In this instance, it’s not even a case of measurement or not, what they describe is just gibberish. It’s written in English, and grammatically correct, but the terms they string together has no meaning in the real world.
Networking doesn’t operate in the way they describe, and cannot be impacted by the technology they claim.
This belongs in the same category as Peter Belt’s PWB Electronics;
Choose two photographs of yourself, a current one and another taken when you were much younger, place them in separate sealed plain polythene bags and store them inside the freezer compartment of your domestic fridge. Listen to your audio system playing (the source of the music doesn’t matter) and decide if the sound has improved. If unsure whether this is the case, remove the photographs and their containers from the fridge and you will hear the sound deteriorate markedly. And so will anyone else present at the time.
Do you think it’ll work, and should you even bother to try it?
I will try to borrow the Shunyata Omega in order to compare it to my €6.49 unshielded cable from the Innuos PhoenixNet to the Rossini. My system sounds breathtaking, and I cannot imagine that anything I add to the chain can improve the SQ. It could make it worse. I tried an LPS for the Roon Nucleus and it sucked the life out of the music. Hopefully the Shunyata distributor can make it available. We‘ll see.
I swapped cables out of curiosity and noticed a smal difference in detail and space, but it might’ve been expectation bias. Best way to know is to try and listen.
Hi , may I welcome you as this is your first post. You are right that the best way to tell is to listen as there is normally no obvious relationship with specifications to indicate likely sonic changes ( except perhaps cables with unusually high capacitance).
It would help us understand what you may be posting about if you would kindly tell us which cables you are referring to and what is being connected and particularly as this is a dCS community forum, which dCS units are involved.
Intellectually the possibility of noise getting into the system should mean a shielded cable would be better, but in this case I suspect the issue is noise may get into the system via the shield.
Yes, very much along the lines that you are thinking.
The shield is there to ensure the cable can perform at its specified speed at its maximum length (295 ft for Cat 5 or 6). For short hops this should be far less critical, unless you happen to have a very strong source of EMI nearby.
The problem is that while the twisted pairs (signal conductors) in an Ethernet cable are terminated with transformers at either end, providing perfect galvanic isolation, the shield is not. So the shield could potentially transmit any noise on the ground plane of your switch, or anything it is galvanically connected to, to the DAC. While the likelihood is small we advise customers to use unshielded cables just to eliminate any possibility.
I’ve noticed tighter connections and cleaner signal paths make a difference, especially in resolving fine detail. After doing some tweaks myself, I ended up building custom signal cables using https://resonixsoundsolutions.com/product/resonix-solderless-custom-length-rca-cable-system/ for a better fit and signal performance. Pairing that with solid network tweaks brought a more consistent sound, especially with more transparent recordings.
The subject of this thread is Ethernet cables. You are reporting your experience with RCA cables.
The matter of the correct Ethernet cables with dCS units is important as you will see from earlier postings in this thread. What is your current experience with the them, the type used and with relation to which dCS components?
I’m thinking about how Ethernet cables could affect the sound quality in an audiophile system. I’ve explored various models and types of shielding.
Searching for relevant information
I’m reviewing articles from ASR and tests from Stereophile to write an evaluation of Ethernet cables and jitter.
I’m browsing forums because they contain interesting community-generated measurement data. Perhaps I’ll open a thread for a detailed evaluation.
Exploring product ranges
I’m considering thoroughly examining the entire product range by searching for “Ethernet cable review” to better understand this topic.
Developing a solution
Instead, directly search for “Ethernet cable review ASR” to simplify finding discussions.
Researching cable effects
I’m checking if the author understands the effects of Ethernet cables.
I’m evaluating Ethernet network cables with robust audio streaming protocols, particularly by referencing the Hans Beekhuyzen channel and Archimago’s blog.
I am looking forward to your finding. You say that you will be just getting your hands on the Shunyata Omega rather then buying it which removes one stimulation for expectation bias.
Meanwhile, have I been conned? €6.49? I have spent £9.49/m ! Still mine was custom built .
Interestingly, I did exactly the same thing: I asked ChatGPT.
I did it because I have also been quite skeptical about audiophile switches and ethernet cables; that’s until my ISP sent me out of the blue a new router/switch and, to my total surprise, IT improved SQ. My system is Rossini Apex + clock, D’Agostino S350, Borresen 03: it is pretty resolving, and the difference was clear, and annoying, because it subverted all I had been sure of for many years. The damned box makes a difference.
So as I was saying I asked ChatGPT, and it answered that there are mainly two reasons for that: common mode noise and RF interference that can actually creep into the analogue stage of the DAC with negative consequences on sq. It also added that any theory about digital signal timing and deterioration is to be dismissed due to the very nature of the transmission protocol. Which I totally agree on.
That’s why I am now officially shopping for a switch (eyeing the Ansuz D2) and cables (maybe Shunyata, Nordost, or Ansuz)
After 45 years in this hobby, I know a few things about snake oil. Examples are, just to name a couple, promises to reduce jitter or signal loss on an Ethernet line.
At the same time, I now KNOW that my FREE new switch improves SQ over my FREE old switch. And it is not confirmation bias (of which I know a couple things because of my profession and background) because my ears told me that I had been WRONG for many years.
Also, I have seen with my eyes the DLink inside the Ansuz, but I fail to grasp what it is supposed to prove. Surely, you are not saying that the Ansuz switch IS actually a DLink at a higher price …
Anyway, I’ll test the switch with my ears. It is also possible (better still: I HOPE) that it will sound as good as my free switch, in which case I will keep the money.
I’m sure it will get much “better” but right now can I REALLY STRONGLY recommend caution when using AI / Chat GPT to find out things …
I’ve had a number of instances recently where people have contacted me regarding information that they’ve been given by AI which has simply been downright wrong and I’m glad that the questions were asked back to us for confirmation rather than blindly followed.
Thankfully on the whole it is difficult to do too much damage to life and limb with AI and HiFi but I am concerned that there are currently many examples out there of AI simply hallucinating and confidently giving out false information that, when you challenge it, it immediately accepts that it is wrong and has another go. Information that COULD result in some expensive damage to equipment.
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