Current configuration: modem > very long cat 6 run > net gear switch > AQ vodka Ethernet > PC. I also have a NAS attached to the same switch.
I’ve decided to get off my PC for a whole litany of reasons. Buying roon nucleus. Buying sonore optical rendu which connects via fiber. All in the mail.
What should I do with the AQ vodka? Use it to connect to the fiber converter for the rendu (which seems like a waste). The roon nucleus? The NAS?
I’ll play around with this stuff when it comes but I’d love to know if folks have an opinion / experience. Thanks!
I’d prob use it here, this is where the music is going to be mostly if not only effected by noise over the line and giving the converter a little extra help or polish and might make the biggest difference. But after spending some time listening; to your point, it might not matter. In which case, maybe placing the cable up for sale might benefit future upgrades. (Although I should take my own advice, as I have a box full of cables I’m meaning to sell)
Also would love to hear your thoughts on the Rendu once you have it up and running.
If you can truly hear a difference in CAT cables, try it in different locations and stick with the one that sounds best to you. If you can’t hear a difference, sell it.
That’s my experience too. The ethernet cable into the streamer made the biggest difference, whether it was a SoTM or Cardas.
I also have a long run between the streamer and the router - I found a Cardas cable between the Intel NUC, being the start of the signal path, also made a positive difference (but less than the one into the streamer), and then finally, a Cardas ethernet cable between the router and ethernet socket in the journey to cross the house (with std Cat 6) made a small / the least difference.
So @JerseyJack, perhaps you might want to try the AQ Vodka at the closest possible connection to your streamer by ethernet cable, and work backwards in the stream to see how it goes?
It seems ethernet cables make difference where galvanic isolation is not present. Paul said PS air lens offers no benefit with galvanic isolated DS Mk 2 does a ground lift. . Seems air lens galvanic isolation is fiber optic.
Do you still use optical fiber ethernet? If so that aligns wit Paul’s statement
If you’re specifically talking about the case with your MU1, I think it does something special that reduces the effects of improved switches and cables. I’ve read that the MU1 buffers the song it’s playing, so one can disconnect the ethernet cable feeding it to swap with another without interrupting playback.
I haven’t tested that myself though. I have no idea if i’s true, or if it means you have to move quickly to complete the process.
On my Lumin T2 (office system) streamer, ethernet cables make a HUGE impact.
The MU1 is a Roon device and absolutely cannot be used without a network connection. I think you are confusing it with a Euphony server where it can and often is done.
A good sounding Ethernet cable does not necessarily have to be expensive!!! I had bought a CSL 8.1 LAN flat cable for my TV from Amazon. 1m costs only €7.99. Today I tried it for fun between switch and streamer. I am very shocked at how good it sounds. A $10 cable versus a $1000 cable. Yes, it sounds different. The cheap cable has more depth! It sounds more sonorous in the voices. Also, it is very quiet with black background. A tip that you can’t go wrong with. I have to compare something else. How come a cable doesn’t even cost 1% of the top cable and isn’t that easy to beat?.
as long as it goes straight it will not be noticed
it will not be noticeable under a carpet. It just doesn’t do bends well and only articulates to the flat sides. For the very cheap price, it sounds surprisingly good. It has very good separation and a black background.
I can tell the difference in all cables. The cable on the modem to the Devolo Magic. And from the receiver to the switch to the streamer. The signal is still sent to the upper floor via the power cable. But I want to change that. Fiber optic cable with Teradak transformer. My Melco switch has a fiber optic input. At the moment I also have a network isolator EN-1005+ for connecting devolo d-lan Magic. I would say the last wire before the switch has the biggest impact on the sonic signature.
I find Teradak’s solution very interesting. High-quality clocks and power packs included. The switch is based on the same origins as my Melco S100. The Teradak is half the price and has an extra clock and LPS.
I’ve had quite literally unbelievable experiences with Shunyata’s ethernet cables. I didn’t want them to have a material effect, but they do in my system, to my ears.
Their Venom product is absolutely the best bang for the buck, and it’s still not exactly inexpensive. Their Sigma and Omega products are better, but I think it’s something you have to audition in your system before deciding they’re worth the upcharge.
A friend of mine suggested I try LinkUp cables (available on Amazon.) They’re certainly quite budget-friendly - about $50 for one meter. I have one that just arrived but I haven’t had time to put it in the system to run in and audition. It’ll be interesting to see how they compare.
I also have link-up cables. They are quite musical and good for their price. Their performance is comparable to Audioquest Vodka. The bass is better with the linkup, the vodka separates a bit better. The link-up connection plays warmer. It makes more music and less hifi. A question of taste, not a question of price. The Linkup costs significantly less than the vodka and offers similar performance in its own way.
The CSL 8.1 is my new price hit. 1 meter costs about 8 €!!! Very good separation and dynamics. Very calm background. Good presentation. Slightly less wide soundstage, but good depth and very focused.
I still have a Furutech NCF Lan. It is similar to the CSL in terms of sound, but offers a slightly larger stage. Also costs more then 10 times the CSL. My top lan is the J-Cat Signature Lan Gold. 1 meter costs 1100 €.
It’s very neutral, extremely dynamic and has a huge stage with lots of detail.
According to the Audio Bacon review and some forums, it’s one of the best out there. The Audioquest Diamond sounded less musical compared to the Signature Gold and its stage was tiny compared to the J-Cat.
I think fiber optic has an advantage and is preferable to expensive lan cables.
