Does Ethernet Cable Category Matter for a Home Audio Network?

[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 standard Cat5e or Cat6, or have you found a practical reason to use higher-category or shielded Ethernet cables in your audio system?

I'd be interested to hear what others use and why.

 

[RepublicOfTexas69]

I use CAT6 Unshielded no reason for CAT7 or 8 I also have a optical break in my digital chain. I use Triode Wire Labs.

 

[Bones13]

I am positive all systems are different. Home network, server, streamer, DAC. I’m sure that some systems benefit from different cables, in certain positions.

However, thats a lot to experiment with. I agree with @RepublicOfTexas69 that an optical “break”, placed as close to the streamer as possible is the best first thing to implement. I have Cat5e I think, in the walls.

I use standard Ethernet cables through my network (mainly UniFi cables, and network components), with my particular system incorporating a fiber cable between my streamer and DAC (MSB Premier DAC + Digital Director + Renderer V2) Made my network setup easy.

In a past iteration, with an EtherRegen feeding a microRendu, adding an optical Ethernet segment between my desk Hub and the EtherRegen blew away any other setup I was trying at the time.

 

[2FarGone]

I am positive all systems are different. Home network, server, streamer, DAC. I’m sure that some systems benefit from different cables, in certain positions.

However, thats a lot to experiment with. I agree with @RepublicOfTexas69 that an optical “break”, placed as close to the streamer as possible is the best first thing to implement. I have Cat5e I think, in the walls.

I use standard Ethernet cables through my network (mainly UniFi cables, and network components), with my particular system incorporating a fiber cable between my streamer and DAC (MSB Premier DAC + Digital Director + Renderer V2) Made my network setup easy.

In a past iteration, with an EtherRegen feeding a microRendu, adding an optical Ethernet segment between my desk Hub and the EtherRegen blew away any other setup I was trying at the time.

Please say more. This optical break you speak of. Exactly how did you implement same? It’s something that I never really considered, although it does seem logical that it would eliminate any kind of electrical noise.

 

[Bones13]

The first time I used an “optical break” was getting a hub with an SFP cage. This hub fed my desktop via copper cable. The SFP cage, with optical insert fed another corresponding SFP setup installed in an EtherRegen device, which was hooked up to my streamer via another copper cable.

Only the EtherRegen was electrically connected to the streamer.