Best audiophile switch

[NigelB]

I'd like to think that a lot has been learned over the last few years about how to design a switch which is optimised for audio, and that any switch designed in 2025 will be holistically designed ie. that the designer will maximise sonic performance with a combination of effective circuitry and an effective enclosure/case, and this will include heat dissipation as required.

A few years ago, a case was just seen as a receptacle for the circuitry but the role of the case (in shielding from radiated RFI, for example) as an integral part of a holistic design is now widely recognised as of far more importance than mere aesthetics. So for example, a switch case will usually be made from a material which is a good conductor (and therefore a good shield) like aluminium or copper, rather than from steel which is not. It is more likely than not that heat dissipation will be through effective coupling of any hot-running components to the case, with integrated heatsinks if required, rather than through ventilation holes which allow radiated RFI to enter; and of course aluminium and copper are excellent for heat dissipation too. The proof of the pudding is always in the eating, but I'd be genuinely surprised if heat dissipation was a concern in any modern switch! Hope this reassures.

 

[Superdad]

Thanks for all the info I will check out the etherregen thread on AS.
Do you think it will run as warm as v1?

The newly chosen chips for EtherREGEN Gen2 (main switch, PHYs, clock synthesizers, buffers, and new regs) are all running a lot cooler than those in the original model. At least in free air as seen with our thermal camera. We will see once the unified board is all done and in the case.

Also, while the case for Gen2 will be the same shape (width and height), it will be 50mm longer front-to-back—to accommodate the addition of an SFP port in the downstream ‘B’ domain. This also allows us to spread out some parts a bit and gives overall a lot more PCB subsurface area for heat dissipation.
(It’s a 6-layer board and we use vias to internal layers as means of conducting heat from parts. The truth is, most parts in modern electronics conduct most of their heat down to the PCB and not off the top of their package. It really is the PCB itself that gets hot overall.)

So while the high heat from the original EtherREGEN never caused any failures (individual parts were never at more than half their thermal ratings), we know that people were bothered by it—and by happenstance the Gen2 case will probably run a lot cooler.

Speaking of cooler:
We are staying with the humble casework—to keep the price down as the chips and PCB are where spend a fortune, and also to permit us to build and ship hundreds a month in small FedEx packs around the world. But our chassis partner (Takachi of Japan) offers a cobalt blue anodizing, and I’m loving the way end plates in that color look—with still the extruded body length in black. So that will be a fun visually differentiating feature of EtherREGEN Gen2.

 

[tony22]

enough for a beta test user pool

I volunteer for beta!

 

[kennyb123]

To much warmth in a closed tv cabinet, the S1 is also warm but not as much as the ER.

I guess if the ER needs to be kept in a cabinet then the fact that it gets warm might matter. Mine is kept out in the open.

How warm does your Tempus

I don’t recall feeling any warmth but I have been a set it and forget it user. I will give it a touch after work.

 

[Di-fi]

Your Hi-Fi Questions: Answered by the Founders of Network Acoustics (Live 1:43:03)​

An Aussie Audiophile

Streamed live on Oct 12, 2025 #Digital

G'day everyone, we're very excited to have the two founders of Network Acoustics as our guests on the Audiophile Show this week. Rob and Rich are both audiophiles, and love their music. We're going to pick their very substantial brains and find out how they do what they do with their digital streaming products. Buckle up folks this should be a very interesting episode. Please have your questions ready for the guys and post them in the live stream.

New video with NA founders about audio networks and related gear. Just came out — almost two hours long and full of good info. Should be some takeaways for everyone. At almost two hours, maybe one to save for the weekend.

 

[kennyb123]

How warm does your Tempus get?

No warmth felt when touching on the top of either chassis.

 

[OrigTweaker]

New video with NA founders about audio networks and related gear. Just came out — almost two hours long and full of good info. Should be some takeaways for everyone.

A couple of my takeaways from this very worthwhile discussion include NA’s future focus on vibration and the suggestion that a different network protocol is being considered. (This after my recent conversion to the Diretta cult…)

 

[jasond]

A couple of my takeaways from this very worthwhile discussion include NA’s future focus on vibration and the suggestion that a different network protocol is being considered. (This after my recent conversion to the Diretta cult…)

Ya it's interesting to see how things seem to progress. Over time I read some comments about performance improvements observed from users having a dedicated isolation to their Tempus or Muon Pro, but so far I have not really considered this much. So will be great when this get's addressed to a more intense level inside the product. Also software wise (as seen with HQPlayer or NAA protocol or Diretta etc.) I think we will see further performance gains/tweaks integrated more broadly.

 

[orange55]

Your Hi-Fi Questions: Answered by the Founders of Network Acoustics (Live 1:43:03)​

New video with NA founders about audio networks and related gear. Just came out — almost two hours long and full of good info. Should be some takeaways for everyone. At almost two hours, maybe one to save for the weekend.

Just watched this and very interesting to hear them speak about their philosophy and also how they spoke about the different approaches they tried that to their ears did not work. For example: optical links, externally clocking, linear power supplies!

I also liked that they spoke about the fact they try all other products on the market to compare.

Makes me think I am going to need to order a tempus and be prepared to sell my current switches, power supplies and external clock. Yes all the stuff they have said they have improved on and you don’t need.

 

[Three quid]

Very informative video. When they discuss power supplies, they claim that a high-quality SMPS is always superior to a linear power supply, assuming both are of similarly high quality. But what high-quality SMPS options are available besides their own? I don't know of any others out there, other than the lower end Ifi units. Or is this a marketing tactic for their Origin and Tempus?

 

[kennyb123]

Your Hi-Fi Questions: Answered by the Founders of Network Acoustics (Live 1:43:03)​

New video with NA founders about audio networks and related gear. Just came out — almost two hours long and full of good info. Should be some takeaways for everyone. At almost two hours, maybe one to save for the weekend.

Thanks for sharing the link. I’m only 30 minutes into it but am struggling to continue. The interviewers are asking questions that could be answered by anyone who has had success assembling a musically satisfying streaming-based system. No questions yet about what NA is doing that makes their products so well regarded. Grrr.

 

[agisthos]

I had to forward through all the babble by these hosts to get to NA's opinion on things.

To summarize, they do comparative testing. Their expectation and presumption was LPS is better. They had in all the major LPS out there. But for digital switches they eventually found a 4 stage SMPS filtering design was best. Each filtering stage is complex, slightly different.

For clocks, they found it wasn't so much the clock itself, more having a dedicated power supply feeding that clock.
As someone who beta tested a dozen different Oppo LPS and clock mods, I can confirm that one.

The next frontier of performance gain is the materials their switch and ethernet filters are housed in. They claim the casing can drastically effect the sound.

They did not talk about the Tempus design itself, which was disappointing.

 

[orange55]

Very informative video. When they discuss power supplies, they claim that a high-quality SMPS is always superior to a linear power supply, assuming both are of similarly high quality. But what high-quality SMPS options are available besides their own? I don't know of any others out there, other than the lower end Ifi units. Or is this a marketing tactic for their Origin and Tempus?

The SOtM power supplies are SMPS. I use to own the 500, but preferred the Plixir Elite balanced power supply, which is a linear power supply.

It left me with the desire to test their power supply. So maybe good marketing, I got the impression they were genuine when they spoke.

 

[Brucemck2]

The SOtM power supplies are SMPS. I use to own the 500, but preferred the Plixir Elite balanced power supply, which is a linear power supply.

It left me with the desire to test their power supply. So maybe good marketing, I got the impression they were genuine when they spoke.

I recently added one of these to my system and was so pleased that I ordered a second unit.

JS-4 Triple-Regulated Power Supply

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[DDgtt]

The Switch X is the most advanced switch I've heard. And stacked Switch X's are even better.

 

[Gunnar]

I have since early 2021 a Melco S100 modified by Pine Faun with two Farad Super3.

Any one knowing how my setup stands against the newer audiophile switches. I am thinking of upgrading the Super3 to Farads new Super6. Will see late this year or early next year. Can try and return if no improvement.

Except from the switch X maybe the new Dela S1 (ex Melco) also could be considered as one of the best. At least the price. Around 15 KEuro.

 

[DDgtt]

A Switch X is only $3,500.

 

[agisthos]

I have since early 2021 a Melco S100 modified by Pine Faun with two Farad Super3.

Any one knowing how my setup stands against the newer audiophile switches. I am thinking of upgrading the Super3 to Farads new Super6. Will see late this year or early next year. Can try and return if no improvement.

Except from the switch X maybe the new Dela S1 (ex Melco) also could be considered as one of the best. At least the price. Around 15 KEuro.

Very keen to know your comparison of the Farad 3 vs 6.

You use OePhi power cables with the Naim gear? How are they? You must be one of the few here to have that brands power cables.
I have a 272/555PS DR and use Nordost QB8/Heimdall 2 on it.

 

[kennyb123]

I had to forward through all the babble by these hosts to get to NA's opinion on things.

To summarize, they do comparative testing. Their expectation and presumption was LPS is better. They had in all the major LPS out there. But for digital switches they eventually found a 4 stage SMPS filtering design was best. Each filtering stage is complex, slightly different.

For clocks, they found it wasn't so much the clock itself, more having a dedicated power supply feeding that clock.
As someone who beta tested a dozen different Oppo LPS and clock mods, I can confirm that one.

The next frontier of performance gain is the materials their switch and ethernet filters are housed in. They claim the casing can drastically effect the sound.

Thanks for the summary. I had asked Copilot to provide a transcript but it couldn’t do that. Not sure if YouTube provides such a capability but it seems like it would be a killer feature when it comes to videos such as that one where the hosts enjoy hearing their own voices a bit too much.

They did not talk about the Tempus design itself, which was disappointing.

I figured that NA wouldn’t divulge much even if the hosts managed to ask a good question about it.

 

[RickyV]

A Switch X is only $3,500.

Hi
It looks like that the dejitterit products are an off the shelf switch and WiFi unit smartly configured and probably modified sw. Is that correct? The NA and Xact switches are built from the ground up, hardware and the software configuration configured for audio use.
Has the switch x been reviewed in comparison to other audio switches?