Value of a premium Ethernet cable

I'm sure I'll get flamed, but...the file delivered to your streamer is bit checked and once the streamer has what it needs it plays whatever it was sent, no matter what cable delivered it. 

Cables matter, I am not a cable naysayer, but if you can stream 4K video successfully over wifi, then an audio file is a piece of cake, so a decent quality ethernet cable (I use Blue Jeans) is all you need. 

Power supplies, downstream cables, the DAC etc. all matter - more.

@antigrunge2 If you think there is a sine wave in the data being transmitted to the streamer, then go nuts on cables.

I said nothing about clocking.

@antigrunge2 

The interference messes with the shape of the sine wave thereby changing both amplitude and midpoint

This is impossible if we are discussing only the transfer of a digital file from the source (e.g. Qobuz) to the streamer. The digital file cannot be altered prior to it being converted to analogue. 

a sine wave in a digital file

*the digital representation of a sine wave in a digital file

Well regarded members of this forum have stated adamantly that digital audio is a true stream of data, and not a bit checked/error corrected file sent over TCP/IP in packets.

This confused me so I contacted BlueSound. Digital audio is transmitted over TCP/IP just like an other digital data file.

Errors can and do occur, e.g. the packets can get sent out of order, which can create a slight delay while the processor assembles the file (assuming the transfer is completed) but the file is the identical once it arrives at the transport/streamer no matter whether it is sent over WiFi or a $1K ethernet cable.

That is my only point.

If your new cable, wherever in the chain that is, sounds better, and you are happy with the ROI, great.

But don’t tell me the amplitude over time of a sine wave in a digital file can be altered by an ethernet cable of varying quality.

@lollipopguild Interesting video and I read the white paper, thanks for sharing.

I am not one that believes digital music is just 1s and 0s arriving at the DAC. As an example, my BS Node 130 sounded obviously better with an LPS upgrade, which is actually discussed in the video (AC leakage). I use a Zavfino PC for my DAC, Zavfino interconnects and USB cable. The USB cable sounded much better than a pricey SPIDF cable. The DAC is on Symposium Roller Blocks and a Svelte base.

The etherREGEN device looks interesting.

@deep_333 I didn't hear any obvious difference streaming over WiFi vs. ethernet, but I will a/b test this more closely for fun. 

I have ordered an AQ Cinnamon ethernet cable. I'll compare it with my Blue Jeans Belden cable and report back. I can return it if I don't hear any difference.   

@lollipopguild @tonywinga @deep_333 

I tried the Pangea Premier SE and the AQ Cinnamon this weekend. I was using a Blue Jeans (Belken) Cat 6 ($20).

I also had a closer listen to WiFi.

I REALLY wanted to send the AQ  back, so if there was any bias...

• The SE was a minor improvement over the BJ, hard to qualify that statement in any detail but I guess a little more "presence". There was no difference in directionality and I could find no documentation that this cable is directional.
• WiFi and the BJ were about the same (compared directly to the AQ cable)
• The AQ surprised me; I liked the bass response better, it was fuller (I thought I read in the EtherRegen white paper or the video, that some of the issues with interference are more likely to effect lower frequencies?) and overall I thought the music had a bit more "sparkle" (detail?).

The AQ Cinnamon is staying.

So, I definitely learned something from this thread; that everything matters EVEN ethernet cables and you don't have to have a $10K+ digital front end to hear it. 

But no, I will not be trying the AQ Diamond.

From Pangea

Any of our cables that have directional requirements have an arrow on one of the terminations pieces. That one is the side for output. If there’s no arrow, there’s no direction.

@tksteingraber I’ve got a good DAC and entry level streamer and I am going straight from a Cox Panoramic modem.

An optical switch or other audio-grade switch/filter and/or a very good streamer might render the Ethernet cable less important.

@lalitk No, thank you!

I'm not willing to spend a lot on digital at the moment after buying new speakers and amp in the last 2 months so to end up with a nice sonic upgrade for $130 is indeed a great outcome. 

@tvrgeek

If you think you are getting noise into your analog system via the Ethernet, I suggest you have a crappy Ethernet NIC so you are expecting magic cables to fix a bad design.

I’m sure I was getting noise from my Panoramic modem that the streamer is plugged into directly.

The magic Ethernet cable cost $130, came with a 60 day no questions asked return policy and absolutely sounded better than the $20 Belden cable.

No placebo effect, and my bias was in fact against the magic cable - I wanted to send it back.

Tomorrow I will be trying out a black-magic Ethernet cable to compare with the magic cable, also returnable.

Either way this was a low cost solution that didn’t require another powered device that I have no room and no spare outlets for.

Yes, there is abundance of snake oil in this industry but there are also plenty of really effective reasonably priced products.