One switch, two switches, then a clock: “Stand By Me” in a repeatable sequence

A familiar song at the close of a trilogy

Ben E. King, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller wrote “Stand By Me.” Dominique Fils-Aimé sings this version, with Jacques Roy responsible for the string and brass arrangements, production, mixing and engineering. Their work reshapes a familiar song for the world of Three Little Words.¹

Three Little Words closes Fils-Aimé’s trilogy tracing blues, jazz and soul. Its final chapter moves toward light, empathy and self-healing after the darker ground of the earlier albums. That context gives the cover a purpose beyond familiarity: a song about steadfast presence sits inside an album concerned with love as a way through difficulty.¹

This comparison used the 12 February 2021 Ensoul release at 88.2 kHz/24-bit.¹

Three configurations, one repeatable sequence

The comparison centres on the Aurender NH10 and MC10. HzProject’s HzCORE music server, HzBRIDGE Roon Bridge and HzRouter supported the playback environment. In the two-NH10 states, one unit faced the router and Internet; an Aurender-supplied 10G-rated SFP+ cable assembly linked it to the second NH10 on the downstream audio network. A dCS Rossini APEX Player and Vivaldi Clock handled the digital front end and are also used for HiFi Immersion YouTube channel editing. Boulder 1110 and 1151 amplification drove YG Acoustics Summit loudspeakers.²³⁴⁵

HFI settled on thirty-second comparison windows after reviewing relevant psychoacoustic research, balancing enough time for musical context, spatial cues and decay with a short enough interval to compare adjacent states.

After a short opening, the video presents the same thirty-second region with one NH10, two NH10s and two NH10s plus MC10, then returns to one NH10 before moving to the next region. Three musical regions receive that treatment, and the final twelve seconds use the two-switch-plus-clock state.

Returning to the first state makes the sequence easy to revisit. Where you place your attention is entirely your choice; use the return to hear whether whatever first caught your ear is still there.

How the clock connections fit together

The NH10 has separate network-port groups, SFP connectivity and a 50-ohm 10 MHz master-clock input. The MC10 uses a rubidium module and provides separate 50- and 75-ohm clock outputs, with connector impedance selected to match the receiving device. In this session, both NH10 units and the dCS Vivaldi Clock received their reference from the MC10.²³

A practical way to compare

The playback level remains fixed through the sequence. Let the music lead the first pass. If a moment catches your ear, the chapter markers make it easy to return to it in each state.

Captured for the sweet spot

HFI recorded the system at HzProject in Yongin on 7 July 2026. The DPA-4011 pair was positioned precisely for the sweet-spot sound, with a laser distance meter used to set the microphones’ distance from the loudspeakers. The microphones fed a Zoom F8n Pro through Vertere microphone cables at 192 kHz/32-bit float.

With the room and capture chain held steady, the video lets the three labelled configurations unfold from the same listening perspective.