This mirrors my own experience with the differences between Cat 5e, 6, 7, and 8 cables that I’ve tried. All of them were inexpensive which is not a negative in and of itself. It allows for experimentation without being a financial drain.
What you refer to as a “hardness” I hear as small edginess which sometimes can be of benefit depending on what I’m playing and my mood. My conclusion so far has been an overall preference for the Cat 7 and 8 cables (Pangea and the equally modest Monoprice).
Edit: In the past I’ve owned Ethernet cables from Acoustic Revive (Category unknown) and the Wireworld Starlight Series 8 cables. Both were in the $200 to $300 price range and the Wireworld has been my overall favorite. It was the most satisfying. For financial reasons I sold them both but at some point, who knows?
Edginess or hardness, yes I believe we agree. Modest but there all the same riding on top of transients. I may at some point give the WireWord Ethernet a try. Not a current priority, but a fun experiment. Speaker cables, and IC tend to offer more benefit to these ears. The WW Platinum Starlight 7 USB hit the target for me with no need to look or listen further.
I have an update of my listening with the Pangea SE ethernet cable connecting to my SOtM ISO-CAT7 Lan filter. After a couple of weeks, I switched back to the Supra Cat8 cable. I have to say I prefer Supra by a wide margin. The Pangea sounded too dark and layback to me. I would recommend Supra Cat8 if you use a lan filter. It is reasonable priced and you should give it a try.
The SotM Lan filter is a huge improvement over both cables I tried. I would say 75 to 80% credit would go to the Lan filter, but it also comes with their new Cat7 u cable. So, the combo should eliminate most noises from different cables connecting to it.
But I still hear quite a better sound from Supra than Pangea (from a mesh to the Lan filter).
Sometimes a cable change will make an immediate improvement in sound; like an AQ Dragon for instance. This is not the case. At first, I did not hear ANY difference, but as time went, the streaming sound became dark and uninvolving. Finally, I switched back to Supra Cat8 and it took half a day to settle in for me to hear the improvement.
For ethernet cable 1.5 m sounded better than shorter one in my experience also.
Me too, streamer (AirLens) - switch (Melco S100) - linear power supply (?) and power cords (AQ) - ethernet and/or ethernet/fiber path from switch to AirLens or even WiFi as someone suggested… how many decisions! Just a new rabbit hole for the coming seasons!
I confess that actually I stream only sometimes (Qobuz/Roon) to zapping from new albums and new music before buying CDs or Records. Will be possibile to get the same engagement as physical support? I can’t imagine to change the way I listen to music, a sort of compulsive flight from song to song without the pleasure, the patience and the respect of the artist following the entire order of tracks from the beginning to the end of an album.
A matter of hardware (new knowledge to challenge with is something I expect to love - even with inherent new costs)
A matter of software (here I think Octave/Roon/Qobuz combo will be not a personal decision mainly a logical consequence of the hardware above)
A matter of habits (I have no liquid music saved anywhere on a server so I will strictly be connected to “streaming” experience - this is the real question: how much this way of listening to music can be compliant with my personal attitude?)
Here @Paul has inspired me even in his last Paul’s Post and now I suppose that giving to streaming a chance probably worth it.
Time will tell but honestly I’m more anxious to know the launch of the new upcoming PS DAC II or maybe I hope soon will come some new product with same dimension to substitute gear on my rack with same real estate (space consuming) but elevating performances and sound quality:
new Phonostage in a PerfectWave chassis (Stellar Phono Preamp - I consider the best improvement in SQ I ever experienced - is needed to evolve with XLR balanced input or separate power supply chassis or less remote control functionality and other new tools)
Monoblock ampli in a PerfectWave chassis (M1200s - I absolutely love - are a pain in the ass for tube rolling) - BHK 300 and 600 are no options due to giant sizes
new PowerPlant in a PerfectWave chassis too (P12s in EU model with only 4 outlets are so a limitation for increasing numbers of gears and their power cords) - P15 and P20 are no options for the same reason due to even larger sizes
in general new gears able not only to emphasize sound enhancement but also reducing some critical issues: noise is often a problem looking at posts from customers here in the forum and a few member abandoned PS Audio Preamp and Phonostage for that reason, send back new units to repair is another occasionally matter frustrating customers (I experienced too a few times), easy way to tweak with our beloved gear like pieces of absorbers materials (new challenge applications to seriously study when designers are involved in upgrade actual production) or like tube rolling without pain or like swapping new types of colored magical fuses or…
Maybe @Elk this would be a new thread to open: what PS Audio product are you waiting more anxiously and what aim are more expecting to achieve from them? Useful also for PS Audio guys to understand where concentrate their attention during next months to satisfy their customers desires…
You’re in a deeper rabbit hole than me for sure! I too am using streaming to find CDs (particularly sacd) to buy. Paul mentioned AirLens should match the PST in hi-resolution music playback. If it is that good, I may finally stop growing my CD collection. Last count I have over two thousand CDs already. DS II will be a for sure upgrade too.
After that I should be happy for a while from any future upgrade. Of course, I was thinking I had dug myself deep enough not too long ago.
When I did building work I ran two ethernet cables in the wall from the modem upstairs - a 10m AQ Pearl CAT6a (white with black stripe) direct from the modem and a fibre optic via an SFP switch. These cables cost about €100 in total. The audiophile boxes to keep it clean are an EE8 switch for the CAT6a (€500) and a SoTM 9v power supply for the fibre-CAT media converter (€250 used). The media converter is about €30. The fibre feed goes directly into my server.
As I use the Innuos server - PS Audio have a few of these - I can use either Roon or Innuos 2.0 streaming software. Both can work by sending the data down an ethernet cable. I use a $10 Blue Jeans CAT6a. Innuos 2.0 is approved for usb, so I use a Chord usb-C, which I got free 10 years ago. It is really surplus. The media converter CAT cable to the server is the Chord usb-C that came with the EE8 switch (EE8 being a Chord brand, so they included a €50 cable).
So I’ve tried data sources from CAT6a through an ethernet switch and fibre direct, and output via galvanically isolated CAT6a or usb (the Innuos Zen/Zenith has a dedicated linear power supply for the usb output, so it is very clean). Frankly, there is no difference at all.
The only expensive item was the EE8 switch, and it is not being used on the signal path, only for a local access point. I will probably sell it and replace it with a €20 Netgear switch.
The 9v SoTM battery is a useful little device, but many people use the much cheaper iFi low noise power supplies that cost about €50.
This is all pretty simple and very cheap. I spent a lot of money on power cables (cheap for some), which I keep at the bottom of the rack in the power department (3 devices - conditioner, power supply for phono amp and power supply for turntable). The phono cables are all up top (all purchased with the turntable about 10 years ago) and the main electronics are in the middle.
Thank you Stevensegal sooner or later, as Dchang05 said certainly after the AirLens launch, I will deeply study any possible configuration to implement a “streaming rig” into my system and I have already saved your post between my archive of useful material for consultation.
Members here in this forum were are and will be a fundamental font of knowledge for me… thank you all!
My experience is anything to reduce electrical noise. A lot of the work is done before the components. I like the conditioner, as do others, (see also https://www.psaudio.com/copper/article/the-importance-of-keeping-your-audio-connections-clean/), some like regenerators. My mains comes from a dedicated line separate from the rest of the house electrics and I use a Futurech wall socket that I’ve had for many years. It is a double socket, but only one of the sockets is connected.
Avoiding noise getting from one component to another is also a big thing, the best value device for this could be the iFi Power Station, costs about €600.
Hi Stevensegal, I already have a dedicate line totally separate from others in my house and 2 PowerPlant P12s to feed all my gears (Gold Note Mediterraneo TT - SPP - PST - DS Sr DAC - BHK Preamp - M1200s). Only 2 REL Subs plugged to a socket NON dedicated line and MacMini+monitor plugged to a Furutech distributor NCF e-TP609. All my power cords are AQ Dragon HC and Source.
ICs are AQ XLR Fire (soon will be Firebird after the launch).
So the AirLens streamer will be plugged to the last outlet available on one of the two P12s.
All the rest (LPS’s switch) will be plugged to the Furutech distributor.
As for ethernet I only have a socket in the wall with a traditional cheap RJ45 socket (from the main router in another room 10 mt far upstairs).
I have to study then from wall to switch and from switch to streamer the best signal path to reduce noise via ethernet or ethernet/fiber/ethernet.
Some guys from PS Audio mentioned that the new AirLens will be also intended to be connected to internet via wifi and this would be a benefit as an isolation for noise, being AIR a galvanically isolator. Others are afraid wifi connection may cause as counterpart some general problem (noise disturb) to the rest of the system. More lessons to learn for me.
Last of all, I would be happy to put totally away the MacMini from the rack/rig/system at all. Unfortunately it is not possibile: 1) a core is still needed for Roon 2) I frequently use the MacMini with a separate disc-drive for playing DVD video concert and music documentary (not tv at all)
A couple of thoughts to maybe keep in mind when utilizing copper Ethernet, including shielded in your setup… One, separation from power cables and supplies as far as possible, and never run along side, and two, spooling the excess cable should really be avoided. Just sayin’
