AudioQuest Cinnamon RJ/E Ethernet Cable-1.5m

I'm open minded when it comes to cables. It's reasonable to me that different analog cable construction might yield different sound characteristics. It's reasonable to me that timing in a digital signal is relevant to music reproduction (especially given the importance Dacs place on low jitter components).I have what I think can be fairly called a very to ultra revealing system that I've built over a period of several years. Hedd Type 20s (*superb monitors btw*, liked them better than Genelec 8341s) < Audioquest Mackenzie XLR < Adam Sub 8 < Mackenzie XLR < RME ADI2 Dac < Audioquest Coffee USB < PC < Cinnamon RJ/E < ModemI had been going back and forth on trying the Cinnamon RJ/E cable as an upgrade to the Pearl. I did not notice much improvement when upgrading to the Pearl (maybe a mild improvement in warmth/clarity but subtle if at all), and so I was pretty skeptical about the Cinnamon, and was ready to return it if I didn't notice anything significant.Well, I am pretty surprised. When A/Bing it with the Pearl, I could tell a difference right away. This is what I've noticed so far after about 4 hours of listening:-Smoother, slightly more natural sound-An increase in clarity-A slightly/moderately wider and deeper soundstage. Music is notably, though moderately more holographic. It feels like I've zoomed in on the music a bit. When you upgrade speakers or a Dac, you get this same effect but far more magnified.-Music just sounds tonally better and cleaner, moderately so, but noticeable.-Bass slam seems to have increased a bitThe improvements I've noticed with this cable are hard to describe exactly, but I'm actually really pleased with the difference. I think it is a bigger improvement than when I went from the Carbon USB to the Coffee actually.What I think now is that perhaps my ethernet cable was the weak link in my system, and upgrading it has allowed the other components to shine more (it's also the first cable in my chain after my modem).Is the improvement anything close to upgrading speakers? Not even close. But there IS a difference. I'm still surprised given a lot of musical data is (AFAIK) cached on your HD before you even hear it (Youtube video pre-loading for example) and so where would the ethernet cable play a role at that point?Still, this cable is already increasing my enjoyment of the audio from my system more than its proportional cost to my system overall. I give it an enthusiastic 5 stars and suggest trying it. It may or may not work but you can always return it.

Some people will say that cables don’t matter, any cable will work and so on, but I am a true believer that the better the quality of cable, the better performance you will receive. Now, is that statement for everyone? No, but I believe you have to try, sit, review and compare for yourself in order to know what everyone speaks of who believe in cable upgrades.With that said, I compared these with a Monster Cat 6, a Rocketfish Cat 6, a Monster 5, Generic cat 6, and a Generic Cat 5A that came with the cable modem and a Tera Grand Cat 7.I knew that I at first wanted to upgrade from the Cat 5A because I knew that I could get better speed with a Cat 6, so I then bought the Monster cat 6 and it made a difference in speed and in quality of HD movies from Netflix. I then upgraded the cablevision modem to a Surfboard and notice a slight speed improvement but also noticed a lot of interference that was preventing the modem to reach it’s true speed capability. I then researched and read reviews that cat 7 cables were faster and better shielded than cat 6 cables. I then bought Tera Grands which are sold here on Amazon and there was a major improvement in speed but it was never steady, I read so many reviews that state that those cables are hit or miss when it comes to getting a good one, one day I would receive great steady pings and MBPS, and the next it would be off the wall. So I decided to test the Audioquest ones and once I received them I hooked them up right away and wow, steady Pings and MBPS and no drops, I receive a steady 70 and above MBPS with cablevision when it use to drop down past 30 when I had the tera Grands connected.So, the rocketfish Cat 6 were the better from the Cat 6 cables, the tera Grands were good but if you live in a city with much interference the shielding will not be enough, go for these. Are they expensive? Yes, but they are worth the peace of mind if you care about picture quality, I have a 51 inch plasma and a 40 inch LCD and trust me, test your own cables and compare them to these. Go to Netflix or any other streaming set you may have, set it to the highest streaming quality and that is the best way to test these cables out.

I bought this primarily because I have the KEF LS50 wireless, and have minimal cables in my system to start, and while KEF has taken care of most if not all the likely distortion with their amps /DACs tuned to the speakers, the only communication between the R Master and L speaker is the RJ/E cable. Since I needed a longer one than the stock, I decided to upgrade. Excellent build quality, won't argue the merits with others, but this is my second AQ quest cable and I am very pleased with the quality! Based on experience with high end headphones and DACs, the silver coating should make a difference.

I've been a audiophile for a number of years and I have spent a fortune on cables (Transparent Cables) in the past. I was going over my TV connections the other day and realized that I have never upgraded my TV connections, I had fairly run of the mill cables. I thought I would start slowly and buy Audioquest Cinnamon ethernet cables and see if it made a difference... huge difference! I was elated to say the least, so from there I went to the Cinnamon HDMI for picture and optical for audio connection into the soundbar. I have augmented my three different systems by at least 30-40% better sound/picture. I have read article after article that upgraded cables don't make a difference. Don't believe it. To make even a stronger point about cables, I work with a jazz trio and through the years I have used top of the line Transparent cables (power cable and RCA connection from bass to amp on my up-right bass. I wish you could hear the difference. Opps, I get carried away when I talk cables. The good ones work!