English Electric 8Switch

A little sceptical at first that it could make that much of a difference but wow! The issues I was having with a lack of dynamics and bass when listening at low levels completely disappeared. A fantastic upgrade to your streaming network. I use it with Chord C-Stream cables (It’s supplied with one) and a Chord Epic streaming cable into a Linn streamer. Don’t hesitate, get one.

The English Electric ethernet switch replaced our stock name brand eight-port switch and the expected improvement was incremental because how much can a hub do in the grand scheme of an entire networked streaming system? In fact, the difference was instantly noticeable with a ridiculous improvement in fine-level detail, improved timbral information and an overall sense of having been moved to a better table, closer to the band. The EE switch, along with Chord Co's superb Ethernet cables, is now considered a requisite part of any high-resolution music-streaming system we install.

The New 8Switch from English Electric (Chord Cables) is the new Necessity (not accessory) in our shop for any of our clients who are taking Hi-Res streaming seriously!

The English Electric 8Switch partnered with the Chord network cables were a major upgrade to my system. Providing a darker background and a crisp live sound, revealed a surprise and delightful reduction of prior network noise being muddled into my sound system via traditional network switches and cables.

I’ve been in the HiFi business long enough to know that nearly everything you touch in your system can either make things better or worse in musical terms. The best thing you can do is try to remain open minded and let your ears (and body) convey what is happening. At one time I was skeptical of the ability of ‘Audiophile’ Ethernet cables to make a meaningful difference but extended listening indicates that indeed they do and the benefits can be astonishing. The English Electric 8Switch doesn’t necessarily impress when you first take it out of the box — it’s solidly built to be sure, but at the end of the day it’s just a network switch — or is it? Like premium Ethernet cables, this is one of those products that needs to be heard to be believed and ultimately understood. After just a few listening comparisons, the effects of having the 8Switch in your network path are undeniable. Phrasing of instruments becomes so much easier to comprehend. Musical transients and dynamics are also greatly enhanced, giving the listener a front row seat as opposed to sitting in the Mezzanine level. Instruments are given their proper space to breathe and express themselves, producing a much wider and deeper sound field. Being a former musician I believe that timing is everything in music. As good as I thought my system already was at this discipline, the 8Switch improved timing by at least a factor of two. There is an undeniable sense of togetherness that is present when the 8Switch is injected into the signal path. Take it away and you’ll find your foot is no longer happily tapping away to the beat of the music. After hearing such improvements, I find it useful to go back to square one to either confirm or deny any perceived findings. In my view, removal of the 8Switch from your system forces the computing power of your brain to fill in the missing pieces. At 53 years old, my brain is still pretty sharp but I’d rather leave this task to the 8Switch. Dynamics become crushed and phrasing becomes smeared like peanut butter on a stale pieces of bread. This is truly one of those upgrades that you do not want to ever take away from your system, especially at such a modest price. In summary, there are few upgrades for a networked audio system that are as easy to install and hear an immediate and meaningful improvement.