Value of audiophile network switches

Since you are a scientist you should presumably accept that human bias is likely to be present in all those uncontrolled listening reports that you refer to. Or was there a controlled study of this that I missed?

No-one is immune from expectation and confirmation bias, even if they’re fully aware that these biases exist. Occam’s Razor says this is the most likely explanation for what people are hearing, given there is – at least currently – no evidence for any objective difference in the DAC output depending on whether a generic switch or a so-called audiophile switch is used.

The scientific process would involve presenting an alternative hypothesis as to why these differences might be observed and then developing tests to disprove or add weight to that hypothesis. Simply saying “I [and others] hear it so it must be real” is not in itself science, and does not mean that current science is inadequate to explain what’s going on. It is an informal observation, nothing more or less.

I’m not arguing about what you hear or trying to tell you you’re wrong, but your subjective experience with or without an audiophile switch is not really of any significance either to me or to the science of the matter unless it’s based on a properly controlled test.

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Expectation bias, yawn. I expected nothing when I plugged in CISCO 2960, I fell off my chair.

Many other similar experiences. Round in circles, getting like MQA.

Do you need a test to prove the sun comes every day? A test to prove that you’re happy? You test, I’ll listen.

It’s the others I worry about, missing out because of flat earther browbeating- shame

As a scientist do a controlled blind A B test, then we can start talking. Until then:

01001110 01101111 00100000 01010000 01110010 01101111 01101111 01100110 00100000 01100101 01110001 01110101 01100001 01101100 01110011 00100000 01101001 01110100 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01110000 01110011 01111001 01100011 01101000 01101111 01100001 01100011 01101111 01110101 01110011 01110100 01101001 01100011 01110011

No, but see

He wrote that if he were to assert, without offering proof, that a teapot, too small to be seen by telescopes, orbits the Sun somewhere in space between the Earth and Mars, he could not expect anyone to believe him solely because his assertion could not be proven wrong.

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For those who care – and I suspect many don’t – the English Electric switch is a modified Silent Angel, a.k.a. Bonn N8.

It is actually the same as a ZYXEL GS-108B v3, and many many more.

ThunderData is a small OEM manufacturer in Guangdong, China. They designed a basic switch. Here is the board. It is pretty simple, nothing fancy, probably not more than about $30 assembled.
They also offer it in a nicer case to other manufacturers, still with exact same circuits and clock. Here it is as the Nuprime Omnia SW-8 at €499
“NuPrime licenses Omnia SW-8 from Thunder Data Co. Ltd., maker of Bonn N8. Omnia SW-8 differs from Bonn N8 with an upgraded low noise power supply and aluminum chassis”
And then as here it is branded by English Electric as the 8Switch
£450 (note currency change & difference) but ships with a 0.75m C-Stream cable worth £40.

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Is the value of audiophile switches referring to sonic benefits relating to the listening experience or the monetary worth of the sonic benefits or the issue of are there any benefits at all? Probably should have three threads here.

My listening experience is enhanced and not by a small margin.

As to the monetary worth that’s a bit difficult to put a finger on but I have spend more on power cords with less benefit than the switches.

Seriously, it you try the SOtM or Uptone or English Electric switch and don’t find it helps then I am sorry for you. Then its just not right for your system. It was wrong of me to suggest you find another hobby, if you enjoy this one then enjoy it however you do. However I am sorry for you for what your missing. Deny it as furiously as you want but a lot of folks do hear the benefits I hear. Not everything can be explained.

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It could be your system is properly designed and deals with any interference correctly thus not needing expensive add on’s in the first instance.
Just saying…

Some may do. The relevance of this has only become “public knowledge” recently. The cat is out of the bag. Same thing with quality PSs, suddenly DIYer can approach top end stuff without spending huge amounts. The same applies to add ons. Systems that do benefit include Meridian…

Oh, this is golden. Thank you PeterD. So you pay 450 euros for a nice case and then it sounds better. Great example of phychoacoustics. ie. it sounds better, because you want it to sound better.

Nothing wrong with that though. I have some nice interconnect cables, because they look good and that makes me feel nice, but if it cannot be proven in a controlled blind AB test, it is psychoacoustics.

Can you confirm what % benefit you hear?
Did you change all switches in your network, did you upgrade your router?

I’m thinking of putting a direct feed in to my kit from the router, I guess I just have a separate switch at the end of that for my Roon core and streamer?

Or would a better option be to feed the switch via optical, but them what benefit does the switch provide?

I found this which is worth a watch

Its part of this thread

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So, you can hear a difference even though it’s been pointed out that the 8Switch is just a rebadged basic switch that probably costs around $30 to manufacture. I don’t think there’s anything here that needs denying, furiously or otherwise.

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So, you actually get a higher quality switch with Ubiquity Unifi series or Cisco etc and still pay one fourth of the those Audiophile switches.

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Took you a loooooong time

Since switches are cheap cheap, and Cat6 or 7 is cheap cheap and you can get an LPS cheap cheap

Give it a go, you’ll have spent (cheap cheap)x3
And have had a bit of fun

To me, that’s one of the great things about HiFi

Everything does something

If you enjoy it, great
If you get better SQ greater

Er, it’s a hobby

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What did you do during lockdown?
I spent 30 quid and had a lovely time
And it sounds better (yes, really)

This is such a good post.

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Phil,

Its hard to put a percent. I haven’t found the time or desire to pull 2 switches out and try each individually and then try the permutations of combinations of 1, 2 or 3 switches in various orders.

I first added the Etherregen and honesty did not appreciate a huge change but I was using regular Cat 5 cables. Shortly after I had an opportunity to get a used SOtM sNH 10G with sCLK and a dCBL CAT 7 an ISO CAT 6 LAN filter and 2 SOtM cables. When I added that it was an immediate Yeah that’s better moment. Those cables are amazing and since then I purchased another dCBL Cat 7. I can’t say whats happening but I appreciate lower noise, blacker background, more musically pleasing audio. The low end is more detailed and present, notes are better delineated. Its just better. Since then I added fiber between the two switches, its certainly no worse with fiber but again I don’t have the desire to try it back with ethernet cables. I cant say which switch is making the biggest improvement, I think there is a synergy with the different switches.

Since then I added the 8Switch, and honestly I was expecting to send it back. I initially was thinking of putting it between the Etherregen and the home router to reduce noise sent to the Etherregen. It was good there but I found putting it between the SOtM and my Innous Statement benefited the local playback from the Statement as the Statement is a Roon endpoint and the Core is on an Antipodes Core music server. The Statement sends the local file thru the 8Switch and thru the SOtM to the Antipodes Core for processing and then back the same route to the Statement and then out to the DAC. I listen to a lot of Tidal and Qobuz and it definitely brings it closer to local playback.

I also added a Network Acoustics ENO Ag Ethernet filter and can’t say enough about how much I like it.

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Hilarious! Stephen, but fear not, I’m not trolling at all, I agree with your findings

Having said that, many will google what you’ve done and poop themselves :grin:

However, as I said before; it’s a hobby. I expect most here will have a few switches and some spare Catx cable

Give it a go… nothing (or a few €$¥£) to try
No result, no loss and a bit of hobby fun
Some result, maybe investigate

It’s a hobby - I don’t need to preach or be preached at, and nobody went hungry or died

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