Good mid-price audiophile switches

CKKeung said:

Stereophonic asked me via pm to talk more on a new audiophile switch launched by N&E Creations of Hong Kong.
It's actually deaigned and made by Edison, a friend of mine and one of the two partners of N&E.

My previous threads on audiophile switches seem to have have stirred up the WBF CAS circle.
This is exactly what I intended to do, because audiophiles in Asia (HK & Japan) have known that a good switch is mandatory for good CAS performance for several years already but this aspect had been quite ignored in most of thebwestern world CAS circles, except the expert players in ComputerAudiophiles.com.

My previous threads/posts talked about hi-end and therefore expensive switches mostly : SOtM/Melco S100/M12 Gold ...etc

However it's a goid trend that more and more HiFi brands understand the importance of a good switches in CAS.
And even more importantly, there is a big market for this accessories.
In 2020, there have been several good yet affordable audiophiles launched.

Here are a few good ones :
Nuprime Omnia SW-8

Omnia SW-8 - NuPrime Audio

The Omnia SW-8 is a high-end 8-port gigabit Ethernet Network Switch that improves the network performance by reducing signal noise. Errors in the network cause data packets to be resent and degrade network performance. By reducing circuit and power supply noise, and using a customized TCXO...

nuprimeaudio.com

English Electrics 8Switch made by The Chord

English Electric - 8Switch | Audio streaming switch for higher quality music

English Electric Audio Streaming Switch - High quality music audio streaming. Groundbreaking technology for audio artisians. Call +44 (0)1980 625700

englishelectric.uk

Silent Angel N8

N8 | Silent Angel

www.thunder-data.com

There have been many praising reviews on magazines/webzines on all of them.
I think I don't have to elaborate further here.
Please surf and read about them.

Click to expand...

Edison's Switch looks very well made. Hopefully I can try it some time.

CKKeung said:

Hi Howie,
Please be patient, I will come to that in a moment!

Click to expand...

oops. Sorry!

CKKeung said:

Stereophonic asked me via pm to talk more on a new audiophile switch launched by N&E Creations of Hong Kong.
It's actually deaigned and made by Edison, a friend of mine and one of the two partners of N&E.

My previous threads on audiophile switches seem to have have stirred up the WBF CAS circle.
This is exactly what I intended to do, because audiophiles in Asia (HK & Japan) have known that a good switch is mandatory for good CAS performance for several years already but this aspect had been quite ignored in most of thebwestern world CAS circles, except the expert players in ComputerAudiophiles.com.

My previous threads/posts talked about hi-end and therefore expensive switches mostly : SOtM/Melco S100/M12 Gold ...etc

However it's a goid trend that more and more HiFi brands understand the importance of a good switches in CAS.
And even more importantly, there is a big market for this accessories.
In 2020, there have been several good yet affordable audiophiles launched.

Here are a few good ones :
Nuprime Omnia SW-8

Omnia SW-8 - NuPrime Audio

The Omnia SW-8 is a high-end 8-port gigabit Ethernet Network Switch that improves the network performance by reducing signal noise. Errors in the network cause data packets to be resent and degrade network performance. By reducing circuit and power supply noise, and using a customized TCXO...

nuprimeaudio.com

English Electrics 8Switch made by The Chord

English Electric - 8Switch | Audio streaming switch for higher quality music

English Electric Audio Streaming Switch - High quality music audio streaming. Groundbreaking technology for audio artisians. Call +44 (0)1980 625700

englishelectric.uk

Silent Angel N8

N8 | Silent Angel

www.thunder-data.com

There have been many praising reviews on magazines/webzines on all of them.
I think I don't have to elaborate further here.
Please surf and read about them.

Click to expand...

Etherstream from Fidelizer

Thank you very much CK.
It really seems an audio component.
Others are more or less mainstream switches with tweaks.
I like very much its audiophile look and internal components.
Spec:
1.OCXO clock for extreme low jitter 0.25-0.35ps. Frequency Stability ±10 ppb Phase.
2.8ports with 1000M LAN Speed
3.Meet IEEE 802.3, IEEE 802.3U Standard
4.Ground isolation switch for breaking off Ground noise from Router easily
5.True Audio grade LAN socket for best signal connection, support any giant size LAN cables
6.Ultra Low noise LPS inside
7.Top quality 6061 solid Aluminum CNC Case
8.Core module design with CNC heatsink, provide best noise shielding and lower working temperature.
9.Ground pot for Ground box connection.
10.Commercial grade Network switch MCU for best and stable performance.

Extreme version include

1.Furutech IEC Inlets, FI-06 NCF
2. Audio note ??cap
3. Mundorf cap
4. Red copper base
5.UPOCC interconnection cables
6. Silver bybee

Even it is installed on AudioExotics Divin Lab....

Also worth looking at in the ‘mid range‘, for entry level prices: in The Netherlands the Meraki MS-220P and Netgear GC510P are quite popular at the moment. Both are regular of the shelve switches with a ’more then average‘ internal power supply. According to reports both outperform the Silent Angel Bonn N8 with its Forester F1 power supply (MSRP €800)

The MS-220P and GC510P can currently be bought for just €100-150 in sales/second hand/refurbished (a new Netgear was recently discounted for €70). Both have SFP ports. On a French audio forum the Meraki is heavily modded for those interested.

CKKeung, this Edisoncreation switch looks very interesting and I wonder if you can make a sonic comparison between the standard and the extreme version? I note that the Extreme version is almost double in price and therefore wondering if you think it's worth the higher price? What are the sonic improvements in the Extreme version?

Of course, if there are other members that have experience of hearing any of these switches that would be equally interesting.

Thanks

I'm just starting to get my head around ethernet switches. Are there any good mid-tier switches that have a fiber output? I admit I'm not yet fully researched on how (or even if) a fiber run would make a positive difference in a system. But some seem to find benefit from them, and it's got me mulling the Sonore opticalRendu as a streamer upgrade from my Bluesound Node 2i. (Also looking at Lumin and Aurender.)

Thanks for the above! Very useful.

Stereophonic said:

Others are more or less mainstream switches with tweaks.

Click to expand...

wbass said:

I admit I'm not yet fully researched on how (or even if) a fiber run would make a positive difference in a system.

Click to expand...

100% innovation.
And SFP cage for fiber optic.

2,000 sold and counting... 30-day money-back satisfaction guarantee... Only about 6 ever returned. ;-)
Happy New Year to all!

@Superdad Thanks. I'm aware of the EtherREGEN. It seems a popular product.

I need to incorporate a wi-fi router in there somewhere. I'm guessing I'd still want a network switch ahead of something like the EtherREGEN, correct? I.e. I wouldn't want to plug the wi-fi router into the EtherREGEN? Or would the fiber output still provide some isolation for something like the OpticalRendu? Again, still getting my head around all of this.

Thanks!

2 Buffalo and 2 Silent Angel Bonn N8

SA N8 is cheaper than both Nuprime and EE8 as I believe main differences are case and feet.

Anybody could share Sound differences between switchs?
Cheers !!!

How does a pair of Buffalo GS2016 rank busied the N&E, single Sotm?

the Buffalo are bone stock with no lpsu or clock upgraded? Is it worthwhile to upgrade or better switch to something else?

FredM said:

Also worth looking at in the ‘mid range‘, for entry level prices: in The Netherlands the Meraki MS-220P and Netgear GC510P are quite popular at the moment. Both are regular of the shelve switches with a ’more then average‘ internal power supply. According to reports both outperform the Silent Angel Bonn N8 with its Forester F1 power supply (MSRP €800)

The MS-220P and GC510P can currently be bought for just €100-150 in sales/second hand/refurbished (a new Netgear was recently discounted for €70). Both have SFP ports. On a French audio forum the Meraki is heavily modded for those interested.

Click to expand...

Being able to Mod a meraki MS switch for Audio is very interesting especially if this allows the continued use of POE on the switch.

Can you point me towards the forums where this is being done?

Thanks!

2 Bonn N8 + F1 all in one chasis

Love the thread. What we all want to know is how these new switches compare with "old standards" like the SOtm sNH-10G? One thing that's important in making comparisons is not to assume the changes observed are due to the switch only. Often, you're comparing a switch and a power supply. For example, I use the SOtM 10G (with upgraded clock) but noticed that its recommended power supply (SPS 500) is really a bad sounding device compared to so many other inexpensive LPS units. When a good LPS is used, the switch performance (used in conjunction with my Taiko Extreme) improves significantly, transforming a system that was previously a bit thin sounding with mediocre timbre into one with far better bass, lower midrange fullness, and improved midrange tone. Just something to keep in mind as these comparisons emerge.

Here's a unit that is 1/5th the price of the SOtM LPS and just blew it off the shelf.

Its' a 50W linear regulated power supply, with TALEMA transformer, excellent performance, low noise, TL431 plus high power transistor discrete voltage stabilizing circuit, high speed and low resistance electrolytic capacitors and 3 levers of PS filtering.

There are many variants of these Chinese LPS units with different names on their chassis (probably OEM'd mostly by 1 or 2 companies) that are well made and incredibly inexpensive. (My 12v unit says "Breeze Hifi" on the chassis but I have no idea who actually made it). Still, the use of Talema transformers and Schottky diode rectifiers are attractive features that appear to contribute to good sound in many of these "no name" units. Judge these units by their performance, not their price. You might just be as impressed as I was when I learned that it sounded significantly better than the SOtM unit it replaced (and weighs twice as much!). I have 3 of these (2@12v; 1@5v) made by various manufacturers (or perhaps more accurately, have different names on their chassis).