If you have a Naim NDS what Ethernet wire do you use?

greekspec2 posted:

understand....what kills me is I live in the Silicon Valley home of everything computer and software and most stores sell nothing but shit

No kidding ! 

musicfan51 posted:

No one has posted a photo or part number for the Lindy that has been discussed as of yet! 

Yes they have, 7 days ago on another thread   ........ https://forums.naimaudio.com/to...48#64077391368431648

Mike-B posted:

musicfan51 posted:

No one has posted a photo or part number for the Lindy that has been discussed as of yet! 

Yes they have, 7 days ago on another thread   ........ https://forums.naimaudio.com/to...48#64077391368431648

Thank you for the repost Mike-B.

musicfan51 posted:

Hungryhalibut posted:

No, absolutely not. It's one of these.... (I'm sure someone has posted a picture already)

No one has posted a photo or part number for the Lindy that has been discussed as of yet! 

So what is that in the picture, a cabbage? 

Hungryhalibut posted:

musicfan51 posted:

Hungryhalibut posted:

No, absolutely not. It's one of these.... (I'm sure someone has posted a picture already)

No one has posted a photo or part number for the Lindy that has been discussed as of yet! 

So what is that in the picture, a cabbage? 

I missed it the first time! I am following thread thru email and flat out missed it! My apologies! 

A standard cat 6 cable bought from walmart.

greekspec2 posted:

why would you guys use a crossover adapter for?

 

As no one seems to have an answered.. Ethernet 10/100/1000BaseT cables have send and receive twisted pair wires ...in some cables they can swap over, that is the send at one end becomes the receive at the other end. In other cables the send and receive pairs pass through and are maintained at both ends of the cable., this the normal configuration.

In network design and implementation, connections between switchports and hosts require a regular pass through cable. However if connecting hosts directly together, or connecting a true router directly to a host with out using a switchports then a swapover cable  is typically required for operation..

A cross over adapter simply converts the 10/100/1000BaseT cable from crossover to pass through or vice versa.

However some modern network interface adapters in equipment use link sensing and synchronisation technology to adapt to whatever cable type is being used thereby avoiding the need to use adapters.

if I was connecting Unitiserve or NAS directly to a Naim Streamer without using a network switch, then I would expect to use a cross over cable.

Simon

fathings cat posted:

I am finding this thread a bit tricky to follow.......

I have an NDS with standard ethernet cable connected to a box in the wall and then either cat5/6/7 (can't remember which but it's what my dealer recommended) running up to sky router upstairs then standard Ethernet cable from router to my unitiserve. (I think I have that correct but excuse my lack of technical capability). 

If I am reading this correctly then there is a benefit of upgrading Ethernet cable from NDS to box in the wall - correct? If so then the audio quest vodka cable at c£215 would provide a benefit? 

Thanks 

Gary

Gary, my setup is just like yours, NDS to wall socket, then Cat 5e from the socket to NAS via a switch.  I have just tried replacing the cheap patch lead Ethernet cable between NDS and the wall socket with a Chord C-Stream Ethernet cable with very favourable results..all for £40!!  I haven't tried anything more expensive I.e. Cinnamen, Vodka, Diamond cables by Audioquest or better from Chord, but I am sold on the fact they clearly can provide an audible difference.  Give it a try, I would expect you may benefit too.

Thanks Jason, given the overall cost of our systems it seems worth giving it a go for a £40 experiment. 

Thanks for replies and as and when I get time I'll report back.

question is do I  a go for the £40 one you suggest or the Cinnamen at £55  the jump up to the vodka is £299 so will prob plump for one of the more reasonably priced ones to experiemnt

thanks

Gary

ps I wish marketing people would come up with more appropriate named products - no wonder I got confused with all this vodka cinnamen lark! 

DUPREE posted:

Seriously, also mix in a shielded 600mhz Cat 7. None of these crazy bespoke cables are electrically superior to that and I personally think AudioQuest is one of the biggest scam-artist companies in this industry. Vandesail and Terra all make great cat 7 cables that meet the highest specs possible. I have access to a $15,000 UTP cable tester and can definitively tell you that these fancy cables do not measure better and ofter measure worse in crosstalk (NEXT), interference and other metrics that these alleged super-dupers claim to fix. https://www.amazon.com/Etherne...d/dp/B01FU47R06?th=1
> On Oct 10, 2016, at 11:48 AM, Naim Audio Forums <alerts@hoop.la> wrote:
>

I saw your post and just ordered theses cables to compare to the AQ Cinnamon. Why not listen to the difference? Maybe the find of the year if get sound great! 

Jason posted:

I changed speakers some time ago so will do AQ vs. C-stream cross check once again.

 

Gandalf,

Interested to hear if you have had a chance to compare the AQ with the C-stream again?  I have recently acquired the C-Stream as my first try of a 'purpose built' ethernet cable and have been impressed with the results on my NDS.  Just wondered if the AQ Vodka moves things up the ladder again and if so, what extra you find it brings?  

Regards,

Jason

I did it today again, Diamond vs. C-stream, 4th very different system, had Naim setup some time ago as well:

• QNAP NAS + Asset UPnP + Flac to Wav conversion on + all ripped lossless
• HP Switch (metal connectors)
• HDplex feeding Switch & NAS
• AQ Vodka (NAS-Switch), AQ Diamond (Switch-NDS) -> D replaced by C-stream
• Avantgarde Acoustics Duo XD speakers + Bakoon Amp (temporary) + Kondo (Japan) speaker cabling
• Powelines all around except Bakoon (better Furutech)
• NDS + 555PS (DR) + 555PS + Super Lumina

Well, you can hear the difference immediately. C is more hifi & accurate, AQ musical & flowing. You can say that C could sound better but hold on, in AQ there is more dynamics, maybe a bit more silent or darker (could be turnover to someone) but echoes starts to sound, more 3d imaging, more resolution & separation. Vocals or bass: AQ wins clearly, this is the biggest gain. I honestly tried to get rid of AQ a few times, sorry.

Ps. yesterday I also tested with reasonable CAT6 bulk cable, no go.

Very very interesting findings! Thank you for posting! 

Tonight I installed the 5 volt iFi ipower and Netgear GS305. I was going to leave the old GS108 in place, but it's 12 volt  so in went the new switch (with aplastic facia).

Well, if there is a difference it certainly is subtle. For £45 it's worth a punt, but not night and day. The improvement the Vodka cables brought were in another league. It stays though and I'm grateful for the tip.

Keith

Hi Kieth,  problem is you've made two changes in one go.  Apart from breaking the infamous Volka screens & removing all doubts, the GS305 is probably not much different to the GS108.     The iPower in my system gave very stable voltage & (if the claims are right) less switching noise.  The SQ change was subtle,  but it is already very isolated behind a UPS & lowdza ferrets 

Hi Mike,

I agree and I had intended to make the one change until I realised there would be a voltage issue. I may buy a 12 volt iPower to do a proper comparison and then stick it on the TalkTalk router. Also, it may be that a quick AB doesn't do the iPower justice and it will subtly increase the musical enjoyment. Clearly, I'm all for stable and quiet so I'm glad I've got it.

Also, if I'd just bought a new switch, I would have installed it with its new power supply. It just happens that my new switch has a rather good power supply.

if there had been a bigger difference then I wouldn't have known if it was the switch, the PS or removal of earth loops. Actually, the change was small to negligible, so it doesn't matter so much, I suppose.

I did notice that the music stopped when I opened the Naim app soon after I switched the switch, which wasn't ideal, but probably an unrelated coincidence. This has happened once, perhaps twice before.

Keith,  maybe a comparison between 305 & 108 on their original SMPS's ??     TBH I've found very little difference between consumer grade unmanaged GS switches that I've played with over the last year or so - I have an IT buddy with a good supply of used home & small office units,   but thats another story & I don't have the space to fit the pro-level managed switches that he assures my "might" do something.

Music OFF's are un-nerving,  never happened to me.  Might be worth an all network unit system power off & systematic reboot.

Hungryhalibut posted:

Simon-in-Suffolk posted:

HH - take the Lindy out - if it sounds no worse - then you have improved the reliability by simplifying the connections

S

This is interesting. Now that my right ear is working a bit better I can discern subtle changes more clearly. So I've been playing a few tracks with and without the Lindy in position. I was expecting to hear no difference based on what I'd been told above. However, that's not been the case. Without the Lindy, there is a sort of mush descending on the music, with less clarity, and the virtually silent background I get is not so silent. The music is harder to follow, and easier to ignore. So the Lindy is back, and everything is wonderful again. 

I imagine I'm getting this because of the screened cables, and AudioQuest did tell me to keep the Lindy. As James suggested above, this should not happen if screened cables aren't used. But I do like the AQ cables, which work really well. 

Anyway, I've answered my own question by listening. I've really no idea what is going on, and I've given up trying to understand. 

Id be interested to hear other people's experiences of this. To be clear, I use Vodka cables between the streamer and switch, and between the switch and the Qnap. The Lindy is used plugged into the Qnap, with the Vodka plugged into the Lindy. 

I am using a mixture of Vodka and Cinnamon and also convinced myself I heard an improvement when installing the Lindy adaptor a few months ago by presumably reducing the grounding points to one as recommended by AQ who confirmed (well once) that their cables are indeed screened and grounded at each end and are not floating. There does seem to be some doubt about whether AQ cables have floating screens but it appears that there is mounting evidence they do not. Sorry Mike I do not have a multi meter so can't test them.

To be honest I have done so much A/B testing of various components over the last year, and my system is sounding so good, I really can't be a**ed to play about with the adaptor. I did recognise HH's description of the difference with and without the Lindy, but that could be my memory playing tricks. In the end life is too short and if your system is sounding great then stick. I do remember that I was glad that I tried out the Lindy and for £3.00 there is zero risk of bankrupting yourself. So forget the hype, forget AQ's conflicting advice and try out this £3 adaptor.

By the way, and more importantly, so glad to hear that your ear is recovering HH and I hope it continues to improve.

To finish my comments off, I was rather impressed with what the iFi iPower did when it replaced the SMPS supplied with my Netgear GS105 switch. Now IMHO that is worth a £40 punt (well with this switch anyway).

What is the part Number on that ifi ipower Nigel? 

has anyone ever tried an upgraded power cable on there modem?

Never thought of that ! 

HH & NIGELB thanks about this Lindy & reducing grounding points tip, I will try it.