Sablon Ethernet - 2020 model

[Ricardo007]

I am curious about Mark Coles design wise what are the major changes between thé sablon usb 2020 thé sablon réserva élite and sablon réserva 2017
Shielding conductor cable geometry connectors...
Anybody knows ?

 

[Bogan88]

The difference is... it sounds better

 

[phdlee]

I have never used Goebel or FTA cables, but Sablon Panatela lan cable is far superior to the ones I have now. This cable raise the level of SQ higher and is incredibly inexpensive. I seriously recommend the cable

 

[Sablon Audio]

Welcome to the forum @phdlee and delighted to know you are enjoying your Sablon cable!

@Esotar shared a comparison with me yesterday about the other two other brands and his views were consistent with the experiences of both myself and other customers.

 

[Ricardo007]

any comparaison available with shunyata sigma ethernet cable?

 

[volcanoclimber]

any comparaison available with shunyata sigma ethernet cable?

I just replaced a SOTM dCBL-CAT7 ethernet cable with the Sablon. I have not tried the Sigma ethernet, but I have had the Sigma Interconnect in my system. I would think if you enjoy the Sablon sound, you would prefer it over the Sigma, even with the price difference. I have had many cables in my system to include Audience SX, Cardas Clear, Purist, etc and they all appear more as tone controls to me. There are a few cables, Sablon being one of them, that just seem to have a neutral, open, detailed and airy presentation. As I have uncovered and removed weak points in my system, I find I prefer a neutral cable. Maybe it is because I do not have an analytical system. While the Sigma was a nice, smooth cable, it was not as open or airy as the Sablon.

 

[Sablon Audio]

Welcome to the forum Volcanoclimber and thanks for taking the time to share your impressions. You touch upon an important point - as your system gets better, you don’t need to use cables with colourations to mask deficiencies elsewhere. This often happens with cheaper digital gear needing to have its jagged high frequencies smoothed over.

 

[Mikem53]

Are Ethernet patch cords held to the same recommended minimum length of 1.5m Like other digital coax/USB cables are ? This is to reduce reflectivity in the cable which causes jitter ? I just replaced my .75m Audioquest USB cable with a 1.5m Shunyata USB cable and noticed an improvement...
I keep reading, buying and listening...

 

[Sablon Audio]

Hi Mike, length isn’t particularly critical on ethernet compared to spdif or usb. Spdif needs length to minimise impedance reflections from non 75ohm compliant dac jacks / internal wiring whereas extra length on usb allows for server noise being carried on vbus / voltage cable to dissipate along the length of the cable.

 

[StefanT]

I just replaced a SOTM dCBL-CAT7 ethernet cable with the Sablon. I have not tried the Sigma ethernet, but I have had the Sigma Interconnect in my system. I would think if you enjoy the Sablon sound, you would prefer it over the Sigma, even with the price difference. I have had many cables in my system to include Audience SX, Cardas Clear, Purist, etc and they all appear more as tone controls to me. There are a few cables, Sablon being one of them, that just seem to have a neutral, open, detailed and airy presentation. As I have uncovered and removed weak points in my system, I find I prefer a neutral cable. Maybe it is because I do not have an analytical system. While the Sigma was a nice, smooth cable, it was not as open or airy as the Sablon.

You say that you replaced the SOTM ethernet cable with the Sablon cable. Can you elaborate a bit on what sonic improvements you got doing this?

Thanks.

 

[volcanoclimber]

You say that you replaced the SOTM ethernet cable with the Sablon cable. Can you elaborate a bit on what sonic improvements you got doing this?

Thanks.

The first thing I noticed when I re-inserted the SOTM was that it was more veiled. I especially heard that the vocals were not as delineated. Overall, the Sablon provided a more open and transparent sound that allowed more of the detail and dynamics to show through. This new lifting of the veil provided me a few insights into how I was using the EtherRegen. I was using Stillpoints under it to bring out more detail that I now no longer need. It also became apparent that grounding it to my Synergistic ground block was actually hurting the sound.

 

[StefanT]

The first thing I noticed when I re-inserted the SOTM was that it was more veiled. I especially heard that the vocals were not as delineated. Overall, the Sablon provided a more open and transparent sound that allowed more of the detail and dynamics to show through. This new lifting of the veil provided me a few insights into how I was using the EtherRegen. I was using Stillpoints under it to bring out more detail that I now no longer need. It also became apparent that grounding it to my Synergistic ground block was actually hurting the sound.

Very interesting. So, if I understand your setup correctly you have a longer ethernet cable of some other brand (?) going from a router/access-point to the EtherRegen and then the Sablon ethernet cable going to your streamer?

I'm also considering optimising my streaming setup in a similar way to what you have done, therefore my question.

 

[volcanoclimber]

Very interesting. So, if I understand your setup correctly you have a longer ethernet cable of some other brand (?) going from a router/access-point to the EtherRegen and then the Sablon ethernet cable going to your streamer?

I'm also considering optimising my streaming setup in a similar way to what you have done, therefore my question.

That is exactly right. I have just started my wired journey, having been using wireless forever. I have ATT&T fiber and hooked up a 40ft generic, but high quality, cat6 cable from the router to my streamer. It sounded a bit rough so I shelved that for a while. I did try a Supra Cat8, but found it a bit dull and the AudioQuest Cinnamon rough as well. I have found that just adding a cheap d-link switch in front of the router helps quite a lot (wireless noise?). I plan on replacing the d-link with the new English Electric switch. I have also ordered a Jcat LAN isolator so I plan on testing how much the EtherRegen makes a difference vs something more basic. I also plan on trying optical isolation, maybe the Sonore OpticalModule.

 

[StefanT]

Thanks for your answer. Since this is not only Sablon cable related, perhaps a new topic/thread in the Computer Audio section about your streaming journey could be valuable for others in a similar situation?

 

[Sablon Audio]

Some great feedback on my M12 Switch cabling loom from Jeffy and Ctydwn in posts 190 and 191 of this thread

M12 Gold Switch

@Parsons Please take a look here: https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/taiko-audio-sgm-extreme-the-crème-de-la-crème.27433/page-170#post-641816 Regards, Marcin

whatsbestforum.com

 

[Sablon Audio]

I’ve been asked a couple of times this week if I will shortly be updating the 2020 ethernet and usb cables and the answer is ‘no‘. My general approach is to only introduce improvements when they are significant and I typically ‘bank’ small changes so that they can be implemented simultaneously for a more worthwhile impact.

 

[Ultrafast69]

I’ve been asked a couple of times this week if I will shortly be updating the 2020 ethernet and usb cables and the answer is ‘no‘. My general approach is to only introduce improvements when they are significant and I typically ‘bank’ small changes so that they can be implemented simultaneously for a more worthwhile impact.

Fair approach

 

[ray-dude]

CURRENT BID: $475

Folk, up for charity auction is a very lightly used ~5 foot Sablon Audio 2020 Panatela Reserva ethernet cable (retail US$475), kindly provided by Mark Coles of Sablon Audio. 100% of proceeds will be going to charity, and I will be matching dollar for dollar the winning bid with my own contribution (e.g. if the winning bid is $400, I will be donating a total of $800 to charity).

The 2020 Sablon ethernet cable is the best I’ve heard, and I have two shorter 2020 Sable ethernet cables in my chain today.

For my impressions, see my review here:

Reality Quest: Going to Extremes with the Taiko Audio SGM Extreme (Part 4 of 5)

Part 1 - Introduction and Digital Audio Optimization Foundations (Link) Part 2 - Enter the Extreme (Link) Part 3 - First Impressions and Basic Configuration (Link) Part 4 - Tweaking Up the Extreme Part 5 - Extended Listening Impressions, Learnings, and Conclusions (Link) In the first three parts ...

audiophilestyle.com

"Like my “first 10 seconds” reaction when hearing the Sablon 2020 USB cable and Sablon Prince power cord, the Sablon 2020 ethernet cable comes across as neutral, transparent, coherent, invisible and just right – “Yup, we’re done testing here...let’s enjoy some music”. Mark is really on a roll, and I’m loving everything I’m hearing from him.

"So what is going on with the Sablon ethernet cable that is resulting in this striking level of impact? The Sablon cable is quite impressive, with Cat 8.1 Telegärtner connectors, robust shielding, and Mark’s favorite conductors. These connectors are distinguished by extremely high bandwidth (bandwidth seems to be emerging as a key measure for ethernet cables and audio). Mark uses his favorite conductors for the body of the cable itself, with 5 layers of shielding. Is the extreme bandwidth + shielding + conductor quality what is creating this synergy with the Extreme? Clearly, the Sablon ethernet cable is keeping up with the Extreme much better than the other Cat 8 cables I have on hand. Even for cabling, speed seems to make a big impact with the Extreme."



Mark has very graciously offered up this longer cable for this charity auction, and I will match the winning bid with a contribution of my own (in case a bidder is feeling particularly generous, I would be delighted to match up to $2000)

The beneficiary of this auction will be World Central Kitchen (https://wck.org), which has been doing amazing and truly inspiring work all over the world to help feed people in need.

Please PM me with your bids. Highest bid by 8pm Pacific Time on December 26th will be the winner. Continental US only please, I will cover shipping, payment by PayPal. If you wish to bid up to a more significant level to help Chef Andres and team help even more people, drop a note and let’s do some good…

Have a happy and safe holiday everyone!

 

[ray-dude]

Well the charity auction is over! Many thanks to the generous bidders and Mark Coles of @Sablon Audio for contributing the cable. With the additional donations and match, together we raised US$1300 for the very deserving World Central Kitchen (a fantastic way to end a challenging year)

Best wishes to everyone for a safe and happy New Year!

Ray

 

[Sablon Audio]

Wow, what an awesome result! Thanks go out to Ray for both arranging and matching, and also to the bidders for participating in rasiing these funds for such a worthy cause.