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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
acepilot71's avatar
acepilot71
41 posts
 
@rhg88 you won’t believe how much fun it is to read this thread on the long boring meeting. Way more fun than doing high throughput network architecture itself. I wish I had a budget for the data centre cables like these guys, buying butique Ethernet cables.
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jim204
881 posts
 
kosst_amojan

Do you have an open mind or is your mind made up before you do any listening ? I don’t have the money to splash out on unnecesary pieces of wire so if I didn’t hear a difference I wouldn’t be buying it just to salve my imagination as you put it.
amg56's avatar
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amg56
887 posts
 
I was going to post my opinion, but really is there any point? Nope. Same arguments as fuses, cables and hearing abilities. What a waste of a forum.
amg56's avatar
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amg56
887 posts
 

I think the argument is if your are happy to spend the money on cables or componentry because YOU feel there is a difference in your listening environment, be free to do so because IMHO THAT is what HiFi is about. Yes there is the physics, chemistry and quantum....  but each of us is different and appreciate changes differently. The micro arguments and opinions are worthless really. Just ego chest pumping.

I have used CAT5e cable from my router from NAS to Amplifier, from streamer to Amplifier, then changed to Cat8. The sound was palpably cleaner. I put this to the superior cable insulation of Cat8 (each pair insulated). It is the quality of the signal, not the speed. Its how many packet rejects there is for the message stream not speed. Quality of the cable shielding makes 10GBs/100GBs/1000GBs irrelevant if the continuity of the message packets are interrupted. Quality of cable does mean quality to my ears. Maybe not to yours. I am not debating your hearing to mine. I like what I hear. I am not telling you what you need to hear from my experience. Get it?

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