Rather than starting a crusade based on your opinion, why not start a poll and see how many agree or disagree with your POV.
Though if you continue insulting and stalking other forum members you may find the whole thread is unplugged, not just some of your posts.
May I ask, what is a 'dog' if not of the canine kind?
Nobody thinking in a purely scientific manner wants to believe an Ethernet cable can affect audio, but clearly something is going on here.
Alas, short of getting all the forum members up close and personal with the cat lady in the room with you, you will never be able to convince everyone.
My name is Frank Furter.
Unfortunately it seems the OP isn't interested in making the test more objective, and is happy to have his beliefs confirmed.
I don't find it difficult to ignore a cable thread, shoot-out or otherwise. I've tossed turds in them, sure, but on an order of magnitude less in number than the threads I've ignored. What's harder to ignore is when a cable thread is at least partly a troll in itself, and I truly believe this one qualifies given its tone and that a good third of the replies amount to a perpetual passive-aggressive fire watch by the OP. Which only stirs up more of that which is ostensibly being discouraged, and so is equally deserving of the bin in my honest opinion.
Just think of the mission critical applications where bog standard cat 5/6 does the bit perfect transmission job-nukes, power stations, LHC, MRI scanners, Server farms, financial sector...etc,etc. This thread is worthy of a Paper such is the revelatory nature of the discovery.
Or the cable is actually transmitting an analogue of a digital signal. A truly digital signal would switch on and off instantly, with no ringing, delay, sag, etc.Right, a better data cable does not necessarily mean a better audio cable, but the fact there is any difference at all, that is what leaves most of us scratching our heads. The brain has much to answer for.
Not sure they have Hifi audio there running through those cables though. I'd hope they don't.
Have you ever been to a data centre, like your streaming service provider uses? Regular CAT6 everywhereNot sure they have Hifi audio there running through those cables though. I'd hope they don't.
Or the cable is actually transmitting an analogue of a digital signal. A truly digital signal would switch on and off instantly, with no ringing, delay, sag, etc.
How do think streamed music gets from Tidal/Qobuz/Apple etc to your home?
Have you ever been to a data centre, like your streaming service provider uses? Regular CAT6 everywhere
So if the Shunyata Venom cable brought such a great improvement to your system (in your opinion) for a mere £300. 'Imagine' what spending £ 900 on the Shunyata Sigma might do.
After receiving a considerable number of emails with lots of questions by many that do no want to post on the thread to avoid waking the lurking aggressors such as yourself, the inherent problems are not (entirely) with me. I just have the balls to handle them in a certain way to avoid further engagement into their cyclic arguments, and some don't like that, and feel somewhat hurt and victimised by my lack of response to their antagonistic debate in the way they wanted. Some, mostly those mentioned, feel this may be passive-aggressive because they cannot combat it and it infuriroates them, they failed at their 'rise'.
The problems with these things is that it starts by suggesting it's a blind test, but not under any sort of controlled conditions, there seems to be no technical considerations at all, it turns out that only one of about 5 ethernet cables is being replaced and the other ones are shielded, which should be avoided for audio data cables, and the choice of test tracks are all pretty much the same (vocal plus electro/acoustic backing) and one heavy metal. There is no reference to any of the manufacturers' claims or design considerations.
The OP then recommends a cable without actually indicating he knows its design, but being CAT 6a and almost certainly well made, whether by accident or not its probably a perfectly good cable with no characteristics. For £300 it's a lot of money to even suggest people go off and buy it. I have nothing against the brand, indeed I use their power cables and conditioner and have spent more than 10 times as much with them this year.
Here's a little guide as to why ethernet cables are twisted pairs.
https://www.techrepublic.com/blog/data-center/some-interesting-twists-about-ethernet-cabling/
A similar approach (and focus on reducing inductance) can be found with Kimber speaker cables. I mention those because they do not have an outer shield. Likewise, CAT cables do not need an outer shield, indeed it is damaging, unless you really need one - basically very long runs where there is exceptional potential noise, where cables are bunched or there are lots of power lines. Data centres yes, home audio no.
Shunyata describe three technologies in use, the first one being PMZ:
https://shunyata.com/products/digit...tal-cables/ethernet-cables-venom-alpha-sigma/
The most fundamental of three critical ethernet cable technologies is termed Precision Matched Impedance (PMZ). Designer Caelin Gabriel’s research into high-speed signal transmission found that the precision with which digital cable conductors are constructed has a profound impact on performance. Loose manufacturing variances lead to signal distortions that are clearly audible in a system designed for high fidelity. To achieve the benefits of PMZ, Shunyata Research produces the Venom, Alpha and Sigma ethernet conductors using extrusion and shielding processes designed to reduce phase distortion caused by characteristic impedance irregularities. This process reduces the micro-distortions associated with common ethernet cables. While costly, this process delivers superior timing, clarity, and dynamics in sound when used in a media sound system.
The patented Belden bonded pairs are designed to do exactly the same thing, i.e. avoid impedance irregularities, which is why the Blue Jeans cables using Belden strands are so popular, plus the fact that they do not have an audiophile premium. They also have a slightly higher twist than most CAT cables,
If you look at the AudioQuest website
https://www.audioquest.com/cables/digital-cables/rj-e-ethernet/cinnamon
Solid conductors eliminate strand-interaction distortion and reduce jitter. Solid silver-plated conductors are excellent for very high-frequency applications, like HDMI audio. These signals, being such a high frequency, travel almost exclusively on the surface of the conductor. As the surface is made of high-purity silver, the performance is very close to that of a solid silver cable, but priced much closer to solid copper cable. This is an incredibly cost effective way of manufacturing very high-quality HDMI cables.
You will see that the cable design is more aimed at VHF applications, like HDMI audio. There is no mention of low inductance or the fact that ethernet cables are twisted for a reason, which goes back over 100 years. To the contrary, their design seems completely focused on shielding and isolation. The use of silver is given based on the assertion of VHF signals passing close to the surface of the conductor and it is better conducted through silver than copper.
I have no non-ethernet cables other than my speaker cables. I use Townshend Isolda, which follow the same principle of close impedance matching and very close pairs that basically exclude RFI, so they don't need any shielding. The conductors are simply covered by braid.
http://www.townshendaudio.com/isolda-speaker-cables/
Well, assuming that the considerable messages you've received will not be entered into evidence, I've hardly any choice but to reject that summarily.
Lurking is not deserving of a pejorative since not every reader posts, but that's exactly what you're implying with "lurking aggressors such as [my]self"
I see no "lack of response" on your part because your posts amount to roughly 1/3rd of the thread's volume.
In a quick summary of it all, considerable numbers of cable buyers are victimized to the point they write you privately rather than post; 'lurking aggressors' are hurt and victimized by your 'balls', and some readers who happen by all this emotional carnage may think you're passive-aggressive since they're rhetorically neutered and infuriated and so can't join the trolling because ... I guess their posts will be deleted or they'll suffer emotional damage. I'm not sure at this point which one. What I am sure of is this thread appeared at the tail of a longer ethernet cable thread (quite a coincidence, that) and as always, the squeakiest wheels get the grease. Meaning this post has at least a 50-50 shot of vanishing. It's all just so f'n silly.