Ethernet cables for audiophiles

[cornet]

Remember kids, don't forget your $1200 ethernet cables for your streaming media boxes.

http://www.audiostream.com/content/audioquest-vodk...

[NiceCupOfTea]

So if i'm listening to my music being streamed over WiFi, will farting reduce the sound quality?

[Paul Drawmer]

It was posted on Sept 30th. More like material for April 1st.

[ratty6464]

I've got an opinion here that expensive cables for digital sources can only help a system by letting less background interference into the hi fi system. If you use something to condition the power from isotek etc, then conditioned power has its benefits.

Apart from that, these cables can't help at all, digital either works or it doesn't. It's all buffered anyway.

[telecat]

That Price is not justifiable. However Network cables can be pretty crap if you try and buy cheap. Either they fall apart or the shielding just is not good enough either in the cable or the plugs. Do not forget that they do have a standard they have to be made to.

[probedb]

Chord sell one for £1600/m!!!

I don't understand why trading standards haven't got involved with their claims. They're a UK organisation and they make outright claims that these cables improve sound quality when it's impossible.

If they're so good then why are most of the data centres on the planet run on the same cable you or I can make ourselves?

[conkerman]

I sould not find the Fabaceae Magici section.

Gutted.

[snowmuncher]

I think these are an excellent idea

- of parting a fool from his/her money

I'm now thinking of buying some bog standard wifi routers, painting them or getting them dipped in some fancy coating, writing 'audiofile wifi' on the case and selling them on for £1000 a shot

Edited by snowmuncher on Monday 23 December 16:26

[TonyRPH]

I can top that.

"Chord Sarum Ethernet Tuned ARAY"

£1600 per metre.

You want a 3 metre length sir?

No problem sir!

£3200 please.

ETA: Oops just spotted the post from probedb - sorry!

[abbotsmike]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

You're very right, but there are some really really cheap ethernet patches that don't conform to the spec and do fall apart very quickly.

As long as they are built to spec, and mechanically good enough, then they are fine.

[telecat]

And you buy enough you get a hell of a discount.

[IforB]

I thought I'd seen it all in the audiophile gullibilty stakes, but this is a cracker. £1600 a metre patch cable? Oh my aching sides...

[jmorgan]

Be interesting to know the actual material cost.

[rhinochopig]

Personally I'll be waiting until they offer a version that has been burnt in.

[jmorgan]

I'll get the matches.


Edit. They dropped the ball, another few grand to charge with these on the end.

http://www.neutrik.co.uk/en-uk/data/ethercon/ether...

Quite solid as well, lot better than boggo rj45.

Edited by jmorgan on Tuesday 24th December 09:43

[rotarymazda]

ratty6464 said:

Apart from that, these cables can't help at all, digital either works or it doesn't. It's all buffered anyway.

FYI:

Signals down high-speed cables for digital standards aren't simple 0's and 1's. At the transmitter, the signals are encoded to generated a minimum transition rate, edges are emphasised to overcome characteristic cable losses. At the receiver, equalisation and clock recovery are used to recover the original digital stream.

Shielding and cable construction affect how well it all works. You end up with a bit error rate probably that is near-zero (not zero) for rated cable lengths. At some point as you increase cable length/interference, the error rate increases rapidly (not instantly) and then it stops working.


In practice, just by a branded cable that meets whatever standard you are using.

[jmorgan]

Bit of Humbrol 16 on them......

[probedb]

rotarymazda said:

In practice, just by a branded cable that meets whatever standard you are using.

Branded doesn't matter as long as it meets the spec.

[rotarymazda]

probedb said:

Branded doesn't matter as long as it meets the spec.

Branded means more likely to have been tested and passed the spec.

[rotarymazda]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Something I recognise