Roon Nucleus
Netgear nighthawk s700
English electric 8switch
Hegel H390 connected via ethernnet cable Neotech neet-1008
0
Hi,
Is it worth to uprgade ehternet cable from router to Roon Nucleus? Will the quality of THIS cable influence on the quality of the streaming?
Haha, pull the pin and duckā¦ 
I have quite long runs, 10m ish, from the fibre box input up to the 1st floor to the router/hub/wifi then back to the GF where the Nucleus is, from that I have another 6m ish to my system
Iāve found better quality Ethernet cables reduced drop outs if nothing else. Iām now using a fibre run from the Nucleus (via converter, of course) into my SOtM switch at the system end - to my ears itās sounds slightly more refined
But to answer your specific question; my ears, my system, my wallet, my priorities etc etc Iāve enjoyed using better networking cables and gear - and the improvements in SQ I hear
There are retailers (in GB, Futureshop, for example) who give you a 60 day returns option on cables - if you have access to such, maybe give it a go and see how it fits into your system and your parameters?
Something to learn, bit of experimenting, a few currency units (to return) if you donāt think itās worthwhile, and an upgrade if you doā¦
All part of the hobby - Iād be pleased to hear what you find, if you plunge in
Thank you for you answer. I am asking ONLY about cable from router to Nucleus. In some tests they say that upgrade of power supply or cable (talking only between router and Nucleus) do nothing. For example, streamers like Grimm are completely indifferent to cable quality (such is their circuit design). Is this characteristic of Roon as well? Thatās the question.
Here In Ukraine we have very limited articles to choose and return.
CAT5e cables can support up to 2.5Gbps over lengths of up to 100m.
CAT6 can support 5Gbps up to 100m and 10Gbps over lengths of up to 55m
CAT 6a and better can support up to 10Gbps over lengths of up to 100m
There is never a need for CAT7 and CAT8 cables. They add a grounded sheath which could introduce ground loop issues (although unlikely with domestic network equipment which, without a CAT7 or 8 connector, does not support the sheath connection and thus leaves it floating) and, at best, will not offer any advantage over CAT6a.
There is never a need for exotic āaudio specā cables. At best these cables add nothing. At worst, they are non-compliant with ethernet standards.
Ethernet ports all have an inductive coupling (tiny transformers) in the signal lines and so there is no galvanic connection between two pieces of equipment connected by ethernet unless:
Hi. Lenght is not important for me. It is Ā± 1 meter from the router to the Roon. I understand the difference between CATs, I am interesting in āchanges in soundā particulary and ONLY in Roon Nucleus.
As youāll see, you wonāt get a definitive answer on here
I say tomato, they say potato
Good luck 
Ethernet carries digital data - not sound. Connected equipment is galvanically isolated across the ethernet link (unless using CAT7 ports and cables) so there are no ground loops introduced.
There is no way that one working ethernet cable that supports the required data rates (100Mbps max for audio) and another working cable that supports the required data rates will āsound differentā because they donāt carry āsoundā.
Completley agree. But probably here are someone who did such experiments or Roon technicians who can explain it
In my system I hear the diffrence between Neotech - Chord and stock ethernet cable (from EE 8switch to Hegel), between different combination of it (from router to switch and to streamer). But between router to Nucleus (on myexperience and ears) no dfference. Thats why I am interesting.
Just what mechanism (or cable characteristic) do you imagine would account for the difference that you hear?
Ethernet delivers digital data - samples in the case of audio - but digital none-the-less.
Ethernet does not explicitely or implicitely carry any clock associated with audio.
It does not, no matter what cable is in use, guarantee deliver timing so any talk of jitter is irrlevant. Timing and jitter aspects of audio performance are deteremined by the audio equipment receiving the data - the Hegel in your case - and do not vary with the ethernet cable employed.
Ethernet does not connect the quipment ground planes - so ground loops are not an issue.
Ethernet does not carry a power supply or connect to a power rail so power rail noise is irrelevant.
Ethernet and the cables associated with it are designed such that RF/EMI noise picked up by the cable (if any) is common mode (meaning that it applys in the same polarity to both the Signal+ and the Signal- line and therefor the difference in Signal+ and Signal- stays the same even with noise present). Thus, ethernet is highly imune to such environmental noise should it occur.
Ethernet receivers (in the equipment, not the cable) isolate the equipment from any noise (common mode or otherwise) that is seen to an exceptionally high degree and further digital transmission of the data within the equipment will isolate it still further.
If any event causes an error in the digital data received, this is detected either in the Ethernet controller (hardware) or in the TCP stack (software) and the packet is discarded completely - the TCP stack will then ensure that that packet is retransmitted without error. Such errors are extremely rare - on my network, on the devices that provide suitable logs, I have received exactly 0 such errors in the last month. Thus the samples received by the audio equipment are the same as the samples sent by the sending equipment (the Nucleus).
So, again, what cable associated mechanism is left that can affect the sound?
It wont make any difference!
Save your money, buy more music, listen to the blues.
Sounds like youāve answered your own question?
Iād go with that, itās the most relevant thing youāll see on here
The reson of my post was not to start a hollywar between cablelikers and haters. There are tons of it alreay in the web. I want to know the explanation of the engeeniers who build Nucleus or those who made such experiments, period. You can write to Alpha audio or to PS audio if you want to dusscuss this point. I build my system in order to receive emotions. Personally I hear the difference with cable changing (in the cases I mentioned) and only this is important to me. If someone donāt let it be:)
I agree, if the cable is well made and meets the required spec for your system, there would be no reason for it to affect the sound. Other than maybe placebo effect. It could ālookā better and āfeelā better to have a āprettierā or āspecialā cable that then makes you āthinkā you hear ābetterā soundā¦ and that is all that really matters in the end, what you hear and how you feel about your music and system.
On another note, @Andrew_Stoneman, you have an ethernet connected girlfriend, NICEā¦ 
Youāve already sprung for an English Electric 8 switch which most here will say canāt possibly make any sonic improvement without ever trying one out in their system. So what the hell, get a cable or two on trial from the Cable Company and see if it makes a difference in your system.
Thank you for your opinion regarding EE switch, but I am not interesting in it. And for your
advise of course:). Why I did this post, I have explained in previous messages.
Keep it down, my wife might read this! 
There is no special engineering in Nucleus, itās just an off-the-shelf NUC in a fancy box. Any competent electronics designer knows full well that cables (especially data cables) have absolutely no effect on sound (and if they did, everything we know bout physics is wrong, and some cable peddler would be busy getting a few dozen Nobel prizes right now).
If you believe that an ethernet cable makes a difference in your system, just go ahead, get any cable you like, and convince yourself that it sounds better. The effect is purely psychological.
PS: if you get a fancy audiophile āCAT 7ā cable, you have been swindled. There is no such thing as a CAT 7 cable that will fit in any home equipment.
If you hear a difference in certain combinations, why ask? Do your own experiments and keep what youāre happiest with. Iām very fortunate in that I canāt imagine or hear any difference 
Note that if an ethernet cable is changing the sound of digital audio, then it is also corrupting other data that is sent across it, e.g. email, web browsing, file access, etc. If that is happening, you have much bigger issues that your music sounding different