A Sonic Revelation: M101 LAN Cable Review

It was a very good room at CAF these last two years. One thing I can’t wrap my head around is the difference the LAN cable is still making even with $50k+ of his power cords all over the floor. I guess the LAN cord is the gateway drug.

In many cases, reviewers tend to characterize the changes in Ethernet cables as marginal or small. Additionally, these subtle differences are notoriously challenging to showcase effectively in the demo rooms at audio shows. However, in the M101 show rooms at last year's CAF and this year's FLAX and CAF, attendees including “non-audiophiles” entering during LAN cable demonstrations immediately recognized a distinct difference, especially on songs chosen by the visitors themselves. At FLAX 2023, Alan Taffel from Absolute Sound conducted a comparison, pitting the $1499 M101 LAN cable against the $1995 Audioquest Diamond Ethernet, and shared his insights about the experience.

@willsc 

No qualms about you settling with M101 LAN, just enjoy the cable and the elevated performance. Keeping an open mind and trying things for yourself usually leads to this type of pleasant surprises. Thanks again for your post.

@lalitk 

I absolutely agree that a true assessment should involve similarly priced cables. The difference during the demo was substantial enough to ask Lubomir for a trial. Once I experienced the cable in my own system, the decision not to return it was immediate.

“Up until this point, generic cables had been the standard in my system…the transformation in sound quality was even more pronounced”.

@willsc

Glad to hear about the transformation in your system which comes as no surprise to many here who has already taken a leap from generic LAN. Upon visiting the website, a $999 - 0.75M LAN cable should sound better than a generic LAN. The real test should be a head to head comparison with similarly priced cable. 

Thank you for a nice review @willsc.

@fastfreight

To address your question about the added benefit of incorporating the M101 LAN cable into the Muon in your audio chain, I must be candid. As we discussed at the Capital Audiofest, the inclusion of the M101 LAN cable into the Muon setup is likely to yield only marginal benefits. This is primarily because the MU1 is less sensitive to changes in the ethernet path.

In a review by Mr. Beekhuyzen on his Youtube channel, he asserted that the MU1 is not particularly sensitive to switches. According to his findings, even an expensive switch didn't exhibit significant sonic improvements. However, it's worth noting that I had a few visitors at the show who claimed otherwise. In addition, Bill Parish in his room was utilizing an expensive switch with the MU1, suggesting that it does matter, although perhaps not to a significant extent.

The critical factor lies within the MU1 itself. There's approximately 1 foot of generic ethernet cable connecting the back side of the unit with the Intel NUC inside the MU1. This specific connection point is where one might expect the most significant benefit. Unfortunately, it's a fixed component, and changing it isn't an easy option.

As we both witnessed at the Capital Audiofest, the impact of switching from a generic ethernet cable to the M101 cable in this specific connection was easily audible and noteworthy. The discernible difference speaks to the cable's quality in a challenging and dynamic environment like an audio show and its ability to enhance the overall audio experience.

If you have any further questions or if there's anything specific you'd like to explore, feel free to let me know.

I also visited Lubomir and the M101 room.  He is super friendly and spent much time with me. Yes the difference between his ethernet cable vs standard LAN cable was easily appreciated and significant. He stated his good cable should be the last cable entering your streamer.

Currently, I use the Network Acoustics Muon Pro ethernet filter just in front of my Streamer.  I believe he said they both cause improvements, and NA does include their own proprietary cables on each side of the Muon filter box.  The cable leaving the Muon (entering my Grimm MU1 streamer) is fixed and can not be changed. My LAN cable reaching my audio system is long, using Supra CAT 8.  

So my obvious wonder is where would  a M101 cable be added and what would be the expected benefits?  I should try one...

And, I have always found the Persona 3F's bright and glaring.  Not so with his loom of cables and the tube amps he was using!