Good mid-price audiophile switches

[Adco]

Just place an order for the Silent Switch Extreme version without any LPS inside. However, the switch is powered by Firebird (another Ediscreation LPS). Make the two things ie switch and Firebird LPS as a package.
Eager to know the performance in the system as the Silent Switch will be the third switch in the present system.

Has this come in yet?… I’m very interested as to how this works out
I have a standard Fibre Box between my Innuos server and my Auralic digital stack and it’s an excellent piece . Having the Fibre box in this position does seem to make my basic Innuos Zenith III a better server, or should I say it feels (sounds) like a typical sonic gain from a better server. The thing I can say with absolution is when I change ethernet cables from the Fibre Box to the Auralic Aries G2.1 I can immediately hear a difference . More apparent than if the Box was not there. I like this bonus a lot.

My hope is that with the same combo you have ordered I’d receive more of the same . I guess I just wanted someone to jump in the water first on this one .

If I do this I’d move the normal Fibre Box II into the position between a 40’ run of Wireworld Starlight cable and whole house router…. It would look like this:

~Cable company router/modem >
~Wireworld starlight 40’ >
~Fibrebox II >
~Wireworld starlight 3’ >
~Ediscreation switch ( used for several devices)>
~AudioQuest Diamond ethernet 6’>
~ Innuos Zenith III
~ AudioQuest Diamond 3’>
~Fibre Box Extreme with Firebird LPS >
-Shunyata Sigma ethernet 6’ >
-Auralic Aries G2.1/ Vega G2.1

anyway, please report back when you have implemented this …. Please and thank you

 

[Redwoodaudio]

It made the music sound fuller and more corporeal so to speak.

Purchased the standard SilentSwitch from Ediscreation on tip from this forum, received it yesterday, popped it into my system replacing a standard d-link switch, and I'd fully agree with the above description. One of my favorite high-value upgrades!

 

[Golum]

One of my favorite high-value upgrades!

Which makes two of us with the same sentiment... ;-)

 

[CKKeung]

I posted a thread earlier on WBF :

Ediscreation's Firebird LPS - Another splash for CAS audiophiles

Ediscreation Audio has been in business in Hong Kong for nearly 10 yrs, a branch of N&E Audio. Edison Wong, the designer-owner is a friend of mine. He is an electrical engineer by training and worked parttime for his audio products in the past. Now that the business of Ediscreation is thriving...

www.whatsbestforum.com

IMHO the Ediscreation Firebird LPS is my favourite audiophile LPS in the market currently.

Edison is always willing to tailor-make for clients, such as omitting the internal linear powersupply section of the FiberboxII and his switches and install dc inputs on them.
Clients can then drive them with the top Firebird LPS.
The Firebird's remaining dc output can be used for the modem.

Not cheap but I think this is the best config/arrangement currently.

 

[AMR / iFi audio]

If I were to choose, I would use something with an SFP port to use an optical connection to the streamer (or as much as possible) to isolate noise home network from the audio setup.
Lots of folks use optical converters powered by an LPS. Or, you can use a streamer that already has the optical input built in, like the Neo Stream.

 

[WilsonDaDa]

Has this come in yet?… I’m very interested as to how this works out

Share the last week home visit experience first.
The host's system already got Ediscreation Swtich OCOX and Firebox II.
Modem and router are oringinally powered by a Taiwanese LPS. The host buy a Firebird LPS and connect it to the modem and router.
The difference is hearable. Besides the darkness and quietness, the Firebird is much more clear in midrange, low range and bass. The bass gets more power. It is hard to imagine how this happens by replacing different LPS.
At the same time, we compare the perfomance of palying CD and streaming Qobuz.....With the use of Firebird, streaming is quite close to CD.
The host immediately ordered his second Firebird LPS and sent the switch and firebox back to Edison for upgrading the switch to Extreme version and removing both built-in LPSs to prepare for the second Firebird LPS coming.

 

[WilsonDaDa]

The switch came to the system for almost 2 weeks. The Silent switch is added on top of the existing 2 Clones Switches (which are also now fed by the Firebird LPS) . Since no attempt to run the Silent switch alone and the Silent Switch is modified and powered by an external LPS, Firebird, the experience is quite unique.
The switch makes the improvement in overall performance, like the darkness, the quietness and details and of course more analog type of sound.
To get further improvement, the DC cable between the Firebird LPS and the Silent switch has been upgraded to Extreme DC Cable (also designed and produced by Edison). The material of DC cable is 7N copper. The change in DC cable makes the vocal more 3 dimensional and different instruments more separated in a musical way.

 

[vert]

I’ve tried a couple of audiophile switches. A $2400 one, and a modded Cisco unit.

They both alter the timing of the music. I can’t put my finger on it, but I didn’t like it. It’s like a stereo cable or fuse in the wrong direction.

I read a user review of the Melco that said the same. Like the switch is adding space in the music.

I‘m going to try a Nordost Qnet or Innuos Phoenix and hope this isn’t a universal sound with switches.

 

[CKKeung]

I’ve tried a couple of audiophile switches. A $2400 one, and a modded Cisco unit.

They both alter the timing of the music. I can’t put my finger on it, but I didn’t like it. It’s like a stereo cable or fuse in the wrong direction.

I read a user review of the Melco that said the same. Like the switch is adding space in the music.

I‘m going to try a Nordost Qnet or Innuos Phoenix and hope this isn’t a universal sound with switches.

Hi Vert,
Both Nordost Qnet and Innuos Phoenix do not belong to the category of mid-price switches, particularly the former, because once you buy one, it will be extremely difficult not to get the Qsource powersupply as well.


BTW have you tried the Ediscreation OCXO Silent switches?

 

[vert]

Hi Vert,
Both Nordost Qnet and Innuos Phoenix do not belong to the category of mid-price switches, particularly the former, because once you buy one, it will be extremely difficult not to get the Qsource powersupply as well.


BTW have you tried the Ediscreation OCXO Silent switches?

Hi CKKeung,

I haven't tried Ediscreation. It looks interesting along with the LHY.

But I will try a few more switches (including the Qnet with a good power supply) and hopefully what I heard before isn't a common sound with switches.

I also noticed with the switches I tried there was loss of decay of notes and ambient cues. The switches were cutting off frequencies.

 

[vert]

I’m currently using an etherstream 2.

It’s very musical.

I prefer it over another switch that costs 6x more.

I think these switches do have a sound signature, and they have to be left on all the time.

 

[FredM]

Nice to share, the Dutch news and review site ‘Alpha Audio’ has scheduled a multi test next week (Sunday 18 december). In a English live stream, they will compare 9 switches! (normal and audiophile switches).

The livestream is likely added here:

https://www.youtube.com/@TheAlphaAudio/streams

In preparation various measurements are taken, from the switches and power supplies. It’s gonna be interesting. On their FB page they share insights in the preparation, I think more info on the site will follow shortly (www.alpha-audio.net)

 

[vert]

Both Nordost Qnet and Innuos Phoenix do not belong to the category of mid-price switches, particularly the former, because once you buy one, it will be extremely difficult not to get the Qsource powersupply as well.

Qnet uses a LEMO connector right? So you'd have to get the Qsource.

Or buy a Nordost LEMO to 2.5mm DC cable (to use with your own LPS).

Etherstream2 is quite good right now, so no rush for me to spend that money.

 

[FredM]

Nice to share, the Dutch news and review site ‘Alpha Audio’ has scheduled a multi test next week (Sunday 18 december). In a English live stream, they will compare 9 switches! (normal and audiophile switches).

The livestream is likely added here:

https://www.youtube.com/@TheAlphaAudio/streams

In preparation various measurements are taken, from the switches and power supplies. It’s gonna be interesting. On their FB page they share insights in the preparation, I think more info on the site will follow shortly (www.alpha-audio.net)

Here you go, the multi switch live test announcement:

Alpha Audio - Huge Live & Blind Switch test – 18-12-2022 – 10:30 CET

Over the past few months, we’ve been investigating network switches. What is it that makes us hear (or think we hear?) differences? Data? Power supply differences? Noise? We bought some addit…

alpha-audio.net

A mix of 11 products will be covered this Sunday (see link above of the contenders). This live test will generate the listening findings: combined with the measurements an overall review article/summary will be published afterwards.

By sharing the actual listening test online enables viewers to have a listen them selves in full transparency. It’s possible to watch and compare live or watch the recording at a later moment. I reckon it will be a long session

 

[Blackmorec]

A few things to bear in mind when evaluating switches:
1. When you add a switch, you are also adding at least 1 cable, a power supply and of course internal and external vibration. Any difference in SQ is a combination of the switch and all the above.
2. Switches, Ethernet and DC cables and power supplies all need to burn in, sometimes for considerable periods. Before they are fully conditioned, the SQ will contain all sorts of anomalies like frequency aberrations that cause extra sibilance or boomy, over emphasised bass.
3. The order of components makes a big difference. A network stream from modem to DAC is regenerated several times and each regeneration carries a sonic signature. If your network is based on a series of improving specifications (power supplies, clocks, cables, vibration control), it will condition the stream that results in improved SQ. If the reverse is true and components are arbitrarily arranged, then SQ becomes very unpredictable. For example, if your router uses a high quality LPS and the next component uses a cheap SMPS, you’ll loose most of the LPS’s good qualities. Likewise if you feed a 10ppM accurately timed stream into a device with a 100ppB clock, you’ll hear an improvement. Reverse the order and the 100ppB clock is wasted.

 

[_Alchemist_]

For those already owning an Ediscreation switch, I highly recommend the addition of Edison Fiberbox.
It made a huge improvement, much bigger than the addition of the switch.
I can turn down the volume on my amplifer by at least 5 db and achieve similar levels.
The SNR ratio and dynamic range greatly improved, the sound is much cleaner and much more transparent.
It really is a big improvement.
I placed it between my modem/router and Ediscreation switch, following Edison's advice.

I compared the switch to the Melco s100 and at the time, I wasn't impressed by it, even with the adot fiber kit.
I found the Ediscreation switch to be a better value.
I think the combination now is beating the Melco hands down.

 

[CKKeung]

Ediscreation FIBER BOX II​

Fiber box II – Ediscreation

 

[Golum]

I believe @Thundersnow has to say something about that one as he added Fiberbox few weeks ago and results are even more pronounced then with switch (in positive way of course)

 

[Thundersnow]

Well, the main thing I can say is that the Fiberbox indeed simply enhances on whatever were the good aspects of the switch to begin with — namely that it adds life and body to streaming music. So a noticeable and a welcome stacking effect. However, the improvement as compared to adding the switch in the system is less pronounced (to be expected but still worth noting).

 

[pjwd]

Well, the main thing I can say is that the Fiberbox indeed simply enhances on whatever were the good aspects of the switch to begin with — namely that it adds life and body to streaming music. So a noticeable and a welcome stacking effect. However, the improvement as compared to adding the switch in the system is less pronounced (to be expected but still worth noting).

Thundersnow
Did you try the fibrebox on its own and if so what was the better of the 2
Thanks
Phil