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High End Ethernet Cables ....Real Deal or Snake Oil

Digital streaming and network-based storage systems are now mainstream. I have notice more and more cable companies are coming out with 'fancy' Ethernet cables ranging from $25-$2500. 

Purist Audio, Cardas, Chord, Wireworld and Stealth Audio to name a few.  I am assuming, AudioQuest is probably the first manufacturer to recognized the potential for a fancy Ethernet cable and started this trend (sorry no offense to anyone). 

Let's for a moment assume that there is a audible difference in sound quality when streaming music files from a NAS or intranet to a server. Ethernet is an error corrected transmission protocol, it is going to be bit perfect. Are these fancy cables banking on the same principles of other digital (SPDIF/XLR) cables ~ a well made cable reduces the margin of errors resulting in less requests for re-sends, and if there are less errors and subsequent re-sends, perhaps this higher performance results in less noise, fewer dropouts at the receiving end, and subsequently better sound quality?

I do not know a lot about networking so I chose an easier path to stream music in my rig. My setup involves a music server, DAC and Apple Extreme base. 

I am wondering how many of you using a high end Ethernet cable vs. a generic Ethernet cable. 

Is there a test data or device that tells us how many errors and re-sends happen in Ethernet data transmissions to justify the use of uber 'pricey' ethernet cables? 

Thank you all for your feedback! 
128x128lalitk

Showing 1 response by jeoneil

jeoneil
29 posts
 
Yes, Almarg covered the most important points - noise and timing errors are the enemy. Bits may be bits, but in computer applications we never try to convert the bits to analog and listen to them. That is why noise riding on the digital signal and small timing drift (jitter) matters.

IMO if you are going to mess around with Ethernet cables you want to try for a "noisy" eithernet and a "clean" ethernet. I use a gigafoil to accomplish this. Its commodity ethernet cable into the gigafoil and expensive (Audioquest diamond) from the gigafoil to the dac. There is a big thread on this over at audioshark. People also do this with so called audiophile network switches. Same basic idea. 

The other thing people are doing is using fiber instead of ethernet since noise can't be conducted in the same was as it can with wired ethernet.
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