Do I still need a DDC in between?

@lanx0003 well I think both cables are properly shielded..I guess the solid core didn't make a difference. In my case the Lanshack was shorter than the Ugreen. But any benefits I perceived between the 2 could very well be mind games. At least none of these cables are expensive. And yes, you lose some flexibility with solid core conductor cable. 

As you know going to Cat6 is not really a downgrade. Cat8 is well beyond what is needed. I went that route with the Lanshack as it seemed like it's the best (overkill) LAN cable they offered. It does lack the gold though. Oh yeah, the one you posted is the exact one I went with. 

@lanx0003 I agree that there is a lot of contradictory information out there on various topics. Im a little ignorant when it comes to digital/streaming so misinformation in that arena can really set me back lol. 

Side Note- I ordered a Laiv uDac today. Still have my Pontus 15th but I've been wanting to get a feel of a different R2R..I wanted to try the micro dac. Especially after you personally preferred it over your D90 III. 

@lanx0003 I would say that my expectations aren't too high..as I don't know for certain what to expect. I'm thinking maybe a slight loss of inner detail & slightly added distortion/warmth with the Laiv. I just don't know..but I would be ok with that outcome. There are a lot of very positive user reviews on the uDac. Where it just seems to hit the right "musical" spot. 

15th is a great dac. I have a feeling that the Laiv is too. I will say that customer service or correspondence is better thru Laiv. More engaging & he seems to take a real interest in the customer. I appreciate that & it means something to me. 

@lanx0003 when I went to the last audio show in Florida the DH Labs guys were there. I literally had the Mirage USB in hand to purchase & we started talking cables & equipment. He ended up telling me if I was only going to buy one cable he recommended his Ethernet cable. Saying it would give me the better result over switching my USB cable. 

Unfortunately for him I ended up not buying either cable because I wasn't exactly sure what exact length I needed in Ethernet form. I still haven't committed to buying the best I can afford as I know my current streaming set up will be moving. But I did go to LanShack & get custom length 23awg solid copper conductor Cat8 for now. Individual twisted pair shielding with outer braid shielding as well. An improvement over my basic cable & didn't cost much. Connectors are not as nice as the DH Labs Reunion cable. 

@lanx0003 I was using a Ugreen before the LanShack. Hopefully you will perceive the improvement I did. Ugreen actually makes quite a few extremely cheap cables that are properly shielded & good in my opinion. If you go into their Amazon home page/store & go into their categories you will see a wide assortment of video/audio products. Dirt cheap. A couple years ago they use to carry these little usb-c to 3.5mm dongle dacs. Get a 2-pack for like $16 bucks & I swear they were so good lol.