Do better ethernet cables matter?

I use this one from Schnerzinger and replaced my XLR cables (from DCS-PRE-POWER) cables with their line as well:


Before that, I had Tellurium Q Silver,

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Best cables I’ve ever tested. I’ve replaced all of my power cords with these (coming from Transparent Opus). Want to test Schnerzinger IC and speaker cables now.

What is the pricing on the xlr interlinks? Do you have the Resolution one or five?

no, I have only the “basic” version called “Essential”. The XLR price for Essential:

There are other cables out there that may sound much better, but for me now that topic is closed :wink:

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In order to receive the clearest possible signal, the data packets of your LAN connection should arrive at the streaming receiver as completely and simultaneously as possible. If this is not the case, jitter occurs – a problem that is often caused by high-frequency interference and is frequently underestimate

The consequences are serious: timing errors in signal transmission can disrupt the harmonic spectrum in the high-frequency digital range. This manifests itself in a disharmonious high frequency range, limited dynamics and a distorted spatial representation.

This is where the LAN PROTECTOR comes in with its innovative GIGA CANCELING TECHNOLOGY and reduces jitter to an absolute minimum.

:rofl:

It’s been a while since I’ve read anything this stupid.

(There was a time when I thought I’d give these guys a listen. Not anymore. Snake-oil peddler alert).

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I’ve tested both the Res 2 and Res 5 power cords, and Thea difference in sound quality is substantial. With the Res 5, there’s a clear improvement in resolution, dynamics, and tonal density — everything sounds more refined, with better separation and a more natural sense of flow.

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Anup, I get the skepticism — this hobby is full of overhyped claims. But I’ve actually tested these in my own system, and they genuinely made a difference. I’ve bought and used all the protectors, and the improvements weren’t subtle: lower noise floor, better clarity, and more natural flow. It’s easy to dismiss things without trying them, but in a revealing system, the gains are real.

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Franco, I’m happy for you that you believe that it works, that should be all that matters.

That said, when a manufacture so blatantly posts complete nonsense, in my opinion, there’s absolutely no reason to give them the benefit of doubt or bother with listening to their products.

There are plenty of solutions in the market that are not bonkers absurd :slight_smile:

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Anup, I appreciate your perspective, and I understand the frustration with marketing that seems disconnected from reality — I’ve rolled my eyes at more than a few claims myself.

That said, I try not to let questionable marketing automatically disqualify a product. For me, it’s all about what I hear in my system. If something brings an improvement, I’m not too concerned with whether the explanation behind it makes sense or not.

But I do get it — there are plenty of well-engineered alternatives out there. We all draw the line in different places.

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Are you using fiber before your streamer

I understand your position, and I am myself quite puzzled because my Internet provider gave me a new router to replace the old one, at no cost, and … I have to admit that SQ has improved substantially. Which is infuriating, because I was totally sure that nothing in a switch could improve SQ. Now I know that this is not the case and that I’m going to have to shell out a substantial amount of euros to buy an Ansuz switch (and they don’t come cheap), and possibly an Ethernet cable (5 full meters from here to there … ).

So, I am open to change my mind when reality knocks at my door, but in the case at hand I totally agree with ANUP, because even if the thing works and there is a SQ improvement, … the producer doesn’t know why! Everything I read about jitter in an ethernet transmission makes absolutely no sense: there isn’t a chapter about jitter in Ethernet transmission, like there’s no point talking about how to handle the club in volleyball, because there is no club in volleyball: that’s cricket, or baseball, but not volleyball, so the improvement must come from somewhere else. I am not going to buy a product whose working is so obscure that even the producer is unable to explain what is actually going on.

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Not only is it nonsense, it’s downright lies.

Any company that tries to deceive their consumers needs to be called out.

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Hi Frankie,
While no one can read another’s mind, One of the marketing claims I believe @Anupc is reacting to is this sentence from the manufacturer:

This statement is ridiculous. The entire point of the Ethernet protocol is to enable data to be sent in packets that arrive at different times and are then reassembled at the other end.

At a basic level, this is how Ethernet works: write a letter, then rip it into 100 pieces, then mail each piece in its own envelope to the destination, and then, once all 100 envelopes have arrived, and all of the original 100 pieces have been reassembled into the original letter, you are notified that your letter has arrived. This is how every single bit of data sent over Ethernet works, which is a —ing! lot of data, every second! : )

So… Snake oil is very thick indeed in this product description, IMHO.

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Completely agree — Ethernet makes sure the data arrives correctly and it doesn’t matter if packets come in out of order because they get reassembled anyway. That’s how it’s designed. But when you’re streaming music in real-time, especially in a high-end audio setup, there’s more going on than just getting the bits across. Even though the data is the same, noise and timing issues from the network can still affect how the dac performs. So it’s not about fixing the data — it’s about reducing noise and jitter that can subtly mess with sound quality.

It might sound crazy if you haven’t heard it, but for me it’s not snake oil — it’s just squeezing a bit more out of my system.

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It’s not about timing as far as the asynchronous digital domain is concerned. That is the very definition of “asynchronous”. That seems to be something people tend to forget when talking about jitter in the context of ethernet packets and implying it is the same thing as or the cause of jitter in the synchronous digital domain.

Noise otoh can conceivably find its way into the streamer/DAC from the network which is why as a precaution we recommend unshielded ethernet cables for the last hop connection to your dCS device.

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Franco, Andrew’s post summarise some of what is factually incorrect in your post as far as “timing” is concerned.

Just to be clear once again; there’s absolutely nothing in that Schnerzinger text I quoted that has any basis in reality. I’m sorry to say it’s completely pseudoscience designed to look plausible to those without any technical knowledge.

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Of course, I get where you guys are coming from, and I agree with much of it. But all I can really say is this: I’ve tried these products in my own system, and the improvement in sound quality was not subtle — it was significant.

I understand the skepticism, but from my experience, the only real way to know is to try them in your own setup. Sometimes the theory doesn’t fully explain what we end up hearing.

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It’s pretty clear to me that Schnerzinger performs well on the basis of Expectation Bias :smile:

I get the skepticism—expectation bias is real. But writing off Schnerzinger’s performance as just that feels a bit lazy. I’ve heard the differences firsthand: cleaner backgrounds, better separation, and a sense of ease in the music that didn’t exist before. And I’m not the only one who’s noticed, even in setups where people didn’t know what was connected.

High-end audio is full of snake oil, no doubt. But not everything that’s hard to measure is imaginary. Some things you just have to hear for yourself before jumping to conclusions.

they will not tell everything in their specs- but believe me: it works :slight_smile:

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