Not sure if I am allowed to post this so please remove if it breaks the rules, iss an interesting article on the supposed Audiophile streaming cables with an expert from Blue Jeans.
Yes, their site just says that the main difference between the cables is in terms of bandwidth.
If BJC are acknowledged experts in making good ethernet cables for home audio and video use, and if shielding is not required or recommended for that usage, it seem to would make sense that none of their cables would have shielding.
One thing nags at me on this issue. I have watched hours of Hans Beekhuysen on YouTube. He seems to me to be extremely knowledgable about (esp. digital) audio.
He also seems to be that most rare thing - a hifi journalist with integrity. And he is saying that he thinks the ethernet LAN aspects of the system are very influential on SQ.
I just got this email from Blue Jeans Cables:
From: Blue Jeans Cable <sales@bluejeanscable.com>
Sent: 14 February 2019 22:30
Subject: Re: which Cat Ethernet audio cable
James,
For internet use, I would recommend CAT6. Ethernet works bet when unshielded, you can find some CAT cable that has shielding but it’s mainly intended for speciality uses.
– Jeff
Blue Jeans Cable
Sent: 14 February 2019 21:43
To: ‘sales@bluejeanscable.com’ <sales@bluejeanscable.com>
Subject: which Cat Ethernet audio cable
Hi BJC
I am going to buy a 4m Ethernet cable from you to connect my PlusNet home router (which also has Ethernet cables for TV, STB and PV panels plugged into it) to my Naim 272 streamer/DAC/preamp.
The 4m run has a lot of power cables and satellite cables and speaker cables in it.
Which should I buy – your Cat5e, Cat 6, or Cat6a (or other)?
Also, which of those 3 cables is shielded, or do you sell unshielded and shielded versions?
Best wishes
Jim
An oxymoron surely. 
Any difference in sound (unless your cable is faulty causing heaps of retransmissions) on streamers like my ND5 and your 272 are down to the RF loading on the Ethernet port. SiS and Xanthe are experts in this matter not Hans BeerKan. 
3 Likes
Likely for future proofing as it can handle up to 10gb up to 50m. As your streamer can only handle upto 100mb a bit pointless.
is that when the cable acts as an antenna, and radio frequency signals go up the cable and into the port/hole - and then add noise into the streamer itself?
I think so. See here.
https://forums.naimaudio.com/topic.php?oid=75906056719115201&coid=159503632588889
Posted on: 02 June 2018 by Simon-in-Suffolk
Hi Kiwi Cat, yes this is really what I would expect. This is nothing to do with network data and the like, this is largely down to RF stub loading from the physical send pair synchronisation physical layer clock in your streamers network adapter… this will load and couple to the rest of your system in very small ways and Everson slightly affect the modulation of the ground plane and the like, I have shared on this forum an engineering design patter paper from Texas a Instruments on some of their components that can help mitigate this at design time … it helps explain why you observe these affects.
Posted on: 03 June 2018 by Huge
To reinforce Simon’s point about not needing boutique cables here’s my results of a short test of Ethernet cables…
In other words, in my system and in my environment , it just so happened that the cheapest cable won the test (even against two well regarded ‘boutique’ cables)!
thanks Guinnless
I just checked and the Ugreen packet that my cable came in (£5 inc delivery) describes it as ‘Cat 7 Shielded Eth cable 5m Gold Plated Black NEW’.
The cable is white (not black), about 3mm thick, has a nasty kink in it at one place, has plastic connectors, not sure whether the tiny connector strips are gold or copper. It’s so unruly and thick that it touches many other cables en route to the 272.
Anyway, I will get a BJC Cat 5 as advised to compare…
thanks
Jim
This can affect performance, send it back for a refund.
Good idea but it’s a few weeks ago and a private seller and the postage would be half the cost.
But another reason to try a Cat 5e cable.
It’s damaged so the seller pays the return postage cost.
1 Like
I attended the ND555 demo held by Naim. There were no ‘Boutique’ network cables, I can’t remember if they were Cat 5 or 6 but they weren’t Audioquest Wonga or suchlike.
1 Like
They use a Chord Shawline, but as mentioned previously something along the lines it was to hand.
1 Like
Well, Chord Shawline’s a boutique streaming cable if ever I saw one!
Would cost me £400 for 5m (they don’t make it in 4m) - and it wuouldn’t work at the router end or the 272 end:
“The cable is terminated in plugs that fit into a standard ethernet socket, but are significantly wider than standard ethernet plugs. So there is not enough room to fit them next to another plug in a typical router or switch.”
Maybe geography was at play here. But I remember somebody asking about cabling and I’d have noted any Boutique stuff.
So is RF loading on the ethernet port the sole explanation for the million people (including Nigel B, French Rooster, etc.) who think their posh ethernet cable made their system sound better?
(Obviously plus psychological factors including cognitive dissonance, expectation bias, etc.)
The TCP packets won’t arrive any differently to a cheap certified Cat5e cable. There’s not much else it can be. 
I was at the last road show and looked for myself, was indeed a Shawline.
1 Like
I somehow doubt there are anything like a million if them!