Bad sound quality with Roon [Resolved, Ethernet Switch]

[dabassgoesboomboom]

@Ed_Kwok

I’m not sure whether you have compared LAN cables. In our testing, changing the cable from switch to microrendu from UTP to Cat 7 was a revelation. I do not have a robust technical explanation for this observation.

Possibly ground / leakage current loops with that shielded Cat 7 cable, via the shield. Leakage currents are closely tied to RF interference also, per the posts linked.

Valley of "audiophile" ethernet cables

Makes sense from what I’ve learnt from John Swenson and Rob Watts. Shielded ethernet cables that have their shield connected to ground can provide a path for ground and leakage currents. UTP ethernet cables break this loop (they block most of the leakage currents) - depending on what’s connected upstream and downstream and what ‘loop/s’ are formed. Leakage currents through the cables cause them to act as an RF antenna. According to Rob Watts, the more detailed sound is often mistaken for wha…