This is more where I come from. Iām certainty no expert in audio or Ethernet design. In my simple logic as an Engineer, my take is that the Ethernet signal, being digital, should arrive from the source to the streamer uncorrupted through standard certified Ethernet products. Pollution (electrical or decoupling) shouldnāt be an issue, as there is no analogue sound wave at this stage of music reproduction. I could be wrong. But rightly or wrongly I put my confidence in the Naim designers as the experts in producing steamers than perform excellently without the need for heavy further investment in a system through cables and switches.
Added to that is the āwhere does it endā, because there is an endless supply of the latest and greatest cables and switches and is one going to endlessly tweak to achieve Nirvana. At the end of the day one has to stop chasing the rainbows and enjoy some music. So that is where Iāve arrived at this point in time.
Ooh not me sir, I noās nuffik.
I use Meicord between NAS-Switch-NDX
Meicord is designed on established engineering practices & in particular the all important cable twisted pair to RJ45 plug connections with their design cable mngt guide to optimise this on the assy line. Blue Jeans Cable aknowledge the importance of this in their www blurb but rely on the skill of the assembly operator.
Like BJC, Meicord use the same cable conformance test using a Fluke DTX-1800 & supply each cable with a test certificate.
Iāve used BJC to install & expand ethernet around a friends house.And I was impressed with its quality - that is engineering quality I hasten to add, I canāt comment on sound as Iām not so familiar with what went before.
However, as it 'appens, I have a need to install a longer cable between my wireless hub & switch, & Iāve just ordered a BJC & its in transit as I write.
Itās Cat6, I donāt see the point in Cat5e when Cat6 is available for just a fraction more, but thats not saying Cat5e is inferior.
Iām not a fan of screened ethernet, its only needed for high RFI & EMI environments, I also suspect a screen can add more issues than it prevents in a domestic environment, especially when not connected correctly. - I note BJC Cat6A has a passive screen & is not connected at the RJ45 plugs - that gets my approval, assumin that is you really do want a screenā¦
ā¦ err ā¦ you either did not understand what I mean or how to assemble ethernet patch leads.
The Sentinel RJ45 plugs have to be installed on the Belden cable, that is down to the skill of the operator.
OK no probs.
For the benefit of any who might be interested. The copy/paste (below) is from a Fluke manual that makes the point of how critical is the correct (optimisation) of the twisted pair form into the RJ45 plug.
Fluke are a world leading test instrument company, they are not a cable company so are not seeking to make mischief in that marketing world.
80% of the so called category 6 compliant cords on the market today fail to meet the specific requirements of ANSI/TIA-568-C.2 and ISO/IEC 11801:2002.
The termination of the RJ45 plug is so critical, it is all in the alignment of the individual twisted pairs entering the RJ45 plug.
Well, brave little soldier that I am, Iāve ordered 1.5 metres of BJC Cat6, to test against some Chord Music that should arrive for a extended home demo on Wednesday. Not sure when the BJC will arrive.
@BertBird,ā¦I checked with the Swedish distributor today,.they only have 0,75m and 1,5m.
This applies to both AQ Vodka and Diamond.
So I wonder if it is not a 0,75m you have.
0,75m is actually 0.92m from contact-end to contact-end.
ā¢ How goes the Diamond listening-process,.has something positive happened.?
Ps:
AQ Diamond 0,75m costs Ā£615:-.
AQ Diamond 1,5m costs Ā£1067:-.
In Sweden.
ā¦ err ā¦ 0.92cm ??? I assume you mean 0.92 metre
This is very close to an āimperialā foot & 0.92m = 3.018 feet
As AQ are a US company & USA are the only country remaining that still uses imperial, I supect it was made as imperial.
e.g. Iā just ordered 2m of BJC & the shipping manifest shows 6 feet are coming (2m = 6.5 feet) so Iām 0.5 feet short (no probs)
Not sure if this is a genuine question or if you are being sarcastic, but I would be more than astonished if anyone could detect a difference (of any sort) in sound as a result of a network cable touching a wall.
If there could potentially be a difference of any sort then I am sure that many dozens (or hundreds) of people on this forum who have routed their ethernet cable through walls and under floorboards are tearing their hair out (if they have any) about the horrors they have inflicted on their systems by doing so.
@Hmack,ā¦I,.and @Darkebear have already answered this question/claim.
It is between the switch-streamer that we are talking about,.and the switch-Nasā¦see below.
My Cableoholic-friend had their ethernet-cables in a mess,.I didnāt said what I did.
But I just lifted up,.and hung the ethernet-cable between the switch and streamer free of the other wires.
ā¢ His commentā¦āWhat did you do,.it became cleaner and clearer with more musically flowā.
So everything has significance in your installation for the best soundqualityā¦
Try it Yourself.
Ps:
Of course,.thanks.