Cata5 cables - differ in quality?

Getting your data from the NAS to your mac is the equivalent of carrying a CD from your CD rack to the CD player - there really ought not to be any difference in quality if it works at all. Network traffic is moved in 'packets' and there are protocols to ensure that what is sent is exactly what is received.  The whole thing happens far faster than the music needs to be replayed therefore if there are any issues a faulty packet can be resent numerous times if necessary.

I'm not questioning what you've heard, but I don't think it can be to do with the difference between wired/wireless and even if it was I don't think anyone would be able to give you a coherent explanation as to why.

If these things sound different, then there is something seriously wrong somewhere.

This is getting silly. What next? "I'm worried about my Naim - is the colour black affecting sound quality?"



Tog

Just out of interest. do you get the same results wired vrs wireless with the Mac mains adapter unplugged ?

James

My experience is that the type of Cat cable makes no difference (with the UnitiServe and UnitiQute). However, I found clear differences between the methods used to send music from one to the other. In increasing order of performance (as measured by emotional engagement with the music), my ranking is as follows :

Wireless << Optical S/PDIF << Co-axial S/PDIF << Network cable

The surprise for me was that network cable could outperform a digital cable. The Canadian Naim distributor had told me of this, but I was sceptical. No more.

The opposite result posted by Monty is curious ; is this system dependant ? 

jan

I'm going to order a new and slightly more expensive Ethernet cable as the one I bought may simply be a bad one.

It's not just my ears that heard the difference between wired and wireless......

I've not tried comparing mains v's battery power on the Mac but I will when I get time after I hook up the new cable.....

Hi, if there is difference then it will be to do with, most likely, degree of common mode RFI picked up or conducted through the cable. For common mode RFI adding a snap on choke around the cable nearest to your hifi components can help. (increasing inductance increases the 'resistance' to higher frequencies).



RFI can be a curse as it can conduct along many metallic paths and surfaces and it can be difficult to eliminate. Unless extreme it usually is only  subtly heard, but often making the audio sound less natural.  But please be wary of snake oil merchants win this area. Expensive Ethernet cables cater for very high bandwidth, and low physical error rates over long distances, not really relevant in the consumer/domestic environment.





Simon

I've wired the house with Cat6 throughout for audio streaming, on the naive assumption that it would be better than Cat5 for streaming. Was I wrong.

quote:

I've wired the house with Cat6 throughout for audio streaming, on the naive assumption that it would be better than Cat5 for streaming. Was I wrong.

Meaning: you were wrong and it is worse? Or is it equal? Or are you asking a question?

Confused

-
aleg

meaning is there any difference between Cat5 and Cat6 for the purpose of audio data streaming? In case someone else is about to do what I have done. obviously, Cat 6 cable is more expensive and slightly more difficult to work with. I thought it had better RFI rejection properties.
Sorry I omitted the question mark.

Hi, you are not wrong, but it might have been unnecessary to do Cat6 instead of Cat5. Anyway you have it now which is good news because either one will work for you. As far as increased common mode RFI rejection, I guess that would depend on how the shielded twisted pairs typically found in Cat 6 were braided and how they were earthed (clearly avoiding earth loops), so there is potential for improvement, but I note ANSI requirements state the shields should be earthed at both ends, which implies more emphasis on reducing crosstalk rather than RFI coupling to my mind. Typically RFI coupling has a more benign affect in data networks than in high quality audio.







Out of interest how have you structured the wiring?. Have you set a master switch in the go use with segments going to each room (run of cable) or have you multiple switches linked together?















Simon

While I cannot vouch for any difference in sound quality, I can tell you that when you use fully shielded cables and connectors, it does make a difference in the quality of the transmission.  I used shielded connects and cables throughout my entire place and upon certification, the results where at the very high end of the industry specs.  As suggested here, lower rf/EMI interference could/should result in higher bandwidth and packet loss. Admittedly overkill for Audio, but expectations are/were to use the system to transmit video as well.

Ethernet cable impacting sound quality...?

Unless, there is something going on that I don't understand:  The bits and bytes on the CAT5 or CAT6 ethernet cable are transmitted in a packetized data file protocol... not a stream of audio bits.  The Uniti (or 'Qute) receives a computer file that it then decodes to the audio bits and plays.  Failure on the ethernet side of things will result in drop outs.  As long as the bits get through, the quality of the cable will have no impact.  DT79's comment about moving the CD "file" to the player is bang on!
 
IMHO, this is why Naim, Linn, PS Audio and few others really have the right answer to digital music with the Uniti-like products.  The music is in a computer file right up to the DAC.  File unpacking, the DAC and analogue portion of the system can all be packed into a very small space (short internal wiring) and driven by power suppl(ies) with a common ground -- many fewer "moving parts" in the system.

Difference in audio quality between wired/wireless network connection:  In theory, there is no difference -- a computer file is a file.  However, the devil is in the detail -- how much power is used by the wired/wireless interface, which generates RF or some type of noise in the audio circuitry... is the software the identical for wireless/wired transfers?  These are implementation issues.

My 2-cents.

Scott.

I've got a new cable hooked up and all is fine now. No difference in sound to wireless, so must have had a dodgy cable first time round (either poor quality or faulty). Original cable was £6 for 20m. The new £16 for 20m so well worth the extra tenner !

Ok, nerd alert on, but technically each pair needs to be consistently twisted, but the twisting for each pair does not need to be exactly the same for a CAT5 + . If this is not the case in the then there would be the potential for increased electrical RFI crosstalk between the pairs.







Of couse the essential bit is the quality of the twisting of each pair as it turns the two conductors into a balanced transmission line which cancels emissions from itself and also received interference is coupled into both conductors thereby mitigating the chance of electrical interference between the conductors. This interference is at the electrical level in the TCP/IP stack so unless severe will be unheard in audio. However the interference coupled into both the conductors is called common mode. It is this at RF levels that can cause interference at the audio level because it couples into the connected electronics. RF can jump across conductors (clearly!!!)  and requires specific techniques to contain. Earthing a shield does not remove the RF but can be used to conduct in to a sink, like an inductor.



So my recommendation, keep CAT cables away from RF sources ie cheap power supplies and electronics, bad plasma / LCD TVs, PLA/Homeplug devices and put snap on ferrites over the cables at the terminations nearest your audio equipment.



Simon











Pair 3- Green/White and Green



Pair 2- Orange/White and Orange



Pair 1- Blue/White and Blue



Pair 4- Brown/White and Brown

Another reason to pick Cat 6, although it may be a little harder to work with than Cat 5e, it is more resilient, so less likely to break when you are trying to pull it through tiny gaps, or around corners.

That extra insurance might be worth it over the frustration of a cable that either drops out or just doesn't work.

Rich

The only kind of Cat that can improve the sound of your Naim.

Tog