Indeed your experience of digital cables and network devices is substantial, and relevant*… but the observations about ‘sound characteristics’ of digital side products is inherently and entirely relevant to your systems only.
Overall quality observations on some things, for instance switches and NAS drives may have some general significance due to producing more stable digital signals, but the sound characteristic changes aren’t produced by the digital components in any way shape or form. The analogue signal is entirely produced by the hybrid (DAC) and analogue components (amps, analogue cables and speakers) components; hence the sound characteristics are entirely dependent on the hybrid and analogue devices and how they react to the non-ideal behaviour of the digital signals presented to them. Only the hybrid and analogue components turn the digital data into something directly related to the sound so they control the overall and detailed sound characteristics of the system in response to analogue changes in the signal containing the digital data stream. The electrical signal itself (carrying the digital data stream rather than the data carried within) is entirely unrelated to the sound (have you ever listened to the digital signal, it doesn’t exactly make music does it!).
Unlike knowledge of the ‘characteristic’ sonic effects of analogue audio components, much (but not all) of which is transferable between systems, the same simply isn’t true of items acting solely in the digital domain.
In terms of the digital data comms, I think S-i-S’s experience is much more relevant than your experience of digital data comms, and this information does transfer between systems
You have lost your time. When you will receive later the Blue Jeans cat 6a, you will realize that standard cat 6 sound crap. Or not, if you are very very lucky to find the right one.
As often, someone who shows his technical knowledge will be more trusted by other.
Hopefully, the cables you ordered cost nothing.
Indeed. I originally ordered BJC Cat6, following technical advice from a variety of people, including the owner of BJC. When others here and elsewhere reported finding Cat6a sounded better, my curiosity eventually got the better of me and - like you - I found the Cat6a sounded much better in my system.
I agree that it would be helpful if people said more about their systems when commenting on cables, switches etc. It would, however, be equally helpful if they mentioned their musical taste and sonic preferences. Someone looking for a dramatic soundstage and strong detail effects for electronica, for example, could be looking for something very different from a lover of string quartets who hankers for purity of instrumental timbre…
My view, FWIW, is unless there’s a statistically significant stratified random sample of listeners agreeing one digital cable is better than another then results of one person’s listening tests aren’t useful to another in determining which they’d prefer (if any) - different room, different systems, different ears. Posts about the resuklts may be interesting if explained well, as indeed yours are.
I’d expect an expert listener to be able to tell which cable is in use by listening in the way a wine connoisseur can tell the vintage and grape variety by tasting. I doubt there are many who could. However, the way to know if one prefers New Zealand Savinugon Blanc to the same wine from an expensive French vineyard is to taste it. And so with cables - listen rather than taste.
I have heard cables from two of the often recommended audiophile cable assemblers and neither impressed. I’ve reached the point that if there are better cables than ones I’m using I’ve ceased to care as I’m more than happy with what I have.
Good point. Also relevant of course is whether people like their music as close as possible to the recording, or whether they like the colouration some things may introduce. (A bit like some people prefer highly coloured speakers over neutral ones, exaggerated mid bass conveying more of the rhythm, or the changes imparted by MQA compared to the unadulterated hi res file.)
I recall one description of the effect of ground-plane RF modulation in a DAC causing ground plane modulation of the analogue signal which apparently some people perceive as sounding ‘brighter’ - which in turn some people prefer. And RF or other electrical noise superimposed on the digital signal entering a susceptible DAC is precisely the sort of thing that network cables and switches may alter, either adding, blocking or filtering selectively, so potentially affecting perceived ‘brightness’ - and to one person that may sound better, to another it may sound worse!
I have ordered BJC cat6a to use between the NAS - switch - 272 surely these are the most important areas to use better cables. The other bog standard cat6 cables are for the rest of my network and won’t influence audio replay. Unless a cat6a would be beneficial between router and switch?
If you’re playing music from your NAS through your Switch to your 272 then music data will not go near your router. You could disconnect your router while playing music and not using the Internet if you wished - although if you are using your router for WiFi then a wireless control point (iPad etc) will not work.
If bog standard = Cable Monkey Magic Path Leads then these are excellent and do meet the standard. I have used their Connectix equivalents in mission critical applications and they have always been first class. In respect of meeting the standard they are better than the audiophile cables I’ve tried. My advice is to avoid cheap Made in China cables from large online retailers (for anything not just audio).
These are the standard ones I have ordered for the rest of the network. I presume they are the ones you suggested. BJC cat6 between router and switch and cat6a etc etc.
Yes, for the money, difficult to find better than Blue Jeans cat 6a. Or perhaps Design a cable , but have not tested.
Personally I use Audioquest vodka 1m from router to switch and Audioquest diamond X 2, 0,75 m, from streamer and Melco.
Another league for me, but 30 times more expensive.
However with a more than 20k source, 2k on Ethernet cables and switch/ Linear ps is not absurd.
How do the Magic patch leads from Cable Monkey compare to the magic patch leads from Audioquest (Vodka, Diamond etc.) and the Chord company (Sarum, Music etc.)?
