2. pc-audio
  3. 1235757296

Ethernet cable/router upgrade?

I listen to a lot of internet radio and buy downloads (WalMart MP3, HD Tracks, B&W Audio Club).

My net connection is Broadband from Comcast Cable. Comcast provides a Motorola router with a generic CAT5/RJ45 cable to my desktop PC.

Has anyone tried upgrading their Ethernet cable to something like:

> Audioquest CAT5e $25/1 meter @ NeedleDoctor

> Amphenol 5e $11/3' @ Cables On Demand

> Belkin 5e Fast CAT (350MHz) $13/3' direct

> Belkin 6a (500Mhz) $22/3' direct

If someone has upgraded did it improve the sound?

For music, is the faster Belkin 6a (500MHz) better than the 5e Fast CAT (350 MHz)?

Does the quality (assuming there are differences) of the router make any difference? If so, which are recommended.
mmarvin19
4 responses Add your response
danmyers
135 posts
 
I've been in the enterprise switch and router business for over 15 years. I've performed and had performed 100s of throughput, latency, and stress tests for shipping product to paying customers. Never, not once, has a poor result been blamed on a cable.

Buy a decent cat 5 cable (cable modems connect at 100Mbits which is very slow by todays standards) and forget about it.
mmarvin19 OP
157 posts
 
Thanks for your relpies Xti16.

I don't have a music server either. I use an USB oversampling DAC between my PC and my preamp.

BTW, I have my PC sitting atop a phone book for vibration control and have upgraded the stock 16g power cord w/ a 12g Magic Power Digital Reference cord from Signal Cable.
xti16
1,525 posts
 
I'll be the first to admit that I never thought something like a power cable (or dedicated wiring) could make such a difference but to me it does. Logically an ethernet cable shouldn't make any difference but I've never tried an expensive one. Knowing something about networking computers there is no real logic for an upgraded cable other than better throughput. Your internet connection speed is a limiting factor on streaming audio.

That being said if you had an internal network with a music server for example the increased speed/throughput could make a difference but again I have no experience with a music server.
xti16
1,525 posts
 
Ethernet cables wont make a difference especially in speed. The reason is you are limited by the speed of your internet connection (uselly capped at 6mb). The streaming music/video is encoded in the tcp/ip protocol which is digital not analog.
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