2. cables
  3. 128927-305

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
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
90% of "Einstein quotes" he never actually said, maybe especially the one quoted. The reason I say that is because it wouldn’t make sense to have the sign wrong in his famous equation since the equation represented the equivalency of mass and energy. It would be analogous to saying I got the sign wrong for the expression,

a box of rocks = fire

and wrote,

a box of rocks = - fire

It’s still the same idea.

Also, I probably wouldn’t call electrons that move at the snail’s pace of 1 cm/hour "flowing." Nor would I say they were "emerging" from anywhere. They are already there.

Carry on. Smoke if ya got em.

shadorne's avatar
shadorne
7,491 posts
 
@knownothing

Yes of course any differences with digital ethernet cables might be related to a failure of the audio component to screen out interference. It doesn’t really matter how the exact source of contamination or corruption of the audio signal occurs. It is simply a fact that the audio component is inadequately designed as designers should test and anticipate extraneous noise sources from cabling that they typically expect to be used. So the equipment is faulty.
wgutz
85 posts
 
J: A Computer/DAC combo. Bring along a streamer if you would like. Bill
jinjuku's avatar
jinjuku
226 posts
 
W: 

What is the player software you are using? What platform Win/Mac?

Thanks,
Mark

knownothing
1,709 posts
 
@shadorne it seems you have taken what I have suggested as multiple possible challenges for signals in cables and reduced them to one challenge.  I suggest there are many.  What if the signal corruption is occurring entirely outside of the piece of electronic gear, via interactions between cables in your set, or cables and conditions in the room?  I think the best one can hope for is that ALL the signal processing occurs within your gear and as close to zero signal processing as possible occurs within your cables.  I respectfully disagree that all potential harm can be only be attributed in every possible Ethernet installation (or other cable application) to poorly designed hardware.  
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