How can different CAT5/6 cables affect sound.

I agree with what @panzrwagn just wrote above as I was also in that field before, but with all that was said, how can one hear a change in the way music is presented?

As some of the posters have written, measurements vs subjective is a debatable topic. I for one is a measurement guy but after I have gotten to the level of my gear which can discern differences in musical tone/Prat, I for now is a believer of the subjective point of view. 

I believe more solidly of changes in cable on the analog side, I.E., speaker and interconnect cables, phono cable and even power cables. The cable itself presents a L/R/C network at given frequencies, so Yeah, it does. The fanboys in AudioScience don't believe it, but hey, that's their take. 

But in ethernet? Hmm, that's a take. However, when I change the Cat6e cable from my Cisco switch to the Eversolo, there was a change (i can't pinpoint, but there was) in how the overall performance of the music. Was it better or worse, I don't know. I just put back the old one as the evaluation cable was $$$.

So, in the end, is all about synergy, which one in the chain makes the most impact and does it steer you to your goal. 

Statistically, an Audiophile is more likely to experience a Marian apparition than an Ethernet-related SQ improvement.

I was having issues with a consistent WiFi connection so I went with an Ethernet cable from my router to my Innuos Zen MK3 streamer.  I’ve had a great experience with Blue Jeans Cable.  This time was no different.  I ordered a cat 6a cable made to the length I needed. It came with the test report so I knew it was tested.  It sounds great.  No issues dropping the connection.  I didn’t try another cable. Why would I.  I go with what works and don't worry about FOMO.  

I don’t speak from huge experience but you may know from my previous posts here, following much research many seemingly dumb questions asked, I have taken a deep dive into the world of Streaming, finally settling on the Lumin X1.

My direct experience since has been interesting, first I had to overcome the issue of connection my router is in a different part of the home from my Lumin so I had to use the TP Link powerline which to its credit worked first time and provided a stable Ethernet connection. I had a Cat cable not sure if it was a 5 or 6. I think Cat 6 but it was fine to get the Lumin streaming.

Whilst I didn't at first notice any significant noise, I changed after a while to a CAT 8 cable, not for speed or bandwidth, more for noise rejection. My own research had prompted me to try.

Cat6: Typically, unshielded or UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair), though Cat6a may be shielded.

Cat8: Always fully shielded (usually S/FTP – Shielded Foiled Twisted Pair).

My intention was in one change to reduce or eliminate the possibility of crosstalk and EMI

The result was notable not in the way I had expected. It was more about the move more towards a blacker background that’s how I describe the reduction in noise. It made me speculate that its not about the bits it’s about the removing the interference and maybe crosstalk in non-shielded.

My thoughts moved to perhaps trying the Lumin’s Optical in Via SFP & Optical Fibre input. This intrigued me but I knew it could involve some difficult threading of 20 metres of Optical Fibre back to my router.

I tried short CAT8 cable into a Ethernet to Optical Converter then using a short a High quality/purity optical fiber cable to the Lumin. The logic being complete isolation from noise and the vagaries of ethernet cables.

I have listened to a good few hours using the optical solution and the gains are obvious and positive. I note how music just appears in the sound stage from total quiet, its eerie sometimes but never anything but impressive.

I cannot comment as to the Ethernet vs Optical sound differences except to say noise rejection/isolation definitely gave the optical connection a clear edge.

As to the sound vs analogue. The only comparison I have made recently is the best Royal Scam stream I could find vs the Acoustic Sound UHQR 45rpm Vinyl played via a much-modified Linn LP12 Sondek. I can confirm that it wasn’t really close. The vinyl completely destroyed the streamed version.

So, I am not naive to think that is it Vinyl beats Streaming, I know from other streams that it depends on the quality of the stream vs the quality of the analogue media and the capability of both sets of reproduction hardware but the limited experience has taught me that in this the age of digital that my record player can and does still utterly engage me.

That said the Lumin X1 has opened up a whole new world and way of listening. It can sound astonishingly great and often does.

I now know I have different ways to listen to an appreciate music and that’s the big win here for me.

So the ethernet cable discussion doesn’t really come down to bits, for me it’s more about noise specifically crosstalk and EMI.

I hope sharing my experience so far helps.

This post makes no sense. Who cares how data packets are sent, who cares how usb transmits data. Every cable can sound different or in the case of fiber, no  (noise) at all. If you think only analog cables make a difference, you are missing out.

You don’t think cable types (copper, silver, fiber) can sound different? You don’t think better terminations make a difference?

Forget about how the bits get from the source to your dac, go out and try different cables in your system to see if they make a positive sound quality difference over the cheap Walmart patch cord. When comparing cables, Don’t stop at the cheap Blue Jeans cables, these are low quality cables, get some better cables, the best you can afford and compare them to 1 another.