Audiphile Ethernet cables - advice needed

Cat5e is not a bad cable & is correctly spec'd for audio streaming, but depending on its quality & integrity & damage,  I suspect runs of this between wall sockets & C-Stream at either end might not get maximum from the C-Stream as it would with direct connections - I did say might - also wall sockets might be an added problem.

C-Stream is Cat7 (S/FTP) I believe,  so probably will be able to improve on Cat5e in a cable v cable shootout,  but how it will perform via an in-between Cat5e & wall sockets, I doubt anyone can say for sure & its down to you to try it.  

I would try the ND5 end first & listen for any changes,  that might give you the indicators on the US end.

Let us all know how it worked  

I have found that cables usually make a difference. I have a long run of Cat5 from my hub into the lounge to a switch to which the NDS and NAS are attached. There are differences (for me) between patch lead, C-Stream and AQ Vodka when used between devices and switch and they are not insignificant. I prefer C-Stream. This cable isn't expensive and will sell on or trade in easily, so there's no harm in having a punt?

Paul, as Mike and Harry have suggested, you best try it and see.. For the most part, in my opinion, the differences heard with different Ethernet patch leads are from the  suppression or otherwise alteration of the RF analogue voltages that are carried as a consequence and / or by-product of how electrical Ethernet is transmitted.. Therefore 'tuning' the final Ethernet connection lead to the sensitive Ethernet enabled audio device can often have a noticeable effect, just as with regular RFI from other sources.

Simon

The last cable does make a difference, just give it a try by comparing a couple of version. I am very happy with my audiquest Vodka cable.

Yes, the final bit of wire does make a difference. I've not tried the Chord, but AudioQuest Cinnamon is very good. I use it for my whole wired network - 3m from router to switch, 0.75m from switch to NAS, and 8m from switch to SuperUniti. The wires from switch to streamer and switch to NAS make the biggest difference. 

Has anyone compared the AudioQuest Cinnamon to the Chord C-Stream ethernet cables? I would be very interested in the comparison.

Yes, between NAS and Router (wireless from there). Briefly, in the order I tried them:

The Cinnamon was better than a bog-standard Cat5. A Meicord was better still, though the bass was a bit bloated. A C-Stream had all the benefits of the Meicord but with a balanced bass, then the Chord Indigo was a bit of a wow moment. Very expensive but as I only needed 1.55m I was unable to resist.

I agonised over all this for a while, then decided to move my Unitiserve into the same room, and connect it, and my streamer, to the network via a small Netgear switch using short lengths of C-Stream. 

It works a treat, and I had a spare shelf on my rack for the US, although I've also had it on a nearby wall shelf where it worked just as well. 

Thank you all for your advice - it is very much appreciated. I will certainly give it a try on the initial and final patch leads, changing the wiring from switch to Userve / ND5 is not an option unfortunately (SWMBO would not be amused!).

Will post again when I get the leads ....... now what's the number for Chord .....

OK PaulC,  go for it, and please let us know how it goes ...........

Choosing this specialist audiophile Ethernet cable stuff is a bit confusing, on one hand we have the can't & doesn't make a difference & the other side firmly believes it does. …..... all have a mix of personal experience, technical explanations & what often seems to be supposition.

I wonder why the hi-fi press have not done much testing with Ethernet as they do with IC & speaker cables; I get the feeling because its hard to be conclusive, its avoided.

The other angle on choosing is reading up on forums such as this, Naim contributors seem to be predominately fans of AudioQuest & Chord; whereas on other forums its MeiCord or nothing & some giving out about AQ especially as unworthy. So where does the streaming new-bee start??

My experience in swapping around audiophile level cables (compared to the differences between basic Cat5 & audiophile cable) is small & its somewhat a matter of what value you put on sonic improvements – £-€-$ per SQ. One of these days I might try something like AQ Vodka, but in the meantime my Supra Cat7a is doing OK. 

I suspect part of that conundrum is the variance in working environments. I'm quite prepared to believe that my very positive experience of testing them (and replicating those experiences with other ears) may stem from me having possibly a very busy RFI situation. I don't know.

Given that my local dealer, the very un-esoteric Sevenoaks, was able to provide me with most of those cables (not the Meicord) it's pretty easy for most people to try stuff out.

I think there is a temptation to reduce the "conundrum" to a notion of what goes in must come out.  But in my view listening shows that different cables produce different results.

We are tempted to think we know what goes in and what comes out and explain the two in mathematical terms.  Aren't the digits employed for this merely means of measurement, which omit the physical carrier of the the information and how it is perceived?

I changed from a CAT5E (5m length) to a chord stream (CAT7) because i was getting bad audio drop outs on my Muso internet radio. I'm in a bad RFI area with a taxi rank radio a couple of doors down interfering. It's cured the drop outs, can't say that it's made any difference to the actual audio quality though.

I tried meicord cables between the synology nas and the switch, and between the switch and the NDS. The result was a far superior sound compared to the belkin cat6 cables, which in turn were a significant improvement over the giveaway cat5e cables I was originally using. 

Recently I tried a pair of audioquest cinnamon cables. The cinnamon sounded much airier and more precise than the meicord but they had a thin bottom end and lacklustre midrange compared to the meicord. The meicord have a wonderful midrange and deep bottom end but lack a bit of aireness and speed. 

Then I tried one of each. This was a fantastic combination which has the best of both worlds. This is the combination I have settled for and I am really bowled over with the sound.

Mr H

I'm pleased my old Cinnamon is doing the business for you. 

It certainly is, thanks. You should try a meicord in the mix if you get a chance. 2 meicords were really good as were 2 cinnamons, but one of each really showed all the benefits of both, and none of the shortcomings of either.

Same here, AQ Vodka in use with NDS, it is not a bright as some other standard cables. I have also c-stream.

Curious as to which you used where? I currently have all cinnamon, and yes, it can be a bit lean-ish at times though much nicer than standard. 

There will be no Meicord cables for me - they are far too blue! I'm sure they sound very good though. They are significantly cheaper than the Cinnamon, which has got to be good, but don't have the fancy metal plugs and nice braiding - not that that's important of course...

You have to experiment. Mine worked best with cinnamon from switch to NDS and meicord from synology to switch. My friends worked best the other way around, but he is using a naim unitiserve for his NDS, which has a softer, fuller presentation to start with. Infact I would say the unitiserve is close to the meicord sound but the synology is close to the cinnamon sound, possibly why the leads work different ways around?

I loved the sound of both leads but felt both were falling noticeably short in certain areas mentioned above. Mixing the two was a real "wow" moment as soon as I heard it. 

I tried Chord C-Stream yesterday in my system for about 1 hour,  replacing the Supra Cat7+ between switch to NDX. 

I am convinced it changed the sound,  but better or worse I am not at all sure.

Anyone with C-Stream experience compared to other Cat7 cables ??? -  (I have read the C-Stream to Indigo to Sarum reports on the forum,  & sorry but that ain't gonna happen)

Great, thanks. That's actually good news (if it works for me) as my cable between the UQ (source only) and switch is about 3 meters whereas between the Vortexbox and switch I'm fine with one meter (or less). Ordered one and will give it a try. 

Im sure from your previous comment about the cinnamon that you'll be really pleased with the results. The meicord is directional but not marked as they recommend you try it to find the best sound. I found this a little strange but it was easy to hear which way was best, even from cold and unburned in. 

Look forward to hearing how you get on, so make sure you post your findings.

Mr H

Found this 'interesting' read earlier

http://www.the-ear.net/review-...digital-interconnect

Hope its ok to link to a review?

And a part two;

http://www.the-ear.net/review-...s-pt2-ethernet-cable