At this juncture of the narrative, reader Michael Fanning checked in. "I noted that you're currently reviewing Fidelizer's Etherstream switch. You'll recall that I wrote you with some disappointment that SOtM hadn't sent you theirs. Anyway, two friends of mine, one in the U.S. and one in the Netherlands, both purchased a Chinese switch with Teutonic-sounding name: the Bonn N8 aka Silent Angel which you mention in the opening page of your Etherstream review. Given the relatively low price compared to other audiophile switches and the accolades by my friends and a few Dutch reviews I read online, I went ahead and purchased one. Wow, what a surprise. I never thought a switch could make that much of a difference. Punchier lows, smoother vocals, more coherent soundstaging etc. I have only had the unit for a few days and my Dutch friend says his unit got better over time. I also saw that Keetakawee recommends about 200 hours for Etherstream. So my Bonn N8 might actually get better still. I look forward to your review. This is a space where previously I had thought that the 0 and 1 of the digital realm didn't really matter. Obviously they do. Cheers."

Streaming Qobuz.

As anticipated, the precision reclocking of our Soundaware D300Ref USB bridge—it generates parallel not serial data with discrete clock lines output as I²S over HDMI—rendered Fidelizer's contributions inaudible. I had to bypass that far costlier machine to connect our DAC USB direct to our music iMac. Now I had traction from boots on the ground.

I of course haven't the foggiest whether what I now heard mirrored in scale and importance what Michael had heard. It simply seemed to track in kind. Soundstage cues on depth of field for more specific layer assignation refined. Leading edges had slightly better definition. As always, those aspects caused gains in perceived focus and articulation. With them, separation bettered. Things remained more discrete and individuated rather than blended or blurred into each other when mixes grew thick with interlocking lines. None of it related to frequency response, tonal balance or any expansion/shrinkage of the virtual stage. Rather, it revolved on timing. Tunes felt just a tad snappier to be rhythmically more assured. One might say that in the domain of beats and grooves, the contrast ratio improved. Put casually, think of various time keepers more fully awake. Musicians call it playing in the pocket. Here the Fidelizer worked like a pocket protector.

Naturally, my gains from returning to our D300Ref massively overshadowed the minor gains of inserting the Fidelizer between CAT5 cable end and iMac RJ45 port. But few own such a high-end USB reclocker with super-cap power supply. It's for the vast majority who trust in Electric Avenue routers and switches direct to network streamers that Keetakawee's modified Cisco switch elevates sonics as their point of contact with the outside world of the Internet. Now a $395 sticker becomes an investment on par perhaps with an upgraded power cord or two. And that seems perfectly in line with the Etherstream's sonic payback.