Most Important, Unloved Cable...


Ethernet. I used to say the power cord was the most unloved, but important cable. Now, I update that assessment to the Ethernet cable. Review work forthcoming. 

I can't wait to invite my newer friend who is an engineer who was involved with the construction of Fermilab, the National Accelerator Lab, to hear this! Previously he was an overt mocker; no longer. He decided to try comparing cables and had his mind changed. That's not uncommon, as many of you former skeptics know. :)

I had my biggest doubts about the Ethernet cable. But, I was wrong - SO wrong! I'm so happy I made the decision years ago that I would try things rather than simply flip a coin mentally and decide without experience. It has made all the difference in quality of systems and my enjoyment of them. Reminder; I settled the matter of efficacy of cables years before becoming a reviewer and with my own money, so my enthusiasm for them does not spring from reviewing. Reviewing has allowed me to more fully explore their potential.  

I find fascinating the cognitive dissonance that exists between the skeptical mind in regard to cables and the real world results which can be obtained with them. I'm still shaking my head at this result... profoundly unexpected results way beyond expectation. Anyone who would need an ABX for this should exit the hobby and take up gun shooting, because your hearing would be for crap.  
douglas_schroeder
Shadorne, you are correct; the last sentence was rude and should have not been typed. Apologies to the community. 

My comment regarding cognitive dissonance is sincere. I had serious doubts about the efficacy of the aftermarket Ethernet cables, and frankly, had I not so much experience with cables I likely would not have tried one. I have heard so many wild swings in performance from cables that I have learned through actual use not to discount potential of any wire to change a rig's sound. I hold that someone with good ears (no hearing impairment), good gear and a good room (not noisy) should be able to discern differences between cables typically. 

FYI, my engineer friend now has $2,500 in cables in his rig. He is ecstatic about the changes to the sound and he no longer laughs when I talk about things such as aftermarket Ethernet cables. He will be euphoric to find how economically he can upgrade the system for an outsized performance improvement. I do enjoy him wrestling with the cognitive dissonance, which is something I think most audiophiles who work with cables experience. I have to learn and relearn not to let doubts stop me from exploring, or else I bypass very good things in terms of the system and enjoyment of the hobby. :) 

As far as an appeal to authority, yes the authority is me. I have done both ABX testing and comparisons sighted, so unless someone has done both I think they are weak in challenging myself as an authority. :) 

I believe Ivor Tiefenbrun(Linn founder) said something along the lines of, " if you haven't heard it, you have no opinion".   That just makes sense, which(to some around here) seems irrelevant.
Yes the Tera Grand Cat 7 Ethernet cables at $11 for two 6 foot cables are said by some to sound better than Audioquest Vodka. The connector is also shielded! I am going to try some. Read some online Aphiles reviews saying this stuff bested the big dollar AQ Vodka. 

Go to Amazon. 
Thanks grannyring for the info on Tera Grand Cat7. I've found the Supra Cat8 to sound better than the Audioquest Vodka in my system.
I just received from Amazon a 50' Theo & Cleo CAT7 and a five pack of 3' PiperCables TM Pro Series CAT7.  The Pipers were advertised as tested on a Fluke meter, which at least implies better than no-name quality. These replaced generic CAT5 between a QNAP NAS, a Cisco EN switch, and a microRendu into a Esoteric K-01X.  Wow, a meaningful upgrade!  Larger stage, increased resolution, weightier LF foundation, super quiet background.  I can't recall a better $50 spend.