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Post by John on Nov 17, 2021 7:47:53 GMT
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Post by brettj on Nov 17, 2021 9:55:36 GMT
Thanks John and Martin.
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Post by brettj on Nov 17, 2021 11:15:21 GMT
Have heard back from MeiCord.
Meike found three Opal cables in their storeroom.
I've bought two.
Wahoo!
They have 1 x 0.25m still available.
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Post by MikeMusic on Nov 17, 2021 12:03:29 GMT
Yehaa !
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Post by Stratmangler on Nov 17, 2021 16:02:04 GMT
So, something to tide me over. Either a Blue Jeans Cat 6A, or Supra 8? Or something else that will do in the interim? Cat6 UTP Cat6a has screening, and ungrounded screened cable makes for very effective aerial. Cat7 hasn't been ratified yet, and Cat8 appears to be the thing of audiophile wet dreams - it has a higher number so it has to be betterer than the tat wot went before. |
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Post by brettj on Nov 18, 2021 6:32:34 GMT
So, something to tide me over. Either a Blue Jeans Cat 6A, or Supra 8? Or something else that will do in the interim? Cat6 UTP Cat6a has screening, and ungrounded screened cable makes for very effective aerial. Cat7 hasn't been ratified yet, and Cat8 appears to be the thing of audiophile wet dreams - it has a higher number so it has to be betterer than the tat wot went before. I had both BJC and the Supra in my shopping card. For $14, the Blue Jeans looked good until postage came out at $55. Was about to get the Supra from David, but something made me wait. Then John's post about a very well priced Cat 6 cable. Luckily I waited, with Meicord finding some Opals. Happy to get two of them for reasonable money. Another further step into improved streaming. |
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Post by Stratmangler on Nov 18, 2021 13:20:28 GMT
Someone on another forum complained of audible dropouts from his streamer whenever his kids went into the kitchen and turned the lights on.
I asked about the connectivity of devices, to be told it was all wired.
Further enquiry revealed that he'd bought a Cat8 patch cable (audiophile "it's got a higher number so it must be the best" irrationality), so I suggested using a UTP cable.
Within a few minutes he was back up and posting that the problem had gone.
He'd switched back to the standard Cat5e patch cable he'd been using.
The problem was one of the Cat8 screen picking up EMI from the startup of the fluorescent lights in the kitchen - the screened ends on the cable were transferring the EMI to both the router and his streamer via the screened plugs, and the dropouts were due to fatal errors in the data stream.
If everything had been properly grounded there wouldn't have been an issue to start with.
Thankfully UTP is very good at rejecting airborne RFI and EMI.
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Post by Slinger on Nov 18, 2021 14:57:56 GMT
I've never understood the " need" for data cables that far erxceed anything you could possibly throw at them to carry music data. It's not like the music gets there faster.  I've got Blue Jeans Cables Cat6a throughout, and a venerable old CISCO WS-C 2960 8-port switch hanging off of my Smart Hub 2. I know it's tempting fate, but the sound is fine. everything else works just fine, and I've not had one hint of a network problem, whatever i've thrown at it. Something I do like - and this is where I start to sound like an advert for BJC - is that Belden manufacture the Cat 6 and Cat 6a cable stocks espedcially for Blue Jeans Cable, which they then terminate in-house and sell under the Blue Jeans Cable brand. That's the other part of the equation. The cables are extremely well made, and I know for certaln I'm not being flogged a Chinese knock-off for UK prices. Could I buy Cat 6a cheaper? Certainly, but I'll back my " genuine" Cat 6a and its excellent build quality every time. As someone remarked, take a look at Spotify, or any of the major streaming companies, and see if they've upgraded all of their cables to Cat 8 yet. |
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Post by MartinT on Nov 18, 2021 15:11:14 GMT
LOL - it's nothing to do with music getting there faster and everything to do with preserving the signal waveform (remember, digital is carried on an analogue carrier). The better preserved it is, the less noise it carries or picks up, the more precise will be the clocking at the receiving end without introducing jitter.
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Post by John on Nov 18, 2021 17:11:50 GMT
When i used to use Ethernet cable with Jplay I went from a 5 to 6 to 6se to 7se Each one was a improvement and the costs were minimal
The Melcord waa the best cable I used but that is only compaired to the standard cables I have no experience of other audio cables.
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Post by John on Nov 18, 2021 17:15:02 GMT
Looking back I believe my ethernet cable was the weakest link and I would of had to go down a similar route as Martin to sort out
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Post by brettj on Nov 25, 2021 11:04:02 GMT
A few changes in the pipeline.
Bought a wifi repeater with ethernet out; TP-Link RE650.
Got some more plugs installed in my stereo cupboard (nothing fancy available here).
Coming:
A Chinese dual linear power supply for my modem/wifi router.
A couple of Meicord Opal ethernet cables.
Another Chinese linear power supply for the Hiface Evo 2.
And ordering three SR Purple fuses. Two for my amp, and one for my Dac.
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Post by MikeMusic on Nov 25, 2021 14:56:29 GMT
That will help the sound nicely
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Post by MartinT on Nov 26, 2021 6:20:59 GMT
I may not have mentioned Schramm German door stoppers. Nicely finished heavy weights for placing on components with rubber underneath. Great for further damping and resonance prevention. Available at different times from Amazon and eBay.  |
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Post by brettj on Nov 26, 2021 8:17:14 GMT
Postage would be triple their price...
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Post by MikeMusic on Nov 26, 2021 9:32:46 GMT
I may not have mentioned Schramm German door stoppers. Nicely finished heavy weights for placing on components with rubber underneath. Great for further damping and resonance prevention. Available at different times from Amazon and eBay. Did you find them better than granite placemats ? Which are almost invisible in place, especially on black kit |
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Post by MartinT on Nov 26, 2021 12:33:25 GMT
I use the weights on top of granite placemats/coasters to further spread the weight.
The granite mats are all covered with black sticky-back felt on the underside.
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Post by MartinT on Nov 26, 2021 12:35:04 GMT
Postage would be triple their price... Have a local metal turning company make you a few from 10cm aluminium bar? |
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Post by MikeMusic on Nov 26, 2021 13:39:30 GMT
I use the weights on top of granite placemats/coasters to further spread the weight. The granite mats are all covered with black sticky-back felt on the underside. That's heavy man !  Thinking of a way I could make them disappear, or at least be a lot less obvious |
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Post by brettj on Nov 26, 2021 19:11:25 GMT
That's heavy man ! Thinking of a way I could make them disappear, or at least be a lot less obvious Maybe paint them black? |
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