If the differences are not night and day, very subtle, I agree that a blind test is worthwhile.
But if the uplift in sound quality is so obvious and clear, why bother with a blind test.
I see no reason. It just sounds better.
However i see no reason to do it. If itās obvious and sounds really better, I see no reason to doubt.
People buying an Nd555 to replace their Nds, 552 to replace 252ā¦are not doing a blind test. They just enjoy the uplift in sound.
If I had to choose between a Meicord, Blue Jeans cat 6 or 6a, Chord C stream, I would accept the idea of a blind test, because the differences between these cables are subtle.
When I tried the Blue Jeans to replace my Diamond, I immediately heard a decrease.
Listened to 2 or 3 tracks then connected again the Diamond: it was night and day for me.
No need to continue the test , blind or not blind.
1 Like
You donāt know my wife! Will have to wait a month - if ever. I have it where I like it and really couldnāt be bothered at this point spending any more time or money on the network side of things.
Well, my son did it with Dave compared to TT and Hugo, because he had no idea what we ere listening to, what was connected and what not, what the different model names were, just that I was listening to some hifi stuff, and likewise my wife who didnāt know what I was connecting when later auditioning them at home and swapping between just that I was comparing different things. Neither had any idea of the cost either at the time they heard. so I had two independent blind confirmationsā¦
After being in the ER for a vicious attack of pleurisy on Monday, the next morning the kids had some questions, and my wife told us āNobodyās dying right now - we donāt have time for that!ā Sheās from Dusseldorf.
I know how the cables Iāve tried sound though and could easily describe each one. But hey, if youāre running Naim gear trying a BJC Cat6a isnāt going to put you out of house and home. And if you buy a four or five figure cable thatās not returnable, thatās on you. People donāt need to be āsavedā from hifi purchases. Plenty of other real concerns in the world.
4 Likes
Suggesting blind testing in threads like this is not a matter of saving people from themselves at all, rather encouraging a sound basis (pun not intended!) for recommendations to others. However, the reason I took to blind testing myself was partly to try to ensure money spent is for genuine gain, especially if significant cost, and partly to ensure I judge sound quality benefit not something else, and thus avoid repeated changes some people seem to find a need to do as if never getting their system to sound satisfying).
Regardless, as you say other things indeed are truly important, and Iām glad to hear your wifeās pronouncement on you!
1 Like
You will change your mind in a few years, when Naim will produce its ethernet cables and switches.
20 years ago there were same discussions about power cables.
People were saying that expensive power cords are snake oil and better focus on boxes.
3 Likes
@frenchrooster,ā¦Why do you care,.itās just wasted energy.
This small ātech-specā-group (maximum of 10 people),.kept going on like this all the time,and destroyed the energy for the rest of us in the thread āEthernet Switch and Cables Maniaā
A lot of theory,.and very little practiseā¦!!
Instead,.ask what,for example @anon16873305 has for practical experience,.in testing and evaluating products.
This when he expresses himself like this,.as a new memberā¦
For my part,.there is no reason to sacrifice energy on this,especially when you see statements like thisā¦
This above says this member,.while it is Darkebearās discoveries in the threadā¦
āEthernet Switch and Cables Maniaā that he takes advantage of.
He makes use of Darkebearās discovery,.of cascading switches.
But All Of Us,.many,many othersā¦weāll have to trust this little tech-spec group,.and realize that we need nothing more than BJC cat6a ehternet/streaming-cable.
This to get the very best soundquality 
.
So,.All Of Us,who in the thread āEthernet Switch and Cables Maniaā have invested in,.among other things,these cables below.
Yes,we must have a really big hole in our heads.
ā¢ Audioquest Vodka 0,75m Ā£239.
ā¢ Audioquest Diamond 1,5m Ā£1113.
ā¢ Taralabs 1,1m Ā£495.
ā¢ Entreq 1,5m Ā£824.
ā¢ Chord Music 1m Ā£4200.
Etc,etc,etcā¦
Thanks for the word and good nightā¦
/Pederš
Surely reading this sub thread, it just demonstrates my pointā¦ this is about subjectivity and / or environmental interaction. I canāt see how this can be objective, and ultimately just becomes casual anecdote, albeit entertaining, which perhaps is the best way to approach many of these threads.
Someone posted about objectivity being based on āstandardsā etcā¦ I think they miss the pointā¦ itās about being deterministic, if one is going to make an assertion. Other than that it is just subjective opinion, musings and anecdote based on an individuals personal system and environment which is fine. The forum is a place to share individual preferences and almost certainly there will be a wide range of subjective experiences, rather than any one truth in term of preference or the subjective assessment of a particular product in terms of direct or indirect sonic performance.
Audio is no different than anything else, although reading these web pages it appears some may believe it has some sort of supernatural mystique associated with itā¦ which I do find fascinatingā¦ however I confess I see no temple, shrines or sacrificial altars whenever I have visited Naimās factoryā¦ although the Snaic Shaker comes close 
8 Likes
Unfortunately, mention of cables or networking and arguments start, but there are excellent posts here. Technically there should be little difference between fully qualified cables (otherwise they wouldnāt be fully qualified). Fully qualified means they meet advertised specification for Cat 5e, 6 or 6a. The cables you are using are fully qualified (BJC/Belden, Cable Monkey/Connectix) and so from a network perspective will be fine. I doubt youāll find better.
As you have both cables simply use the one you prefer and enjoy the music.
3 Likes
I would not recommended dowsing cables in alcohol - we used to test cables in salt water and at very low temperatures, but I donāt recall alcoholic tests. Though some of our testers may have been dowsed in alcohol.
4 Likes
Magnussen, the forum is all just anecdotal personal opinion. People come here to discuss their passion for music and for the kit that plays that music in their homes. Thereās no need at all to press anyone to conduct some sort of blind testing; you listen and you choose what you think sounds best to you, simple as that. If you then say that someone is in some way wrong that they have chosen what they think they prefer, it can come across as rather rude, especially if you then insist that the only way to correctly choose is via some kind of blind test. Thereās just no real need for it.
Iād rather that members didnāt have their opinions on what they liked or didnāt like constantly undermined by calls for blind testing in order to make it valid. Iām sure thereās a place for it - for a scientific study, or industry evaluation, or a magazine or journal of some sort, but not here. It just ends up derailing good natured discussions. Thanks.
17 Likes
If I could have put 50 likes, I would have done that for your post 
3 Likes
After further listening last night and this morning before coming to work I am very happy with the improvements. After installing new cables I had to move my speakers and hadnāt repositioned them correctly. They are quite position critical in my room. After tinkering with repositioning the overly bright HF seems to be more in check now. Overall a definite improvement.
Iām now looking for a cisco switch!!! 
Oh no, not a Cisco switch - I have one in cupboard and HP switches in my network. I also have NetGear and TP-Link in my cupboard. At work I used to use Lucent, Juniper, HP and Cisco switches and theyāre all very good. If it makes any difference then its lost on me. Of the ones I have at home, HPs have the best build. I have had cascading switches for some time (makes no difference to sound quality that I can hear), but is necessary to minimise the number of wires around the cottage.
What I never understand are audiophile switches, which seem to be very basic. I would have thought an audiophile switch should filter out/block non-audio related traffic - so that the attached audio device only saw appropriate traffic: a firewall switch like a Lucent firewall brick. I suspect there would be no audible difference, but at least the white papers would be a more compelling read.
As a quiz question: does anybody know of a switch that doesnāt regenerate traffic?
2 Likes
I think it is. Itās all subjective. There are certain speakers, for example, that I find quite unpleasant to listen to, and wouldnāt give houseroom, while others love them. With many purchases, say a house, it just has to feel right. Choosing hifi is a subjective thing, whether itās a Nait or a Statement. It just has to sound right, look right and be something you are happy to live with.
1 Like
I had a survey before I bought my cottage. I didnāt simply trust my feelings. He was a fully qualified surveyor too who measured everything - impressed me.
With a network itās good idea to have a network survey and after installation to test its throughput and integrity (donāt want those bits being dropped when youāre playing The Smiths - hmm little bit of subjectivity creeping in there). Just my subjective view IMHO.
Indeed, blind testing is taboo, it generally shows up uncomfortable results as it removes any cognitive bias, hence the reluctance.
5 Likes
Hope youāre properly on the mend know. Iām in the late stages (I hope) of getting rid of Covid. The attitude of my Bosnian love has been the same.
All the best with that and hope you are fully fit and firing on all cylinders as soon as possible.
2 Likes