Any audiophiles up in this piece?

[Rman]

Thinking of getting into buying music again and creating a FLAC ripping workflow, my dudes.

Since I'm on the move a lot, thinking of adding this since it's made for audiophiles:

https://www.sony.com/electronics/walkman/nw-wm1a

Are y'all looking to get out of the Spotify ghetto and embrace high-quality tunes?

[Transhuman]

I'm fine with youtube

[Mupepe]

my setup is mostly for movies. When I do music I run a 2/2.1 setup on Klipsch 280FA’s which are a bit too bright for the music I enjoy. But my subwoofer is a sealed Power Sound Audio dial 15” unit that sounds amazing. So sometimes I can’t help it. But usually for music I use some Sennheiser HD800s with a Schiit amp and DAC. I have a FLAC collection based on my PC. I used to use Tidal for their hifi streaming but it wasn’t worth the extra money. A lot of my iTunes Store collection sounded better.

[Pissy F Benny]

The high quality option on Spotify sounds good enough 4 me 

[headwalk]

FLAC, soulseek and bandcamp are true allies. don't consider myself an audiophile by any means but MP3 sounds like slushy shite to me nowadays.

[Potato]

Not an audiophile by any stretch of the imagination, but I have an entry level setup.

• Marantz PM5005 integrated amplifier
• Q acoustics 2020i bookshelf speakers
• Audio Technica LP3 turntable

I just use an old DVD player for CDs. Not interested in spending hundreds of dollars for something that isn't going to improve my listening experience that much, if at all.

[benjipwns]

Make sure to get the highest quality most expensive Ethernet cables you can:
https://www.audiostream.com/content/audioquest-vodka-ethernet-cable-and-diamond-ethernet-cable

Expensive Ethernet Cables
I hemmed and hawed. I procrastinated. I averted, diverted, rescheduled, delayed, prolonged, and put off reviewing the AudioQuest Vodka and Diamond Ethernet Cables hoping that something would change. Namely, I was hoping someone would be able to tell me why, in no uncertain terms, they do in fact make a difference in the way my music sounds coming through my hi-fi. In many ways and for many reasons I wished they made no difference at all. I wish they were just some audiophile nonsense that I could plug in, listen to, unplug, and simply shrug at their utter ineffectualness. But that's just not how these things work.

The line of AudioQuest Ethernet cables are all rated as Category 7 Ethernet cables and include the least expensive Pearl ($29/1.5M), Forest ($49/1.5M), Cinnamon ($89/1.5M), Vodka ($339/1.5M), and the top of the heap Diamond ($1,195/1.5M). I reviewed the Forest and Cinnamon (see review) and found that they improved the sound of music played through them and the rest of my hi-fi. When Steve Silbermann of AudioQuest told me, "You've got to try the new Vodka and Diamond cables. They're sick." I couldn't resist.

I really could have written this review months ago. The perceived differences between the Vodka, Diamond, Cinnamon, and Cat. 5 cable are plainly apparent and easy to hear. I'd sum up these differences as more. You get an increasingly large sound picture as you move up the line, greater differentiation between sonic elements, and a greater sense of clarity. I would classify these changes as being better in each case.

I've spent a few months with these cables, and I swapped them in and out any number of times. With quick A/B swapping, which I admit to finding one of the most annoying ways one can listen since you're no longer listening to the music!, I was still able to perceive a clear difference but longer listening allowed me to more fully appreciate the greater clarity and relative ease the Vodka and Diamond cables impart. You can picture the changes when going from the standard Cat. 5 Ethernet cable to the Cinnamon, Vodka, and Diamond as adding more and more color to a faded image. It's as if the sound blossoms more fully with the more expensive cables.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

The reviewer in the comments, two years later:

Perhaps.
Submitted by Michael Lavorgna on February 10, 2015 - 12:06pm
But I'm not the only person to have perceived a difference between Ethernet cables. Far from it. Not counting other reviews, manufacturers, and some of my colleagues, I have experienced a number of AudioQuest demonstrations to audiences at hi-fi shows where it was clear that the majority of people heard the same difference. Now, in each and every case we could be experiencing confirmation bias or we could be perceiving a change in the sound.

While I appreciate the seemingly overwhelming logic that would suggest the former is the case, I am for better or worse bound by what I experience.

I've read lots of books.
Submitted by Michael Lavorgna on February 10, 2015 - 1:18pm
I've also listened to different Ethernet cables and heard a difference between them. If I felt the AudioQuest Ethernet cables were simply snake oil I would say so. That has not been my experience.

Well put.
Submitted by Michael Lavorgna on February 10, 2015 - 12:26pm
As I said in my review, "I can in fact think of more reasons why they can't make a difference." That said, I also said, "The veracity of anything and everything [in hi-fi] is decided by listening." Since this review was written, I've had additional opportunities to compare AudioQuest Ethernet cables to standard Ethernet cables and in every instance I perceived a difference.

I appreciate your well considered comment.
Submitted by Michael Lavorgna on February 10, 2015 - 2:07pm
As well as your proposed reason for why I perceived a difference. I will say that I've experienced this difference between Ethernet cables in many different rooms/circumstances. This includes numerous hi-fi shows with rooms full of people, the AudioQuest headquarters, as well as my own listening room over the course of a few months. There are also other reviews out there that pretty closely reflect the differences I've noted. I just happen to be the lucky one to have been quoted in a few recent articles ;-) All of this would suggest to me that your proposed solution is not correct.

I'm not an electrical engineer, for what it's worth.
Submitted by Michael Lavorgna on August 2, 2015 - 8:25am
Regarding #2, higher CAT levels offer improved noise rejection. So I don't follow when you say, "Note how these are all functions of the transceivers common to each of your listening tests - and not of the cables you reviewed".
When I first reviewed these Ethernet cables, I did not see how they could possibly make a difference so I do not see how confirmation bias comes into the picture. I also spent months listening to these various cables, and combinations thereof, and I have since had a number of opportunities to hear comparisons between the AQ cables and CAT5 cables and have in every instance heard a difference. Others have as well and they have written about it since this review first appeared nearly 3 years ago.

Since I admit here to not understanding the cause of the differences I perceived, my recommendation is to try them for yourself. Since I wrote this review, I've looked into possible explanations for the differences I heard which I've written about. Based on this information, I recommend buying good quality CAT6 or CAT7 Ethernet cables for any network-attached hi-fi as well as taking care in where they are run. I recommend the AQ Ethernet cables, specifically the Cinnamon, for short runs since they are well made and come with a 30-day return policy.

For my personal use, I purchased 2 lengths of the AQ Vodka cables and 2 lengths of the Cinnamon which I've been using for years. You can of course make of this whatever you'd like.

The fact that some people cannot think of an explanation while others can who are much more knowledgeable than I am, is certainly of interest since an adult conversation can possibly lead to better understanding. Since I wrote this review, I've learned enough to know that focusing on data transmission alone will get us nowhere. I have also learned that this entire subject treads on deep seated beliefs for some people so my guess is they view me as some sort of threat.

I've also had very informative email exchanges with people over the years since these reviews were published who are EEs and work in a number of related fields. None of these exchanges have had the condensing tone of Khablam's comments here and in fact explanations were offered as to why different Ethernet cables can make a difference in a network-attached hi-fi. My point being, people with extensive knowledge in dealing with exactly this issue, noise in mixed signal systems etc, are willing to share knowledge and explore explanations. I find this of great value. Being told I don't know what I'm talking about, when I admit that I don't understand the reasons for the differences I've perceived, I find of no value.

[close]

[who is ted danson?]

$3000 dollar power cables plugged into 1950's "came with the house" cum crusted wall socket.

[BisMarckie]

I found out that by using a more expensive ethernet cable, the quality of the posts on the Bire slightly improves.

[Brehvolution]

audiophiles are fucked up

It's a superiority complex thing. It's not like there is any way they can prove they can hear better. You are supposed to see the amount of money dumped into headphones/amps/speakers and take their word for it.

[Rman]

audiophiles are fucked up

Arent we all to some extent lol.

[TEEEPO]

i'm a whore for chi-fi. each year i buy the hottest new chi-fi iems for 20-30 bucks and abuse the fuck out of them.

[team filler]

I found out that by using a more expensive ethernet cable, the quality of the posts on the Bire slightly improves.

invested in a high end mouse to improve the quality and accuracy of giving likes 

[Coax]

It's a superiority complex thing. It's not like there is any way they can prove they can hear better. You are supposed to see the amount of money dumped into headphones/amps/speakers and take their word for it.

Best to just test properly to find if one can even hear a difference tbh. If someone can't blind A/B test which is better then it's at best not worth it and at worst BS and there are whole 'audiophile' communities where blind testing is taboo due to all their investment and also advertisers.

Recently heard the CEO and founder of EVGA decided upon straightforward custom copper speaker wires for his personal set up since he determined there wasn't an audible difference compared to the priciest cables he had tested. Seems to have the right idea.

[remy]

i'm a whore for chi-fi. each year i buy the hottest new chi-fi iems for 20-30 bucks and abuse the fuck out of them.

is there a good resource for this kinda shit? I had some chi fi in ears that were beast but lost em

[remy]

 My tinnitus/hearing is so bad that i can barely tell differenece between a shitty mp3 and flac anymore

[TEEEPO]

i'm a whore for chi-fi. each year i buy the hottest new chi-fi iems for 20-30 bucks and abuse the fuck out of them.

is there a good resource for this kinda shit? I had some chi fi in ears that were beast but lost em

head-fi and audiobudget forums

you can also get an idea by what's hot through whatever is dropping on massdrop.

[bluemax]

Sup nerds, anyone want to help me figure out which wires I need to hook my new turntable to my receiver and speakers?

I have this turntable:

https://www.audio-technica.com/cms/turntables/60fd97f6023195fd/index.html

This receiver:

https://www.sony.com/electronics/av-receivers/str-dh190/buy/strdh190

And these speakers:

https://www.sony.com/electronics/speakers/ss-cs3

[Rahxephon91]

I don't have the money to be one, but I would love to be. The times I have dipped into more "expensive" audio things have been worth it. Sound matters. I just got a cheap entry level surround system and sound mixing in things has became far more important to me.

[Mupepe]

Sup nerds, anyone want to help me figure out which wires I need to hook my new turntable to my receiver and speakers?

I have this turntable:

https://www.audio-technica.com/cms/turntables/60fd97f6023195fd/index.html

This receiver:

https://www.sony.com/electronics/av-receivers/str-dh190/buy/strdh190

And these speakers:

https://www.sony.com/electronics/speakers/ss-cs3

You just need some RCA cables - the red and white ones (on both sides). Make sure you turn the preamp on your TT off when you put the receiver in Phono mode. Then just some regular ol speaker wire for the speakers to receiver.

[Mupepe]

Forgot to mention that the longer you need to run the speaker wire, the heavier gauge you’ll need. And that distance is reduced further because you have 6 ohm speakers. I’d say 16 gauge, which is usually what you find in the stores, is good up to 30-35 feet for 6 ohm speakers.