If more expensive Ethernet cables make a difference...

I stayed in the sub £100 range with my Nova, tired various cheap brands, then the Supra and finally settled on the Chord C Stream, to me everything else affected the sound, but the Chord complimented it. I was planning to look at more expensive Chord cable (some crazy prices), but then decided to try the fibre bridge and PS (see other thread).

My suggestion is focus there (and a switch) for circa £300 you will be happy, if not most can be ordered online from Amazon and returned (not the switch).

But even cables, most dealers will let you demo at home.

So advice, try it for yourself (free - return) and decide, but do report back on the forum always good to hear different views, not a dogmatic you must do this and that or i am an expert and that will never work so don't bother.

I can't work out why you have two routers (I'm assuming "Home Hub" is a BT Home Hub); you should only need one, with the Atom, QNAP into your switch and the laptop into either the Sky Hub or switch depending on where it's located (to keep cable length down). The switch would go back to the Sky hub.

Putting that aside and answering your question - use screened ethernet cables if you know you have RFI in the area the cable sits, with the switch to Atom being the highest priority for the prime cable, the QNAP to switch and laptop to wherever it goes as next highest in priority. Switch to Home Hub would be next priority.

I'd do this one cable at a time - if a cable has no obvious benefit on a particular connection put the original back and move the prime cable onto another connection to see if it makes a difference there. If there's no benefit you've only wasted the cost of one cable.

Hope that helps.

TallGuy posted:

I can't work out why you have two routers (I'm assuming "Home Hub" is a BT Home Hub); you should only need one, with the Atom, QNAP into your switch and the laptop into either the Sky Hub or switch depending on where it's located (to keep cable length down). The switch would go back to the Sky hub.

Putting that aside and answering your question - use screened ethernet cables if you know you have RFI in the area the cable sits, with the switch to Atom being the highest priority for the prime cable, the QNAP to switch and laptop to wherever it goes as next highest in priority. Switch to Home Hub would be next priority.

I'd do this one cable at a time - if a cable has no obvious benefit on a particular connection put the original back and move the prime cable onto another connection to see if it makes a difference there. If there's no benefit you've only wasted the cost of one cable.

Hope that helps.

I've explained my setup badly.  I only have one router - the Sky Q hub in my living room.  I have a big panel of sockets in my garage which I think the builder and their electrician call a 'Home Hub'.  It's not a router.  Connecting Ethernet cables from the switch to a numbered socket on the panel 'activates' the correspondingly numbered data point in my home.  So I have my laptop and QNAP connected via Ethernet in my study to data points X and Y and in my living room the Atom is connected to data point Z.  In the garage I need to connect three Ethernet cables from my switch to sockets X, Y and Z on the home hub Panel.  The panel also includes coaxial and telephone sockets which have a similar setup.

Ah, now I understand - doesn't help that BT's router is called "Home Hub" (one of which I have, in the loft, in it's box, never removed, let alone used), hence my assumption.

Adding to what I said then you may need to try shielded (or premium, whatever they are called) cables between your home hub and some of the devices in pairs, eg Atom to Z AND from the hub's port Z to the switch would count as 1 cable pair (but it would be interesting to try them one at a time as you have the ability - to see if you do need both.

In my system I believe I got an improvement on Nova to wall  socket in the lounge and in the "computer room"  between the Nova Port to switch (I have sockets/ports in place of a patch panel as I only have enough wiring for my current needs). I did also do switch to QNAP and switch to router as there's quite a bit of RFI generating kit in the vicinity, but I'm not convinced I heard a significant difference. Only the Nova is in a different room - I've got about 15m of CAT5e running through the walls between the lounge and "computer room" (which the estate agent called "Bedroom Number 3" - yes, I could put a bed in it, but there'd be no room for anything else) so my set-ups a bit like yours.

In my example above Nova to wall made a bigger change than wall to switch, but both did make a difference. I kept all of my replacements as there was an improvement in sound overall. No idea why, my electronics knowledge says no, my ears said yes. I went with my ears.

I also found that plugging my router, QNAP and switch power bricks into a mains filter block made audiable improvements - thought it may be a good idea and it seems it was. The Nova is on a different ring, but not it's own.

Personally i went from audioquest forrest to vodka and heard immediate improvement.  But each system is different. I use only 3 X0,75 m vodka cables but i would not perhaps bought 15 meters ....

The most important lan is before the streamer.  I will buy one day the chord signature tuned array lan, but will not go up the line more....

£84  TOTAL  QED  cable between router and switch  5 metres   4  X  1M   qeds between   units       .they seem well made  ...then FORGET ABOUT THEM

Hi, it sounds like you need a switch for your patch panel in the garage. Simply wire it up, and connect a patch segment back your SkyQ home router.

Expensive consumer Ethernet cables are not really required, but different constructs of cable can couple differently to attached devices and modulate ground planes and cause other cross talk. Many cable types can be bought inexpensively from cable vendors but you may need to wire up yourself and some trial and error to find what couples the best, and perhaps not a particularly consumer friendly approach unless you are a network tweaker. Alternatively you can buy consumer boutique cables for a huge premium, however they come ready cut and connected..pays your money and makes your choice.

The cables that will affect your audio equipment the most is the final segment between switchport and audio streamer... and the cable closest to the streamer will have most effect, but other cables in the segment can also affect. Cables elsewhere in your network will have no or minimal effect, especially if reasonably distant from your audio equipment.