You guys really need to try green boots. Far more PRaT.
Got green and blue boots so far, think I will go for red next.
Seriously coloured boots are very helpful in deciphering what is connected to what among the birds nest.
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Itâs not really âeveryoneâ. You have to be careful whose comments you rely on, confirmation bias infects a lot of decisions about cables here. BJC is made to spec and power the networks of many happy users here. I donât have experience with Catsnake but theyâre popular as well and are similarly inexpensive so either option should be relatively easy to try for yourself. The larger point is you donât need an expensive boutique cable to get optimal SQ from your streamer.
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It is interesting that when I first stated I preferred the designacable cat 6a to vodka it was shot down. Now there seems to be a growing consensus. I have since sold the three vodkas I owned.
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Trust your ears and your system. It has always worked for me. When I come across something that does not agree with the conventional wisdom, I always investigate, as there is something meaningful to be understood.
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Same as me which is why i went for one also. Has it managed to stir your soul yet FR?
Iâm now preferring my BJC 6a. I darenât put the Vodka back in as it might all kick off! 
BJC 6a or CatSnake 6a?
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Not. Pre on service. Catsnake only burning.
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Give it 100 hours burn in. When you are listening, put back your existing cable. When finished, connect back the Catsnake and leave it 24/24. On radio or else. At least I will do that.
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OKâŚcomplete reversalâŚhaving allowed the BJK 6(a) to burn in, I have reversed my positionâŚthe BJC is, in my opinion, much better than Vodka. I now think that Vodka has overblown bass.
Humble pie for me!
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Yep, I think I need a bit of that pie too.
Well i have to say, i am taken with these catsnake cables, the harshness that certain tracks had is gone, the bass also has a far better authority, it wasnt bad before, but it sounds even better now, i would still say its early days with the burn in, plus i amalso burning in my witchhat morgana full loom, but as this is my second set off morgana cables, i can truly say that my last ethernet cables were shocking, ok i was using a cheap ÂŁ6 for 10meters from the router to melco and then AQ from the melco to rossini, so not exactly expensive cables, but then the 3 lenghts of catsnake didnât cost much either.
But very happy with the results so far and canât see me changing them, especially not for the AQ vodka or diamond cable
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Just received an order of 6 Catsnake cables. First set are NDX2 to wall, telephone panel to switch and switch to Roon NUC. Next set are Oppo 203 to wall, telephone panel to switch and switch to NAS. Similar findings to others, out of the box the bass has dropped, the treble is a fraction less digital and vocals have more air. With the Oppo the picture from material on NAS is a fraction sharper and sound improvement is as per the NDX2. Leaving these to run in, but very good value compared to other cables.
I can safely say in all my time as a video engineer and editor over 23 years looking at video images all day not one digital cable of any kind has made the picture sharper or altered it in any way, unless itâs faulty. An ethernet cable isnât going to change one pixel on that screen unless it looses data and it doesnât draw it.
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In the same way it is nit going to change the sound coming out of the streamer?
Did I mention a streamer? No. Not that they effect my systems anyway. And no it wonât be the same way, as a video signal has no analogue stage that could get messed with noise potentially carried over ethernet unlike audio equipment. No ethernet cable is going to change a damn thing unless itâs faulty and your getting packet loss in the video domain. Any loss of data would result in artefacts on the picture not softening or muted colours etc.
Hi Nigel,
By âshield at both endsâ do you mean earth at both at both ends, which might result in earth loops?
I know the UK Sales Manager and asked him about this issue a few years ago, as it was raised by a number of forum members. He was very clear that itâs only at one end.
Keith
Hi Keith,
You have quoted something I havenât said. However a normal 6a cable has a foil shield that is connected at the end to the metal casing of the plugs. When you order the CatSnake 6a you can choose to have the shield connected (proper 6a) or disconnected (floating).
The reason to get floating is that if you have other devices (streamer, switch(es), servers, NASs) that have metal shrouded ethernet sockets then you get more that one ground point in your network when connecting them together with shielded cables, which can cause loops. The floating shield on the CatSnake âdisconnectsâ, and hence minimises, these ground points.
I must admit I am not sure if the floating shield is disconnected at one end or both ends. Either way it does the job of ridding ground points.
Hi Nigel,
Sorry to have misinterpreted you. I thought you were saying the AQ cables are not floating. Again, sorry if Iâve got the wrong end of the cable 
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Shunyata Alpha,.ethernet-cable.
Specifications
Type: CAT 6A ethernet cable with common mode filter.
Gauge: 22 AWG OFE.
Dielectric: PTFE .
Conductors: PMZ .
Connectors: Telegärtner modular.
Length: 1.5m.
Price: ÂŁ750.
A friend has swapped his Audioquest Diamond,.for this Shunyata Alpha ethernet/streaming-cable.
NO,.@frenchrooster,it is NOT Mr.Cableoholic 
.
He says this Shunyata Alpha sounds âseveral times betterâ than AQ Diamond.
Itâs the only thing I knowâŚ
It is summer so Iâm engaging in other activities than listen to ethernet/streaming-cables right now 
.
But in the fall,.it will be interesting to âborrow an earâ,and listen to this Shunyata Alpha.
This was just a little information,.maybe someone else here has heard this Shunyata Alpha.
Or any of the other three in Shunyataâs range,.Alpha is their second best cable.
The top-model is called Sigma and costs ÂŁ1000.
See youâŚ
/Peder 
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Fear not PatM, its just the same for me. I changed my flat twin phone wires some time back. They are now twisted pair type & âclaimâ to get the best out of Cat5 & deliver 100Mb/s.
Yes the plugs look the âCatâsâ whiskers, well made ethernet looking & into round section cables that are neater & easier to manipulate.
I could not detect any change in SQ from any www stream & the buffer is unchanged & remains at 100%.
TV UHD (4K) streams are not noticeably different, no problems before but nothing âbetterâ with the new cables.
I checked the BT data report on SNR, this number changes by a few 0.1dB points all the time; however jerry rigging a single flat par RJ11 from wall the BT did not make a change that was obvious, maybe a 0.1 or 0.2dB drop, maybe.
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