Ethernet Switch and Cables Mania

[Nick.Lees]

6 here! Just not all in that shot

[Nick.Lees]

• Nick.Lees,.how long have you used your Chord Indigo TA.?

/Peder🙂

At least three years - they don’t make it any more. It was the step below Sarum at the time. The Music is Chord’s demo unit so will have thoroughly been used before. If I buy it’ll be a 1.5 metre length.

[JimDog]

That’s a lorra lorra lava.

[Stephen_Tate]

very serious test of AQ Vodka,.this cable needed several weeks of burn-in before it started to “sing” properly.

Mine is still getting better even after six weeks. I don’t regret buying it one bit. It has upped my system’s streaming pleasure ten fold.

[Klyde]

Thanks @Mike-B, just what I wanted to know.

[frenchrooster]

after a week 24/24 burn in, the ethernet cable doesn’t quite change after. So around max 200 hours to get it burn in. Of course in my system and ears, for the meicord i had then vodka and diamond.

[frenchrooster]

i hope, like probably others, that you will wait some days more to have a definitive opinion.
Vs the Music it’s very unprovable that the BJ reach the same level of musicality. But vs the indigo i am curious.

[Darkebear]

I found the Vodka took a good week to get it past its main run-in/burn-in problems - then it did further improve over many weeks after that. But the first few days clears the most nasty stuff out, then greater refinement detail and articulation over many weeks I noticed.

I also think the Vodka has a signature of presenting a lot of very low bass and extreme HF energy that the system has to be set-up to handle or it will sound wrong - bright or hard - which it is not when run-in over very extended period of many weeks.

The bass part needs care to have it not touching floor in the final connection to the Streamer (ND555 in my case) - this does not mean if you use the cable elsewhere and it has to be on floor, just the final ‘jump’ from your switch or in my case Melco to the ND555.

The HF part of Vodka needs a very well set-up 552 Pre to handle or it will tend to sound bright. In my case the S1 Pre has no problems with it - anyone who has heard the S1 Pre knows it has a different top-end signature and seems un-fussed - but I think the same is achieved with the 552 pre with the usual set-up care recommended for it.

DB.

[Nick.Lees]

The BJC is now connecting my NAS to the main network, so will see plenty of use before I listen again.

[Darkebear]

Please could someone explain what ‘burn in’ is with an Ethernet cable.

Not really answering but I do not know what is happening - I generally prefer use ‘run-in’ as it captures a host of possibilities whist nicely not having to say what they are.

Burn-in implies a power aspect that is possibly also going on - but as I have no idea - other that all cables seem to need time to come on tune.

Mains leads also have this but seem to run-in very quick then speaker leads then depending on how much power they are passing the small signal leads seem to take longest.

That is all by experience and although I’ve heard it is to do with low-level dielectric polarization over time - that is just what has been said.

…so run-in/burn-in means some process happens that people hear the effect of.

Because I don’t know what it is does not mean it is not present - empirically it is there, whatever it is.

DB.

[anon35986639]

Nobody uses melco cables?

[Gazza]

Yes I use Melco and preferred them to Vodka at the time of purchase…very cost effective

[anon35986639]

I have a 1 meter Melco from the modem to the Cisco Catalyst 2960 swich and now I have ordered a 3 meter one to power the Airport Extreme wifi … I liked that they were the same …, but it’s a good cable, even compared to Qed?

[Michaelb]

So,.it is positive if you give BJC some extra days in the system.

Definitely! In my experience things only started to settle down completely after around 10 days

[ElMarko]

For those with the technical expertise is the comment below a valid statement?

DIELECTRIC-BIAS SYSTEM WITH RADIO FREQUENCY TRAP

All insulation between two or more conductors is also a dielectric whose properties will affect the integrity of the signal. When the dielectric is unbiased, dielectric-involvement (absorption and non-linear release of energy) causes different amounts of time delay (phase shift) for different frequencies and energy levels, which is a real problem for very time-sensitive multi-octave audio. The inclusion of an RF Trap (developed for AudioQuest’s Niagara Series of power products), ensures that radio frequency noise will not be induced into the signal conductors from the DBS field elements. (DBS, US Pat #s 7,126,055 & 7,872,195 B1)

[Dave]

Great review Nick. Really liked the fact that you referred to actual music (note m not M), that was a pretty radical approach

[Peder]

Why Doubt,.Try It Instead…

In our various tests,.we have also found that this Cisco is as sensitive to Positioning,.Vibration and different Powercables etc,as all other Hifi-electronics boxes.

And,.according to you @Peter1480,.your location of your Cisco on the wall has already given you better soundquality…Instead of having it in a hifi-rack.

There came some strange comments when I added out information…
How we in Sweden should test this proposal,.that @Peter1480 came up with.

Namely,.to assemble a Cisco on the wall,with anti-vibration rubber-rings.
I was very surprised by these comments,.that some here are not more Openminded and Curious for new proposals.

In addition,.Naim is,as we know really an “Attention To Detail” Company.
• And they use this design/construction on their loudspeakers…See picture below.

It is even more surprising that some here directly dismiss Naim’s own design idea.
We do not do this in Sweden,.we instead test whether this Naim-design can work on a Cisco mounted on the wall.

But,.as I said…this idea comes from @Peter1480.

As well,.some very knowledgeable here have already tested and noted,that it is important to be Attention To Detail,.when it comes to placement and more of its Cisco.
@Darkebear, @MichaelB, @JimDog,.See below.

I’ve preliminary played with placement and that will be further experimented ahead, as it does seem rather surprisingly, still to me, sensitive to installation.

DB.

In my system it definitely is sensitive both to vibration/microphonics and electromagnetic interference

I found that getting the Cisco away from the black boxes helped. It also benefits from a decent shelf/table.

You may remember the august member from the Forum’s last incarnation, J-N.

He invented the technique of isolating the crossovers from his Allaes by putting a large car cleaning sponge between the unscrewed crossover and the speaker cabinet.

• So,.Why doubt,.Try Naim’s Design Instead.
You have nothing to lose,.just a little time.

And if it works,.and gives better soundquality,then you get more space for other things in your hifi-rack .

/Peder🙂

[charlesphoto]

I have a Melco Opal cable. Have to be careful where I put it as the bass can get extra heavy and the overall sound a bit thick. Currently using it from the Cisco 2960 to the first opticalModule fiber convertor. I would suggest a Ghent Audio JSSG 1303 Belden Cat 6a cable as a better neutral cable.

[frenchrooster]

i had the opal before also. However found that the audioquest vodka had much better bass, fuller and bigger.

[Simon-in-Suffolk]

Best results with an older 2960 will be with a very much longer lead between switch and streamer and using small gauge Cat 5e or similar. This reduces the serial switching voltage slightly in the receive pair.
Try 10 metres or preferably longer. Newer 2960s support EEE which will adjust for a shorter lead of around 5 metres. Very short leads much less than 5 metres can’t be recommended if Ethernet switching noise is a concern,