Reviews and Awards

‘..better to eliminate, or at least minimise, noise before it gets to the DAC, which is where this noise suppressor comes in’

‘Overall, music appears to emerge from a blacker background, making this a desirable accessory for any digital audio enthusiast.’

Hi-Fi Choice

‘Where some isolators just cut noise, the EE1 had more cards up its sleeve. The English Electric EE1 is a little marvel. It makes a lot of sense, and  it makes sense of your music.’

Alan Sircom, Hi-Fi+

‘As we know in the hi-fi game, it’s often the cumulative effect of the little things that can make the biggest difference’

‘In many ways the EE1 is like so many devices in today’s modern age, whereby you don’t realise you need it until you try living without one!’

Audiograde

Konklusjon Dette har vært noen interessante dager! Mest fordi forskjellene etter min mening er såpass tydelig hørbare, men også fordi forskjellene ikke gikk i den retningen jeg trodde eller hadde forventet. Den økningen i oppløsning, detaljer, presisjon og til og med dypere bass (!) som jeg har fått beskrevet av andre som har testet denne enheten uteble, og ble erstattet av et mindre anstrengt, glattere og mer naturlig klingende lydbilde. Jeg synes den fjerner mer eller mindre av det jeg, i mangel av andre ord, her velger å kalle for knitter og følelsen av knust glass i lydbildet.

Hvordan kan et skarve dataprodukt gi en forskjell på lydkvaliteten? Vi var skeptiske, men tenkte at det kunne være moro likevel. Virker det ikke er det ikke store greiene å returnere, men skaffer oss litt ny erfaring. Stereo+ 08/2020: «Dette har vært noen interessante dager! Mest fordi forskjellene etter min mening er såpass tydelig hørbare, men også fordi forskjellene ikke gikk i den retningen jeg trodde eller hadde forventet. Jeg synes den fjerner mer eller mindre av det jeg, i mangel av andre ord, her velger å kalle for knitter og følelsen av knust glass i lydbildet. Kjører du et kablet nettverk hjemme er både prisen og størrelsen på produktet såpass hyggelig at det er veldig enkelt å få testet ut i hjemlige omgivelser – noe du selvsagt alltid bør gjøre med remedier som denne. Vi tror likevel den blir stående.

The EE 8Switch was a most welcome late arrival to this review party. Realistically priced, it really did deliver on its promise of better wired network sound. Careful design, matched with great build quality and finish, plus fine value for money, means it gets a HIFICRITIC Best Buy rating from me.

It may have English Electric on the case but the 8Switch has the key characteristics associated with Chord cables, namely great timing and coherence, which are crucial to making reproduced music sound realistic and enjoyable in the home. Add to this its conveniently compact size and high quality fit and finish and you have a product that anyone with a streaming source will find enhances their light entertainment. The fact that it has so little competition means that the English Electric brand could once more become a household name, at least among audio enthusiasts.

The single most important aspect of the 8Switch’s performance is that it passes every test of network stability I can throw at it. If it comes to pass that you need to attach a printer to it as well, that will continue to work normally. Happily, there are some sonic advantages too. In keeping with all ancillary hardware of this nature, the English Electric is not capable of altering the fundamental tonal balance of a hi-fi setup. If you are unhappy with the basic overall performance of your system, this is not a device that will do much to change its overall presentation. What it does do, very effectively is eke a little more performance from any equipment that’s attached to it.

Jason Kennedy felt that, “Going from a Cisco Catalyst 2960 S1 to the 8Switch resulted in a considerable increase in high-frequency detail and better timing.” He also said, “The degree to which the upper end of the spectrum was cleaned up was quite a revelation, making the tone of voices and instruments far more appealing. It also opened up the soundstage really nicely, increasing its scale and depth.”