How can different CAT5/6 cables affect sound.
While is is beyond doubt that analog cables affect sound quality and SPDIF, TOSlink and AES/EBU can effect SQ, depending on the buffering and clocking of the DAC, I am at a loss to find an explanation for how different CAT5 cables can affect the sound.
The signals over cat5 are transmitted using the TCP protocol. This protocol is error correcting, each packet contains a header with a checksum. If the receiver gets the same checksum then it acknowledges the packet. If no acknowledgement is received in the timeout interval the sender resends the packet. Packets may be received out of order and the receiver must correctly sequence the packets.
Thus, unless the cable is hopeless (in which case nothing works) the receiver has an exact copy of the data sent from the sender, AND there is NO timing information associated with TCP. The receiver must then be dependent on its internal clock for timing.
That is different with SPDIF, clocking data is included in the stream, that is why sources (e.g. high end Aurenders) have very accurate and low jitter OCXO clocks and can sound better then USB connections into DACs with less precise clocks.
Am I missing something as many people hear differences with different patch cords?
"I don't pretend to understand the science." Perhaps the understatement and flag banner of this century. Whatever differences people are hearing have nothing whatsoever to do with what happens at the transport layers. They are trying to.apply analog issues and parameters in the digital domain, a complete non-sequitur. TCP/IP guarantees bit perfect delivery 100% of the time. All 'streaming' done withe TCP/IP is buffered multiple times b |
Completely agree!
TCP/IP can only guarantee 100% bit-perfect transmission after the full transmission has completed. Qobuz seems to implement a sort of "running" TCP/IP which is bit-perfect for the completed packets already received, but who knows what the internet will regurgitate in the future? |
Do Ethernet cables matter per chatGPT: Short Answer: Yes — but only within reason. Ethernet cables can make a difference in high-end audio systems, but not due to digital data loss — it’s about electrical noise. 📡 Why Digital Bits Still Matter (But Aren’t the Problem)
A very logical conclusion. |
It isn't clear what your claim is here. Qobuz uses TCP/IP - that's standard Internet Protocol. There's nothing unusual about it. It delivers bit-perfect data to your streamer. Whatever shortcomings you might detect with audio streaming, you can be sure the data you're getting from sources such as Qobuz and Tidal are - literally - bit perfect. |
This is crazy. Only the quality of the coax coming into your home affects the sound. You need to try 3-4 different Internet providers and ask them which brand of coax cable they use to make an informed opinion. OK, that's a joke. What's real is my blog on protecting your network from lightning surges is now online. Enjoy. |
