I would like to have your opinions about Ethernet cables. I recently saw some silly expensive Ethernet cables! Do you think it is worth spending a huge amount for a cable which transfers data? Your thoughts please!
Thank you!
Maybe we could ask for peoples experience with digital cables on their streaming system.
Also, have these people identify their system.
One person may say they can’t hear a difference and have a system that isn’t very revealing. Another might say they hear every difference and have an extremely revealing system.
I use a digital coaxial cable between my transport and DAC. It makes a DRASTIC difference.
I have a Meridian 800 transport modified by The Repair Shop (Marc Koval, authorized Meridian repair shop is THE BEST!!!!!) with a linear power supply and all other boards removed except for the digital audio output board. It runs into a Meridian 861v8 DAC. Amplifiers are Pass XA-200.5's with Wilson Sasha I speakers.
Power conditioner is a Sound Application TT-7 with CH Acoustic X-20 power cords and MIT Oracle Interconnects and speaker cables.
The last non-audiophile who heard my system said she couldn't hear the speakers because they disappear - the music is a 3 dimensional soundstage.
I'm not bragging, just explaining. Because of a divorce, I am taking my system down. When I get it back up, anyone in the central NJ area is welcome to hear it. I'd only ask you post your comments.
for a digital signal you will not hear anything different - digital signals have error correction - save your money for the analog cable which is audible and lacks error correction.
Think about it - you're streaming digital information over the Internet where the info transects hundreds or thousands of other cables en route to your streamer - you really think the last 10-20' is going to make it better?
I just bought an Aurender N100 from another member and found that I didn’t have a spare Ethernet cable, so I bought one at Best Buy. Seems to work fine (but then my system is not as revealing as some here have).
Triode Wire Labs freedom. I have two, one from extender to optical isolation and a very short one from switch to streamer. It gets complicated but it all makes significant improvements.
They absolutely make a difference and as mentioned should be commensurate in quality to the rest of your system. The "zeros and ones" argument is a false one because the issue is with noise on the line - if not removed - will travel to downstream and present both noise and timing errors for the streamer and DAC to cope with.
They absolutely make a difference and the ones that I have had the best results with are Wireworld, especially the red starlitght 8 and my reference the Platinum (my favorite). The build quality is second to none and believe it or not (and I wasn’t a believer) they make a big difference in sound, just like interconnects. Highly recommend. Would I spend a huge amount of money? Maybe not, but these are very reasonably priced and I’m comfortable at this level for the results that I’m getting.
Suggested for APEX dCS streamer/dac ($32k), I have tried for 2 weeks with resounding success: Nordost QNet network switch & QSource Linear Power Supply and premium QSource DC Umbilical interface cables, all $6.3k. This upgrade is really justified -although expensive- .
You asked, so my answer is no. I doubt anyone here has honestly heard a difference they could reliably distinguish on sonics alone. Some might say use CAT 8 because of the additional shielding but I am even skeptical of that. As a mid-point between super cheap and stupid expensive, I like these simply because of the connectors and build quality. If you have a long run, consider optical/fiber.
Even a Bluejeans Cat6a will be a vast improvement over any stock Amazon whatever. Of course, the Bluejeans is as far as I’ve gotten! ;)
But yeah, also a decent network switch and linear power supplies wherever you can manage is a big part of it. Finally, some filtering too (not to get too off topic but that also helps):
Ethernet cables like all other interconnects in high end audio can make a significant difference, depending on your system and components they can make an almost imperceptible difference or a very substantial one. Matching the cost with the improvement by experimentation is a prudent method to choose cables. I use DHLabs and Cardas Ethernet cables although I have tried a few others,
Applying logic as to why they should or should not make a difference is best done after you have tried a variety of them,
"Digital is just 1's and 0's" is a good way to think about data trasfer (banks, nuclear weapons, photo downloads) but not streaming. Streaming can's use FTP with error checking that will take whatever time it takes to get files bit perfect. Streaming will just move on, play the song, with whatever bits it has been able to gather. So good cables make a difference.
That said, with the stupid expensive cables you are paying for a lot of marketing, salesmanship, cosmetiic upgrades and perhaps not much engineering improvement. the sweet spot is probably in the middle somewhere.
Assuming you have a high-end system with the requisite resolutioncapabilitiesc: (a fine but important distinction) ….
Then the run-of-the-mill junk cables you get at STAPLES is a huge step down.…brittle, annoying digital “edge”, raspy, generally harsh and very fatiguing …full stop.
2nd thought based on actual experiences.
to max out the performance of quality audiophile Ethernet cables, think
- linear power supplies into the network switch,
- insert a step-up audiophile network switch ( yes…I used to be a big sceptic too) , and
- if your sreamer/ DAC lacks an internal linear power supply, then plug one here too.
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