Ethernet Cable (Drone!)

I have been having a play connecting my Innuos statement to my bartok with usb so as to be able to use the Innuos sense app. As i usually use ethernet this got me thinking; where would you use your “best” ethernet cable, from the switch to the statement or for connection between the statement and the bartok. Once i’ve got a handle on the usb cable i will be trying the options myself, but am curious as to what others do.

As has been discussed endlessly here the “best” ethernet cable for use with a dCS rig is a certified CAT X cable that is unshielded. That boils down to CAT5e or CAT6 unshielded. Given the price of such cables you just use it everywhere.

If you are worrying about the relative performance of a $$$ cable which you can only afford one piece of then I would humbly suggest that it is the wrong cable given a real life system requiring multiple runs.

NB: You may find that even if you prefer the GUI of the Innuos control app the sound from Bartok via USB compared to network connection may well be inferior. Which is, as we Brits say, throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

This idiom is applicable not only when throwing out the baby with the bathwater, but also when someone might throw out the baby and keep the bathwater :smile:

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Hi Peter, thanks for the reply. The reason i asked the question is because of a change in my system. I used to use 10m of cat6 from the switch to the statement and then a £££ cable from the statement to the bartok. I have recently purchased an Uptone Ether-regen, so i now go fiber from the switch to the ER and then ethernet to statement / bartok. So as i only have the one expensive cable was seeking views from people in a similar circumstance.

As regards usb, i have tried it twice now and my view is it is slightly different to ethernet with neither one being better just a different flavour.

It is early days with the Innuos app, so will see how i get on.

Leo

How our experiences can differ. For me the difference was huge, in favour of ethernet. Together with my Bartók I ordered a AQ Diamond USB and a AQ Vodka ethernet cable. The former I used for a day or two. The latter I replaced after short of 2 years with a certified CAT 6 cable that is unshielded and cost me € 10 and served me as well.

As you say - “experiences differ” when i first tried the usb i thought it was as good as the ethernet cable but as it cost over £300 why would i change. The only reason i’m trying another one is to listen to the innuos sense app ( this only works via usb at present).

With regards to ethernet, i used designercable cat6, but tried some shunyata. I felt that the shunyata cleaned up some background noise that i didn’t realise was there. I then tried some Ansuz ethernet cable and that was an improvement over the shunyata & cheaper.

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I use my best cable at the last connection point, in my case from SOtM to Bartok

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I really have a huge problem with Ethernet cables. Not with cables in general. When I had a transport and a dac (the Reymio duo) I put in a good Harmonix digital, my RCA cables from the Rossini to my SPEC amplifier are the Hijiri Million and the cables from the SPEC to the Susskind loudpeakers are also Hijiri Million, not exactly inexpensive. So yes: I believe in cables and can hear the difference.
But Ethernet cables?
I started using an old 10 mt (32ft) ethernet cable I had had for ten years and it worked pretty well. Then I tested a 25 euros 16 feet Amazon cable (a cat 8, so shielded methink), and to my horror it actually sounded BETTER.
How can that be? There is a resend protocol, a buffer and a reclocking: it should be either yes or no!
I was not prepared to this. So I decided that the former cable had to be broken somewhere. Then I ordered a Transparent cable, just to check. Now I am pretty much worried that it may sound better than the Amazon cable. And then I know how it will end up. Audioquest Vodka I am coming for you …
What do you think?

I think that you should follow the guidance from dCS at least as far as the connection to your Rossini is concerned. Use unshielded cable and cables that are certified as compliant with the relevant standards. That currently means certified CAT5e or unshielded CAT 6. To use shielded cables, irrespective of cost, risks introducing noise.

There is so much about this in the archives here.

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Hi Zapp, whilst i don’t disagree with what Pete says; all i will say was that when i tried the anzus cable, there was a noticeable difference compared to the designacable that i was using. So as always trust your ears.

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Since I bought my Rossini I have used an AQ vodka ethernet cable, following the advice to use a cable with a floating shield, and up to now happy with that choice. Now I am trying an Ansuz D2 ethernet cable which is shielded (checked with a multimeter) and this cable is considerable more musical, better drive, separation, resolution, timbre. I know this cable is at least 5x the cost of an AQ Vodka, but I have a doubt now why dCs is recommending unshielded.

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