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The EtherREGEN thread for various network, cable, power experiences and experiments


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1. I am in the same situation. I am eagerly waiting for my Jan ER to be delivered. So looking over my ethernet cabling setup to prepare.

2. At present I use brand-less Cat 6 STP with no earthing and fitted with plastic end connectors. These have been hacked... Triple JSSG treatment with earth wire leading to one earth pin star ground connection. Each Cat 6 cable has at least 2 Ferrite cores maybe even more. 

3. The connection is from ISP modem to an ASUS 86 modem to a Netgear GS105 then to the SOTM Ultra Neo and Hqplayer Server PC. 

 

4. So let's try and switch with the Cat 8 cables which I have been using as POE cables. I pinched my wife's nail polish and gave the metal connectors at each end 4 coats over 2 evenings. (proper curing and hardening before the next coat) Tried it between the ASUS and the Netgear!

5. WHOA! What happened to the SQ - FLAT and complete collapse of the Sound stage!

That was on a weekday quick test. So out they came.

6. This weekend, I gave 1 Cat 8 cable the triple JSSG treatment with 5 Ferrite cores. Fitted it between the ASUS 86 and the Netgear GS105 - A quick test .... HMHM??? SQ definitely better than untreated but a quick swop back to the brandless hacked Cat 6 showed how bad the Cat 8 sounded.

7. I will burn in the signal connectors through a LAN connection and run Youtube at full blast before further comparision. I figure that maybe only the DC wires have been burnt in and the signal wires still virgin??? 

8. My theory is that I may have to rip out at least the metal connector on 1 end for the Cat 8 cable to sound good. Just painful to spoil such a lovely CAT 8 cable.

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Cat 8 is earthed, Cat 6 is NOT! The plastic connectors on the Cat 6 breaks any earth connection.  Cat 8 metal connectors is DEATH to SQ due to earth leakage current linkage.

Miska - developer of HQPlayer tells anyone who asks - DONT use metal connectors on your ethernet cables for this exact reason. I tried nail polish which is Varnish Right? to break the earth leakage path. Maybe the earth connection within the wire loom inside the cable is still conducting the earth leakage current. 

I did not believe the SQ difference. A brand-less USD2.50 cable for 1.2m vs a 20USD Cat 8 cable with beautiful finish. Plug in Plug Out. and you will throw away the Cat 8 cable. It takes 5 seconds. All system components exactly the same, Same volume setting, Same tune. It takes 5 seconds! I trust my ears.

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5 hours ago, lmitche said:

Kelvin,

 

Ground connections will greatly vary from system to system, with many variables such as power supply design, design and placement of isolation devices on both network and USB cables and the cable itself.

 

Given this one cannot generalize about how SQ will react to a cable. It is best to test SQ directly and based on results, take things from there.

 

Indeed, you have done this. Thanks for sharing that cat8 was worse then cat6a cables at your place. That's great, but we have many people here that have had quite a different result. So the expression YMMV seems to apply here.

YMMV applies . this is an universal truth in subjective evaluation in audiophile land. Rigt now this cable is undergoing Youtube and CNBC Video burn in😅

Will report back in 100 plus hours

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Triple layer Aluminium foil 4 layer thick ~ 12 layers in total with insulating tape in between .. connected to each other at one end 

At the other end 26ga pure silver earth wire to connect to star ground Earth connection on Furutech power strip.

Top Japanese Cat 8 brand with gold plated metal  end connectors now with 4 coats of varnish

Burning in for at least 3 days on high internet data flow 

Will report back on any SQ improvement snd comparison to the Cat 6 Triple JSSG snd earthed cables in my setup

7D90A7A2-9B98-4478-9627-C85D743193DA.jpeg

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Ha! Reporting back after 80hours burn in

👍😁 I applied 2 more coats of nail polish on the end metal connectors and used my heat gun to burn it hard !

The cat 8 sounds great ! A tad better bass punch snd extension, Hifreq more air ; Sound stage deep and wide😁

Conclusion. Cat .8 is good but JSSG 360, earth linkage connection , Varnish the metal connectors, And most important Ferrite cores!

I hv 3 more Cat 8 in my inventory but will need up to 20 nos of 7-9 mm ferrite cores

Happy DIY Days ahead

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi there - we all have the option to apply varnish(Wife's nail polish will suffice!) to break the conductive link with the metal end connectors. I did not wish to take the option to remove the metal casing of the end connector - It will become loose and create a bad electrical connection. Tested it without and then with the varnish on the end connector. Makes a big difference to my ears. Sound stage collapses (FLAT!) as is and improves a lot with the multiple coatings of varnish. You will have to hard bake it in using a hair dryer or heat gun. Varnish is abraided when you push in the connector. I see wear marks when I pull it out to test. Had to revarnish. 

The swap of Cat 8 from my HQPlayer Server to the Ether Regen and SOTM Ultra Neo to the EtherRegen beats out the Cat 6 used before. The Ether Regen A-B side Moat should be able to take care of the Earth leakage if any from the varnished End connectors. But I am not so sure for the Upstream connections whether Cat 8 is better than the Cat 6 I have been using so far. It is for this reason I have decided to make more modded Cat 8 cables to swap with my Cat 6 UTP cables (plastic connectors) which go between my ASUS AC86 and my Netgear GS105 and then on to the Ether Regen. This test is still on hold as my supply of ferrite cores ran out. But I believe the benefits of twisted wires in the Cat 8 I am using may not overcome the Earth Leakage from the metal connector casings. The varnish is not a permanent solution as it get abraided in push in connnection even for the first time. How much leakage happens through those abraisons I cannot tell. 

I will report back if anyone interested to hear my test of Cat6 modded vs Cat 8 modded (JSSG360/Earth wire/Ferrite Cores) between my Asus, GS105 and the Ether Regen. Will take 1 month as I am on long vacations and out of Ferrite cores for the moment.

Happy Listening to All

Kelvin

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