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Ethernet cable for music streaming

I know there have been threads on this topic, including my own from last year, but I'd like to pursue this issue further, perhaps from a slightly different angle. Here's my conundrum: I'm not getting the sound quality from my Innuos PulseMini streamer that I think it's capable of and I've never been able to put my finger on what the weak link in my system is. I'm streaming Qobuz through the Innuos SenseApp on my Samsung tablet. While some parts of the frequency range sound really good (bass, mid-bass, lower mids, e.g.), when we get to the range where vocals live and above, the sound loses fidelity and definition. Things sound fuzzy and muddled, especially if the music is complex or dense. Loud orchestral passages can be really unpleasant to listen to.

The streamer is connected via USB to a Sonnet Morpheus DAC, and is fed via ethernet cable from my AT&T router. It's about a 35 ft. run of CAT5 that goes under the house and up through the floor of my listening (living) room. It doesn't run near any other electric lines. There's an ethernet switch that divides the signal between the TV, the Roku box, and the streamer. I do have the option of running a dedicated line from the router to the streamer, but I need some advice on whether this will improve things any. I tried plugging the existing ethernet cable into the streamer directly, bypassing the switch, but this yielded no improvement. 

Would it help to use CAT6 or CAT6a cable for this run? And should it be shielded or unshielded? I've read some posts that indicate shielded cables introduce their own distortions into the signal, so I'm really not sure which way to go here. 

I'd be grateful for advice from the many of you who are more expert on this subject than I am. Thanks.

cooper52
audphile1's avatar
audphile1
4,323 posts
 

missed it so I’ll go back and second @soix on a power supply recommendation. I would do that plus a nice power cord before playing with any Ethernet related tweaks. 

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mclinnguy's avatar
mclinnguy
273 posts
 

May want to give an Etheregen switch a try? 30 day money back guarantee. Most have found it "smoothes" out their streaming sound by removing hash which enables you to hear a little better resolution from a blacker background. Not sure if that is the same as removing the "fuzzyness and muddled-ness". Probably not quite as good as the already mentioned passive Network acoustics filters, I have't tried one of those yet, but less than half the price also. I have a Plixir LPS on my etherregen.

For sure a short run with a high end ethernet cable made (will make) a smaller difference in sq also, but that is not the best place to start (probably). 

It all matters, tackle the digital stream one notch at a time. You need to try things and see what makes a difference in your system to your ears. 

akg_ca's avatar
akg_ca
2,166 posts
 

@soix

@ghdprentice

+2 …..

A upgrade to a linear power supply is a meaningful and important performance upgrade compared to a switch power supply in any case,….and significantly over the OEM throw-in crap POS wall wart supplied with the unit

The insertion of a Wi-Fi extender is a cheap no-brainer.

I was initially a hard skeptic of the audiophile network switch option too. Fortunately , I watched the following YouTube review ( first of several by Hans) , that encouraged me to finally set aside my bias, and give a SILENT ANGEL network switch a try.

In brief , yes, a further audio improvement was here with

- a blacker background,

- It introduced added lifting of an ethereal “veil” from streaming “ jitter” and “noise” ,

- along with further incremental eliminations of streaming digital “edge” / “brightness’ .

it is beyond my pay grade to explain the engineering tech reasons why ,

NOTE: As Hans points out in his reviews, the audio streaming benefits from audiophile grade network switches are very system dependent:

- they are clear and unambiguous in his “A” reference system, and progressively somewhat less as he steps down into his “B” and “C” systems.

He has several YouTube reviews of the different network switch contenders, = choose wisely

 

 

akg_ca's avatar
akg_ca
2,166 posts
 

Post Script

Adding another quality build external linear power supply to the audiophile switch above to replace the cheap OEM supplied wall wort,, had a second similar streaming performance upgrade as adding a LPS to the streamer/ DAC itself.

 

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