What's the consensus on ethernet cables?

[PeterSt]

When you whip 10ft of the Cat5, there's a flubberish sound.

Doing the same with a Cat6, the sound becomes more firm, though plastic.

Cat7 is full of metal.

[PeterSt]

4 hours ago, crenca said:

You will need to consult an Audiophile what the sound of digital communication sounds like 😂

 

Now every body so far was serious. Try again ?

[PeterSt]

17 minutes ago, KingRex said:

1 Use

2 Use

3 Use

4 Use

 

I use nothing.

[PeterSt]

9 hours ago, KingRex said:

10 hours ago, PeterSt said:

 

I use nothing.

I gather you are saying all music is stored on one the server and you stream usb to your DAC?

 

The alterations I made to my setup make distinguishing between files stored on my server pretty much indistinguishable from streamed Qobuz or Tidal tracks.

 

Yes, that important it is.

 

9 hours ago, KingRex said:

Since the thread was about Ethernet cables I thought I would include other design criteria I find to influence the sound I hear via my Ethernet.

 

Justified IMO.

 

10 hours ago, KingRex said:

My internal SSD has its own PS.

 

And I don't use that either.  I really use literally nothing. But this is all related to the software I use and how that makes such a setup possible. But never mind that because it isn't about that. However, it *is* about using nothing. And that really is so.

Though this is not 100% true ...

 

Music plays from the Audio PC (the one containing literally nothing except MoBo and processor (all LPSU powered)). This connects to what I call the music server (it holds and provides the music storage) and this is via Ethernet (it is not even part of the LAN). Music dynamically loads all into RAM when I ask for that via the software (player), shuts down the Ethernet connection and plays. Only a minimalistic Ethernet (protocol) connection is maintained to control the Audio PC (Stop, Skip, Volume and the like).

 

Now does the Ethernet cable matter for that connection ? I never tried. As you may know we sell the ^2 cables for it, but I never tried myself ... and to be honest, the ET^2 cables are made for i2s connections over Ethernet and for such a connection customers certainly are raving - for PC-PC (or LAN) connections I wonder whether it has been used; whether it can make a difference for that ? if you say so ...

 

Mentioned "music server" (which thus holds the storage) itself connects to the LAN and Internet. So from there Tidal is arranged for (no Qobuz here). There is no brain cell in me that tells me that that would require a better Ethernet cable. So who knows, but I don't think so.

 

[PeterSt]

50 minutes ago, Ralf11 said:

IOW, they may well not be really hearing anything - hence the need for blind testing

 

Make the deaf man blind ? That could be too much of it.

[PeterSt]

4 hours ago, Superdad said:

I don't think I've ever seen a DAC running its clocks--sometimes to some pretty far corners of the board to slave other chips--with differential lines.  Ought to be done... 

 

Well Alex, here you go - the unboxing of ...

 

  

  

 

Part of the clock (distribution driver) module:

 

 

But I stopped the project after all the parts where in the house (2,500 for two channel) and I got scared of the immense time required for testing all the bits and pieces. We got as far as soldering one bit module.

 

 

Ever saw a one bit module ?  

I recall that the SMD resistors required for the final (production) product were USD 12 or so pp when bought at large quantities (this has decals for SMD). Looks like USD 36 for one bit for the resistors only. So no ...

 

 

[PeterSt]

4 hours ago, Miska said:

That plastic core is quite stiff and makes the cable also stiff,

 

Just take CAT5. Then you don't have that. And is as good (enough) for normal usage.