Ok - 1st impressions of the cat7 - I'm actually pleased to find that my 1st impression is that I really dont find any difference (sound wise) between the cat5e el cheapo Walmart cable and the SOTA Sanwa cat7. They actually cost about the same - 20 bucks for the 25 ft cat5e, and about the same on the internet for the 25 ft cat7. The cat7 has a much more substantial feel to it with gold plated contacts.
That impression was satisfying for a couple of reasons: It has been reported by Gordon Rankin (Wavelength audio) and others that they have noticed substantial differences in the sound of various USB cables, even over asynchronous USB interfaces. That has been troubling to me, and was one of the factors that lead to my decision to buy the Transporter. To my understanding, an asynchronous USB would be most similar to Ethernet in the transmission of digital data. I still believe Ethernet is superior. Not only due to the fact that Ethernet can be used over much longer distances, but also much higher frequencies. Not sure about the comparison between Ethernet and Firewire. That is a discussion for another thread! -- earwaxer9 System: modified Winsome Labs Mouse, modified Maggie MMG's, Transporter, HSU sub 12, MSB DAC to 500 watt sub slave amp, JPS labs power cords, Silver audio interconnect, Audioquest Granite speaker cable. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ earwaxer9's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=39527 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=80786 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles