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my ethernet cable?

Hi all-

Another beginner question. So I am planning to set up a device (either an Auralic Aries or a Sonos with Empirical Audio's Synchro-Mesh and Dynamo power supply) to stream Tidal. When I was having a TV installed last year, I had the guy pull an ethernet cable to my stereo cabinet with this purpose in mind. I thought I was being smart to ask for him to get and install cat 6 instead of 5e, which was what he usually uses.

Later I read that cat6 can be a lot trickier to install correctly, and sometimes its safer just to go with 5e. (and I note the adapter plate on the wall actually says 5e.) And then I read this article from Blue Jeans cable about how most of the cat6 cable on the market is crap.

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/articles/is-your-cat6-a-dog.htm

So all of this has me wondering if I should buy some cat6 from blue jeans (or even 5e given installation quirks with cat6?) and have this redone? Or is there a way to test the quality of the cable I have and know whether or not it is up to the task?

It seems a bit excessive to replace the cable, but on the other hand, that will cost a fraction of what an Aries streamer does, or a year's subscription to Tidal, so I am wondering if I shouldn't make sure my fundamentals are all solid before proceeding.

Any advice?

Thanks!

Margot
mcanaday
cymbop
315 posts
 
I replaced a 75' run of cheap Monoprice Cat6 that goes from my office router, down into the basement, and up into the living room stereo system with a 50' run of Blue Jeans 6a for the purpose of getting the most out of my TIDAL subscription.

The difference was very easy to detect. I'd describe the sound as cleaner, purer, and better-defined.

I know it shouldn't matter, yada yada, a packet is a packet, there are no errors with ethernet, yada yada. But it does.
mcanaday OP
169 posts
 
Thanks, everybody, again!

Cymbop, I'm curious, was your Cat 6a shielded?

and Jim, is RJ45 the name of the jack for 6a as well as 5e?

Many thanks!

Margot
almarg's avatar
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
Just speculating, but it seems to me to be possible that even if both of the cables Cymbop compared were unshielded, differences in their characteristics may have resulted in differences in the coupling of RFI or digital noise from the cable into his system, resulting in the sonic differences he perceived. If so, I would not expect a great deal of consistency between the results he experienced and the results of a comparison between the same two cables as performed in different systems, or even in a system comprised of the same components but having a significantly different physical arrangement.

And I would expect that any relation between the improvement he experienced and the fact that the Blue Jeans cat6a cable is spec compliant, while the Monoprice cat6 cable may not have been, would be an indirect one at best. Spec compliance helps to assure that the cable will perform its function reliably, but does not have a direct relation to minimizing possible effects of the signals and digital noise being conducted by that cable on other cables or power cords or component circuitry which may be nearby.

Best regards,
-- Al
cymbop
315 posts
 
Margot, it doesn't look like the Bluejeans 6a is shielded, but my perception of the sonic improvements agrees with Al's hunch that they are somehow related to noise rejection. Also the shorter run means that it's not a scientific comparison.

As I've said before: Almarg for President 2016.
mcanaday OP
169 posts
 
I agree about Al. Where do I send my campaign contribution? :)

Thanks so much, everyone. Much appreciated!
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