Audio Grade Ethernet Cable

The concept of what I wrote above is in no way exclusive to the audio industry.

So much misinformation about networks, and how they work. There are almost no differences in Cat cables, the difference is the bandwith that they work on, the higher the Cat rating, usually the higher quality of cable. However, there are good cables and bad cables of every category.  For streaming, a simple C5 cable is fine. A certified cable are the ones to get, these are tested for their cat ratings. Most of my cables come from years of working in/around data centers. But Blue Jeans are great cables you can trust. 

Streaming 16/44 takes around 5mb of bandwith, with all the overhead. A simple network can handle it, and then some. LTE phone data can do it. Usually on normal networks there is around 5mb of general overheard, like DNS, DHCP, handshakes, routing tables, etc...

There is no noise on ethernet, it's a packet transfer in the digital domain, there is no place for noise. If noise is coming through your cat cables you have crap equiptment, or another issue.  There is noise on cheap wall warts, and of course WiFi is all noise. 

Quality clocks on routers is not thing, they do not have the same jitter issues as a DAC, it's not as important. Never have I ever seen a clock rating on any networking device. It's not a thing that comes up on any network build out. 

ISP supplied routers/WiFi are garbage! If you can get your own, do it, this is money well spent. But you will need some basic networking knowledge to set it up properly. 

The only way to get a "clean" network is to have a firewall, or manage switch where ports an services are turned off, only allowing the traffic needed for streaming, blocking all the rest. Would not advice this unless you are a network engineer.  

No networking gear should be in your audio rack, unless it's segregated from the rest, around 1m should be fine.  RF/EMI from a router (no WiFi) will be around the same as your DAC. If it's a quality router, it should be less. A $50 router in a plastic case will be bad, a $300 router in a metal box (ie shielded) will be better. 

There is no need to worry about cable length until it gets over 200ft. There is no packet degradation under that. Over that, fiber should be used. If you can swing it, a all fiber network is "best" but also most expensive. 

Yep lots of misinformation on these pages.

To the original question… Audio Grade Ethernet Cable

In my opinion there is no such thing. Yes Cat6a is the better choice. However all the cable is doing is acting as a transmission line for electronic data. 
Look for audio grade RAM because that is to where the data is being buffered prior to streaming.

Good luck.

@jetter From $1,000.00 to $10,000.00 is a huge mark but it may be realistic. 

What about a fiber conversion kit?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09P4ZS4QN/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_1?smid=AK4611NBN3D7D&th=1

@goofyfoot 

From $1,000.00 to $10,000.00 is a huge mark but it may be realistic.

Pardon me as I did exaggerate.  Have no real experience with actual audio mark ups but have read here that 5 times cost from manufacture to sale is not unusual.

@goofyfoot 

I too bought into using Cat 8 cable and found it made no noticeable difference with anything.  I used to watch OCD Mikey and Jay’s Audio Lab and both of the said to make your eithernet cable the last thing you replace.  Mikey never really gave a good reason, but Jay said that the eithernet cable made the least amount of difference in sound quality of anything in his system.

All the best.

True: Also CAT 8 needs a drain (un-shielded at the EQ end) to be of any benefit. 

I used to watch OCD Mikey and Jay’s Audio Lab and both of the said to make your eithernet cable the last thing you replace.  Mikey never really gave a good reason, but Jay said that the eithernet cable made the least amount of difference in sound quality of anything in his system.

I use Neotech CAT6 and USB in my system. Better than Amazon junk and not the high price of so called AP RJ45 and USB cables. 

 https://www.hificollective.co.uk/catalog/neotech-neet-1008-2-silver-rj45-cable.html

Just checked the web and this is the 18,456th forum thread about this topic with 352,789 responses not including this one

somewhere around the 15th thread everything that could possibly said about this topic had already been said multiple times

hard to believe you all  are debating it for the 18,457th time. 

You must feel great being a part of the 18,475th discussion. 

hard to believe you all  are debating it for the 18,457th time. 

hard to believe you all  are debating it for the 18,457th time. 
 

practice makes perfect 

I've had good luck with Blue Jeans cable Cat 6 cables and LINKUPCat8 Ethernet Patch Cable Double Shielded cables. One thing I think speaks to both of their quality is the fact a Fluke Instruments cable test is included with each cable which certifies their performance. How many boutique audio cable makers include test documentation with their products? 

Amazon.com: LINKUP – [40Gbps Certified] Cat8 Ethernet Patch Cable Double Shielded┃2000MHz (2GHz) Cat8.1┃Future Proof LAN Wires Compatible with Cat7A, Cat7, Cat6A, 25G, 10G, 1G Network [Yellow] - 10ft (3M) : Electronics

@nmolnar Thank you for the link. I was looking at Blue Jeans and your right, they are very transparent about their product. I have to wonder what kind of mark up there is on some of these more expensive cables. 

I do understand the principle that separates have the potential to be better.  I would, however,  think a well designed combination unit would try to account for the potential pitfalls of internal noise.  I ultimately went with a combined DAC -Streamer to use my limited space more effectively.   I have to say, when comparing streamed music to the same tracks on CD ( via the same DAC ) I cannot hear any significant difference.  I think at some point we are striving for some very small incremental benefits in our sound systems.

Audiophile networking gear is simply bling.  So buy what looks coolest.

Opinions are like noses we all have one. 

Opinions are like noses we all have one.

Yes but mine is galvanically isolated to keep the noise floor low. 

I have the feeling you are still on dial-up and listen to the old hand crank Victrola. 

Sorry, did not mean to stir things up.  Just was musing about the divergence between cost and benefit at the outer ends of our hobby.  I guess what I should be pondering is whether the above  discussed upgrades could bring my streaming beyond the CD / CD transport sound.

A question for technically savvy individuals... Please do not send me the AI-generated answer.  I have tried and it gives me two drastically different answers depending on how I ask... 

Q: It is known that Cat 6 can transmit data at speeds up to 10 Gbps using a maximum bandwidth of 250 MHz, while Cat 8 supports speeds up to 25–40 Gbps with a maximum bandwidth of 2000 MHz. So, for transmitting 10 Gbps, Cat 6 operates at around 250 MHz. If I use a Cat 8 cable to transmit data at the same 10 Gbps rate, what frequency will the Cat 8 cable operate at? Same frequency of 250 MHZ or higher and how high will it be?

lanx0003

... If I use a Cat 8 cable to transmit data at the same 10 Gbps rate, what frequency will the Cat 8 cable operate at?

The same. It's just a cable passing a signal from one end to the other. There's no active circuitry.

Thank you, @cleeds.  So if the frequency is data speed dependent, why some people complains about cat 8 is noisier and generates more EMI/RFI? 

lanx0003

... if the frequency is data speed dependent, why some people complains about cat 8 is noisier and generates more EMI/RFI? 

You'll have to ask them. I've never made that claim and don't use Cat 8.

@cleeds  I never imply that you have made that claim.  Thank you for the clarification.

If you are not going to convert to fiber, yes keep the cable as short as possible. Supra makes a superior CAT 8 ethernet cable, sjofn HiFi is the supplier to the US.....here's a link to the 1 meter cable

 https://www.ebay.com/itm/157127616904?_skw=supra+ethernet&itmmeta=01K129VN1JZHS612T2RV5AJ4P4&hash=item2495892988:g:5UwAAOSwB4NW07FZ&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA0FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1fib1LwMWSVQkyTFVLFAHGJme3y32vxkmxQ30UadQBxXlgfBvUw2ANcytcfxSA2bSlMH5aajtxZxO71MllIz5RTu8bYDvc5HNZ8%2FFWCTPWYFosZm9sQuIVUw7v%2F1V0HrL0yNGfa%2FZHd9i8yEzlwYH3X1JpwZzoax7l5BO1jUwE90FluMzt8JrPj4IsDySJkfTShVdp87pF9BPm%2Bj%2BQ7IyMe1ZPCedmqhDzm%2BvVYJ3m6ycROTXazTvErNDm06yxYlp0%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR_rQ7smIZg

Hey goofyfoot...

Lots of attention to cable...best USB Cardas / upgraded Cardas forged connectors to speaker cables and the like.  Another vote for DH Labs as they provide a terrific plug for reasonable money.  The grip is the zip. 

Best, Pin      More Peace      (bold print for old eyes)

I replaced my ethernet cables with inakustik Premium (double shielded) Cat6 Ethernet cables for the digital chain.

The effe01 Ethernet/Fiber Optic Isolator is meticulously designed for audio and video streaming, effectively isolating noise within Ethernet networks, connecting a Sablon Audio 2020 Ethernet Cable feeds my Grimm MU1/Mola Mola Tambaqui.

Yes, that would be the cynical / conspiracy theory side. Reality is very different. 

That is not how manufactures think. It is simple to build something so expensive that no one will buy it. Each item must be carefully evaluated for what it sounds like. If it doesn’t sound better... then it is not going in. The more expensive a component the more it is going to be professionally reviewed... under greater scrutiny for performance... and the less units sold.  It is all performance driven in the high end. These are not highly profitable companies, they are made up of people dedicated to something they love. Have you ever heard of James Camron racing around or diving to the bottom of the sea with the CEO of VPI or Conrad Johnson? 

The increase in price is required because the more expensive the component the less that will be sold...so the price goes up. I know a lot of people in the industry. Many high end companies change hands after the founder dies... it isn’t because they are so profitable everybody wants to buy them... it is because it is really challenging to keep them solvent.