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Ethernet Cables, do they make a difference?

I stream music via TIDAL and the only cable in my system that is not an "Audiophile" cable is the one going from my Gateway to my PC, it is a CAT6 cable. Question is, do "Audiophile" Ethernet cables make any difference/ improvement in sound quality?

Any and all feedback is most appreciated, especially if you noted improvements in your streaming audio SQ with a High-End Ethernet cable.

Thanks!
grm
grm
alteredstates
7 posts
 
No. They work or they don't.  End of conversation.
jinjuku's avatar
jinjuku
226 posts
 
Just as a matter of fact, ethernet doesn't always use TCP/IP because there isn't really a "TCP/IP" protocol. Those are two different protocols for two different layers of the software interface. In all likelihood, it's using TCP/FTP.

You have a gross misunderstanding. There is indeed a TCP/IP protocol. It's transmission control protocol over internet protocol. UDP/IP is also a protocol. Ethernet isn't any one protocol. It's made up of many moving parts and the abstraction it provides up/down stream layers is why it's so robust, reliable, and elegant.

There is no such thing as TCP/FTP because FTP doesn't live at layer 3. It's layer 7 (application).

jinjuku's avatar
jinjuku
226 posts
 
It seems to me that what has been largely overlooked in this discussion (with the exception of the brief post by Markalarsen) is the fact that 100% of the energy of an electrical signal, especially one that as in the case of Ethernet contains spectral components at very high RF frequencies, does not necessarily go only where it is supposed to go. Experienced designers of high speed digital circuits (of which I happen to be one) will recognize that.

And given that a number of members here who are highly respected and highly experienced

And I encourage and invite every last one of you to, in your own setup, to evaluate some spec meeting, but very inexpensive, CAT5e/6 to your own esoteric CAT5e/6 cabling.

I’ll provide a client, server, layer 3 managed switch with a LAG setup for dynamic LACP.

Of course you will not be allowed to know which cable is being used.
rbstehno
1,412 posts
 
I love it when somebody wants to convince the world that they are right by stating they talk to an engineer and he said blah blah blah! I don’t give a rats @$$ What an engineer says, if you have to rely on somebody else’s opinion then you don’t know what you are talking about. Also, There are differences in network cables running into your house. I’m guessing you have copper of some sort, which is noisy. I have fibre and fibre is always going to be less noisy than copper. Ask your guru buddy about that.
Everybody on this thread talks about the speed differences between cat5 to cat8 cables, in reality, it’s more than just speed differences, much more between the different cables. Cat5 speed rating is far more than what you need to transfer digital music. Cat5 has much better throughput than the throughput from a CD player. If you check out the cable sheathing and shielding, it is much better on the cat7 and above cables.
amg56's avatar
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amg56
887 posts
 

Transmission speed is going to be dependent on the conducting material, and correct me if I a wrong, Cat levels are bandwidth capabilities enabled by the reliability of the signal, therefore the shielding around each core. The transmitter/receivers at each end are going to have a significant effect on this.

Optic fibre is good for data and low level audio. I believe @geoffkait stated that jitter was a debilitating effect on music over OF. I would imagine that this to will be overcome in the future.

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