Recent content by frankmike

I've been thinking about how much Ethernet cable category really matters in a home audio setup. Cat5e can handle Gigabit Ethernet, and Cat6 offers additional performance headroom. For a network streamer, music server, or NAS, I'm curious how people decide which cable to use. Do you stick with...

In my experience, I would separate the question of network performance from audio performance. A properly configured Ethernet switch should not normally change the actual network data being delivered, but different devices can have different power supplies, grounding, isolation, and noise...

I've experimented with a few different setups over the years, and my takeaway is that once you're using a well-made solid copper Cat6 cable, the returns start diminishing pretty quickly. I haven't personally heard enough of a difference moving to Cat7 or Cat8 to justify the extra cost in a...