English Electric EE8 Audio Switch incl. C-Stream Cable

English Electric by Chord: The EE 8 switch

Why a separate switch for audio?

There is a belief in the world of music streaming that digital signals are inherently immune to error - but it's not quite that simple - even the most hardened digital skeptic will be surprised at what can be achieved with an audio-adapted Ethernet switch can be achieved.

Listening to streamed music isn't just about measurements and raw numbers. These elements play an important role in product development, especially in an IT environment. Music lovers primarily decide how it sounds...

The 8-Switch from English Electric (a brand of Chord Company) is an 8-port GbE Ethernet switch customized and modified to meet the specific requirements of high-performance music streaming networks.

Features and Benefits:

Eight audio-grade 100/1000 Base-T Gigabit Ethernet ports enable connection to even the most demanding streaming setups. There are significant and audible improvements when playing stored music from NAS systems and streaming services.

The EE 8 switch has shielding against low and high frequency electrical interference and thus ensures optimal data exchange. This is particularly important when playing high-resolution music.

Powered by a customized TCXO (Temperature Compensation Crystal Oscillator), the accuracy is 0.1 ppm* - far higher than normal crystals, and higher than a normal oscillator. This allows the 8-Switch to generate network signals with higher accuracy, which in turn contributes to more stable music data transmission.

The power supply and clock generation circuits each have two electrical noise isolation circuits to ensure stable network signals. An EMI (Electromagnetic Interference) absorber helps further reduce the noise of the digital circuit.

Compare the increased performance and jitter measurement (90% less!) of the 8-Switch compared to that of a commonly available network switch.

The machined aluminum housing provides excellent protection against noise or RF radiation.

The minimal LED display on the front shows the power, connection status and speed for each of the eight ports.

The power supply is designed to reduce electrical interference from the switching power supply while minimizing the impact of power quality on the network signals. It also features high energy efficiency, no-load power consumption less than 0.075W, and easy protection against short circuit, overload and over-voltage.

The scope of delivery also includes a C-Stream network cable from Chord Company in a length of 0.75m.

Switches require high-speed power supplies, so one could not opt for a linear power source due to their speed limitations. As a solution, the current signal was improved by using an extremely high quality converter supply. This clean supply enables an optimal quality network signal powered by highly accurate TCXO clock technology.

Experience a new dimension in music streaming with the English Electric EE 8 switch and immerse yourself in a world of sound precision and quality like never before.