Valley of "audiophile" ethernet cables

I have a “slightly” audiophile ethernet cable and liked the above post :smiley:

There are always unknowns - in absolutely every field of research. Responsible researchers always admit that. But as I pointed out in quite a few other posts (see above), it’s certainly good to maintain a healthy dose of skepticism about “audiophile” cabling…:wink:

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Welcome to the world of internet audio forums…:rofl:

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Well, I don’t actually think it’s much of a research field at this particular level anymore. I mean sure, there’s a lot going on with high-energy electro-magnetic fields, but if you end up with one of those at home, I don’t think changing your ethernet cable should be your first concern…

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“As we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns—the ones we don’t know we don’t know.” (D.R.)

Sorry, I couldn’t resist the temptation. :wink:

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A Rummy quote…priceless.

Inakoustik Referenz Ethernet. Best of 30 plus sampled

I know the drill here when it comes to cables and you can laugh me off the page but in MY system in MY room and to MY ears…I switched to the AQ Vodka on both NDX2 and Nucleus. The difference was impressive. I don’t know know how nor do I care. In my system, you notice every change. Then, my audio dealer showed up with a Nordost Valhalla 2 network cable and we swapped out the Vodka in the NDX2. Astounding! That I’ve come this far building my dream system (15 years) and a cable (ridiculously and unnecessarily expensive!), can improve things to that degree. I can only trust my ear and my ears loved it. It put streaming on par with my Macintosh MCT500 transport to the point where I’m so so focused on streaming that I plan to try Synergisitcs Research’s new power supply for the Nucleus. The big (and expensive) question is, what will happen if I switch out the Vodka going to the Nucleus, to a second Val2…wish there was another available to find out. :slight_smile:

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Why? I would have thought, given the cost of the Nordost Valhalla 2 Ethernet Cable, that you should invest some time in reading up on the a) the limitations of auditory memory, b) how data is transmitted over a network and why expensive ethernet cables don’t make a difference, and c) how expectation bias can impact perceptual experience. It would take longer than clicking the ‘Add to Cart’ button on a £3.5k ethernet cable (assuming you only need 1m), but might be more rewarding in the long run.

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This shouldn’t even be a question, of course you have to.

Try monoprice.com for some really good cables. They “sound” great.

That’s a gorgeous room you’ve got there! Kudos! VU meters make everything better.

What are those speakers?

Wi-Fi gives the best galvanic isolation! Just sayin, lol.

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Ethernot cable?

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Thanks! They’re Sonus Faber Amati Tradtions. Wonderful speakers!

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Why not just move it from NDX2 to Nucleus?

I am not mocking you, but I submit these views for your analysis:

1°) you probably like your system sonically; that is to say, it has defects that suit you. This is the case for most of us here. Our ears are used to a certain musical “colour” and we like it. This is what we (and you) call OUR ears.

2°) modifying your cables only amplifies the defects that you feel are qualities. Nothing better in terms of sound veracity.

As far as I am concerned, I have two chances: the first one is to have been trained to listen by a sound engineer who is highly regarded in his professional environment; the second one is to have been able to acquire a piece of equipment that is not very well known by the general public and also extremely expensive (for most of us), however not yet in the highest spheres of the category (no luminous screen, no Russian diamonds added, etc.).

At the end of these purchases, I was advised to buy NORDOST cables. Besides the fact that I find the price scale in relation to the manufacturing price absolutely scandalous, I have not heard any improvement (nor distortion) in my professional listening at home with these cables, which I therefore returned to those who had lent them to me.
On the other hand, my listening room has been fitted out by an professional acoustic company since the beginning. This cost me a tenth of the price of these cables ( $ 4,000 for a 40 square meter listening room).
You have a big, shiny setup that you must be proud of, but in your picture I don’t see any provision for acoustics, you have metal stands that don’t look good to me, and speakers plastered in the corners (also laid on carpet, right?).

This is the sound you like, that YOUR ears like. It’s OK like that. I just gave you my opinion. Thank you for reading it.

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Ok, this isn’t about cables, it’s about wine… but the parallels are clear, and it’s a very enjoyable listen anyway…

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„the majority of wine’s flavour isn’t down to molecular chemistry but instead the holistic experience of wine drinking: the perceived price, mood in the room and even the weight of the bottle.“
There are definitive parallels. But it’s easy if a better power supply repeatedly provides a better quality or to say a wine decanter enables a better experience of your wine - then it’s an obvious improvement.
There is no need to do a scientific research etc why the decanter in your individual case had a positive impact.

Maybe some misslead if it’s Hi-Fi, wine tasting etc. we are not here for a scientific career rather than just trying to get the best out of our hobby, passion of listening to music … and maybe also with a glas of wine too :slight_smile:

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And this is where we’ll agree to disagree. The study of bias, decision making and behavioural science more generally is a really interesting field. The results can be usefully applied to all sorts of things. If something is “all in your head” then it’s not necessarily going to be reproducible for others. Some of the “experience enhancers” come at fairly hefty prices for what may prove be an illusory improvement.

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That depends on how out there the claim is.