Ethernet & Streaming
Audiophile ethernet cables in Cat6, Cat6a, Cat7 and Cat8 for streamers, servers and network players, from Atlas, AudioQuest, Chord, Melco, Supra and Tellurium Q.
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Does ethernet cable matter in hi-fi?
The data arrives intact either way, so the case for audiophile ethernet is about noise rather than bit accuracy. Network cable carries high frequency electrical noise from routers, switches and everything else on the network, and that noise can reach the streamer and from there the DAC.
This is a category where opinions differ sharply and we would rather be straight about it. Some listeners hear a clear difference when they replace a standard patch lead in the last run before the streamer. Others hear nothing at all. The variables that matter most are how noisy the network is and how well isolated the streamer's own ethernet input is.
If you want to try it, start with the final run between the switch or router and the streamer, since that is where any change is most likely. A higher category number is not automatically better for audio: Cat8 uses a shielding arrangement that connects to the equipment chassis at both ends, which some systems prefer and others do not. Trying one in your own system is the honest way to settle the question.
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From£833.33Ex. VATThe Entreq Delphius Digital Signal Cable is a hand-made Swedish digital interconnect and the first product in Entreq's new cable architecture. Copper and silver conductors run in a cotton dielectric alongside a separately shielded silver Energy Reference System wire, with a Corepoint Signal unit supplied with every cable. It is available in RCA coaxial, XLR AES/EBU, USB and RJ45 network variants, in 1.1m and 1.65m standard lengths. -
From£700.00Ex. VATThe Entreq Primer Core Power Cable is a hand-made mains power cable built around Entreq's Energy Reference System (ERS) and Corepoint technology. Every cable is supplied with a Corepoint Power unit tuned for high-current applications, and terminates in a custom power plug and IEC connector. It delivers clean, coherent mains power to your components.
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From£23.33Ex. VATADOT's fibre-optic cable features a fibre of just 3mm, designed to eliminate noise in data transfer. NOTE: THIS PRODUCT CONTAINS AN ETHERNET CABLE ONLY.
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From£369.17Ex. VATThe Kordz PRS SlimCat Cat6A is a slim 5.0mm shielded F/UTP network cable for 10Gbps and 100W PoE++ up to 50m, with CPR Dca LSZH and UL444 CMG ratings, on a 305m reel-in-box in six colours.
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From£3,166.67Ex. VATThe Entreq Olympus Digital Signal Cable is a hand-crafted digital cable available in BNC, RCA, RJ45 network, USB and XLR formats, all built with Entreq's triple EEDS construction. Entreq single out its organic, analogue character, which sets it apart from digital cables that can carry a harsh edge. Like all Olympus cables it requires an accompanying Entreq ground box, sold separately.
