Value of a premium Ethernet cable

@macg19

If you have already done comparison between LAN cables and found no audible differences then it shouldn’t matter what anyone else heard or believes. Just keep in mind, most of us here are only speaking from our experiences in the context of our audio system and listening skills.

Audioquest vodka is exactly what I am using between my Etherregen and my streamer.  I run a cinnamon 10M cable from my router to my switch.  Both are silver plated.  Excellent results.  Vodka is only .5M long (or so).

I recently swapped the vodka with a german cable of similar price, very similar results.

I recently loaned the ER to a friend for a week and when I got it back i was very happy.  Having the quality cable downstram of it seems to make sense.

Of course your mileage may vary.  In another thread people are posting they can't tell the difference between wifi and wire.  so it depends on your system and your ears.

Jerry

@macg19

I don’t think flaming you is appropriate.

‘However, like scientist; observe.

Try a cheap cable like Blue Jeans, a well reviewed $500 cable and a $1,000 one. And despite all the logic they are likely to sound sound very significantly better (depending on the quality of your system). This is the acid test. Then you start working on hypothesis as to why this might be true.

Starting from the logic that it can’t make a difference is a great way to get it all wrong. For the last fifty years of me trying that (to logic it out) and being proven wrong by observation every time has cured me of believing in that approach. Also, I was a scientist for over a decade.

@ghdprentice

great post! Actually even easier than using two different cables: insert a LAN isolator ahead of your streamer with whatever cable you use.,Should be enough to convince you that there is more going on than bits are bits…

@antigrunge2 

The interference messes with the shape of the sine wave thereby changing both amplitude and midpoint

This is impossible if we are discussing only the transfer of a digital file from the source (e.g. Qobuz) to the streamer. The digital file cannot be altered prior to it being converted to analogue.