lmitche Posted November 19, 2019 Share Posted November 19, 2019 34 minutes ago, Superdad said: Well come on, just order an 80km spool of single-mode fiber off Amazon. Can such a thing even exist? That's 262,000 feet of cable. Guess you dedicate your garage to housing it! Here is a cool thing you can do with all that fiber. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_Boys Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
Popular Post lmitche Posted December 10, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted December 10, 2019 On 12/7/2019 at 7:17 PM, ray-dude said: Alright, I think I'm done with ER listening tests for the day My last bit was to test various accessible (eg, cheap) ethernet cables that I had on hand and that have been mentioned in various posts along the way. I do not (yet) have any summit-fi ethernet cables (bits is bits, am I right or am I right?) Starting with where I left off (same chain as my power post linked above, SR4 powering the EtherRegen) I tested the following ethernet cables: Random cable out of a box (no markings at all, may have been a pack in cable by the looks of it) Cable Matters Snagless Cat6 5’ ($3) https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E5I7WBS Monoprice Flexboot Cat6 Ethernet Patch Cable 5’ ($5) https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AJHC926 StarTech.com Cat6 Patch Cable (6”) ($4) https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y651SKV Tera Grand (3’ and 6’) CAT7 10 Gigabit Ethernet Ultra Flat Patch Cable ($8) https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MQHD96X https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01F7MLJU0/ Dacrown Cat 8 Ethernet Cable 5’ Shielded ($8) https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QZH6C8F For the first set of tests, I left the Dacrown Cat 8 running from my wall to my ER. In this config, here is how I rated the various cables (again, a relative scale, focused on the same bass detail and clarity/imaging and dynamics I mentioned earlier) : Random cable 3 Cable Matters Cat 6 4 Monoprice Cat 6 5 Startech Cat 6 (6”) 5 Tera Grand Flat Cat 7 7 Differences were more subtle than my earlier tests, but the Tera Grand cable did clearly stand out from the rest. Next, I put my 6' Tera Grand flat Cat 7 cable from the wall to my ER. In this config, I heard the following: Tera Grand Flat Cat 7 6 (with a grain of salt when comparing to the above...the switch took longer here) Dacrown Cat 8 8 Clear step up with the Dacrown between the ER and my NUC compared with the Tera Grand, but both I think are clearly separated from the other accessible cables. These listening tests are (unfortunately) encouraging me to actually pay attention to ethernet cables. I'll probably dip my toe into Amazon for more Cat 8 cables, and try my best to resist exotica like the SOtM dCBL-CAT7 (at least until some soon-to-be-former friend brings a set over for me to hear in person The Supra Cat 8 may be my limit for buying blind without an audition. I should say that for the record, I'm really really uncomfortable so clearly hearing differences between ethernet cables....this way (even more) madness dwells. Hi Ray-dude, I've been in a parallel universe here testing Tera Grand Cat 7 flat and and premium cables. In the end, the premium double shielded cable definitely sounds best. Looking at the Dacrown cable you chose above, it has a very similar construction to the Tera Grand premium. The Dacrown is rated higher then the Tera Grand so I am curious to learn whether that matters to SQ. To that end, I've ordered one to test. Welcome to the never ending bottomless pit of digital sound quality enhancements. I am still finding nice SQ enhancements similar to this one, two or three times a month. ray-dude, rickca and Forehaven 2 1 Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 10 hours ago, ray-dude said: Thanks for the update Larry. Do you happen to have any Supra CAT 8 cables or (shudder) SoTM dCBL-CAT7 cables available to test? It's all fun and games to experiment blind with cables that set you back a morning latte, but yet another thing to drop $600 on a listening test (that buys a lot of fine wine that we could/should be drinking during a listening test) Ray Hi Ray-dude, Yes, I have Monoprice, Supra Cat 8, BJC Cat 6a cables and many more. No SOTM gear here as it is too expensive. These Amazon Cat 7 and 8 cables are nicely made, flexible and light weight. My Supra Cat 8 with JSSG360 shielding approaches the weight, thickness and flexibility of a fire hose filled with water. Tera Grand Premium SQ is better then my Supra 8 for sure. There is even more focus, and therefore deeper blackness between players. Look for a comparison the Tera Grand Cat 7 and Dacrown Cat 8 next week. I ordered white cables. Are yours white or black? Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 1 hour ago, charlesphoto said: I would suggest not wasting time on Amazon cables OR audiophile cables. The best in my system so far, and many others agree (big thread on it over at the Naim forum) are the Blue Jeans Cables (BJC) Cat 6a. Not inexpensive compared to Amazon, but cheap compared to the likes of Audioquest Vodka. Hi Charlesphoto, Thanks for your response. Apparently you missed that I own many Bjc Cat 6a cables already, literally many dozens and hundreds of feet. You see for many years I shared your enthusiasm. Nevertheless, recent experience is that the Amazon cables sound better and are much more flexible. Live and learn. Larry PYP 1 Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
Popular Post lmitche Posted December 13, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted December 13, 2019 For those that are interested, unfortunately after several days, the Dacrown cables never shipped. Perhaps the white cable order meant that supply was constrained. Disappointed, I cancelled the order and did some additional research on Cat 8 cables. Findings included reports that the Dacrown, and most other Chinese Cat 8 cables, fail when measured against Cat 8 standards. It occurred to me that there should be "authentic" Cat 8 cables made by a credible manufacturer. After much browsing, the Cables Matters Cat 8 showed up. This is a Massachusetts based company and their Cat 8 reviews look good showing cables that measure well. The price was competitive so I ordered a couple instead of the Dacrown. The short one, 3 feet, arrived this morning, the long one, 10 feet, is a day late and still hasn't arrived. The connectors are the best ever seen here and are clearly industrial strength. Unfortunately the cable seems just as stiff as the BJC 6a. When the second one arrives, I'll test this pair against the Tera Grand premium. It will take a few days to break in of course, so stay tuned. FWIW, people are asking about my comment that the ER enables upstream tweaks to be more audible. It has always been my belief that much of what we hear as SQ quality enhancements, are largely due to improvements in timing. This timing impact is often masked and as we tweak various components and subsystems, both the timing related problems and improvements are revealed. The ER subtracts several types of noise from the chain, and adds better timing for the signal, unmasking and thereby making tweaks audible by exposing timing improvements from upstream components. The recent cable experiments here reveal greatly improved focus, like the sound is better time aligned, coming from a single point in space, rather than a larger blob in the image. This also means that the space between sources is much darker. The perception of realism and presence is at a new level. I hope this is all clear. I wish we had the tools to measure small but perceptible timing differences. Larry lwr, gstew and pas 1 2 Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted December 14, 2019 Share Posted December 14, 2019 10 hours ago, Ricardo007 said: Hello Can these cables be used for inwall? Then you need to remove the rj45 termination plugs and do correct connection of sshield to wall plugs that may be tricky? What would be your recommendation? I don't know if these cables can be used in wall. Most are designed to be patch cables in a datacenter so I doubt it. Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted December 14, 2019 Share Posted December 14, 2019 7 minutes ago, Ricardo007 said: Any suggestion for ethernet in wall cables ? I have to renovate an appartment before my next move... Ricardo, I have zero expertise with in wall ethernet cabling and related safety standards for plenum rated cabling. You might call Blue Jeans Cable or Cable Matters. I expect both companies will have answers for you. We may never know if the Chinese goods meet US safety standards. Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted December 14, 2019 Share Posted December 14, 2019 6 minutes ago, Ricardo007 said: Thanks. Will do and report. Any other suggestions ? Cables 2 Go is another data center cable company that may be of interest to you. Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted December 15, 2019 Share Posted December 15, 2019 11 hours ago, ray-dude said: The Amazon Gods were a bit kinder to me than they were to Larry. Today I was able to followup my cable listening tests last week with the new contenders. As background, here is a link to what I posted last week: For this followup test, I wanted to listen to some more CAT8 cables (vs the Dacrown Cat 8 winner from last week), so I picked a random Amazon CAT8 cable (Phizli) and got a Cable Matters Cat 8 (all in black of course). I also picked up the premium Tera Grand Cat7 cable that Larry mentioned in his write up (vs the flat cable that I had last time). All tests were with no break in on the cables. I still have my EtherREGEN still powered by a Paul Hynes SR4 @ 12V, with a Tera Grand 6’ Cat 7 cable connecting it to my ethernet wall jack. In my closet, I have a stock MacMini running Roon Core. However, since I’m done with my power supply experiments with EtherREGEN, I now have my ER connected via various cables under test to my NUC i7 (Euphony running HQPlayer Embedded, powered by PowerAdd Pilot2 battery at 16V) connected by a Lush^2 USB cable to my new SoTM tx-USB ultra (stock, powered by Uptone LPS 1.2 @ 12V) then Lush^2 to Chord DAVE to Voxativ 9.87 speakers direct. Here are the cables that were invited to round 2: WALL TO ETHERREGEN: Tera Grand (6’) CAT7 10 Gigabit Ethernet Ultra Flat Patch Cable ($8) https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01F7MLJU0/ RUNNER UP FROM LAST WEEK: Tera Grand (3’) CAT7 10 Gigabit Ethernet Ultra Flat Patch Cable ($8) https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MQHD96X WINNER FROM LAST WEEK: Dacrown Cat 8 Ethernet Cable 5’ Shielded ($8) https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QZH6C8F NEW: Tera Grand (3’) CAT7 10 Gigabit Ethernet Premium Patch Cable ($7) https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G4M4FIG NEW: Phizli Cat8 Ethernet Cable (3’) 40Gbps, 2000Mhz with Gold Plated RJ45 Connector ($8) https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XNZ2CGH NEW: Cable Matters SFTP Cat8 Ethernet Cable in Black (3’) ($12) https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NVS8BF5 Like last week, I mainly focused on bass detail/imaging, and dynamics (a good tell for me for what ER brings to the table. I used several test tracks, but an example is Till Bronner "A Thousand Kisses Deep" from Nightfall, and Diana Krall "The Boulevard of Broken Dreams" from All For You. For this eval, I was mainly focusing on the sense of space and presence I'm getting from the bass, but the benefits of the ER (as I hear and many have reported) are more than that. Here are my very subjective ratings after sweeping through these a couple times: Tera Grand Flat Cat 7 6 (baseline from last week) Dacrown Cat 8 8 (baseline from last week) Tera Grand Premium Cat 7 8.5 (a bit more bass attack) Phizli Cat 8 9 (clearer, and maybe a bit better attack) Cable Matters Cat 8 10 (even more clarity and attack) The Cat 8 cables were generally better than the Cat 7’s, but there was variability from cable to cable, and even overlap (the Cat 7 Tera Grand Premium did better than my favorite Cat 8 Dacrown from last week). As a last test before I called it a night, I wanted to check whether the cable on the A side of the ER (connected to the wall in my case) make a difference? With the new favorite Cable Matters Cat 8 on the B side to my NUC, I compared having my random ethernet cable from a box (lowest rank last week on the B side) to the Dacrown Cat 8 from the wall to the ER (last week’s winner on the B side). With a confirmation bias squint, is there a difference? Maybe so, but maybe not. I think it would take an extended critical listening test to suss out differences. At this point, the delta is not enough for me to really worry about. Since the Cable Matters cables are so reasonably priced, I’ll get another one (black of course) to put on the A side to the wall, and not think about the A side any more. As a next step, things are still stepping up enough that I suspect there is more to be had on the B side than what the Cable Matters Cat 8 brings to the party. If I have time over Christmas break, I may try to do some experiments with adding JSSG360 shielding to this cable to see what happens. Of course, as we hear feedback from people using the EtherREGEN with the Phasure ET^2 ethernet cable with different shield configurations, all the better! Larry, thanks for the pointer to the Cable Matters cables (their Cat6 cables are my go tos in the rest of my house). Looking forward to hearing what you’re hearing once you have your round 2 cables in house. Hey Ray-dude, Many thanks for the write-up and acknowledgement. I concur, with only 24 hours burn-in the two Cable Matters CAT 8s are the best ethernet cables heard here and a nice step up from the Tera Grand. My guess is SQ will continue to improve over time. The results of your JSSG360 experiment will be interesting. Thanks again, Larry Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 1 hour ago, Bricki said: G'day Larry Seems like your cable matters cat 8 has turned out to be a good find 👍 I'm interested to know how it compares to the Supra cat8. I think that the Supra cat8's strong points are good layering of the sound stage and a nice natural tone, however I'm aware that versus some other cables it can come off sounding a bit dull... And the Supra cat8 doesn't have a particularly focused image versus something like Audioquest Pearl.... However, I like the layering and the natural tone... But I'm well aware of it's short comings. Does the cable matters cat8 have good layering? Does it have a more focused image? Maybe I'll just have to order some to find out... But down here in Australia I won't receive it until early January 🤣 Hi Bricki, I haven't compared the Cable Matters (CM) Cat 8 to my diy Supra 8 cable. The connectors on that cable are dodgy, and I've never trusted that the terminations are done correctly. Given this, such a test doesn't make sense. Perhaps someone else with a Supra Cat 8 can have a go. I can say that nothing heard here before has come close to the CM Cat 8 including the Supra. Frankly the sensitivity of my current rig to this part of the chain means that previous bottlenecks have been diminished and the cable is now the constraint. That's progress. SQ is very clear, focused with a kind of density not observed before. I wouldn't called it layered. Deep would be a better description. I am looking forward to further break-in. Larry ray-dude 1 Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 5 hours ago, Jud said: Ordered these (1m length), because heck, they're cheap. Was considering blue, but for some odd reason black was available a day earlier, so I went with that. What are they like in terms of weight and flexibility? I've still got some concerns regarding torsion on my Ethernet connections, so would be happier if they were somewhat flexible in a 1m length. But if I like what I hear, I'll just keep them in the system and be careful. Unfortunately they are BJC Cat 6a stiff. The weight doesn't seem excessive in any way. Jud 1 Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 27 minutes ago, rickca said: Isn't it a concern that these are SFTP with metal connectors? Taping the metal shield may make sense, but so does enjoying the music. Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted December 19, 2019 Share Posted December 19, 2019 15 hours ago, Jud said: Just bought 3 Cable Matters Cat 8 1m cables, and after quite a bit of comparative listening this evening, I surprisingly find I like the sound with the Slimrun Cat 6a more, at least in my system. To whoever has tried the Cable Matters Cat 8: Did the cable go through a break-in period? Did it sound better than the other cables you'd tried as soon as you installed it? If things remain as they are I'll possibly offer the new cables for sale to whoever here might like them. Give them at least two or three days. I'm just breaking in a second pair and 40 hours in they are just beginning to open up and sound great. Just listened to the long version of Marley's Jammin', wowser! Jachua Heifetz is playing Bruch at moment. Never heard him better! Jud 1 Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 21 hours ago, Jud said: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07XZ7Q2N7/ref=sspa_mw_detail_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1 How did the cat 8 cable work out? Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted January 1, 2020 Share Posted January 1, 2020 16 hours ago, Jud said: Got an email about this 🙂: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07G9SGX6S/ref=pe_3730140_464704700_em_1p_1_lm Jud, Are you going to give these a try? I'm happy with the Cable Matters Cat 8 and done experimenting with cables for now. With the new Cat 8 and a bunch of new post Roon 1.7 Audiolinux tweaks SQ is the best ever here. Nevertheless, I am always interested in the experience of others. Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted January 1, 2020 Share Posted January 1, 2020 3 hours ago, Jud said: Mayyybeee, at some point in the future. I liked their Cat 6a, and these are not expensive. So let's see what @BCRich and anyone else who decides to try them might think. But like you, at this point I'm happy. I posted the link for anyone else who might be curious. It still amazes me that cables can make such a big difference, especially on the digital side. ray-dude 1 Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
Popular Post lmitche Posted January 2, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted January 2, 2020 11 hours ago, kelvinwsy said: 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 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. gstew, soares and ferenc 3 Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 1 hour ago, magnuska said: I have also ordered a couple of cable matters cat 8 cables while awaiting delivery of the etherregen in january. Would this cable from inakustik be a good one from the aspect of tied connector shield. This one has no metal connector so I guess it will be fine. Perhaps a competitor to BJC? https://www.hifisound.de/en/Hifi-Accessories/Cable-Crafted/LAN-Network/Inakustik-Premium-II-CAT6-Ethernet-Network-Cable-0-50-mtr.html Magnuska, It is tough to say which cable is best. If you do compare the SQ of the CM cat 8 vs. Inakustik please share the results here. gstew 1 Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
Popular Post lmitche Posted January 3, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted January 3, 2020 5 hours ago, cat6man said: maddening is a good description, and not just for digital cables. Hi Cat6man, Your comment brings a smile to my face. When saying that digital cable impact on SQ amazes me, the last thing I meant was to imply is that digital cables are the only thing that leads to amazing SQ. After 5 years of reading 10,000 of posts, posting thousands myself and trying many 100's of experiments, I agree, we do not understand many of the underlying mechanisms that impact SQ. I share your frustration with this situation. Nevertheless, we have developed a set of best practices that work. First, we have collectively crowd sourced the development and production of unique solutions like the Uptone ISO Regen, ER Regen and LPS1.2 that deliver substantial sound quality enhancements by reducing noise, isolating grounds and re-clocking digital signals. The impact of these devices has stood the test of time, and happily the level of commercial success has created enough incentive for these talented people to continue the work. There have been many other companies that have imitated the Uptone devices, another sign of success. Linear power supply companies, like Hdplex, Paul Hynes, Farad and others continue to innovate based on demand generated from these pages. Likewise on the cable front, innovations like the Ghent DC cabling, or the Phasure Lush cables, are all based on the JSSG360 ideas offered by John Swenson and further developed and validated by members here. Software solutions like Roon, Audiolinux, and Euphony continue to make incremental SQ gains with the help of our members. Lastly we are getting much better at finding the most sensitive parts of the chain, to prioritize the next set of tweaks to enhance SQ. Knowing this guides efforts to find incremental SQ gains from cabling, network configuration, software and hardware tweaks. We have also proven that these enhancements can be replicated and shared with others that validate the enhancements by hearing the same impact. I suspect that someday sooner rather then later, John and/or Alex will be able to definitively tells us what is happening. But in the meantime, SQ is at a very high level with clarity, image density and subtle detail that creates a spine tingling perception of realistic presence, a noise floor in the basement and musical enjoyment that is beyond my best expectations. I don't know how much further we have to go, but any progress from here will be gravy. Thanks again for the smile and Happy New Year, Larry PYP, jean-michel6, gstew and 9 others 2 7 3 Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 11 hours ago, skatbelt said: In my memory the JSSG360 principle is to connect the cable shield at one end to the metal housing of plug A while leaving the other end (the plug B side) not connected but - instead of this and via an extra lead/conductor - loop this end back to plug A. This to ground the shield and make it more effective / not capacitive while not acting as a transmitter between the two connected devices. I could be wrong though. JSSG360 means the two shields are tied at the endpoints but otherwise floating and disconnected from anything else. JSSG360 is like JSSG in this regard. Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 2 hours ago, Mike Rubin said: Thanks, Jud. Sounds as though I probably should revert back to 6A in this application, just to be safe. You are probably better off listening to both cables and making a decision on cat 6a vs. cat 8. Star ground schemes are used by lots of manufacturers between components so having a grounded cable running into the ER 'A' side could have benefits. Given this, it is best to use your ears. Over here Cat 8 between my wifi extender and server sounds better then Cat 6A. The LPS powering the extender is ground shunted. The LPS powering the server is floating so there is one path to ground carried through the cat 8. Jud 1 Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted January 27, 2020 Share Posted January 27, 2020 16 hours ago, Mike Rubin said: Thanks for responding. One of the things I liked about the new Monoprice CAT8 (moreso than Cable Matters) was that it affected image width almost spectacularly in the few days it was in my system, which is attractive to me because my room’s layout and my speaker placement seem to box in the image. I switched back to 6A just a few minutes ago and, immediate, I noticed the image return to its normal size. That’s not the change I expected in CAT8, but I would gladly take it, even as a placebo, unless I am creating risk or problems elsewhere. Each of these cables has been connected at one end to a plastic wall plate with CAT6 in the wall. Its other end is connected to the ER’s metal B port. The ER has the standard Uptone-branded SMPS powering it and the FMC connects to my rendu‘s optical port via fiber? If the cable is metal tipped and grounded, what power issues am I facing if I use CAT8 rather than 6A for the ER in this application? I am not sure what you mean by power issues. Cat 5,6,7 or 8 will have zero operational issues, as they will all work properly. SQ differences are the only things that should impact your cable choice. Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted February 8, 2020 Share Posted February 8, 2020 Hi all, I've read the last month of postings here and can't seem to find a consensus on SFPs and Fiber combinations. Between tplink startech, cisco, 850nm 1350nm, 1550nm with attentuators or not, om4 or om5 fiber, I am lost. Am I missing something, or is there no best practice yet? How should one proceed? Larry Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted February 9, 2020 Share Posted February 9, 2020 34 minutes ago, kennyb123 said: How does the Monoprice CAT8 compare to the Cable Matters CAT8 in terms of flexibility? I moved my CM to use between my wall jack and the upstream FMC. It would be helpful to have a more flexible cable there. The Monoprice Cat 8 is equally or even less flexible than the CM Cat 8. kennyb123 1 Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
Popular Post lmitche Posted February 9, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted February 9, 2020 On 2/8/2020 at 3:14 PM, sahmen said: Lol : You're certainly not alone, if that is any consolation... My needs are many, but now, I am limiting them to one, for the meantime : a simple 1 meter ethernet cable to connect the B-side of my ER to my Metrum Acoustics Ambre streamer. Reading this forum and others, I have learnt about the relative benefits of the following options, but there is sadly no consensus, and I get the feeling there isn't going to be one, any time soon : 1. Audioquest vodka (and maybe diamond?) 2. Wireworld Starlight 8 3. Supra Cat8 4. Shunyata Sigma (or Alpha) 5. Nordost Hemdall (or Blue Heaven) 6. SOtM dCBL Cat7 (and Cat6)...etc etc I am sure there are others that I am leaving out, but the list at least provides some indication as what I am faced with, at the moment. In an ideal world, i'd simply get all of them and try them one by one, in order to ferret out and keep the one which sounds best with the ER and my other gear, and return all the rest, but it doesn't look like there is some way to try out all these expensive cables without breaking the bank (Will the cable company have all of them for rent, for example?). On the other hand, I have already replaced the generic cheapo RJ45 cable inside my Metrum Ambre Roon bridge with a 20cm length SOtM dCBL Cat6 cable, and that replacement made a very good, and exciting impact on the sound, so something tells me that I should simply get a 1m version of the same cable to connect the ambre with the B-side of the ER and be done with all my present torment of second guessing cables. Except that this last thought itself leads to another set of questions : What if one of the other cables on the list would sound better? Is it ever a good idea to mix brands of cables on the B-side of the ER (i.e. whatever cable I choose is going to have to interact directly with the SOtM dCBL Cat6 inside the Ambre, so if mixing cables on the b-side is.not a good idea, then the best approach would either to use another dCBL Cat6 cable to complement the one already inside the Ambre, or to use another brand of cable for the two purposes : connecting the Ambre with the ER, and replacing the RJ45 cable inside the Ambre)... So far, I am inclined to settle for the 1m SOtM dCBL Cat6 cable not necessarily because I know it is the best option, but it seems to be the easiest, cheapest, and most pragmatic choice, however is pragmatism a good reason to choose a cable, given how expensive this one is going to be (i.e. $350)?... As you can see, I have learnt how to torture myself with such endless questions... I thought having an audio enthusiast hobby was supposed to be fun all the way....😀 By the way speaking of pragmatism, I am already using a Cable Matters Cat8 cable between the ER and the Ambre, and although it sounds fine, and leaves nothing obvious to complain about, I have got all the forces of audio nervosa and confirmation bias in my body protesting against that choice, and trying to convince me that the Cable Matters Cat8 simply can't be the best I can do under the present circumstances... And what can a poor guy like me do to quiet down such mighty forces?...😘 Seriously though, I still want to make one choice among the above and be done with this phase of the quest. Hi Sahmen, Thanks for your response. There are people here that won't cross the line into audiophile Ethernet cables, or any cables, priced in the hundreds or thousands of dollars. I am one of them. The Cable Matters and MonoPrice cables are good enough for me. My Lush 1 cable is the only exception here. sahmen, k-man and gstew 3 Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
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