Don’t assume you will not get to the 6tb once you start buying high res music, it goes relatively quick. I am right now close to 11tb. Now I have to admit that I am a bit special with about 17250 albums, but still don’t underestimate it. I have stored everything in flac and have it transcoded in wav on the fly though the music server.
I might consider getting a 2nd Melco and split the library in classical and the rest and then still have the ability to expand through external discs. The quality of direct play from the Melco is unsurpassed.
The algorithm may be deterministic but we are talking about analogue voltage signals at the end of the day and ultimately sound waves. Bits is bits doesn’t cut it with me.
Yes, I know it can go very quickly. On this moment 25 proc of the capacity is in use.
Please read again since post 927. But globally I confounded Lossless with uncompressed.
So no, you were not wrong.
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The Belsen Catsnake isn’t my cable of choice. I tried it in place of Blue Jeans 6A and found it made music sound a bit weird and unnatural. That’s a pretty rubbish description but I can’t find better. When I replaced the BJ it was like having the music back. I have a brown one, a purple one, a red one and a green one. I just need one in yellow and the tellytubbies will be complete.
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Actually I wasn’t talking about analogue voltage signals at all in the context of FLAC encoding. In the digital domain, bits very much are bits. Otherwise this message would probably not have reached you!
When it comes to flac compression and decompression, what you get at the end in terms identical to what you start with. Just like when you rip a CD to .wav, or stream a file across a network from a UPnP server to your streamer. Bits are just bits or it wouldn’t work.
Where there are differences in resultant sound it is through things like RF noise superimposed on a digital data signal getting into tge DAC and causing modulation effects, or too much load on th renderer’s processor (Though I am unclear what the mechanism is of effect on signal - possibly timing issues?)
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It’s curious. In my system the Belden CatSnake 6a sounds fuller, deeper and more realistic than the BJ solid wire Belden 6a; especially complexity of timbre and decay sound better to my ears.
It would be fascinating to meet up at some time in both houses to find whether we agree with our respective cable choices in our different systems or simply have different preferences. It would be a good excuse to get together at any rate… 
Such a different impression of the CatSnake is a little curious, but, as has been pointed out in these pages many times, ethernet cables interact differently with different systems and environments. The concept of noise-shaping and tuning comes into play when a different mix of system components and network devices are thrown into the mix.
I have found that a mixture of ethernet (streaming) cables is ideal in my system. In fact I found the SQ to be superior with CatSnake 6as between 2nd switch and ND555 and between 2nd switch and UnitiServe, and that was compared to the rather expensive Vodkas I was using before. Strangely I preferred the AQ Vodka between my two Cisco 2960 switches compared to the cheaper AQ Cinnamon, which was awful in this position.
One thing is for sure, there is no ‘best’ cable or cables and you must be prepared to experiment. Some would say this is part of the fun, others would say it is a PITA.
Good luck.
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I think we shouldn’t forget the influence of the rest of the “system” either, including speakers and listening room acoustics, furnishings etc.
Definitely the case for me. I think I’ve probably had enough experimenting for years!
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Did you mean shouldn’t?
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Indeed! Just changed it… Thanks
That is more or less what I was saying.
If Flac decompression was perfect, then people would not prefer WAV versions of the same music. Just because the maths is deterministic doesn’t mean the analogue signal will sound the same. As we all know digital signals are in fact analogue voltage changes.
I’d guess that as a FLAC file requires more processing than a WAV file to extract the PCM bits the latter could sound better as it imposes less load on the processor in the renderer/DAC. With a music library stored as FLAC this potential degradation in SQ can be avoided by converting the FLAC files to WAV at source e.g. using the processor in a NAS (with a sufficiently powerful processor).
This approach is favoured when using MinimServer software running on a NAS. I store my music files as ALAC and use MinimServer to convert the file to be played to WAV format.
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Just wanted to chip in from another perspective from the Linn Audio:
Recommendation
We recommend CAT-5e or CAT-6a cable, ( UTP/FTP to your choice) with Linn DS/DSM & Exakt-Link
This is designed to work at a minimum of 100Mbps used in the Exakt-link and Linn DS Ethernet link.
Using higher spec cables will make no difference in the sound quality, but may be useful if the local network cable installation is going to be used with high bandwidth video streaming devices.
CAT-7 patch cable is not required and classed as OTT for Linn DS or Exakt Link operation.
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Naim recommends quite the same, common and cheap Cat 6 , Cat 7.
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For streaming purposes, I am now into dCS, and have ordered their Bartók. For those that enjoy and respect their products, here is the reply from dCS, to my post, re Ethernet cables.
"Until the network data hits the DAC or the endpoint, it is just network data, not signal; it behaves no differently to any other network data being sent via TCP. If there was any sort of improvement that could be made to the integrity of the data packets being sent over a network by introducing additional shielding to the cable or different material conductors or any of the additions such audiophile cables tend to include, it would have been picked up by the IEEE and incorporated into the Ethernet spec as, for example, it would save banks billions a year in random lost transactions.
Aside from this, audio (even hi-res audio) is so low-rate compared to what most residential networks can handle that there is no reason to need anything above CAT5e for speed purposes. Purchasing a CAT7 cable doesn’t help anything other than lightening your wallet when it comes to audio. To put it into context, both Andrew and I have access to almost any cables available on the market, and we both use cheap and cheerful Ethernet cables from Amazon.
Networks are one of the few places where keeping things as simple as possible is usually the best way to go. You are striving for a network which is stable and reliable, not one which sounds good. Much better to put that money into some really good AES cables, or perhaps a good bottle of wine or whiskey for the evening."
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They may make good products but it doesn’t mean they are right on this one. Otherwise, anyone who hears a difference when they change cables must be wrong. You can bet that if one of them left DCS and joined Chord they’d be saying something entirely different.
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I get what you are saying @anon4489532. I just thought their opinion on the subject would be unbiased, as they are in a position to use any Ethernet cable they desire, in order to get the best from their product. Be it a £4.99 from Amazon, or an AudioQuest Diamond.
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Everyone selling equipment has a commercial angle. If they were to say that ethernet cables make a difference to the sound from their equipment, it wouldn’t be long before someone suggests their equipment is somehow deficient. In addition, saying that the cables make a difference opens them up to questions as to which is best, and moans from cable manufacturers not recommended.
It’s therefore far easier to say what they said.