Ethernet cable-from router to streamer.

[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.  

[Archimago]

33 minutes ago, audiobomber said:

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.  

 

While I can't confirm the same type of experience with the ethernet cables here, I am glad that you were able to find the best sound quality without using extremely expensive options! That is excellent...

 

Regarding the Yauhody, I do have 1 of these Cat8 cables in my 10Gig ethernet chain from main server to the wall (6' for CAD<$10). Well built and trouble free.

 

[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