Do router and ethernet cables affect sound quality?

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A few months old, but still valid -

Dropouts via Ethernet Shielded Cat 7

You want unshielded. Shielded requires proper termination with ground drain, which most people at home do NOT have. Without proper termination, it turns it into an antenna, which you don’t want. The “shield” is one of those things people that don’t know what they are talking about promugate in the audiophool market because it sounds better. It’s only really needed in industrial environments with very high RFI (like your cable runs past an arc welder) and again, requires proper ground drain …