A Sonic Revelation: M101 LAN Cable Review


 

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the Capital Audiofest, exploring countless rooms filled with remarkable audio equipment. One room, in particular, caught my attention: the M101 room. They were conducting a demo of their LAN cable. The comparison between the M101 LAN cable and a generic Cat8 cable left a lasting impression, and the difference in presentation was nothing short of stunning. Even my wife, who is not an audiophile, remarked on the significant improvements. She described the sound as noticeably less grainy. Several others in the room shared similar observations, making it a unanimous experience. Intrigued by this experience, I ordered an M101 LAN cable for my modest home audio setup, consisting of a PS Audio Stellar Strata and a pair of Paradigm Persona 3F speakers, the same speakers we had encountered in the M101 room. Up until this point, generic cables had been the standard in my system. The cable arrived on Friday and I wasted no time integrating it into my system. To my surprise, the transformation in sound quality was even more pronounced than I remembered from the Capital Audiofest. The moment I connected the M101 LAN cable between my Verizon router and Strata, the sonic landscape underwent a remarkable shift. I reached out to Lubomir, the designer of the cable, expressing my excitement and gratitude. In response, he asked if I would be willing to write a review and share my thoughts on forums.So here it is. In conclusion, the M101 LAN cable has proven to be a game-changer in my audio setup. Its impact on sound quality is undeniable, bringing a level of clarity and precision that exceeded my expectations. I believe this product deserves recognition, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to fellow audio enthusiasts seeking to elevate their listening experience. If you don't want to take my word for it, try it in your own system. You might be pleasantly surprised.

willsc

Thank you for a nice review @willsc.

 

@fastfreight

To address your question about the added benefit of incorporating the M101 LAN cable into the Muon in your audio chain, I must be candid. As we discussed at the Capital Audiofest, the inclusion of the M101 LAN cable into the Muon setup is likely to yield only marginal benefits. This is primarily because the MU1 is less sensitive to changes in the ethernet path.

 

In a review by Mr. Beekhuyzen on his Youtube channel, he asserted that the MU1 is not particularly sensitive to switches. According to his findings, even an expensive switch didn't exhibit significant sonic improvements. However, it's worth noting that I had a few visitors at the show who claimed otherwise. In addition, Bill Parish in his room was utilizing an expensive switch with the MU1, suggesting that it does matter, although perhaps not to a significant extent.

 

The critical factor lies within the MU1 itself. There's approximately 1 foot of generic ethernet cable connecting the back side of the unit with the Intel NUC inside the MU1. This specific connection point is where one might expect the most significant benefit. Unfortunately, it's a fixed component, and changing it isn't an easy option.

 

As we both witnessed at the Capital Audiofest, the impact of switching from a generic ethernet cable to the M101 cable in this specific connection was easily audible and noteworthy. The discernible difference speaks to the cable's quality in a challenging and dynamic environment like an audio show and its ability to enhance the overall audio experience.

 

If you have any further questions or if there's anything specific you'd like to explore, feel free to let me know.

“Up until this point, generic cables had been the standard in my system…the transformation in sound quality was even more pronounced”.

@willsc

Glad to hear about the transformation in your system which comes as no surprise to many here who has already taken a leap from generic LAN. Upon visiting the website, a $999 - 0.75M LAN cable should sound better than a generic LAN. The real test should be a head to head comparison with similarly priced cable. 

@lalitk 

I absolutely agree that a true assessment should involve similarly priced cables. The difference during the demo was substantial enough to ask Lubomir for a trial. Once I experienced the cable in my own system, the decision not to return it was immediate.

@willsc 

No qualms about you settling with M101 LAN, just enjoy the cable and the elevated performance. Keeping an open mind and trying things for yourself usually leads to this type of pleasant surprises. Thanks again for your post.

In many cases, reviewers tend to characterize the changes in Ethernet cables as marginal or small. Additionally, these subtle differences are notoriously challenging to showcase effectively in the demo rooms at audio shows. However, in the M101 show rooms at last year's CAF and this year's FLAX and CAF, attendees including “non-audiophiles” entering during LAN cable demonstrations immediately recognized a distinct difference, especially on songs chosen by the visitors themselves. At FLAX 2023, Alan Taffel from Absolute Sound conducted a comparison, pitting the $1499 M101 LAN cable against the $1995 Audioquest Diamond Ethernet, and shared his insights about the experience.