You are welcome
Thanks for the link.
I currently use a lo-tech solution that finally made a clear diff. I moved the music-server (mac-mini) and switch outside the listening room and then some.
Simon,
You seem to be implying CAT 6a is inferior to CAT 6 for patching client devices. Am I misunderstanding your post above or is there an issue with reliability with a cable that will suffer frequent movement when used for client devices, etc due to the 6aās construction vs 6?
regards,
Dave
The key thing with Cat6A is that it uses larger cable gauges than Cat6 and is therefore a lot stifferā¦ it really is not appropriate as a flexible patch lead, but instead better suited for infrastructure wiring. Additionally Cat 6A can support 10Gbps at 100 metres, where as Cat 6 supports 10 GBPs at 37 metres, again suggesting 6A is better for infrastructure wiring.
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Thanks Simon, I figured thatās where you might be going. I fully agreeā¦Iām sure the shield and wires would be far more susceptible to breakage as well as the RJ-45s potentially making less than an ideal connection due to cable tension combined with cable movement as a client patch cord.
Dave
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I was convinced to try a Supra Cat8 cable. I bought one (they arenāt too expensive, especially compared to some boutique ethernet cables Iāve seen). After letting it break in for a few weeks I compared it to a Blue Jeans certified and tested Cat 6a cable (about a third the cost) and could hear no difference.
Since then I have added XPS to my NDX2 so maybe Iāll give it another comparison.
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I do not think most of the replies are enthusiastic and like many cable threads it descended in to some abuse. The manufacturer (Linn) certainly does not subscribe to view the Cat 8 cables improve sound quality. In fact in the manual specifically recommends against anything other than fully qualified (Fluke tested) Category 5 or Category 6 for its Exakt connections.
Only way is to try them. I have tried some and decided Blue Jeans Cables Cat 5e patch leads are as good as it gets.
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I have the same components as you. I strongly recommend avoiding audiophile cables especially if you like to keep your ADSM up to date with the latest software. If you set up Space Optimisation V2 carefully youāll achieve stunning sound quality without spending anything on boutique cables.
I use BJC Ethernet because it comes with a test certificate so I know the cable Iām using is fully qualified. However, if you buy from BT Connectix (Cable Monkey) or a similar supplier youāll get a superb patch lead for less than the price of a fancy cup of coffee.
If you are able to try before you buy then give a boutique cable a go. Itāll probably cost under Ā£10 to return it.
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Cheers for the info, it certainly gives me some thoughts.
Hi Simon,
Thank you for contributing to all these networking related threads ā your responses are always knowledgeable, rational, and unbiased. It is greatly appreciated.
I am just beginning my research into the optimal wiring for my new home network build and stumbled across this thread as I was searching for Cat 8.
Am I interpreting correctly that your recommendation for a new home network build would be Cat 6a for infrastructure and Cat 6 for patch cables (for network reliability & performance as well as Roon audio streaming use)?
I was planning to invest in Sonoreās opticalRendu + optical module before connecting to the DAC or active speakers to eliminate any noise transmitted over ethernet wires. With this in place, do you see any other reason to invest in a fiber infrastructure or a anything more sophisticated than Cat 6a/6 in an apartment setting?
Finally, in your mention of 100m range of Cat 6a, I assume that is measured from switch to furthest endpoint rather than furthest endpoint to switch to next furthest endpoint. Is that a correct assumption?
Thanks again!
Hi, thanks for your feedback. With regard to your new home network, yes I would focus on Cat 6A for infrastructure, but ideally if a large house or with rooms with concentrated inter room traffic then you may want to consider a core and edge switches. If so so you may want to run aggregated (multiple) links from your core to edge switches - and ensure your switches support aggregation.
Either way if possible I would use trunking if you can for the wiring so you can relatively easily replace the cabling say ten years in the future.
For patch leads I would focus on Cat 5e or Cat 6.
The 100m (or 37m) length is for the Ethernet segmentā¦ that is the cable distance between physical active network ports.
As far as common mode noise over Ethernet wires, I suspect if a problem you are as likely to find the same or similar noise travelling along your mains wires.
One way to impede common mode noise if you think you have an issue is to clamp ferrite chokes around the cable near the switch and streamer. (You can do the same with mains wires) That is typically the usual way common mode noise is reduced where required for EM compliance etc.
To see if you actually have a common mode noise issue, and you are not simply noise āshapingā ie moving the noise around, take a portable AM radio, like a SW or MW radio, off tune it, and place close to your Ethernet leadā¦ if you hear a rasping or buzzing sound (or similar) then you are probably hearing the common mode noise radiatingā¦ if you find no noticeable shift in noise as you bring close to the lead, then itās highly likely there is no issue with common mode noise.
I really would not use media converters unless you need toā¦ ie you have a long greater than 100 metre runā¦ itās a point of unreliability, you should ideally manage the link and check for data corruptness, and you may be lessening the quality of the physical clock stability, that is making the Ethernet connection noisier with added sidebands. Not an issue with many pure data setupsā¦ but if one end is an audio componentā¦ it may not be ideal.
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The one thing a lot of folks forget or fool themselves about is that Naim streamers, Linn streamers, all streamers, they all support (operate at) 100Base-T (100Mbps) and no matter what super fast high capacity ethernet cable is used, the streamer will not take in more or do it faster.
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Noted, but there are other devices and computers potentially vying for bandwidth on the same network.
Thank you for that thorough response! Greatly appreciated!
It is an apartment of non-palatial proportions, so 100m sounds quite sufficient. 
I will keep you comments about noise in mind as I plan further steps.
Thanks again!
An interesting read:
Conclusion:
Does a $340 Ethernet cable sound different from a $2.50 one? To me, the folks at the James Randi Educational Foundation, and seven listening test subjects, no. Weād love to do more testing, either partnered with the JREF or independently; my guess is that any controlled test will always fail to show a discernible difference. This actually lines up with the feelings of a lot of the audiophiles who believe in pseudoscientific claims about cables, tooā knowing what youāre listening to can have a measurable effect on what you hear.
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But isnāt the number of twists per m also important?
Steve
Yes & also that the twist numbers between pairs are not the same to help minimise crosstalk. It varies between mnftr & will be enough to get their cable to conformance but typically there are round 1.5 twists per cm in Cat5e & 2 twists per cm in Cat6.
So finally got my SR Ethernet back from repair, delayed due to hapless Fedex.
Swapping out a Meicord from server to Nova, improvement is immediate, but as both ends where redone and the ground plane I expect the usual burn it saga.
So if itās noise shaping I like it.
Only problem now is the server is on the same rack as the Nova and my SR Ethernet is 3M, tried to not coil it, or is that not an issue with ethernet cables ?
I wonder if a similar test for music servers, pimped Mac minis, mains leads, ICs and speaker wires would give similar results. They may or they may not, but it would be an interesting read.
Coiling is not a problem with ethernet, some brands recommend a minimum radius, if not, just go with whatever the cable seems to allow naturally without forcing.
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