Yep, need to use bushes…
Now there’s a thought, grow something like an orange tree in a big pot in the room and hang the switch from that, a 3 function device:
1 A damped compliant suspension for the switch
2 An acoustic diffuser
3 A source of fruit!
Is the general consensus that there is a difference between the belden and the blue jeans RJ45 cables, and which are preferred?
Thanks
There can be no useful generally applicable guidance - both are competent Ethernet cables.
Any audible differences will be down to how your particular system reacts to the filtering of the particular bands of RFI to which it is subject in your home; hence, there can be no useful generally applicable guidance. Unlike analogue interconnects, Ethernet cables don’t have any particular ‘sound characteristics’ of their own.
from Poire Williams to Vodka, same degree of alcohol i think : how the BJ vs vodka ?
Firstly, just to clarify: The BJC and DesignCable cables both use Belden cables with terminated with Sentinel RJ45, but the former use a solid cable, while the latter use a stranded one with an ultra-robust sheath.
As Xanthe says, which of the two you prefer is likely to be system/installation dependent. Both will need a few days of burn-in before you can decide.
I found the BJC Cat6 and DesignaCable CatSnake Cat5e quite close, with the latter being more manageable as a stranded cable, but also offering more detailed/palpable instrumental textures, greater layering and deeper bass. The CatSnake also has a more out-of-speaker sound in my system with a bigger boogie factor. Depending on your room and system, however, you could find the bass a bit too much.
I have an ND555 with 2x 500PS and 552, 550 system with Cisco 2960. The speakers are a little unusual, being Shahinian Diapasons, so your mileage could certainly vary.
I am not sure whether anyone else on the forum has done a direct comparison.
My cable says Belden 1303E catsnake S/FTP cat6a and is the cable recommended by my dealer. He also installed rj45 made of metal and plastic like the pic
thanks Michaelb. I have the belden already so will stick with it then.
cheers
You have to keep in mind that Belden have a very large ethernet cable range & its not possible to generalise.
Blue Jeans Cables use the standard Belden 1707A for their Cat-5e, their Cat-6 & Cat-6A cables are especially made for them by Belden.
All I know is about the Cat-6, considering the Fluke test data sheet that its supplied with, it shows TIA/ISO conformance exceeds Class-E Cat-6 250MHz by some margin, that I hasten to add is not a measure on how it ‘sounds’. The other thing is, if a cable does carry a sound, its probably more from the equipment its connected to & its local environment.
The DesignaCable cable uses Belden 1305A which is a Cat5e cable with an “upjacketed tactical UTP” sheath. The 1303E is a similar Cat6a cable: link to Belden 1303E spec sheet . They both use stranded 24AWG conductors: link to Belden 1305A spec sheet.
Your dealer could well be on to a winner there. I’ve not heard the Belden Cat6a in my system, though.
I’ve had to revise my opinion of what shielding may add or detract, having found the Supra Cat8 much better than I expected.
1st Listening Session Results
Equipment: Synology NAS>Cat 6 (generic)>Cisco 2960>tested cables>NDX>M-Scaler>DAVE>552>500>PMC Fact 12>Me (plus small cat on lap), Guest Star (at the end): my wife.
The Room from my sofa:
The Music:
PLS.Trio - Twice (Little Dragon cover featuring Woodsy Rain)
The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter
The HU - Wolf Totem
Propellerheads - On Her Majesties Secret Service
Cables listened to (in order then order reversed):
BJC Cat 6 (1.5m)
Chord Indigo TA (my existing cable) (1.5m)
Chord Music (2m)
Each was dressed as near identically as possible.
Listening:
All tracks were played in their entirety in the same order through the three cables and back again. The cat was a bit pissed off having to get up from my lap at each cable change.
First up, if the BJC was the only one I’d ever heard I’d probably say it’s good for the money and keep it. But it’s not. In comparison with the Indigo it was a mite slower and with less bounce, with high notes suffering slight glare and roughness. The Indigo was richer too, and palpably more real. The PLS track was so much more involving and the double drummers of The HU more propulsive.
The Music was a significant notch up on both - I was in the studio with PLS and the orchestral parts of the Propellerheads track worked as separate instruments rather than a blended sound.
So, I was decided. But then I knew what I was listening to. Fortunately Anne had come back from Sainsbury’s and was duly sat down on the sofa. I picked her favourite tracks - Dreadzone - Return Of The Dread and Taio Cruz - Dynamite and played them with the different cables in such a way she couldn’t see what was what. In every case she identified them by how good the music sounded - with the Music sounding “more real”.
Conclusion:
In the interests of fairness I’ll run the BJC in a lot more, but if I were to make a decision right now I’d blow a Music sized hole in my Bank Account.
Interesting. Thanks for that. I found the BJC CAt6 needed at least 4 days to start showing their best.
Very impressed with the TWO lava lamps!
For that money you could get a box that functions as an ‘optical bridge’ to break the flow of EM noise into the DAC.
I wonder whether that would make super posh ethernet cables less effective, or even redundant?
I see 3…
I’ve just installed a used Cisco Catalyst 2960, which intend to have serviced. I installed it about 1 meter away from the router with a short length of cheap Cat5e from the router and a 5m length of similar cable to my 272. There has been a quite noticeable improvement in sound quality over the original tp-link switch. I want to try better quality, certified cables. Should I keep the switch near the router, or use a longer cable from router to switch and a short cable to the 272?
OMG!
I found that getting the Cisco away from the black boxes helped. It also benefits from a decent shelf/table.
I don’t think their is any real evidence about separating a wireless hub & switch, but my instinct is to get some distance between them.
Thinking about your wish to use ‘better’ cables between them, maybe a cost avoidance solution is to have the switch closer to the 272 - but not too close !!!
The wireless hub to switch branch will be OK with ‘ordinary’ better cable, but the switch to 272 branch might find more with a posher ‘better’ cable & the cost of a shorter cable will be less than a 5m length.
@Nick.Lees,…Thanks for the first impression, very interesting,.and as the OP,I am thankful that the thread is back with serious posts.
If you read @Darkebear very serious test of AQ Vodka,.this cable needed several weeks of burn-in before it started to “sing” properly.
Our comparison between two different lengths of AQ Diamond (both Burn-in earlier).
Where AQ 1,5m today have been 50 days in the system,.and AQ 0,75m 10 days.
So there is still a difference in soundquality to the AQ 1,5m advantage.
The difference is getting smaller and smaller for every day,.but still AQ Diamond 1,5m is better.
So,.it is positive if you give BJC some extra days in the system.
• Nick.Lees,.how long have you used your Chord Indigo TA.?
/Peder🙂
Please could someone explain what ‘burn in’ is with an Ethernet cable. I understand burn in with electrolytic capacitors, but not with digital data transmission.
Alternatively (or as well), please could someone explain how to distinguish ‘burn in’ of an Ethernet cable from the effect of the ear/brain combination getting trained and subjectively more used to the change in the sound.
