Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion HiFi & HT Chat Has anyone compared the Furutech LAN-10G with standard ethernet cables

Hi,

Ever since I saw the Furutech LAN-10G I wondered if there is any difference/impovement in sound compared to a regular ethernet cable.

Any input on this subject would be intresting

Best Regards, Per Nilsson, Sweden

Both AudioQuest and Acoustic Revive make dedicated LANcables for audio use. Acoustic Revive also makes a special filter for use with LAN cables. I once read a review about these cables and filters on the Polish website highfidelity.pl - which also has an English translation for all of its articles.
But I have never used these cables or filters myself, though I am really interested if they work, and how.

I find it all a bit...

Nice one Steve.

Hi

Fry is always fun. But he didn't have much useful to say (as usual). Maybe we can call Dr Zoidberg?

Regards Per

I have some fabulously expensive Cat 6 STP (35p/metre) but to use it with LAN jacks not designed for shielded 8P8Cs is a pain.
Plain old boxed Cat5e is about 16p/metre for reference.

For use with LAN or as SpeakerLink? For the latter I would not be so sure to dismiss too quickly.

All 'CATn' cables have a characteristic impedance of 100 ohms.
AES/EBU requires a characteristic impedance 110 ohms.

Whatever type of CATn cables are used for SpeakerLink can't be that important because apparently SpeakerLink works, even with the impedance mismatch.

Hi

To make things clearer. I am mostly intrested in thoughts/opinions of using them as SpeakerLink replacements.

In my experience most cables affect sound. So why not ethernet cables?

Best Regards, Per Nilsson

As above, all Catergory 3, 5, 6 etc. cables are a different characteristic impedance to what AES/EBU (AES3) requires; 100 ohms vs. 110 ohms.
So every standard cable is not suitable for purpose; you wouldn't buy a 68.18 ohm SPDIF cable?

AES/EBU is very robust.

Meridian take a lot of care to ensure their equipment is immune to cable effects, so it will work with all cables fit for purpose, and even those not very suitable as above.

My point is that fancy, overpriced 'ethernet' cables will do nothing to address the fundamental impedance mismatch, which would normally cause lots of problems, but doesn't, because 1, AES/EBU is robust and 2, Meridian made sure it wouldn't.

All the best,
Steve.

Cables carrying audio frequencies can have known effects and can be a useful tool in voicing an analogue system. However Meridian SpeakerLink cables carry digital signal, so unless Meridian's advice has changed since my day, their only recomendations were to keep them separate from RF sources (i.e. mains and video cables) and avoid taking up excess cable by coiling, rather, take all the excess out in a loop and keep halving it, like folding a sheet.

Steve,

AES/EBU using XLRs is 110 Ohm. AES/EBU using Cat 5e is 100 Ohm. There shouldn't be an impedance mismatch unless the transmitter and receiver stages are poorly designed/off the shelf.

Xanavi,

In my experience the amount of money spent by the listener has the most effect on their perceived improvement. I've been involved in experiments at a hifi dealer where we ABX'd all sorts of things, generally the best engineered product (not the most expensive) won every time.