I said 3 forum members preferred the Sigma or the Omega to the Neet and Gecko said five. So I got curious which five.
Yes itās the Swedish distributor who is also my dealer and has become a good friend of mine. He is however not the person claiming it is better than Shunyata.
And I am not trying to prove anything. Iām trying to make a point about how complex the chain is and how difficult it is to draw definitive conclusions about these things.
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I understand your problem. The inclusion of Sigma into my system has just highlighted what a difference there is between the Core and streamed music. I never really noticed this difference with the Catsnake. I guess it just masked it? Now I have a distinct step in quality from streamed radio, Qobuz hi-def and stored music that never really existed before.
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Imagine how the difference from core to a melco or innous server is 
Well, as I have mentioned previously, I demoed a Melco against the Core before deciding on which unit to purchase.
My dealer was convinced the Melco would win the day, but I preferred the Core. It sounded better with my Naim Streamer and integrated so much better. The Melco app/software was very āclunkyā to the extent it quickly became annoying.
So the Melco was out for me.
Not tried an Innous Server but again I have consistantly found that Naim products often work best with other Naim products. This includes Power and interconnect cables. Hats off to the folk in Salisburyā¦they know what they are doing. Although I believe both Snaic and Burndy cables require a little work.
I agree that there was little difference between the quality of streaming from local and remote sources when running CatSnake. However, the difference became very apparent when I switched to the AQ Diamond/SR Sigma combination. Despite further upgrades in the remote streaming path Music from the local server remains audibly better than the remote streaming source. Maybe this is to be expected. My dealer is adamant something is āwrongā if local streaming does not sound better than remote streaming.
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Maybe I need 4m of Ansuz D2 between router and switch. Only 4000 EUR.
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You could fly to the USA, have a nice holiday and still pocket the change on a Shunyata Research streaming cable :-}
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I am in the same boat
When I tested melco I found the naim hdx better as pure server.
The innous zenith on the other hand was better than the hdx.
Lately I tested local vs quobuz again (after several upgrades) and I heared the same difference as before but in some songs tended to like the net streamed version more. Itās a taste wise decision - in hifi terms local is better.
Meaning - strangely the gap was not bigger between the 2 and it changed my view a bit.
As always - networking is some times real painful 
Why? So much cheaper there?
Go for it ā¦
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For those who prefer āeasyā and āorganicā type of presentation vs ultimate resolution can recommend 2 options:
- AQ Carbon as a cheap and still good
- Network Acoustics ENO as more advanced in every aspect and still comfortable
The ENO never worked with my NDS. The NDS simply couldnāt start playing with it in the loop. When I contacted the manufacturer it seems like it is something ENO is doing that NDS doesnāt like. I guess they go outside protocol rules in some way.
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I played drums (badly in bad garage punk bands) for years as a teenager.
Now I just listen to jazz on acoustic instruments mainly in concerts - I think youād like this one - Chicago ā55 JatP in a big hall - it sounds like Buddy Rich and Diz and Oscar and Eldridge have been having a lot of fun backstage before the gig, and it carries over into the first track - The Blues.
Philharmonic - love of harmony
Audiophile - lover of audio
Philosophy - love of wisdom 
Given that the gig was 69 years ago, it sounds at least as real as yesterday.
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Iām jumping on this bandwagon!
Got an Innuos Zen Mini which wants ethernet cable. I also got an EE8 to see what all the fuss is about.
Until now I listen to everything via Tidal and Internet radio. Iāve always just used WiFi and it has sounded great. No complaints, but always keen to see if things can sound even better.
I have 4 Naim streamers (NDX2, ND5 XS2, Atom HE, Muso qb) and I often see one or more missing in the app, so reliability and stability is expected as a given here.
Most tests will be via the NDX2 as that is my main system.
So my setup for this test is:
Router->EE1->Innuos->EE8->NDX2
Iāll be using the Naim app for everything (not tidal or innuos sense) and will do my best to not change the volume too much, but Iām using a sound meter app (android) to check any changes. Iām aiming for about 75-80db.
Which will be better? :
- Wifi
- Blue jeans cat6a
- Chord C stream
- CatSnake Cat6a (floating)
I can use the losing cables on other systems once the test is done, so nothing will be wasted.
Iām limiting the test to these 3 cables as they seem to be well regarded. Iām not willing to spend thousands on the more esoteric cables at this point.
Iām going to give each cable set 1 week, starting with the chord cables simply because they arrived first.
Havenāt finalised test tracks yet but will put them in a separate post on this thread
Will report my findings weekly!
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Hi 
ā¦
Thanks for that music tip,.I agree with what you write,really goodā¦!!
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Having listened to all three of these I reckon the Catsnake will be the best but if itās new it will take a while to come good. I also like C-stream, which doesnāt do the frequency extremes as well but it does have a lovely musicality. BJC is the most balanced and good for the long runs but can be a bit bland as a patch lead.
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I was with you a long time. Cables - digital cables - who cares.
But ā¦
Which a revealing system and especially speaker (yours are very good ) there is a major effect. I also use the Innuos as server.
You should give some higher priced cables a chance - try a used vodka for example. And ā¦ if a shunyata is offered, give it a try. From the cables you mentioned - try catsnake
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From NDX2 to switch goes Melco C100, from Switch to mesh tower goes Nordost Heimdall 2
So after reading many reports about āCatsnakeā ethernet cables, by esteemed members on this forum, I have bitten the bullet as it were and have ordered, received and fitted aforesaid cable between my switch and streaming unit.
Itās early days (still settling in) but I do hear an improvement over the standard cables I had before. Not huge but enough for me not to take the new cable out.
Thanks to all those who encouraged me to try this - as a cheap upgrade I think it works very well.
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Glad that youāre liking them, I found them to be a big improvement changing to a full loom CatSnake.
A very cost effective upgrade.
DGā¦
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