Questions about Ethernet Cabling

I was able to run fiber alongside CAT6 from my Google fiber entry switch to my audio room. I have an Ethergen at the system room which can take either a fiber or CAT input. This allows me to move between fiber and CAT very simply. At first I didn't hear a difference between the two, but having made an amp switch to ARC 160Ms I can now clearly hear a difference. Choice in SQ is a personal choice, but the difference is clearly audible with my current components. I prefer fiber to the Etheregen, to a Sablon 2020 ethernet cable, to a Vivaldi Upsampler. Things are sounding very good with this configuration.

Interesting you raise the Phoenix Net: it is actually InnuOS’ admission, that re-clocking the Ethernet is important and: yes, you are right: by the time youget all the boxes, you might as well... The reason that I didn’t is that my clock also re-clocks the DAC and thereby the USB connection. Depending on the Zodiac you have, you might have a clock port on that: just a consideration...

Just to share another experience, over here from Europe.

I can confirm that running a fiber cable from ones internet router (as in my case via a Ubiquity ethernet switch with a fiber uplink) to your audio room, already makes a substantial improvement over the 15 feet cat6 standard cable that I had earlier. It connected into my Innuos Mk2 Roon core/server via a fiber/ethernet converter that I used for this, which in turn was fed by an Sbooster Linear PS.

Recently I was offered the chance to test replacing this converter and PS with a Cisco Meraki MS-2020-8 switch which was 'reliefed' from its own internal power supply, and teamed up with a Plixir Elite Balanced DC power supply by someone here in my home country, who also threw in a home made specially shielded short ethernet cable to connect the Meraki switch with my Innuos Mk2. The improvement in refinement, dynamics and overall image opennes that this delivered was mind blowing.

Last night I took the same Cisco Meraki switch plus Plixir BDC and short ethernet cable to a friend where we tested this setup, but this time fed by his 15 feet Cat8 standard cable (so no fiber) and still the improvements where astounding.

I have no personal affiliation with neither Cisco or Plixir and hope to have given a purely unbiassed experience.

Enjoy the music!

I can confirm that running a fiber cable from ones internet router (as in my case via a Ubiquity ethernet switch with a fiber uplink) to your audio room, already makes a substantial improvement over the 15 feet cat6 standard cable that I had earlier. It connected into my Innuos Mk2 Roon core/server via a fiber/ethernet converter that I used for this, which in turn was fed by an Sbooster Linear PS.

vs

Just converting the last 6ft makes limited sense, though.

Yea, the first case rings true for me as well which is why I suggested it, as relatively speaking it is a very cheap thing to try.  Replacing a 15 ft cat6 run from my media room closet to the equipment rack by simply replacing the A side connection of my EtherREGEN+LPS1.2 with an sfp + fiber made a significant improvement.   For my system I would say the improvement was close to what I heard by adding the EtherREGEN into the cat6 connection in the first place.

The Ethernet cable I run from my $100 fiber converter (which isn't cheap by the way...) to my Bricasti streamer costs about the same as all of the fiber hardware I purchased for my audio room, so compared to the prices of high quality copper ethernet cables, EtherREGENs, linear power supplies, master clocks, static ethernet filters, etc., it is a pretty cheap thing to try.   

Obviously YMMV, but you may find like me a few feet of fiber just before your streamer actually makes a big difference and potentially saves you from a few extra audiophile network cleaning devices.   As fiber becomes more ubiquitous in home networks one would assume audiophile components will continue to add native support for it (e.g. Lumin X1, EtherREGEN, ...).   What will then happen to the audiphile side-market of network devices that scrub/clean noisy ethernet connections?    On Audiophile Style there are already discussions about how different sfps and single mode vs multi mode fiber makes an audio difference, so maybe that will be the next area of networking tweaks (e.g. audiophile grade SFPs etc...).

Based on my experience the Cat 6 cable will always be your weak link. I've found using inferior ethernet in front of high quality ethernet cable negatively impacts sound quality. I run a longer coax cable to eliminate the need for long runs of expensive ethernet cable.

Converting that Cat 6  cable to optical would be a great move.