Network Cables - what's the best?

Streaming Audio
45

Noooo, not again!

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46

Sorry. I’m not even saying that there can’t be differences. But if so, it’s not because of “clean energy” making a difference for Ethernet clocking.

Edit: in case someone is wondering why I am making no sense, this had been in reference to a quote from an article that was later deleted

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47

Hi Roger,
The epic will do…

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48

No unauthorised links please here, thanks.

49

I use T Sarum between Nd555 to Melco and Epic second cable between Melco to Ee8 switch

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50

Apologies, hadn’t realised the forum had automatically turned it into a link. Main point was to distinguish it from FS cables, which do not test, where fs dot com does. Just typing FS is therefore confusing.

51

I think there are different ways to tackle the subject.
If you are willing to compare ethernet cables and believe it can make a diffence, i would just order a few and try them out. In your system with your room, who knows what will work best anyway?

The other way to handle this is just to overspend on an audiophile cable from a serious company and call it a day to have peace of mind that you have something which won’t hold your system back.

The third way is to forget about the cable and go wireless, if your internet connection and network is good. Maybe no cable is the “best cable”?

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52

That’s what I did. I compared four 8 mtr. runs of different cables before deciding which one to install in the wall tubing. A simple no name unshielded from the Bax Music shop, another ‘something’ shielded, a Belden 1303E Catsnake and the AudioQuest Cat7 Carbon. The AQ was by far the best sounding so that’s the one I installed. Quite simple really…

Wifi sounds worse than all the cables I tried.

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53

Another enthusiastic user of these cables here. Excellent performance for very sensible money.

Summarising (a herioc ask!) the last extraordinarily long ethernet cables thread, here goes:

  1. Many US owners enjoy Blue Jeans cables
  2. Many UK owners tend to use Designacable Catsnake Cat 6a
  3. Others claim a benefit from spending hundreds/thousands of pounds, dollars or Euros on Chord, Audioquest or equivalently branded cables.

Having tried a few and being based in the UK, we have gone with option 2.

Best regards, BF

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54

That approach doesn’t work for me. I find that if network cables do anything at all they change, rather than improve the sound and that there is no simple correlation between price and quality.

55

No! Wireless sounds terrible in my system. RS-232 is my digital interface of choice; it gets me closer to that “analogue” sound. SNAIC oil, anyone?

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56

Interesting patronising choice or words. Or is it my clumsiness in a foreign language or are you something of an oracle?

57

How is your system connected to the internet / network?

58

Hi RvL,
No patronising intended, so apologies to anyone who may be offended. I have tweaked the wording in the post.
I was trying to do the nigh on impossible of summarising a multi-thousand post thread into a few bullet points.

Super expensive cables didn’t bring any perceived benefits for us over the Designacable ones (and we did try a few). The Designacable ones did bring notable benefits over £3 Amazon basic type cables.
YMMV

Best regards, BF

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59

With the DesignCable Catsnake, is there any difference between the floating, single ended and double ended screen? Is one dorederable over the others for different links in the chain, ie attached both ends for main run but floating for last connection to streamer?

60

How many metres of AQ Carbon did you use?

My concern about doing that would be that you may have been able to get the same result for a fraction of the cost by moving the switch near to your hifi rack.

61

To add a small detail from my memory of that thread:

I compared BJC 6a to Catsnake, and found the latter gave a bit too much bass in my then system, whereas the BJC for me gave a cleaner more balanced sound.

I think a few others agreed the Catsnake gave a bit more bass, but in some cases this was preferred.

As usual the sonic results of Ethernet cables is very variable between systems.

Hardly surprising as it’s all about noise anyway!

62

I remember that double end connected screen was the least preferred.
I can’t remember now the difference between single end connection and unconnected shield.

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63

Screened ethernet cable is normally only used in commercial/industrial high RFI and EMI noise environments. However Cat7 which always has a screen has become the de rigueur benchmark for the “boutique” cables used in the audio and AV hobbyist market.
There is no harm in having screened cable provided its installed correctly.
A screen thats connected at both ends runs the risk of it finding its ground on two separate power circuits & any potential difference that exists will add noise & potentially worse. This is prevented in the professional cabling world as regulations are designed to have one single earth ground point on the network.
Single ended cables can be useful in the screen acting as a grounded conduit when its grounded end is connected at a known grounded earth such as a Naim streamer.
A floating screen is useful as it just acts as a barrier against various noise sources. its what BlueJeans have as standard with their Cat6a.

I don’t have screened ethernet, & I’ve spent a few years experimenting. The different twists in the twisted pair configuration suppress the low level noise in yer average domestic environment.

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64

With an Ethernet cable :sunglasses:

I’ve used quite a variety of network setups over the years, usually via a switch. Currently I use 3 Cisco Catalyst switches linked by fibre, with copper Ethernet to router, NAS, streamers etc.