English Electric 8Switch audiophile network switch added to the system

Darrel

Darrel

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Nov 1, 2018
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Auburn, Washington USA
I saw this on Hans Beekhuyzen youtube channel and I thought I'd give it a try.



I hooked it up from my wifi router and plugged in all of my ethernet cables. One went to the Gigafoil which then goes to the i7 Linux computer for streaming.

When I first ran and played a Roon title on my system. The soundstage shifted to just left of center. I tried various songs and the same shifting occured. OK, this can't be normal?! I then thought maybe it would take sometime for the switch to settle in. So, I left it for a few hours. Later in the evening I tried the same songs again to see if things had changed or stayed the same. Well, luckily the switch did settle itself in. Before this unit I was using a cheap TP-link as the ethernet switch.

At this time with only a day of listening. I can't say I'm hearing a big step up in the system. But, I do feel that what I'm hearing is very stable. With a clean and clear soundstage. With my soundstage still as deep and wide. I think I've got my system pretty well dialed in. So, at this point there may only be small gains to be heard. Or, it may take a few days to evaluate any benefits gained with the new switch. I can say it is a well built piece and easy to include to the streaming setup.
 
Thank you for your thoughts.

I’m in need of tweaking my network switch and cables at some point. The choices are a little bewildering but reports like this help a lot.
 
Hey Darrel

Looks like you sourced a decent switch. It has a TCXO clock and lots of isolation. It does take 5V and draws 1 amp, if your second port of the Keces is available I’d consider using this, though they recommend they use their power supply like AQVox. I didn’t believe it but when I installed etherREGEN it failed my first test about some gain forward then I’m ok with break in / settle in - it took about 100 - 150 hours to fully mature and blossom until it just died, see next...

Hey Joe, my etherREGEN just failed supporting the audio system and I plugged in a NetGear 100/1000 switch that feeds a Gigafoil optical, sound was good and smooth but not lacked full presence, I repurposed the AQVox SE feeding the home replacing the Netgear, and it was night and day in my system.

Point being I have had luck with AQVox SE and etherREGEN, and would look at what Darrel is speaking of and of course SoTM.

This is audio; power and DC cables matter along with ethernet cables, grounding, optical and mechanical filtering and isolation - it’s a lot, can be done in stages but it’s all cumulative has been my experience.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Darrel,

Thanks for info on the English Electric 8Switch very informative. Where did you buy yours from? Anyone know if the EtherRegen is on the same level as the EE8?

Thanks John
 
Hi Ed, I'm just using the stock wall plug for now. From the video it is recommended. My Keces feeds the Gigafoil and modem. The other linear power supply is used for the i7 silent computer, router and ADD-Power device. I may try the 8switch on one of the linear power supplies at some point.

I bought the switch from the Cable Company.
 
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