Ethernet Cables

Cat 6a/Cat 8 send data packets over TCP. There is no difference between a cable from monoprice versus a $500 cable. You are an idiot for paying $500 for a ethernet cable. There is no difference in sound quality because you're sending the packets over TCP/IP which has a built in retransmit if it doesn't get an ACK (acknowledgement packet). 

Can anyone really believe this bullcrap that extra copper in a cable is going to change the way something digital sounds? It's all ones and zeros. The $500 cable doesn't change anything about how TCP packets get transmitted through your network. Might as well replace your router and your switches as well because they  aren't built with enough copper. 

You can make a case that analog signals degrade and are affected by interference or attenuation (loss of signal across distance. Cat 5/6/etc have that limit as well, so does fiber, but if you're really concerned about signal interference, just buy STP (shielded twisted pair) cat cable that has foil that provides some cover. It's unnecessary for a home environment, but whatever.

If you are not sure the earth is flat or some other shape, buy the ViaBlue for 90 bucks and set sail for the Americas. I tried several Ethernet cables and conversed with lots of folks here and on other forums about Ethernet cables. I found in the less than $100 range that there are audible differences in every cable I tried and the ViaBlue was well liked by me and others as an all around cable. After you figure out the earth isn't flat with the ViaBlue, the challenges of finding the "perfect" Ethernet cable gets much harder and more expensive. In fact, contact me and I'll send you my Viablue to try, just send it back and report here if you heard a difference.

I challenge anyone claiming differences in ethernet cables passing packets.  There can be zero differences because a bit is a bit.  Bits just don't get dropped or we would not have communication over the internet.  

I have not tried a $500 ethernet cable but the very affordable Supra sounded better than the one that came with my BS Vault. Why does the last 6ft or so of a power cable make a difference when there’s 100ft or so of romex from the panel to the wall receptacle, plus miles of cable floating in the air between a substation and your home? Well, it does make a difference with power cords and I believe the cable is canceling out noise, EM/RFI and that same principle  is probably true with an ethernet cable. Not sure it makes sense wiring ones entire home with say Supra, but the last meter will make a difference. I come off the wall port to a switch then with a Supra to my streamer.

Nordost has a mini white paper on digital cables that tries to address the “it’s only 1s and 0s”

https://www.nordost.com/downloads/Digital%20Audio%20Cables%20-%20How%20Can%20They%20Make%20A%20Diffe...