I have a DCS Bartok.
Connect with ethernetcable to a switch (Silent Angel Bonn 8).
Cable: Tasker CAT 726 (cat 7 cable)
I have buy a new cable: Audioquest Vodka
But the cable make no connection. I have change the cable for another Audioquest Vodka cable. But also no connection.
I don’t understand wy there is no connection.
I have connect the AQ Vodka between Core (Silent Angel Rhein Z1) and Switch (Silent Angel Bonn8) and no problem.
Do i need a cable between Bartok and Switch with special specifications??
I have change the cable (Tasker 726) directy from router > Bartok
a cheap Cat7 cable from Switch > Bartok
Tasker Cat 7 726 cable Switch > Bartok
AQ Vodka Cat7 cable Switch > Bartok
Second AQ Vodka Cat7 cable > Bartok
Back to original config. Tasker 726
I have reset Bartok, power off. And there is connection with network. but after a few seconds (30) is lose contact with network.
The Bartok does not require a “special” network cable to work correctly (as you have seen from your other cables that work correctly and would also see from the cable that is supplied with the Bartok) but it would seem that the Audioquest Vodka cable is out of spec for the Bartok to use … I would suggest that you raise this with Audioquest directly.
CAT 7 cables are not really ideal for network connection to dCS units. The cables are capable of supporting data speeds well in excess of the requirements for audio purposes even with hi-res programme. Importantly dCS units are designed to be used with unshielded network cables. The use of shielded cables may result in penalties regarding noise. So CAT 5e cables may be a better choice. A financial saving too .
I have tried for the past few years not to recommend specific cables as we all have our own tastes. Especially ones that I have not tried myself. However I agree with @struts001 - it looks good to me. Nice Telegartner connectors too.
I have looked in more detail at the website and the specification and photos. It was a little confusing. Please ensure that the cable you order is NOT shielded.
Exactly Pete, that cable appears to have a CAT5e specification - which comes in both shielded and unshielded variety. But that Telegartner connector is an MFP8 T568 CAT6A connector meant for shielded cables.
So, no, it’s likely not a good cable to use with dCS. Better to search for an Ethernet cable with “CAT6 UTP” specifications.
Pete, The cable is designated at S/FTP which means it has a braided shield and each of the individual pairs is screened with foil. There is also an S/UTP variant on the site which lacks the foil screens on the pairs although it is more expensive. It is actually quite difficult to find a quality Cat 5e cable that is totally unshielded these days. I suggest disconnecting the braided shield at the Bartók end of the cable, you can place a bit of heat shrink over the braid to make sure it doesn’t contact the connector. That is what I have done and it works fine with the Bartók.
For the purposes we are considering it is only important for the connection to your Bartok. The cable that connects other items does not matter and is up to you. However the 5e throughout would be fine too.The new one that you cite from Tasker is specified as CAT 5e UTP and looks good.
I think that it is important to state that this is about dCS network inputs and that they are not designed for shielded cables. So unshielded is optimum. However both types of network cable will ( or should) “work” in the sense of there being a signal. So this is not a solution to your original query of there being no connection. Unshielded is the right thing to use but your original fault may be that the AQ Vodka is faulty or the output from the device feeding* it or ( sorry to suggest this), Bartok itself. If the 5e UTP gets rid of your issue then we will know what the cause was.
Incidentally I use a good but an inexpensive CAT 5e UTP cable myself with my Vivaldi stack as do many here and as do the dCS engineers themselves ( or something similar) according to their postings here.
*I have experienced a similar fault from a router feeding a Paganini with the simple fix of trying another port on the router.
That looks like the same one I linked in my previous post. It is rated S/UTP so it has a braided shield which would need to be disconnected at the Bartók end. This is incredibly easily done with the Telegärtner connectors, would take less than a minute to do. If you don’t have heat shrink handy you can just put some insulating tape around the shield.
@struts001 , thnaks but I checked the full specification on the site for Robert and the cable is UTP. But, as I said earlier, the site is confusing even using the English version.
You’re way more meticulous than me Pete. Either way it is no problem. Worst case is 1 minute’s work and a bit of insulating tape and he is off to the races.
Those Telegartner connectors really do LOOK lovely - I get that - but they are long, and the cable is thick, and the cable is heavy, and the cable is stiff and - well - at some point that long connector and heavy stiff cable end up levering against the RJ45 socket which in itself isn’t designed to take large twisting loads so please consider this when selecting an Ethernet cable…
The Tasker C725 cable is in, it looks very nice, and the build quality seems good. It is indeed a heavy cable.
After connecting the Bartok and Melco S100 switch, everything works immediately and without problems.
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