Ethernet Cables

06-17-14: Lindisfarne
There's a "sucka" born every minute...save your hard-earned dough unless you're independently wealthy and $ is no worry.
Lindisfarne (Threads | Answers | This Thread)

Someone called? Yep, I'm a "sucka" with $$ to burn.

I replaced generic ethernet cable with AQ and heard a nice improvement. Sound is more coherent and less dark.

Improvements were not as dramatic as going wireless to hard wired or new computer with faster CPU, memory ...

New computer with faster CPU and memory can do more harm than good with Ethernet connection, often producing more electrical noise. Speed doesn't make any difference as long as it is adequate (pretty much any computer) since timing is irrelevant with Ethernet.

06-18-14: Kijanki
New computer with faster CPU and memory can do more harm than good with Ethernet connection, often producing more electrical noise. Speed doesn't make any difference as long as it is adequate (pretty much any computer) since timing is irrelevant with Ethernet.

The key word is, CAN. All I can say is new computer sounds MUCH MUCH better. Most obvious improvement is sound more continuous ... appears old computer doesn't have enough cpu to keep up.

BTW, I also hard wired my computer for audio to router.

I agree with Kijanki's statement, and I also agree with Joe's emphasis on the word "can." There are countless unknown, unpredictable, and complex design-dependent effects going on inside of a computer which can affect the amount of noise coupled onto its ethernet interface. And in addition to "how much" noise is present, the susceptibility of the audio system to its effects will be dependent, in unpredictable ways, on its frequency spectrum.

One of those many factors, btw, is whether the computer or the router or other device it is connected to is old enough to be using 100 megabits per second ethernet, as opposed to gigabit ethernet. Although I would not want to speculate as to which ethernet speed is likely to be more problematical for an audio system, if in fact there is any difference.

So I don't think any generalizations can or should be drawn as to whether an older or newer computer is likely to be more suitable for use as an audio source. And if a difference is perceived when comparing results using an older and a newer computer, I don't think there is likely to be a good basis upon which to attribute that difference to a particular aspect of their designs, such as CPU speed.

Regards,
-- Al

Joecasey, you're right - one computer CAN sound better than the other but it is not related to speed (or amount of RAM) but to amount of electrical noise produced. Whether computer can or cannot keep up does not change the sound because timing is not involved. If it is too slow (not likely) you will hear dropouts rather than change in sound quality.

Your upgrade to AQ cable worked because you replaced unshielded cable with shielded one. Chances are that you would get exactly the same improvement from generic inexpensive shielded cable.