal and Qobus.
He asked me a bit about the electronics and the cabling of my system generally, and asked if I had a network switch in my system. He stated to me that until a few years ago, he always thought that CD playback sounded better than streaming. He said that he did not know why, and that it didn’t make sense when streaming high res against 16 bit CD playback that this should be the case. He then heard about and Anzus Powerswitch. In layman’s terms, it is a switch set between the router and equipment which effectively cuts out the resonance and noise on the network. Once he had heard it, it was one of them OMG moments for him, and it changed his listening dynamic.
Now, it could be that he is a bloody good salesman (which I am sure he is), but having spoken to him, and listened to his undoubted passion for all things audio (as well as his business - he is an original director), I feel that he was genuinely just sharing an alternative upgrade path to consider, rather than automatically jumping up to the next level.
If you feel inclined, and if you Google the product, you will see that the outlay for the basic switch is £2k which is not an insignificant sum. This is more or less the same as moving up to the NDX2 price wise in my system. However, in his opinion the benefit is significant enough to at least listen to the difference this can make in a higher end system.
So the long and short of it - I have finally got to the question I was going to ask - has anyone in Naimworld gone down this rabbit hole as I would appreciate any feedback on you experiences. I will as I have said be auditioning the speakers, but will also be doing a AB test on the switch. Will feedback to you if anyone is interested………
Some of us went for that rabbit hole, with 2 X Uptone Etheregen switches powered by expensive Sean Jacobs ps, or Innuos PhoenixNet switch like me and several others.
Most use English electric switch, some with additional ps.
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Hi frenchrooster. I have had dealings with Sean Jacobs and he produces excellent PSU’s. So what is your thought on the switch
I had before the Tp link then Cisco 2960 then ER then ER ( Etheregen) with top MCRU PS and now the Innuos PhoenixNet. Each step was an improvement in sound. The PhoenixNet matches well the Naim sound, prat, involvement, organic sound. It’s the best I had in my system
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As I understand it the PhoenixNet PSU is powered by Sean’s design. With definitely give that an audition as well. 
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