Douglas - please tell me the cable you are saying is your favorite. I now have 4 different ones and I continue to develop my preferences, I want to add your favorite too.
To those who believe we are wasting our money -- the accuser speaks of himself. Either you or your system is incapable of hearing the differences. I could not hear the difference in $1000/meter and $2,000/meter interconnects until I did a significant upgrade in both electronics and speakers. Now the difference is easily noted. So wake up out of your self depreciating trance.
Bill |
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Well, I tried the Terra Grande CAT 7, the Swedish CAT 8 and then went back to my Audioquest Vodka. Night and Day. The Audioquest brought back the sound. The other cables were so bright, I started reworking my room acoustics to soften a harsh, raspy high and clanging mid-range. And while it may be system dependent, or ear dependent, I will depend on the Vodka until I buy a more expensive Audioquest to replace it. And no, I am not trolling for AQ, but I have heard most of their line and each level has a noticeable improvement in sound quality. I also believe Kimber makes some great cables. I use a full tube complement powering Soundlab U-2s, with pre-amp and amps that are custom hand-made units and the U-2s are modified. Except in the summer, when I use a class D amp that provides a change-up in the sonic picture and lowers the heat load considerably. |
Ignorance must eiher be bliss or it gives one a self-knowing propostorous nature that ultimately turns into a mean streak |
Give it a rest. This thread is DEAD. |
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The next to last comment on the 1st page of this discussion by Milpai is the straightforward truth. Just because you or your equipment can't hear the difference in quality cables doesn't mean the difference doesn't exist for others. I've had systems in my home from peanuts to $100K+, And cables, including Ethernet (Cat 5, 6, 7 & 8), make a world of difference. In fact, I don't ever remember when changing a cable didn't either improve or degrade what I experienced in my not so humble opinion. |
1st, Jinjuku, please do come to my home in Denver while you are attending the Audiofest in Denver coming up in October. I live in north Denver.
2nd, I am not a gambler, especially since I now make less than I once paid in taxes.
3rd, I have two five meter 6A cables. One from Blue Jeans and one home made (with my friends). from Western Electric specialty made ethernet that we subsequently cryo-treated. The Siemens connectors, each end, cost twice as much as the full spec Blue Jeans cable. And I would say the improvement is not "obvious" but more like a 2% improvement. So yes, a 2% improvement for 10+X the money may not be a financially balanced investment, but then better audio never made that claim.
4th, I run Teo, Audioquest Sky & Cheetah to my fully custom tube based pre-amp and amp. Disruptor USB from my laptop back to my Wadia DAC. I make minor changes to my equipment monthly. This month was gold pin tube sockets for the pre-amp tubes (just as an example). Last month was single resistor ladder separate mono volume controls, the 6th set of pots in my pre-amp.
5th, Al Stiefel, who started Audiofest, was my mentor taught me a bit about high end audio.
So, come on out and we can decide together if there are sound improvements in Ethernet. |
I only trust what I perceive and hear. If one has been around audio for awhile, you have likely bought, or at least tried, some gear that had amazing specs only to find it sounds like crap. As such, I have very little interest in techno measurements,
Consider that it is a compliment to Blue Jeans that they can make a tested, spec provided 6A Ethernet cable for less than one-tenth of what it costs me to obtain a 2% improvement. I have spent a whole lot more for a 1% improvement. Why? Because if you can get a few percent here and there over a period of years it is a combined 20+% improvement.
As many audiophiles know, improvements in your sound are on a steep exponential cost curve, especially when you have already invested the time and money to have a solid "base" of equipment making excellent sound already. And sometimes this means going in a direction that others consider to be backwards in the areas of technology, cost, design, power, etc.
So, yes, to me a 2% improvement is a "world of difference" because it was an expensive, time consuming and perhaps fun battle to achieve. More importantly, It is more enjoyable to listen, Is there better sounding equipment than mine? Definitely. But the goal we share is to improve our system within each of our own constraints of time, money, desire, wife acceptance (if applicable), hearing and basic reality.
My associates at work occasionally ask as to what kind of music do I listen. The only answer I have been able to pull together as an honest response is that I look for what is "musical.." And that defies all the genre categories.
So, enjoy the music and fiddle with your sound quality as you feel is most appropriate.
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Please provide a specific day and time as I would like to invite a few of my friends. I feel a simpler approach is to plug in each of the CAT wires directly and thereby avoid any issues of additional elements, such as the wire from the source to the switch. |
It is all good, my setup is simple. I'm sending my cable to Blue Jeans to make sure it meets the 6A standard. Not sure if 15 seconds is long enough to figure much out, so perhaps we can do some full tracks too. You want to know the cables are equals in potential performance and this way we can know. Bill |
Well t_ramey, why don't you send one out to me. As far as I know, we are comparing the Blue Jeans 6A to my home terminated Western Electric 6A, which I like slightly better, even if it did cost me 10X+.
Jinjuku thinks all similar capacity cables sound the same by a sort of definition of how Ethernet works. |
Right. T Ramey just wants to throw in the Supra 8, But I do agree that is a "post" evaluation listening. I would like to have a 5 meter Audioquest Vodka to try as I believe this cable is a good representation of the quality of better cables. But certainly 4 or 5 would be the max as at least I am not doing this as a critical evaluation as much as a personal learning experience. Bill |
J: A Computer/DAC combo. Bring along a streamer if you would like. Bill |
Wadia has its own driver uploaded to my PC/Microsoft lap top (HP).
I run Roon and stream Tidal. My laptop actually sits mostly on my lap, so music and internet can be together. I do have an android laptop that controls Roon also if we want to check out some 1M Ethernet.and put the laptop n the equipment rack. Lastly, I put the PC soundcard in 24/96 output as native Tidal at seems rather blah to me.
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I had to replace a defective power supply for the right channel in the preamp today. Just one of those little things that don't bother me as said in La Fem Nakita, but the original movie upon which the TV series was based. |
Sounds good, did I make a pun? |
Mark: I think that would be fine. Have you tried Old Scout, an Ambler? |
My audioholic buddies tell me the $400+ per 5th Pappy is really good. I doubt I'll know this for myself. |
