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


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  • 3 weeks later...
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

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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

Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio

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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

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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

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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

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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

Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio

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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.

Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio

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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!

Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio

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  • 2 weeks later...
16 hours ago, Jud said:

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

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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.

Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio

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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.

Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio

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  • 4 weeks later...
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

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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.

Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio

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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

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  • 2 weeks later...

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

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