Ethernet cable-from router to streamer.

[audiobomber]

4 hours ago, Miska said:

 

Just make sure it doesn't have a shield that would connect grounds of the two devices. Since this would spoil the galvanic isolation Ethernet otherwise has through transformer coupling. So for example standard U/UTP CAT6 is fine. So the cable should have plastic connector bodies.

 

Do all CAT7 and CAT8 cables break galvanic isolation? I believe all are shielded.

 

Is the shielding a problem if both devices are plugged into the same conditioner, i.e. same ground potential?

[audiobomber]

27 minutes ago, Miska said:

 

Not all CAT7, but CAT8 yes. Luckily those are not needed for audio, since you can reach 10 Gbps on CAT6A already. And most audio devices are just 1 Gbps anyway.

 

 

Generally yes, many audio devices have floating PSU that doesn't have 3-pin mains connection.

 

Thanks Miska. Are all cords with metal connectors a problem, or could the shield still have broken conductivity? I assume connecting an ohmmeter between the connectors would be a way to tell?

[audiobomber]

I just tested my three CAT7 cables. Two (Audioquest Pearl and Tera Grand) have isolated shields, the CableCreation flat cable has a connected shield. 

 

I was not able to hear ethernet cable differences in my previous setup (sMS-200 and Audiolab 8200CD). To my surprise, I was able to hear differences with the current system (exaSound Playpoint and e32). I tried various generic CAT5e, 7 and 8 cables and liked the Tera Grand best. I will continue to use one of the CAT8 cables, but I have a LAN Isolator on order. I will do another round of cable testing with and without the isolator when it arrives in May. 

[audiobomber]

15 hours ago, krelldog said:

Does an upgraded ethernet cable make an audible difference ?

 

If so...please recommend an ethernet cable between my Aurender 100 C and my router.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

krelldog

I suggest you connect an ethernet switch between your router and the Aurender. That made a more significant difference than ethernet cables in my system.

 

Pretty much everything I've read suggests not to use the router as a switch. There are lots of good inexpensive options available from TP-Link, Netgear, Linksys, etc. For a further improvement, you can use a linear PSU on the switch. Or go whole hog and buy an audiophile switch.

[audiobomber]

On 3/29/2021 at 12:09 PM, audiobomber said:

I just tested my three CAT7 cables. Two (Audioquest Pearl and Tera Grand) have isolated shields, the CableCreation flat cable has a connected shield. 

 

I was not able to hear ethernet cable differences in my previous setup (sMS-200 and Audiolab 8200CD). To my surprise, I was able to hear differences with the current system (exaSound Playpoint and e32). I tried various generic CAT5e, 7 and 8 cables and liked the Tera Grand best. I will continue to use one of the CAT8 cables, but I have a LAN Isolator on order. I will do another round of cable testing with and without the isolator when it arrives in May. 

Correction, the Tera Grand CAT7 cable does have a connected shield. I don't want to mislead anyone. It's still the best sounding cable I've tried in my main system, connected between my "wi-fi to ethernet" bridge and streamer, both of which have linear power supplies with ground pins. The Audioquest Pearl had the worst sound of the four cables I tried.

 

I received the eBay LAN Isolator yesterday and tried it ahead of the renderers in my main system and headphone system and between the modem and router. Results are there but underwhelming. I will keep it, but won't be buying another.

[audiobomber]

I've been playing with a bag full of inexpensive CAt5e, 6, 6a, 7 and 8 cables; freebies, CableCreations, Monoprice, Tera Grand, Yauhody and Audioquest Pearl. I'm replacing eight patch cables in two systems with Yauhody CAT8. It is head and shoulders above these others.

 

In case anyone is looking for better quality generics, I highly recommend these. Build quality is good, and SQ is in another league vs. other cheapie competitors.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07ZNS6YCN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

PS Regarding @Miska's concerns re shielding, the ethernet ports in my TP-Link networking gear are not grounded.

[audiobomber]

A disturbing truth I learned from all these listening experiments is that every cable in the chain matters. My previous stance was that only the final cable, which feeds the renderer, affected SQ. I was wrong. 

 

My critical listening chain consists of NAS->Switch->Router->Wi-fi to ethernet bridge->Renderer->DAC. Changing any of the three ethernet cables in this chain had significant effects on the final SQ, as did improvements in the networking gear. 

 

For this reason, I don't have a lot of interest in changing to audiophile ethernet cables, which cost hundreds of dollars each, and may or may not be an improvement. Not saying a home demo would not change my mind, but I would not buy anything on spec.

[audiobomber]

5 hours ago, Miska said:

 

Is it some plastic affair?

 

The Archer C9 router case is made of plastic. The case of the TL-SG108E switch and 580D ethernet access point are metal, but all three have plastic port housings.

[audiobomber]

On 4/29/2021 at 8:40 AM, audiobomber said:

I've been playing with a bag full of inexpensive CAt5e, 6, 6a, 7 and 8 cables; freebies, CableCreations, Monoprice, Tera Grand, Yauhody and Audioquest Pearl. I'm replacing eight patch cables in two systems with Yauhody CAT8. It is head and shoulders above these others.

 

In case anyone is looking for better quality generics, I highly recommend these. Build quality is good, and SQ is in another league vs. other cheapie competitors.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07ZNS6YCN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

PS Regarding @Miska's concerns re shielding, the ethernet ports in my TP-Link networking gear are not grounded.

I bought a Supra CAT8 cable, which is used by a couple of well-known reviewers in their own systems. Adding the Supra improved the sound, so I purchased two more. Using Supra in the entire chain from the NAS to the switch and from the ethernet access point to the Playpoint renderer ruined the sound compared to the cheap Yauhody CAT8 cables. 

 

A full chain of three Supra cables had poor transient response; attack/decay was stretched. A full chain of Yauhody was very smooth but lacking a bit of definition. After intense experimentation and listening, the best combo was a Supra cable from NAS to switch, followed by two Yauhody cables. The combo brought out the best of each cable and compensated for the weaknesses. I am very happy with the sound now, I do not intend to look further.  

[audiobomber]

On 6/20/2021 at 11:11 AM, audiobomber said:

A full chain of three Supra cables had poor transient response; attack/decay was stretched. A full chain of Yauhody was very smooth but lacking a bit of definition. After intense experimentation and listening, the best combo was a Supra cable from NAS to switch, followed by two Yauhody cables. The combo brought out the best of each cable and compensated for the weaknesses.

So it turns out I had the shield grounding issue I was warned about in this thread, but only between my NAS to the TP-Link switch. In my defence, I was informed by TP-Link Support that the ethernet ports are not grounded, but my ammeter showed they were wrong.

 

The grounded shield caused some high frequency hash, which favored the dark chocolate sound of the Yauhody cables. I've added a LAN Isolator to break the ground connection. I am currently using a Grand Tera CAT7 with the LAN Isolator from NAS to switch, Supra CAT8 to router and Supra CAT8 from bridge to streamer. 

[audiobomber]

I've been on a binge for weeks, trying to find the optimal ethernet cable setup. I've tried numerous generic CAT5e, 6, 6a and 7 cables, and CAT8 cables from Yauhody and Supra. I tried two LAN Isolators in four different positions.

 

My final setup is pretty simple, I am back to using Yauhody CAT8 everywhere, in all four of my audio systems. One LAN Isolator is connected between modem and router, to eliminate digital noise from the internet, the other is between the NAS and switch, to isolate the shield on the CAT8 cable. 

 

Until a couple of years ago, I had a pretty nice turntable setup. Although both had strengths, I always preferred the sound of the table over CD. When I got started with computer audio in 2017, I ripped my vinyl and sold the turntable and preamp. 

 

The computer audio system using Yauhody CAT8 cables reminds me of the warmth and soundstaging of my old analog system, but more transparent, more detailed. YMMV.

[audiobomber]

2 minutes ago, audiobomber said:

Double post