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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
jinjuku's avatar
jinjuku
226 posts
 
I still don't have an answer to the video I made where I removed the Ethernet cable and the audio still plays and nothing changed about the quality of it. 

I would love for Geoff, clearthink, granny to post a response video. 

Even decent dedicated streamers can do this. 
Post removed 
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
 

Geoffkait: Whoa! Easy, big fella. I’m not talking about shielded cables.

to which jujitsu replied,

"If it's not about the shield on a STP Ethernet cable, then it's not going to be anything else.

Ethernet is either wired TIA586A or TIA586B straight through, or 586A on one end 586B on the other end for cross over.

Most horizontal run will be CCA, patch is stranded (for better strain resistance and flexibility). Save yourself the laughable argument with grain structure, crystalline structure, etc...

Ethernet is bidirectional."

>>>>>>All wire is bidirectional inasmuch as one can send voice and data over it in either direction. But as fate would have it wire is audibly better in one direction than the other. Even shielded cable that is "directional" sonically according to the shield terminations points is also "directional" sonically according to the direction of the copper conductor. So, it would help to keep track of both aspects of the cable construction. Follow?

He who laughs last laughs best. 😄

jinjuku's avatar
jinjuku
226 posts
 
But as fate would have it wire is audibly better in one direction than the other. Even shielded cable that is "directional" sonically according to the shield terminations points is also "directional" sonically according to the direction of the copper conductor. So, it would help to keep track of both aspects of the cable construction. Follow?

Even if I believed there was grain orientation cofounders to SQ... Ethernet is a data cable, not an audio cable.

Are you capable of answering any questions:

If Ethernet cable is directional and I set a 30 second buffer that will allow me to swap the cable around with out a break in play. Will you be able to tell us when I made the swap. Will you be able to tell us the direction of the cable?

shadorne's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
shadorne
7,477 posts
 
@geoffkait   

Ethernet is digital. Digital eliminates small analog differences completely. Unless you think that the shape of the bits (rounder 0 and sharper 1) is being affected by directionality, shielding, resistance and capacitance of wire. (That increasingly seems to me to be your education level when it comes to digital)
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