I am currently running a Cat 6 crossover ethernet cable direct from my laptop to the Bridge. Is there a Cat 7 crossover cable. I have searched extensively for one without success. Does anyone know where I could purchase one. Would a Cat 7 cable sound better?
I think Audioquest make a cat 7. They are rather expensive and I don’t know if they sound better. I use cat 6a(or cat 6e, I can remember). I may be wrong but I think expensive Ethernet cables may fall in the “Snake Oil” category.
http://www.amazon.com/Geek-Squad-Crossover-Cable-RJ-45/dp/B000TRKUUO
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sacat=0&_nkw=Cat+7+Ethernet+Cable&LH_BIN=1
I posted a link for data cables , cheap but good quality. they even have a cat shielded . They have cross connects as well.
Thank you all for reesponding but nobody has answered the question that I asked.
Is there a Cat 7 crossover cable?
Yes there is and also a cat7sheilded.
I will find the link and post here , give me a few going out to dinner now
Look up cat 6a. It is very close to 7 spec
The answer is… YES.
most available are DIY or custom order. Just cut one end and crossover the 2 pairs required.
Not sure of the impedance matching.
Jury is still out on whether there is an advantage with 7 vs 6 or 5e.
http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/cat7-cable-assemblies/6116549/
Try this is real cat7. Cross cable. But there also is cat7 shielded . Also as I said cat6a shielded is just below cat7 spec
Al D
Thanks alrainbow. I will look into it.
If you get a chance to try one, please post back with your experience.
I just received a Cat 7 crossover cable last week and after solving a problem with my computer today I inserted in between my laptop and the Bridge. I think it is the best $12.00 upgrade one could make. The soundstage is deeper, articulations are cleaner and I must say a more analogue like sound. Also the total presentation of the music is bigger.
Alrainbow’s link above is where you will find it. However it is best to order it from the followiug link. They work with the British firm.
http://www.alliedelec.com/
I am behind in my studies. What does the crossover cable do?
An Ethernet crossover cable allows you to connect two Ethernet endpoint devices directly without having to go through a hub or switch. It is a crossover cable because it swaps the transmit and receive lines between the connectors rather than being straight through as in a normal cable.
Some modern Ethernet devices can detect this type of connection and automatically switch their connection mode. This really started with hubs and switches so they could be freely interconnected without having to manually switch the connection flavor or having to use a dedicated port for such purposes.
J.P.
@wingsounds13 Thanks J.P. I understood about 1/3 but for now that is sufficient.
Have a happy & safe New Year.
Well, the first paragraph is the important one and is the direct answer to your question. The second is a not so clearly stated description of how some equipment works and where the use of crossover cables originated. If you got most of the first half then you got the answer to your question.
J.P.
Of course the important thing to remember if you want to try a crossover cable is that you’ll essentially be using the server as your hub/switch. Thus for example if you are running a laptop with only one ethernet port, you’d connect that port via the crossover cable to the bridge, assigning static IP addresses for both the bridge and the ethernet port on the laptop. In this scenario you could use the laptop’s wifi connection to connect to the internet and for interfacing with whatever you use as a controller via wifi. Alternately, if you have a server that has expansion slots you can of course add a 2nd ethernet port and use that one to connect to the rest of the world. Anyway my initial gut reaction to this whole idea was that you’re really just substituting a noisy PC and its OS for the switch, but otoh, that noisy pc is of course the source of the signal anyway, so who knows, getting rid of the separate switch between the server and bridge just might be a good idea.
It’s not nessessary to use a crosscable for this setup without a switch. You can just use a straight cable direct between your PC and the bridge. I also have done this with the audioquest Vodka cat7 cable. And a special modified (by audioquest)Vodka cable. The modified cable had screen connections at both sides. A normal Vodka only has a screen connection at the source side (switch or computer side). The normal was the better one. I played my music for months with the vodka’s, but I ended up with short cat6 cables and a switch again. The cat6 cables are a less smooth and less bright, but best for my current setup! A switch isn’t so bad afterall.
I own the Audioquest Ethernet cable, and I do hear the difference. Better shielding, and it has silver in the connections for better contact. Some people say a cable is a cable. Far from it, IMO what makes a better cable is the shielding, and the grade of copper being used. wijnand, I have the Audioquest Vodka HDMI for my TV, and DVD player (Oppo) I put a normal DVD in,and people think it’s a Blueray.
Good morning all.
I can way in on this cable sound , changing. First off I never believed any of this , intil I heard it with my ears. Next the length matters too, when Paul said regarding his HDMI cable it made a difference . I bought it and laughed that I did. When Paul said the shorter the better , well. Paul is correct it all matters. When the CEO of a company attends a forum and spouts about his where’s well how can you believe . Well I know I’m wrong a lot , but hats off to Paul and his honesty and real assessment of his products. The man stands above any CEO or national salesman I know of. Now for the cables . I own an off ramp 5 all options and Steve’s separate PSU . Now I use it with the pwdmkii with it’s HDMI i2s input. Now to my ears and I M not saying I qualify as a golden ear, but it sounds much more closer to the music and does remove grain in the music. I like it just as much as the bridge and in some ways better. I use the Paul’s HDMI cable of course. Now the off ramp also has an i2s output in rj45 format. I have never tried it to the bridge directly and I do not know if it works this way. But I do use it with another dac that has this form of i2s input. And it makes a big difference in the sound. Now according to Steve CEO of imperical audio. The distance of the cable matters and there is a sweet spot as he says at about 16 inches . So the cable I bought that comes with it is that length . I have tried other cables and there is a difference and lesser quality by spec , meaning cat 5e or 6. Is a big enough change to be heard as soon as you put the music on. Long story but I hope this helps someone here. Ps the cable that Steve ships is a cat7 shielded . But neither of the sockets have a shield to use it .
Al. D