It's so Ethereal

[Lindsayt]

If I understand correctly, every separate lead within the Cat8 construction has its own shielding to enable ultra high transfer speed without interference from other internal sections or external influences.

Slightly pedantic correction, but with Cat 8 it's every twisted pair that has shielding (usually aluminium foil from what I've seen).
RJ45 connectors use 4 x twisted pairs of conducting wires.
The twisting should be pretty tight on Cat 8.
I also understand that a thicker gauge of conducting core is common on Cat 8. At the frequencies we're looking at, in a 1 or 10 Gbps connection, skin effect will be very applicable. The signal will be passing through the outer edge of the conducting core. Silver is 6% better at conducting than copper. So if you make the core have a 10% bigger circumference, and use copper instead of silver plated, you're still up on the conductivity.

Cat 8, in common with Cat 7 has a shield layer (wire mesh) around all of the 4 pairs.

The plugs in Cat 8 should have metallic shielding. I've seen some Cat 8 plugs that look very solid and easy to fit the wire into, compared to Cat 5e. The fancier Cat 8 plugs don't come cheap. For example: https://www.cablematters.com/pc-938-164 ... -plug.aspx

CAT8 patch cables have just arrived, fitted one to my laptop (was CAT5e) and damn me - it feels like the response time of the PC has speeded up quite a bit.

Audio tests will have to wait until tomorrow ....

If it were my cable, I'd be cutting the old Cat 5e open to check if it's genuine or not. Genuine Cat 5e should give you 1 Gbps speed, which I understand is the max speed of your NIC and switch port too?
Fake Cat 5e? God knows what speed it'll do.

However in my case, destructive testing, including putting bared wire over my gas hob to check if it's solid copper or CCA, would lose a few inches off the cable. If it were genuine I'd put anotherRJ45 plug on the shortened end and re-use the cable.

[Fretless]

CAT8 initial findings:

Got a couple of patch leads from Goobay, made in China, info here:
https://www.reichelt.com/gb/en/patch-ca ... _pdn&nbc=1



Standard, off-the-shelf, nothing special. These are solidly constructed with nice metal plugs and this stuff is thick and really stiff - no bending it easily around corners. Pricewise it costs about one-tenth of the AudioQuest Cinnamon CAT7 cable for a similar length.

Having firstly fired up my office laptop with a 2m run of this replacing a CAT5e lead, I immediately noticed that the old Dell felt supercharged - as if there had been something slowing it down all this time and it was free to get up to full steam. A good sign. Actually been noticing this all over - moving up to higher-spec ethernet leads speeds up the accessability of each device and the network feels generally quicker and snappier in usage.

So, now to get a music installation hooked in. This means threading the wire through a small hole in a plasterboard partition wall which I usually do by wrapping painter's masking-tape (the paper stuff, easy to remove and leaves no residue) around the plug of the new cable and attaching it to another wire already in place with some slack - then pulling through carefully from the other side. Works every time.

The thick blue CAT8 does look really serious, but it was too much for the tiny Tinkerboard that got lifted up onto its side by the rigidity of the new ethernet monster! Still, it'll work that way as well, I thought.

Firing up the TB I ran through the same couple of test tracks that I used last week: Vangelis, Gilgamesh. The CAT8 has BIG presence, massive bass, loads of information. There is an in-your-face, authoritative feeling with a wide solid soundstage. But ... I felt I was missing something.

Switching back to the AQ Cinnamon, it sounds muted and polite in direct comparison. However it is more 'musical' with clearer presentation of instruments, atmosphere and delicacy are better maintained. 'What a relief - I haven't spent all that dosh for nothing!'. Despite the psycho-acoustic, placebo-effect claptrap that will probably be fired off in my direction - I don't WANT things to sound better if I have paid more money for them. I just want things to sound better, full stop, and am usually very excited if I can do that for a minimal outlay. I might even have been more chuffed if the CAT8 had swept the AQ under the carpet.

Putting the CAT8 into the second system, feeding the Allo DigiOne Signature in place of the recently-transferred CAT6 link DID make a considerable difference and lifted the sound on this setup up to a new level of control and detailed performance. What I am going to do is to leave the CAT8 in the second system for a week or 2 to run-in a bit and then try it out again against the AQ Cinnamon. I have read that these leads do need some burn-in to get them sounding smoother and that is the quality I am missing at the moment.

I can say that:
CAT6 sounds a lot better than CAT5e
CAT8 is a big step up from CAT6
Silver-plated CAT7 audiophile lead is more refined and musical than standard CAT8 (for now).

Gotta go now, there's a big order of Snake Oil coming in at the drugstore and I want to stock up before it sells out!

[Latteman]

Currently enjoying cat7 to switch & cat7 to Apple box- streaming just continues to improve
Will upgrade optical cable next but will require additional optical input on my dac

[CN211276]

CAT8 initial findings:

Got a couple of patch leads from Goobay, made in China, info here:
https://www.reichelt.com/gb/en/patch-ca ... _pdn&nbc=1



Standard, off-the-shelf, nothing special. These are solidly constructed with nice metal plugs and this stuff is thick and really stiff - no bending it easily around corners. Pricewise it costs about one-tenth of the AudioQuest Cinnamon CAT7 cable for a similar length.

Having firstly fired up my office laptop with a 2m run of this replacing a CAT5e lead, I immediately noticed that the old Dell felt supercharged - as if there had been something slowing it down all this time and it was free to get up to full steam. A good sign. Actually been noticing this all over - moving up to higher-spec ethernet leads speeds up the accessability of each device and the network feels generally quicker and snappier in usage.

So, now to get a music installation hooked in. This means threading the wire through a small hole in a plasterboard partition wall which I usually do by wrapping painter's masking-tape (the paper stuff, easy to remove and leaves no residue) around the plug of the new cable and attaching it to another wire already in place with some slack - then pulling through carefully from the other side. Works every time.

The thick blue CAT8 does look really serious, but it was too much for the tiny Tinkerboard that got lifted up onto its side by the rigidity of the new ethernet monster! Still, it'll work that way as well, I thought.

Firing up the TB I ran through the same couple of test tracks that I used last week: Vangelis, Gilgamesh. The CAT8 has BIG presence, massive bass, loads of information. There is an in-your-face, authoritative feeling with a wide solid soundstage. But ... I felt I was missing something.

Switching back to the AQ Cinnamon, it sounds muted and polite in direct comparison. However it is more 'musical' with clearer presentation of instruments, atmosphere and delicacy are better maintained. 'What a relief - I haven't spent all that dosh for nothing!'. Despite the psycho-acoustic, placebo-effect claptrap that will probably be fired off in my direction - I don't WANT things to sound better if I have paid more money for them. I just want things to sound better, full stop, and am usually very excited if I can do that for a minimal outlay. I might even have been more chuffed if the CAT8 had swept the AQ under the carpet.

Putting the CAT8 into the second system, feeding the Allo DigiOne Signature in place of the recently-transferred CAT6 link DID make a considerable difference and lifted the sound on this setup up to a new level of control and detailed performance. What I am going to do is to leave the CAT8 in the second system for a week or 2 to run-in a bit and then try it out again against the AQ Cinnamon. I have read that these leads do need some burn-in to get them sounding smoother and that is the quality I am missing at the moment.

I can say that:
CAT6 sounds a lot better than CAT5e
CAT8 is a big step up from CAT6
Silver-plated CAT7 audiophile lead is more refined and musical than standard CAT8 (for now).

Gotta go now, there's a big order of Snake Oil coming in at the drugstore and I want to stock up before it sells out!

Good report on the Cat 8. If running in is required I have more to come. The additional lengths I ordered from Farnell will arrive today. I think Cat 8 is probably the best option for my set up because of all the shielding they provide. The ethernet cable runs alongside TSCS, the cable from the Sky box to P90SA and, from regcently, an extension lead connecting the BMU to the router/hub and NAS. I have ordered a 3M Cat 6 cable to connect the phone socket to the router/hub and will see if that has any effect. There are no other cables in close proximity to this link so no great shielding issues.

[CN211276]

Since the Farnells Cat 8 arrived I had only been streaming from Qobuz and Tidal. Today I streamed a ripped CD (UFO - Covernant) through my NAS which was connected to my router/hub through a lesser, though not bog standard, ethernet cable. To say the sound was disapointing compared to what I had streamed through Tidal and Qobuz would be an under statement. Previously the NAS and HR streaming services had been more or less on a par depending on the quality of the master. Now the music sgounded bland and somewhat lifeless in comparison. The additional shorter lengths of Cat 8 arrived and were connected early this evening. I played the rest of the CD and it was like the music came to life. Clarity returned and cymbals sounded sharp. The experience of taking away what the Cat 8 had brought was a real eye, or ear, openier. This cable has improved my listening experience by a wide margin and at a cost of £45 for the three lengths.

[Fretless]

[slinger]

I found that my Blue Jeans Cat 6a settled down in two or three days, but I wasn't hammering it.

[Fretless]

Trying to be a bit less Computer-Geek and more audio-junkie (which isn't easy, sometimes).

There comes a point in every upgrade-surge where you think; time to sit back and just enjoy the music. And that goes for us all whether your thing is vinyl, tape, AV, 78's, radio, CD or digi-bits.

This foray into the wild frontier of streaming network-related audio (which is, let's face it, the future) has provided me with some lessons and insights but still brings us back to the basics that The Doc (bless him) always hammered on about. Lots of good, clean power, properly shielded cabling and keep things as simple as you can.

Digital audio isn't necessarily about expensive components - 'cheap as chips' they say. it's about how you attach and apply those devices and then we come back to the traditional Hifi nut, messing around with stuff until he is happy (for now).

So - with a good book, a glass of something or other and some mellow tunes on the stereo ...

[Latteman]

Having been a turntable of some sort user for 33 years and what I would call a vinyl snob I am so enjoying digital music more so streaming recently- the quality improves and impresses me from modest equipment. I love streaming my music now- so easy. The digital revolution for me did begin with my first Nva amp as all music became music and I was not stuck with selective albums that sounded good long live the internet (radio paradise & Nva)

[Latteman]

I had a spare cat6 Virgin media cable so diy thoughts kicked in- whipped the ends off- added phono plugs and I have an interconnect- as the cables are ‘cheap’ in comparison I want to try cat7 & 8.
Currently using it between dac & pre amp- not bad- bass improves as album progresses, treble perhaps slightly splashy but details and depth of sound stage are impressive- interesting twist so to speak