Ladies and Gentlemen : the results of
The Great Ethernet Cable Shootout
The contenders :
1. Pangea Premier SE .6m
2. Gigaware cat6 24awg 15m (Radio Shack)
3. Chinese No-name cat8 26awg 15m published specs (Amazon)
4. Linkup cat 8 22awg 15m published specs (Amazon)
5. Supra 8 26awg 20m audiophile claims published specs (ebay)
All cables were individually listening tested for directionality. It was conclusively unanimous, all of the ethernet cables sounded better one way than the other. When installed backwards the principal result was a shrinking of the soundstage. It seemed the longer the cable the more dramatic the effect. Since none of the cables had marked arrows, the chances of correct installation when testing a new cable was 50%, and that is what I achieved. With a little experience I could hear the narrow soundstage in less than a minute. These results are corroborated in Audio Quests ethernet cable literature :
Directionality
All audio cables are directional. The correct direction is determined by listening to every batch of metal conductors used in every AudioQuest audio cable. Arrows are clearly marked on the connectors to ensure superior sound quality. For best results, have the arrow pointing in the direction of the flow of music. For example, NAS to Router, Router to Network Player.
After I had corrected the reversed cable in my network, and replaced the short Chinese cat8 with Pangea, the sonic improvements led me to suspect the 15m Chinese cat8 as maybe still a remaining bottleneck in my network.
ONT > Pangea > router > WINNER of the Shootout > switch > Pangea > Sonore ultraRendu
A. I installed the Gigaware cat 6 that I used when I first started to experiment with streaming years ago. The sound was horrible. It reduced the sound of $$$$ equipment to the sound of $$ equipment.
B. The Chinese cat8 was good sounding and I could get Qobuz 24/96 tracks to sound like SACD. When after weeks of reading this thread and working on my network I listened to silver discs again, I found a subtle difference which I felt I needed to pursue, leading to this test.
C. The Linkup cat8 is an industrial strength cable, unusually thick and stiff. My initial impression is this is going to need significant break in time. After 24 hours it sounds better but in no way settled. My impression is that it is a system dependent cable. I am pretty sure it will never be the right fit for me.
D. The SLAM-DUNK WINNER is SUPRA 8. When I dropped this into my system the instincts leading to this test were completely justified. Indeed, the Chinese cable was holding the sound hostage. The soundstage opened to new unheard of width and depth. The dynamics were so free and the musicians were so present, I wondered why I could not smell their sweat. I did not think to look at my speakers because it was obvious there was no music was emanating from them!
Upon reflection there is a synergy between the Pangea and Supra, a perfect marriage. Each allow the other complete freedom to do its thing. Since I will never hear a complete loom of either Pangea or Supra, I cannot conjecture what they would sound like. I don’t care, because when you have found the love of your life, you will only confuse yourself or do harm by continuing to play the field.
There are so many other brands/models to choose from. Many of you have your favorites. For me the above setup is a cost effective value-for-performance solution that I have always searched for.
One last thought. It has become obvious that streaming is opening a new sonic frontier. I am hearing a new realism in my room that has exceeded analogue LPs and various iterations of silver discs. I have excellent front ends for each. I think this is due to dynamic freedom. I have limited opportunity to experience this rapidly developing technology. But I am happy to live out my days where I am now, which is where I could never have imagined I would be.
System Repercussion When I bought my Benchmark DAC3B I purchased a Pangea coaxial cable to connect my Esoteric DV50 universal player. This excellent sound was what made me search for the remaining unsolved network problem. The improvement achieved was so profound and truly stunning, when I went back to listen to a CD for enjoyment, I heard something unnatural in the flute obligato behind the baritone soloist. What could that be. There is a three position toggle switch on the face of the Esoteric for filter selection. When I first made the connection to the DAC3B I gave it a cursory flip through. I didn’t notice anything and gave it no more thought. With my hearing to a new place, I toggled from double over-sampling to the FIR filter. Suddenly all was sweet and beautiful. The "princess" had found another pea under the mattress.
In these forums I see discussions on which format sounds better. The true answer is they should all sound equally satisfying even while having their distinct sonic signature. If one format sounds inferior in your system, you have some work to do!
I still have not got a PS for my IPS ONT and router.