Auto correct typo: meant Sablon Ethernet
I Was A Skeptic Now I'm Not So Sure
Well after being a luddite for many years and only listening to vinyl I have stepped my toes into the streaming world. I have bought a modest streaming setup consisting of a SoTM 200 Neo secondhand with a Topping E70 Velvet DAC, and I am pleased with the results for such a modest outlay in terms of streaming.
Moving to the point I was using a CAT 8 ethernet cable bought from Amazon thinking that as long as it's CAT 8 it will be fine.
On a whim and out of curiosity I bought a Supra CAT 8 Ethernet relatively cheap at £40. I was home demoing some Audio Solutions Figaro S2 speakers with my son assisting me, out of curiosity I decided to try the Supra Ethernet cable thinking that there is no way will it make any difference, fired up the same track we were just listening to, looked at each other and in near unison said well 'f' me, the music had filled out there was more tonal colour and what was a hint of brightness now became tonally smooth and musical.
In conclusion this has nothing to do with confirmation bias, it's what my son and I clearly heard and it was not just a marginal improvement.
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In my system, ethernet cables sound noticeably different. And to those who claim this is due to expectation bias, I will add that I found a cheap Amazon Cable Maters Cat8 to sound quite good. I also have tried a $1200 Shunyata Alpha Ethernet cable that was good, but overall, I found it a little boring and laid back. My favorite cable that I am currently using is a Salon Ethernet 2020. Excellent sound and I think it is reasonably priced at $400. |
It is true that digital cables matter. They should NOT, other than being a true 75 ohm transmission line. Surely, the digital data (which contains error correcting bits) should be buffered in RAM and then clocked to the DAC chips using an ultra stable & precise source, thereby isolating the actual DAC from errors, noise, jitter and any other gremlins. There was a device 25 or 30 years ago, the Genesis Digital Lens (mine is sitting in my basement - it is Red Book only), that did this. I fed mine from the CD transport with a decent RCA cable and then used AT&T Glass to connect it to the DAC. This did smooth out the treble (etc. etc.) Something like the digital lens SHOULD BE BUILT IN TO EVERY DAC! Or am I wrong? Remember that software, which MUST be bit perfect, is distributed over who knows what communications systems over thousands of miles and is then error corrected at the target. After error correction the only thing left is timing. Dare I say this but a similar argument should apply to power cables. (I know they matter - hence my power distribution box and MIT cables feeding all my gear). Surely, a well designed, properly filtered and regulated, supply should be 100% isolated from input noise (deviation from a 60Hz sine wave)? Benchmark Media Systems (of LA4 fame), and I believe Bob Carver, use switching power supplies. As I have mentioned before I use switching supplies for LT and B+ in my home brew amp. a couple of millivolts of noise on the LT lines, ZERO (less than 1mv anyway) noise on the 420V B+. And silence at the speakers. My domestic power is horrid - water pumps for the heating system (100% duty cycle right now), refrigerator & freezer etc. My (prime) audio system is on a dedicated line back to the panel but there is still feedback. Apologies if I have wandered (waffled) on for too long, and perhaps off topic, but the issue of power cords, digital interconnects and especially TCP/IP cables, being important bugs me! Billions of bits of hi-res sound are transferred error free 5,000 km from Presto Music in the UK and then I have to be ultra careful in the last meter from the server to my DAC or it gets screwed up? |
I was once a skeptic. But I learned over 25 years ago how extremely critical cables were to the sound quality of my audio system. And once I switched to a streaming only audio system, I learned very quickly just how critical ethernet cables were to the sound quality of my all digital streaming set-up. Those who haven’t learned the lesson of just how critical cables, all cables, are to the sound quality of their listening experience by now, simply choose to remain in extreme denial, and it your loss. Happy listening. |
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@alan60 unfortunately Ethernet cables make a difference. I’ve tested a few including the Supra and confirmed they impact the sound. |
Congratulations on your discovery. Yes, cables do make a difference - especially digital ones. The 1’s & 0’s ride along an analog carrier - which can be tweaked. After reading this review, I purchased this SR Galileo digital cable. Wow! It’s fascinating how the gold & silver tuning modules can warm up or cool down the 1’s & 0’s. The tech talk from the last century needs some serious updating. |