@jehab was way ahead of the game in 2021.

Would be interesting to hear the differences between the Jade and DH labs cable. Belden also makes an RG6 cable.

I'm surprised high end cable makers (other than DH labs) haven't introduced a reference quality RG6 cable, considering how important this connection from the wall outlet to the Xfinity modem is.

I have the DH labs coaxial cable for my Xfinity modem.

Has anyone upgraded their Xfinity cable to DH labs?

So far it's one of those "never look back" upgrades.

Wow, just wow. Who would've thought the cable from the wall was the bottleneck?

Just goes to show you how inadequate the Xfinity cable is for music streaming.

Thank you to @auxinput for recommending this cable.

@macdude I was using the Phat Satellite cable for the last couple years. I switched over to the Blue Jeans RF cable this year along with an AudioQuest RF cable that's not currently in the AQ catalog, and I liked the results.

As a disclaimer, I didn't hold variables constant. I pulled out 4 coax cables in total, one of which was the Phat, and replaced them with 1 AQ and 3 Blue Jeans cables. In sum, I liked the outcome, but I didn't compare 1 Phat vs 1 Blue Jeans directly. 

Phat Satellite coax cable mentioned by @jea48 definitely has a lower noise floor than xfinity coax.

But it was too edgy for me.

I’m streaming with Qobuz.

I couldn’t wait for Spotify HiFi any longer, so I picked back up a Qobuz sub, and I also picked up a Roon sub over the weekend. This is my first time using Roon, and I wish I had been using it for the last couple years. It’s a nice interface. Roon also did a good job simplifying the task of hosting a local server (the Roon Core), which I put on the laptop. Anyway, Roon is a different discussion.

As far as sound quality goes, I am happy with the sound again, playing losses files. But I’m not sure I can say the sound is better, or even much different, than what I had prior. With about a 1-1.5 months since I last played lossless files via Qobuz, I think there was too much time in-between to judge. Plus, I’m dealing with at least a few variables in addition to the new coax cable--namely, the modem and other equipment are now sitting on home-brew isolation boards, and I’m playing Qobuz over Roon rather than BubbleUPNP. At some point, I may A-B test Roon and Bubble to see if I can hear a difference since that’s simple to A-B test. I’ll wait to A-B test the coax cable replacement, which sits between the wall and the modem, once I get more time on the new copper core cable. If I do end up hearing a difference between coax cables, I may consider replacing the coax cable in the attic too. We'll see. 

I have had excellent results using a F-Type ground loop isolation, like this one below:

https://www.amazon.com/Ground-Loop-Isolator-Transformer-Eliminator/dp/B08FRGH4X2/ref=sr_1_17_sspa

It's different than the filter mentioned above.  I think the filter above uses Ferrite magnet filters which the conductor is looped through.

The link I posted is really an isolation transformer for the cable box.  I like it because it screws directly onto your cable modem or receiver.  You don't need two separate cables to place the filter inline.  This has significantly improved both audio and video quality.  However, it may not work in some equipment, especially if the equipment requires two-way communications.  It's cheap enough to try and you can take it out if you get internet connection problems or other weird things.

Thanks everyone. I went with @jea48 's cable recommendation in the first message: PHAT SATELLITE's solid copper core quad shielded. It was very affordable. In the future, I may play around with pricer cables here, but for now, I'm just eliminating bottlenecks. 

My purpose of looking into internet coax cables in the first place was because I wanted to hide the modem behind the furniture where it couldn't been seen. I made a simple isolation platform composed of a nice looking wood cutting board and some isolation feet by Hudson HiFi. Living room looks just a little nicer without the blinking black box visible (see my profile pic). 

Unfortunately, I can't tell whether the tweaks to the system sounds any different because I let my Qobuz sub go thinking Spotify HiFi would have been out by now. Because the tunes are all lossy, I can't say how meaningful the tweaks have been. 

One thought on streaming from the cloud: it seems plausible that having an internet coax cable with at least a solid copper core and some shielding would make a difference for A/V equipment. But I haven't heard any talk about this from digital HiFi reviewers/influencers. Just like having a dedicated power line is something more and more people are recommending, wiring the house with a coax cable containing a solid copper core could become gospel one day for good digital hygiene. 

On true F-Type RG6 cables, the conductor itself is the actual pin that is inserted into the COAX socket. The "F-Type" connector is just the ground shield and a "screw-on" assembly that holds the cable onto the connection.

The coax cable ground shield is also the current return path back to the source.

That’s why a loose and or corroded F connector connection will have an effect on the signal.

Example: Power flow in a coaxial cable

Note the signal does not flow in either the center conductor or the shield conductor but rather through the space, dielectric, between the two conductors. The signal travels in one direction >>>> from the source to the load in the form of an electromagnetic wave

.

I took a look and the Jade FX-Ag is a very expensive cable.  It is also listed as using a very small 25 awg conductor, which means that the F-Connector is not a true F-Connector but an adapter that I would assume has a 18awg pin.

For much less money, I would look at the DH Labs D-750 which are available with F-Type connectors.   The cable is also a true RG6 design that uses an 18awg solid-core silver-plated copper conductor.

On true F-Type RG6 cables, the conductor itself is the actual pin that is inserted into the COAX socket.  The "F-Type" connector is just the ground shield and a "screw-on" assembly that holds the cable onto the connection.

Answer to 1. is the Jade ™  FX-Ag Pure Silver Audiophile F-type RJ6 Coaxial Cable.

Interesting. As I stated I used a consumer device and all I was hoping for was a close measurement of RFI. The fact that my friend in a different city had RF on his coax line and router indicates interference is finding an entry point somewhere, somehow. With all the RFI around us, some cables have the potential to act like an antenna and I've never seen evidence that coax is capable of this. 

I live in a city rowhome in an old neighborhood where some houses aren't even grounded. Now we have FIOS, new transformers on the block, but my electrician tells me these homes with old wiring can be polluting the mains for each neighbor. I'm giving you some background on the level of noise possible in our mains. I'm only guessing that being in a large city there's some way RFI is entering the cable feed.

@lowrider57

And how do you know there aren’t

you’re right , I dont.....but i dont think you do either as in order to know if there are leaks on the plant, you have to have a cable sleuth, which is programmed to a cable frequency, and has to be calibrated, which i highly doubt you have the equipment to do that...and these cable sleuths are not cheap at all.

On Sale! Comsonics Sniffer Sleuth II CATV Meter Model Sniffer-Sleuth II Comsonics Sleuth II (aaatesters.com)

also thinking that if you were to fix the issues that you have, whether it be a bad piece of cable, bad or loose fitting, you probably wouldnt need that filter that you have installed anymore.     the filter is a band aid.....and really doesnt fix the problem you have.       use the " sniffer " you have and find the issue.

And how do you know there aren't. So you worked in cable, I worked in broadcast. Noise enters the signal path in some way. I'm not saying every dwelling in the country has an issue.

I can tell you there are a breaks along the way from the head end  

and you know this how ?  

I can tell you there are a breaks along the way from the head end. And cable installers who kluge parts on the pole. Of course a pure signal is generated from the plant. I don't know exactly where it gets picked up, like you said, from loose or unterminated connections.

@lowrider57

but these cable companies manage to send noise thru the lines.

that would not be correct at all. why would cable companies create noise on the cable system when that can slow interent down, drop phone calls if customers have the phone service and to much noise can actually create an outage. yeah, sure, that is what the cable companies want to do is put noise on the plant.

noise on the plant is caused by many things....and most of the time is caused by customers " thinking" they are a cable tech, when they arent....and all they do is make things worse for people in the neighborhood as this will create a trouble call.

was a cable tech for 16 years.....so i have a good idea as to what creates noise and what can happen if there is to much noise on the plant.    

Coax may be well insulated and shielded, but these cable companies manage to send noise thru the lines.

Could be the connection from the FIOS box. I shouldn't have said "where the coax enters the house," I forgot about the Verizon hookup. I detect RFI in the coax line as it travels from basement to first floor.

I'm using a small RFI detector with an antenna and sensitivity control. It's also used to sniff out hidden cameras and bugs. I lent it to a friend, he had the same results of RF detected in coax and router.

@lowrider57 

But I used an RF "sniffer" which indicated high levels of RF at the coax entry point to the house, on the coax line along the floor, and at the router. 

not sure what kind of RF " sniffer you used....but if it detected anything on the lines at your house, that usually indicates a loose fitting or possibly even a crack in the cable line somewhere.          which would be causing egress on the plant

"Cable signal leakage, sometimes called egress, occurs when RF signals “leak out” from the cable plant and spread into the environment. Cable signal leaks can be caused by loose connectors, damaged plant cables or cracked or unterminated cables."

Thanks, everyone, for the productive conversation. Will check out that filter linked above. 

I've considered running the coax internet connection through a surge suppressor before. Coax filters seem to be common on surge protectors. I have a Furman, Cyberpower UPS, and Tripp Lite, and they all include coax in and out. My issue with all of mine is that they limit internet speeds to 100Mpbs. I exceeded that internet speed half a decade ago, and I don't want to throttle my speeds at this point. Last I checked, none of these surge protection companies have updated their hardware to support gigabit speeds yet. 

Call or email this company and ask if this filter will work with your setup. Link to follow.

I'm now using a Brickwall surge protector with RFI/EMI filtering and have  my router and desktop plugged in.

Thanks Buddy. I'm with the OP which one did you choose. No need to reinvent the wheel. :-)

Regards

@lowrider57 Could you provide a name or link to the RFI/EMI filter you used? 

@oldhvymec  No, I didn't hear noise. But I used an RF "sniffer" which indicated high levels of RF at the coax entry point to the house, on the coax line along the floor, and at the router. After filtering, testing indicated no RF anywhere. When listening to Qobuz via Bluesound Node2i I noticed more clarity and detail, very audible. Also using CAT8 from Verizon router to Node.

lowrider57, could you hear noise before the filter was added? 

Was it gone afterwards, what were you streaming?

Regards

The lines from the cable, sat, etc companies carry a high amount of RFI. Even if your new coax provides improved sound, the same amount of noise is being carried to your system. Add an RFI filter to your hookup. I use a RFI/EMI filter on my router which lowered the noise-floor in my streaming.

Thanks @jea48 !

@classdstreamer

You want RG6 Quad Shield solid copper 18 gauge coax cable.

Watch out, many RG6 coax cable uses a copper plated steel center 18 gauge conductor.

Example solid copper center conductor:

PHAT SATELLITE INTL