Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion HiFi & HT Chat Audiophile switches

"Audiophile" switches seem to be a new growth area and hot topic. There are now specialist switches from UpTone EtherRegen, Melco, English Electric (Chord) and Ansuz. Has anyone here tried any of them?

There was a thread on them a couple of months ago - here - well worth reading.

Just have a look at the bloodbath threads on the Roon forum concerning such devices.

Thanks for the link to an interesting thread. I have not migrated further to the Room forum discussion which sounds as though it has taken on epic proportions. Perhaps ncpl could offer a summary and conclusion?

I make two assumptions: 1. the digital signal as such remains uncorrupted but re-clocking can help produce less noisy processing at a later stage. 2. the ethernet signal from the router does not just include the signal but also includes noise and vibration which causes problems for subsequent equipment. I am happy to accept that I may be wrong on both counts.

I now have a Cisco 2960 on order but as it is second-hand the outlay is very modest. How much better an audiophile switch would be I have no idea; and of course that would cost significantly more.

You wrote this while I was typing a reply to 3ditOr. Without putting you to great trouble, could you provide a brief summary and conclusion? Your description makes the length and content sound intimidating!

I don’t think anyone yet understands how such things work, if they do work, so all bets are probably off on that score - one can speculate but not really know as such. Audio Science Review tested one such device, an Uptone Audio EtherRegen which did nothing at all in terms of measurements compared to a cheap generic switch. Of course, the guy may not have been measuring the right thing, etc. or it could be that the Uptone Audio one just isn’t a good one - they don’t have a very good track record, IMHO - when Stereophile tested their USBRegen it raised the PSU noise floor of the Meridian Prime it was feeding instead of lowering it, along with other issues.

Like cables, these tweaks are more along the lines of something you have to trust your ears on, I think. Also like cables, I’d personally want a return policy so I could listen for a month or two and let my ears decide, especially on some of the more expensive audiophile switches now appearing. Decent cable companies (e.g., Russ Andrews) provide this service (and by the way, I fall into the cable “believer” camp, if you want to put it that way, despite my reservations on the above measurements).

Andrew Everard has been experimenting with fibre converters to isolate the audio gear from the main network re: any noise transmission for years now, which I think is worth a read before you buy anything expensive.If you go down this road, make sure to replace the switch mode PSUs for the converters with linear PSUs - he has recommendations in the comments section of that article).

Anecdotally, I’ve heard the Cisco you bought is excellent and been meaning to try one myself. Again Andrew Everard has migrated from the above fibre converter setup to this Cisco setup with a fibre converter add-on module. You may be able to get hold of one for yours if you need a further tweak.

Lastly I note he’s tried to deal with vibration by using some damping material. In my experience, this can make a difference to any audio equipment (Meridian gear is particularly good at coming ready-damped - another sign of thoughtful engineering) so it wouldn’t surprise me if this made a small difference if the switch is near enough to the audio system to be subject to the vibrations in the room made by the system playing.

Have fun playing. Interested to hear whether you think the Cisco in its standard form makes a difference.

P.S., iirc, one of the key differences from ID40 to ID41 was to mitigate noise being transmitted from the Ethernet line into the endpoint. If memory serves, Meridian had experimented to good effect with ferrite beads in the bespoke SpeakerLink cables which came with the Anniversary system and then it was decided it would be worthwhile incorporating noise reduction strategies into the design for the ID41.

So you may be trying to deal with something which has already been dealt with, as it were.

Brief summary of the debate:

All the same as any debate ever had on power cables, conditioners, signal cables, etc

Group A get a piece of kit and experience some effect in their system. They share this experience and aren't especially knowledgeable about the science of why it does or doesn't work. They are armed with marketing info only and don't possess a laboratory of equipment that can justify or explain their experience.

Group B generally have never used said item. They don't believe the marketing and fall back on oft-used lines are dispute ranging from 'bits are bits...end of' to 'Group A are deluded idiots and suffer from bias and all sorts of mental illness.'

All quite unsatisfactory. Threads full of bullies and intellectual snobs and a ton of Dunning-Kruger in both camps. Always the same people that jump over all these threads.

A moderators PITA. They all get locked or closed in the end as people generally just cannot debate in a civil manner and no-one wants to learn from the other side.

If you lean towards either group A or B in your general approach to this hobby you will tend to rate that camp more favourably.

I bought mine from Carrefour; sounds exactly the same as when it was plugged into the router.

Neil

Thanks for such a detailed and interesting reply. After only a brief listen to the second-hand Cisco I am so impressed that I do not feel an itch to spend large sums on an audiophile version. I have not tried installing it with a special power cord nor have I given it any acoustic isolation and I have not gone to the bother of ordering an external linear PSU. These are all possibilities for the future but for now my sights are on reading up about Roon and trying Tidal with the ID41 connection.

Yes, you may be right. But, so far, I have only heard the effects of the Cisco through the USB input. I look forward to trying the ID41 soon.

I think I can identify with your Group A, especially the bit about not being especially knowledgeable. And I have just reported the improvements I hear when using the Cisco. They have been so impressive that I do not feel inclined at present to spend large sums on an audiophile version. But I am open to persuasion. And I would be interested to hear more from people who own audiophile switches.