Many DACs today will accept an ethernet cable. Ethernet has advantages over USB, the main one is that it is completely isolated from the source
However, some folk who like to experiment feel that there must be better ethernet cables and are willing to spend substantial sums to find out
Here is his private test of 4 audiophile Cat 7 ethernet cables
The cables:
AudioQuest Vodka 0,75m - The standard cable to date. Price approx. 275 ?
AudioQuest Diamond 0,75m ? Price approx. 760 ?
ViaBlue EP7 Silver 1,00m ? Price approx. 85 ?
Chord Music 1,00m ? Price approx. 5000 ? (yes, there are 3 zeros in that number)
AudioQuest Vodka (The Allrounder): This cable is the one which had the best overall dynamics while maintaining a very low level of fatigue. It is very enjoyable to listen to while maintaining a high level of engagement with the music.
AudioQuest Diamond (The Specialist): Looking for the last bit of detail in your music with a slight compromise in fatigue? Then this is probably a cable to consider. I personally enjoyed the Diamond because it revealed the quality of the recordings for what they were. Some were incredibly good while others were a bit fatiguing or lacking accurate instrument placement. It is the surgical scalpel of the batch.
ViaBlue EP7 Silver (The Roughboy): My current cable and the winner within the Soundstage Category. Surprisingly, I found that it lacked a consider amount of punch in the low end compared to its peers and was somewhat overwhelmed in challenging sections of some of the tracks. A cable with very good instrument placement but limitations in the other categories.
Chord Music (The Musician): What can I say, although it did not achieve a top overall score, it still was in my opinion the most enjoyable cable of the bunch. Never fatiguing and always engaging, it was the cable to beat. Its name is the game and was truly the most musical cable of those tested.
Conclusion
The test was an incredible amount of fun and I was surprised as to how easy it was to hear the differences that each cable brought to the overall listening experience. Of course, our test system contributed to this and one could come to a different conclusion using a different setup. Do the results justify the substantial variance in cost? Well, that is call that each of us need to make based upon individual factors. For me, the biggest take away from the test was the clear confirmation that Ethernet cables do play a role in influencing the SQ.
This fellow is what you might term a "big spender" and has the following equipment
Kii Three Speakers | JL Audio Fathom Subwoofer | Gordian Lab 12 Power Conditioner | SOtM sNH-10G Switch | Innuos Statement (player) | Innuos Zenith SE Mk II (core) | Melco N1ZH60 | Trinnov Amethyst | 2x Mutec MC-3+ USB | Mutec Ref-10 | Oppo UDP-205 | T+A G 2000 R | DS Audio E1 | Devialet D-Premier
However, some folk who like to experiment feel that there must be better ethernet cables and are willing to spend substantial sums to find out
Here is his private test of 4 audiophile Cat 7 ethernet cables
The cables:
AudioQuest Vodka 0,75m - The standard cable to date. Price approx. 275 ?
AudioQuest Diamond 0,75m ? Price approx. 760 ?
ViaBlue EP7 Silver 1,00m ? Price approx. 85 ?
Chord Music 1,00m ? Price approx. 5000 ? (yes, there are 3 zeros in that number)
AudioQuest Vodka (The Allrounder): This cable is the one which had the best overall dynamics while maintaining a very low level of fatigue. It is very enjoyable to listen to while maintaining a high level of engagement with the music.
AudioQuest Diamond (The Specialist): Looking for the last bit of detail in your music with a slight compromise in fatigue? Then this is probably a cable to consider. I personally enjoyed the Diamond because it revealed the quality of the recordings for what they were. Some were incredibly good while others were a bit fatiguing or lacking accurate instrument placement. It is the surgical scalpel of the batch.
ViaBlue EP7 Silver (The Roughboy): My current cable and the winner within the Soundstage Category. Surprisingly, I found that it lacked a consider amount of punch in the low end compared to its peers and was somewhat overwhelmed in challenging sections of some of the tracks. A cable with very good instrument placement but limitations in the other categories.
Chord Music (The Musician): What can I say, although it did not achieve a top overall score, it still was in my opinion the most enjoyable cable of the bunch. Never fatiguing and always engaging, it was the cable to beat. Its name is the game and was truly the most musical cable of those tested.
Conclusion
The test was an incredible amount of fun and I was surprised as to how easy it was to hear the differences that each cable brought to the overall listening experience. Of course, our test system contributed to this and one could come to a different conclusion using a different setup. Do the results justify the substantial variance in cost? Well, that is call that each of us need to make based upon individual factors. For me, the biggest take away from the test was the clear confirmation that Ethernet cables do play a role in influencing the SQ.
This fellow is what you might term a "big spender" and has the following equipment
Kii Three Speakers | JL Audio Fathom Subwoofer | Gordian Lab 12 Power Conditioner | SOtM sNH-10G Switch | Innuos Statement (player) | Innuos Zenith SE Mk II (core) | Melco N1ZH60 | Trinnov Amethyst | 2x Mutec MC-3+ USB | Mutec Ref-10 | Oppo UDP-205 | T+A G 2000 R | DS Audio E1 | Devialet D-Premier
