ETHERNET CABLES

@jerrybj 

Thanks for clarifying. Glad to hear it wasn't old 4-cond phone cable from 40 years ago.

I did notice a sonic difference when purchasing and switching to an ethernet Audioquest cable (it wasn't even their top of the line). It was only a 3' cable, but I swear I heard an improved difference. That cable feeds my desktop computer, which I use for streaming (has a decent soundcard in it). My other Cat 8 cables (I don't think the Audioquest cable was rated Cat 8) I use for TV ethernet streaming delivery, so I couldn't tell you if they improve audio performance or not. When running long distances, I'm a fan of shielded ethernet cables, but to reap that benefit, you must make sure they are in fact tied to ground (not always easy). 

I like to use this little device for grounding my shielded Cat cables, when the piece of equipment the cable is being connected to doesn't provide a true earth ground.

Ethernet grounding adapter kit

Since we're on the subject, and even though Cat 7 or Cat 8 cables are not mentioned, some may find this article informative:

What makes a good Ethernet cable for audio applications?

Here's what audioquest has to say about one of their lowest quality ethernet cables. This is the one I'm positive I heard an audio performance improvement on. It was easy for me to perform numerous quick A/B comparisons, when switching back and forth to my standard Cat 5 patch cable, and this Pearl. Call me crazy, but I know I heard a sonic improvement.

audioquest Cat 7 Pearl cable

The Audioquest write-up is from the marketing department.

What? No! 😘

The first paragraph may have validity for analog signals but neither their long grain copper nor the polyethylene insulation will make an audible difference to a digital signal.

So then you’ve tried one, and not heard a difference in audio quality. OK, got it. It boggles my brain too, why changing out a little 3’ digital ethernet cable could in my case make an audible improvement. In talking with audio friends prior to purchasing it, they all said the same thing, "I doubt you will hear a difference," although the same friends said the same thing when I bought my first set of RCA Monster Cable interconnects a long time ago, and heard a difference in sound quality there too (maybe I need to seek out some new audio friends 😉). Remember, I’m just referring to like under $50 upgrades here, and still heard better sound when spending under $50. I’m not even referring to spending hundreds or thousands of dollars. Some may say just by plugging in new connectors, you may have wiped clean a connection. I say there’s probably some validity to your statement, because I know what an improvement can be heard through cleaning a connection can make, but this is not what took place in my little experiments that I just mentioned above.

forget the miles upon miles of cable that’s laid out, or the numerous amount of routers and switches it has to go through. Don’t worry though, the 1 meter blue jean ethernet cable is going to clean it all up.

It sounds like we have some skeptics in this thread. I wouldn’t have believed it myself, unless I tried it, and heard the difference. I can’t explain it either. I’m not saying it works in all situations, or all in this thread have the ears and brain to notice the difference, but to the skeptics, I say if you have the equipment, and you already can hear differences and improvements when upgrading other cables, I say give it a shot sometime. I get the argument - "it’s just digital 0’s and 1’s, and one shouldn’t be able to hear any audio difference when using different ethernet cables."

The exception could be to bond both the switch and endpoint to the same ground, but several meters apart, that’s not going to work.

...or, to avoid ground loops, simply bond/ground at one end only.

The CAT cable by induction picks up noise from power cables in your house.

...hence the need for shielding, and tightly twisted pairs.

each time there’s a shielded cable, the sound is rough, stage height tanks, treble splashes, just a disaster.

OK, that is what you hear, and I can respect that. You’ve already determined that shielded ethernet cables are not for you. I’m cool with that. To each his own.

My 3 TV ethernet runs are under 75’, and during their travels to and from, run next to AC power cables, of which I don’t criss-cross at 90 degree angles (which I’ve never done). That is the main reason I went with Cat 8 for those runs (earth grounding on one end only). I’m also used to working in high RF radio station environments, so cable shielding comes naturally to me, and I already know the benefits of it. In the case of my shielded TV Cat 8 runs, I’m more concerned with packet losses, as compared to sound quality. So in my case, I can’t offer much of an opinion when it comes to sound quality involving those long shielded runs.

In the case of my audioquest 3’ Pearl ethernet cable; that has a very short run from the AT&T fiber optical modem/router to my desktop 3’ away. I understand that now to be a Cat 7 cable. I don’t even know if the shield is earth grounded at the component level, so I can’t really put up an argument there either. I do know (which I’ve already mentioned ad nauseam) that upgrading it, made an audio improvement (when streaming) over the standard patch cable I was using.

In the radio station environment these days, studios are now being connected via AoIP (as compared to balanced analog years ago), and many times use shielded ethernet cables to do that. I’m not sure this would be done if using shielded ethernet cables degraded sound quality (but heh, that’s radio, and I’m not sure radio stations are concerned about high quality audio these days).

@nlitworld Glad to see and hear that you noticed it too. That is what I noticed too - more detail, and who, when partaking in this hobby, doesn’t want more audio detail?! I know it took years to train my ears and brain to acknowledge perceiving this small amount of detail improvement. I’ve been living with basically the same system for years now (I’m very happy with the direction it’s gone, and its current status), and thoroughly recognize its tonal capability and sound quality. Every advancement in tweaking is/was analyzed pre and post. That might be the reason why by simply upgrading cables (and I’m not even talking about the hundred or thousand $$ kind), I can quickly recognize if a change brings an improvement or not.

I realize this discussion is about ethernet cables, but for example, for me, Kimber speaker cables never sounded right in my main basement system, to my ears. I remember giving them time to burn in, or whatever (never a big believer in letting cables "burn in"), and it just never happened for me, so they were gone (no offense meant towards anyone using them; they just didn’t work for me). Another example is the Blue Jeans Cable LC-1 (a very low capacitance single ended unbalanced cable). When I plugged it in, to my ears there was an immediate improvement in audio quality over the previous Belden 1505F (another low capacitance coaxial cable), so it was a keeper. From an engineering perspective, I’m already aware of how cable capacitance can affect high frequency performance (mainly in the analog world), so I make it a point to analyze that specification (along with cable shielding and construction) when comparing cables. I’m definitely quicker now (as compared to even 10 years ago), able to recognize a positive audio improvement when I hear it.

Getting back to ethernet cables, it’s possible some are looking for big earth shattering differences in audio improvement, when switching them out. Sorry to burst that bubble, but that is probably not to be expected in this case. But for those who can hear small minute changes in audio quality when comparing cables; if you haven’t already tried it; it’s time you did.

@vicolindo Glad to hear you gave it a try, and to your ears, heard a difference...and for such a small price (right?!). I too always learn from these forums.

Here's a quote from an article on Mesh:

There are some benefits to a wired installation. Any wireless form of communication is susceptible to speed slowdowns due to obstacles like walls, floors, doors, and building material; however, some are affected more than others. When using cables, you bypass all obstacles, resulting in faster speeds throughout the entire home.

What is a Mesh Network and How Does it Work?

@jerrybj 

Then I found out that you can use a phone cable for ethernet, so got my electrician to change the plugs. That was a problem solved.

Wait, what?! Please explain.