What ethernet cables are members using?

[LeBlanc]

With respect to optical fiber implementations, I've been doing this for a while now, and have found every "control factor" with respect to fiber can and does, have an influence on the audio quality. This includes but is not restricted to:
1) The fiber media convertors (FMCs). The better (audio grade) ones, e.g. those used in Sonore OpticalRendus, Uptone EtherREGEN (ER), SOtM products, Lumin, etc, sound better than the el-cheapo, IT- industry grade ones (e.g. TP-Link, etc)
2) The optical transceivers. In my experience, single-mode (e.g, Planet Tech) sound better than generic multi-mode (e.g. TP-link)
3) The optical fiber: For single-mode fiber, I've found that Corning ClearCurve single mode sounds best. For Multi-mode: Tripp-Lite.
4) The power supplies for the FMCs: generic SMPS sound the the worst, LPS sound the best, including those from Sonore, AfterDark, SOtM, etc.
5) Word/Master Clocks for the Ethernet switches or FMCs that have SFP cages. AfterDark makes a nice range of affordable Master Clocks for products e.g. EtherREGEN and SOtM (ER also has a clock input).
6) Clock cables for the Master Clocks for FMCs: better clock cables also improve audio quality.
7) Power distribution for the power supplies for these devices. Audio quality power distributors bring notable improvements.
8) Ground-plane noise reduction: reducing and/or removing ground-plane noise from these devices can provide notable improvment in audio quality. For example, simply connecting a ground cable from EtherREGEN's ground terminal to a Shunyata power distributor GP-NR terminal, Altaira ground hub or Gemini ground hub can provide a notable improvement in audio quality, even "downstream" for components in the main audio rack.

Could you elaborate on how you came to these conclusions? DBT? No measurements it seems?

Please don’t take this question as criticism, just trying to wade through all theories and statements about networks and music streaming from different sources.

 

[audiobomber]

Yes, you may be right. Certainly about the Cisco, at least. I thought, though, that 10G modules were supposed to be ‘1G compatible’?

Not all SFP+ are dual mode. Also, if you use a 10G SFP+ in a 10G switch, it will output 10G, which cannot be decoded by a downstream SFP/FMC.

Some managed 10G switches allow you to set output to 1G when using a dual rate SFP+, some won't.

 

[Puma Cat]

Could you elaborate on how you came to these conclusions?

By listening...

 

[kennyb123]

By listening...

Crazy that someone looking to improve their listening enjoyment would actually let their ears decide.

(Yes, that was sarcasm)

 

[Puma Cat]

Crazy that someone looking to improve their listening enjoyment would actually let their ears decide.

(Yes, that was sarcasm)

Ha! Funny how that works. Also works for distinguishing a Stradivarius from a Guarneri, too.

 

[Republicoftexas69]

Ha! Funny how that works. Also works for distinguishing a Stradivarius from a Guarneri, too.

What about an Amati?

 

[adamaley]

Oh how nice it would be to see this thread go back to talking about Ethernet cables that customers consider to be the best in their systems.

 

[Thieliste]

I have 4 Ethernet cables in my system and the best one i have is the Vertere Pulse-HB, the other 3 are Pink Faun Interlink which are also very good but warmer.

 

[jasond]

Always again astonishing to see how much of a difference there is between Ethernet cables. Having tried a number of known cables over the years I ended up using the Audioquest Diamond which was performing nicely. That changed when I tried the Network Acoustics Muon Pro that made another reasonable improvement.

 

[audiophilac1]

Ediscreation Reference Silver cable, anyone tested?

 

[Puma Cat]

Always again astonishing to see how much of a difference there is between Ethernet cables. Having tried a number of known cables over the years I ended up using the Audioquest Diamond which was performing nicely. That changed when I tried the Network Acoustics Muon Pro that made another reasonable improvement.

That's because Ethernet and USB cables are susceptible to a number of noise factors that discernibly impact audio quality, including low- and high-source leakage impedance current (which results in threshold jitter, which is different from deterministic jitter) and common-mode noise. Also, the longitudinal* EM wave that propagates along the cable is also a noise factor.

* – The transverse EM wave that also propagates on the digital cable is the EM wave that actually carries the signal. The signal Is NOT a stream of 0's and 1's, it is an analog "square wave" voltage.

 

[Puma Cat]

What about an Amati?

Yeah, that works, too. The point holds, regardless.

 

[timztunz]

Ediscreation Reference Silver cable, anyone tested?

I have. They are my choice between Extreme Fiberbox II and Extreme Silent Switch and between switch and Aurender N30SA.

 

[agisthos]

Has anyone ever found that a longer ethernet cable was better? Like 1.5/2.0m vs 1.0m ?
It's kind of a hard thing to test because when you start spending so much on cables you are loathe to pay even more for the 2m version just to compare. Most of us would rather buy a different cable altogether at that point.

I do have a bunch of cheap Melco C100 cables in both 1m and 2m. I had to change the NAS (which holds all my local music and video content), from 1m to 2m and I could swear its better than before.

I need to test something more substantial like the streamer next time.

 

[matthias]

Has anyone ever found that a longer ethernet cable was better? Like 1.5/2.0m vs 1.0m ?

Yes, the consensus in our audio group was that 2.5m sounds better than shorter lenghts.
The tests were performed with Cat 6a Blue Jeans Cables.

 

[agisthos]

I did see a manufacturer of audiophile network gear (Waversa I think?) that said they found 30cm 60cm and 1.5m to be preferred optimal lengths over the standard 50cm/1m sizes, due to internal reflections or something like that.

 

[MarkusBarkus]

...at one point, I recall some of us switch-freaks were trying very long ethernet cables. IIRC Taiko had cable on spools integrated into their system. I think some of these tests, and the reporting of others with daisy-chained switches, dc powered switches, etc. helped generate data that pointed to aspects that resulted in their new network product research. To be clear: I am not saying, I or other users have credit here, other than 5-6 years ago (more?) some of us were pushing the limits of ordinary network set-ups. All that stuff is long-gone here. The Taiko network devices are superb. Sorry to drift a bit on my reply.

 

[italia]

Just ordered another SR Atmosphere SX Reference Ethernet. Previously I've used the SR Foundation SX Ethernet which was better than the Acoustic Revive LAN Quadrant Triple C, which was better than the Wireworld Starlight 8, which was better than generic CAT 5E. Better in my system.

The Atmosphere SX Reference (using its Gold tuning bullet) is a dramatic jump in resolution, imaging and clarity over their Foundation SX when used between my fiber media converter (soon to be replaced by a SFP switch) and streamer. The cable I just ordered will be put in place between music server and new switch. I do also used the passive SR Ground Block with which the Atmosphere SX Reference Ethernet connects through its built-in tiny grounding pigtail.

 

[Vangelis]

Has anyone ever found that a longer ethernet cable was better? Like 1.5/2.0m vs 1.0m ?
It's kind of a hard thing to test because when you start spending so much on cables you are loathe to pay even more for the 2m version just to compare. Most of us would rather buy a different cable altogether at that point.

I do have a bunch of cheap Melco C100 cables in both 1m and 2m. I had to change the NAS (which holds all my local music and video content), from 1m to 2m and I could swear its better than before.

I need to test something more substantial like the streamer next time.

I recall reading that Network Acoustics prefers the sound at 1.5m at min. Now bear in mind that when you’re doing EtherNet cable comparisons, most cables are directional. This can make for an incorrect decision on what cable sounds best. I discovered this last year when I was getting crazy inconsistent outcomes during a EtherNet cable comparison between several different cables. Finally, I listened to each cable in both directions. Once I determined which direction sounded best, I marked the source ends, then listened to both cables again, and a clear winner consistently emerged. My newer Network Acoustics Muon sounded off one day recently, after reinstalling it back into my switch, I had it backwards, not paying attention to the signal path arrow on the cable.

 

[Puma Cat]

With respect to the Ethernet cables I use from Shunyata Research, they recommend a minimum length of 1.5M, and this is what I use for connecting my router to my Roon Core music server.

If folks need to use long runs e.g. from across the room or from one room to another, I'd recommend using two shorter Ethernet cables at the source and destination end, and a run of optical fiber in-between.