Ethernet is flawed, but works rather well. I always try to keep an open mind
Bartok,Roon,Nucleus
Just purchased basic cable off Amazon based on what one of the engineers on the post noted:
Unshielded, Certified ,
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08B8X46KK?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
Not expensive, sounds great.
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Iâm sure it does, but just for fun try a better cable sometime.
It might not show any improvement at all, but at least then youâll know.
This isnât meant to try and sell you something; Iâve tried numerous high end cables that I felt either did not improve my sound or actively made it worse - but at least I have the satisfaction of knowing.
I would also say that I have also been in the situation of trying better cables, knowing they make no difference, then trying a just released cable and finding it makes a day and night difference. 
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I defer to @Andrew on this one:
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I make, sell and personally use an Ethernet cable that I have developed over the years. It uses a perfect surface 10% Silver coated OFE Copper base cable with Telegartner connectors. The connectors are the best in the business and are used by Nordost, Shunyata and others. The connectors are âimpedance matchedâ for the correct digital signal transmission. To get better I need to get into the $1K+ realm. They do make a difference. I came out of 25 years in the IT industry and I no longer believe that bits are bits!
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Iâd like to make a correction to a statement way back in this thread where someone said that the dCS in-box Ethernet cable was shielded. I checked with Phil (dCS Support) and he said that they have always shipped CAT 5E unshielded cables (which is what Iâm using).
A useful check â use a service (like upnp) which dumps the entire file for the track into the buffer within a fraction of a second, and then plays from the buffer with no network access
(This rules out Roon, which sends data with time clock all the time)
Then pull out the ethernet cable. See if anything changes while playing the track with no ethernet cable attached
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Hi,
Recently have the need to run my Ethernet cable in conduit outside the house to get it back in where I need the connection. Does that change what I use to shielded???
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My Cables are all shielded CAT8 cables. The shields are not grounded. They âfloatâ. I have seen instances where shielding removed system noise that was radiating into CAT5 cables.
Hi,
Shielded network cables are really recommended for use only in electrically noisy environments such as plant rooms for lifts and pumps etc. or medical environments ⌠if youâre running cable externally in a conduit then that in itself doesnât require shielded cabling either. (However if you were running it without a conduit then you would need exterior grade network cable.)
I need 2 X CAT 6a Ethernet cable between:
- Linn Selekt DSM
- QNAP HS264
to my Cisco switch.
As understand from the discussions I need a âunshielded and passed certificationâ cable.
I would be thankful for any suggestions.
THX 
Torben
Either unshielded or shielded will work absolutely fine - CAT5e is also perfectly suitable âŚ
The reason why we (and others) suggest unshielded cables rather than shielded is a bit âgreyâ and really depends on all the kit that you have and whether you feel that you can tell a difference in the audio performance if you have the perfect storm.
The shielding CAN connect the chassis ground of your HiFi to the chassis ground of your network switch IF the switch has Ethernet sockets that carry through Ethernet cable shielding (many donât) and some users feel that this is detrimental to the audio performance that they get from their audio kit.
Using unshielded cables (and CAT5e network cables are normally unshielded) simply ensures that this linking of chassis grounds cannot happen.
Myself, I just use flat CAT5e or flat CAT6a cables from that all-conquering online retailer because they are convenient and just work ⌠Iâll leave any discussions about audio quality to those who wish to spend time tweaking.
Best Regards
Phil
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Hi,
Thatâs a shielded Ethernet cable and assuming that the specs listed are correct itâs built to CAT6 specs rather than CAT6a but yes, it will work.
So do these which are what Iâm using right now in my setup at home.
Best Regards
Phil
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I have found the cat6 utp cables on fs.com to be very good
Meicord ethernetâŚfor everything else theres Townshend F1. Vivaldi dac and upsampler, roon nucâŚclock nextâŚ
Does anybody have experience with Chord Ethernet cables? Iâm considering a Sarum T for my Rossini Apex/Vivaldi Clock combination. Iâve also seen a used Chord Music, but it is quite a significant outlay, and as itâs used I wonât be able to listen to it first.
I just ordered the following âlow costâ ethernet cable from the excellent designacable - https://www.designacable.com/premium-belden-1303e-catsnake-cat6a-ethernet-network-cable-flexible-s-ftp.html The following is interesting - In order to minimise any unwanted interference each pair of conductors is foil screened; this then works in conjunction with the integral overall-braided shield to reduce EMI. You have the option above to have the shield âconnectedâ or left âfloatingâ, this will depend on your equipment and personal preference. If left floating then this cable will not perform to Cat6a specifications, but will still function perfectly well as Cat5e, which is the most common type of specification in HiFi setups
Oh by the way, for anyone who is interested in the audible effects of ethernet cable, itâs worth watching Jayâs view at 12 mins here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzdavoA8c8E Heâs very outspoken on many topics so be warned!
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As a general point, please do NOT use screened cables with dCS . For screening to function correctly the screen has to be connected to earth ( ground). The noise picked up by it has to be dumped somewhere. The ethernet connection convention used by dCS does not have earth connectors. Without such connections any such noise may be introduced into the component circuitry.
Please follow dCS advice. The ethernet cable should be unshielded ( e.g. CAT 5e). Please also use properly certified CAT cable.
NB: I do in fact use cables from designacable myself. CatSnake 5e.
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