$340 Audiophile Ethernet Cable Tear Down

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Let's be honest, we all know that the only reason I am posting this tear down is because it's a cable that costs $340. Have any of you guys paid that much money for a cable?

We purchased two 1.5 meter AudioQuest Vodka cables, since you always want to have a spare for any kind of on-stage demonstration. Rather than simply return them used to Amazon—which doesn't feel terribly ethical—we decided that at least one of the cables could better serve the public interest by sacrificing itself to undergo a methodical evisceration by my handy-dandy iFixit toolkit.
 
audiophiles aka suckers :D think that special cables gives them a clearer more high fidelity sound.

this is false when it comes to things like data cables.

sata, network, hdmi...etc,

analog cables unless really really really cheap are pretty much all the same.
 
I had the Vodka cable but ended up exchanging it for this one. The bass is much punchier now.

lcpThqQ.png
 
Master_shake_ said:
audiophiles aka suckers :D think that special cables gives them a clearer more high fidelity sound.

this is false when it comes to things like data cables.

sata, network, hdmi...etc,

analog cables unless really really really cheap are pretty much all the same.
Click to expand...

It's false when it comes to everything. Even solid gold analog audio cables don't outperform cheap copper ones.
 
People just need to accept that others have disposable income and will spend large amount of money on things simply because they are better than what others use. Is this cable going to produce data that sounds better? No. Is this one of the best manufactured Ethernet cables you can purchase is price isn't a concern and you just want to buy something fancy? Very likely.
 
Megalith said:
I had the Vodka cable but ended up exchanging it for this one. The bass is much punchier now.

lcpThqQ.png
Click to expand...

Begone with your filth, peasant.

6ViQzhb.png


I really thought you had shopped that photo but no, these things exists. Goddamnit, they exist.
 
Kaitian said:
I didn't know that ethernet was used for audio purposes.
Click to expand...

I see it used all the time, for audio, video, lighting (DMX), lots of other protocols, mostly because the electricians are already running lots of that type of cable, cost of troubleshooting and repair is lessened, run distances can be longer. In some cases you need an adapter or signal booster (like with HDMI) but for simple analog audio you just use a twisted pair for each +/-/ground signal. Of course, shielding is important and sometimes the higher cost stuff is worth it.
 
ocellaris said:
People just need to accept that others have disposable income and will spend large amount of money on things simply because they are better than what others use. Is this cable going to produce data that sounds better? No. Is this one of the best manufactured Ethernet cables you can purchase is price isn't a concern and you just want to buy something fancy? Very likely.
Click to expand...

It is not better. A $10 CAT 7 cable (http://www.amazon.com/Tera-Grand-Pr...?ie=UTF8&qid=1437673414&sr=8-1&keywords=cat+7) will easily outperform it.

In addition, this $340 cable does not comply to CAT cabling standards which means that there is no guarantee that it will actually work within specifications.

AudioQuest is nothing but a scam operation designed to sucker gullible rich people out of their money.
 
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Dang.. and only 4 left. How am I supposed to connect all of my components with only 4 cables. I guess I will have to slum it and get the 3k cable. How will I ever get laid with 3k cables. And dammit I don't want any of you guys buying those 4 cables out from under me. I couldn't even show my face to the dog if I had more than one 3k cable.

Blakestr said:
Begone with your filth, peasant.

6ViQzhb.png


I really thought you had shopped that photo but no, these things exists. Goddamnit, they exist.
Click to expand...
 
My very favorite part is the assertion that the cables are "directional" and that the music should flow in the direction of the arrows printed on the cable housing. What kind of grade A marketing horseshit is that?
 
It makes perfect sense, given that their customer base is probably often confused which end to plug in and give up in a fit of frustration.
 
Blakestr said:
Begone with your filth, peasant.

6ViQzhb.png


I really thought you had shopped that photo but no, these things exists. Goddamnit, they exist.
Click to expand...

Damnit. I bought 2 on Prime Day for $13,495.75 and thought I was getting a steal of a deal. :(
 
They do have directional HDMI cables. They wont work if you dont use them in the right direction. Found that out the hard way after having a 100ft hdmi cable strung through a wall and ceiling.
 
If you're trying to push analog signals across an Ethernet cable I can see wanting to use a higher quality cable. Having used Monster, Viper, and various other cables over the years for that purpose, there's a point where it makes little to no difference between a $20 cable and a $200 cable. Only exception that would be remotely possible is in an environment where there's lots of potential for outside interference. At that point you probably should be using pro style audio equipment anyway.

Anyway, dead horse beat, this cable is mostly for those with more money than sense. ;)
 
Dwango said:
My very favorite part is the assertion that the cables are "directional" and that the music should flow in the direction of the arrows printed on the cable housing. What kind of grade A marketing horseshit is that?
Click to expand...

Actually there are some directional cables. IE. Redmere has an active component that helps long HDMI runs work better. It's actually a legit technology.

If you're just talking standard copper, then yeah directional is BS.
 
Blakestr said:
6ViQzhb.png


I really thought you had shopped that photo but no, these things exists. Goddamnit, they exist.
Click to expand...

imagine this shit on the price is right showcase.

Your brand new HDMI cable!! WOOO

What? you wanted a car for the same price? fuck you!
 
I see like zero reason why this is a big deal. If someone feels better because they purchased an expensive cable, leave them alone. It's no different than the people that set up a home theater thing, taking over an entire room in their home to fill it with wires, giant speakers, and a pointlessly big screen that then is asserted as being "much better" than watching a movie anywhere else and a big savings over spending $10 on a ticket. *shrug* Let people do what they want if it keeps them off the street. It's a harmless hobby for the most part as long as their uninformed addiction isn't costing a dependent family to suffer from a lack of available opportunities denied to them by a lack of savings that was otherwise spent on stupid stuff.
 
I will say the part about the high frequency running on the outside of the center conductor is true. All the coax cable in our headend is silver plated copper.
 
Hi frequency or not, the signal in going to go through the silver. Electricity takes the path of least resistance and silver has lower resistance than copper.
 
I used to use Monster Cable interconnects on all of my A/V gear back in the day.
I still have them, they are sitting in a drawer now, and they probably still function fine being 25 years old.
They sound no different than the cheap interconnects that come with A/V gear, but they are durable.
cables_rear.jpg
 
Youn said:
There can absolutely be a loss in fidelity over "data cables".

I agree about the more expensive "audiophile" stuff, though. Just ask those guys to do a simple double-blind test:

http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/03/audiophiles-cant-tell-the-difference-between-monster-cable-and/
Click to expand...

That's what they're doing!

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015...ile-ethernet-cables-to-the-test-in-las-vegas/

They already performed the test last weekend, but they need time to write up the results, so this is a teaser to keep people excited while they wait. Based on the hundreds of comments at Ars, I think they did the right thing :D
 
I did not know about directional HDMI cables. I did know "A Fool and his Money are Soon Parted. :D
 
I wonder how many people that comment on stuff like this have ever even heard uncompressed audio on a high-end system... I'm not saying I would buy a $300 cable, but most people that I know have never heard audio from anything other than earbuds, a boombox, or an all-in-one system (at best, lower end gear like Onkyo, Sony, Yamaha, etc.).

I do agree though that any digital cable will do, and most patch cables will do (although I do disagree with the cheap patch cables that come with cheap components being equal), but I have heard profound changes in audio quality with better speaker cables--but mostly just increases in the gauge of the cable--and mostly limited to changes in the bass range (I have had really annoying room resonances completely removed just by changing the speaker cable). I would never pay more than $4.00 per foot though (for speaker cables - a $10 set of patch cables seems to work just fine).
 
prime2515102 said:
I wonder how many people that comment on stuff like this have ever even heard uncompressed audio on a high-end system... I'm not saying I would buy a $300 cable, but most people that I know have never heard audio from anything other than earbuds, a boombox, or an all-in-one system (at best, lower end gear like Onkyo, Sony, Yamaha, etc.).

I do agree though that any digital cable will do, and most patch cables will do (although I do disagree with the cheap patch cables that come with cheap components being equal), but I have heard profound changes in audio quality with better speaker cables--but mostly just increases in the gauge of the cable--and mostly limited to changes in the bass range (I have had really annoying room resonances completely removed just by changing the speaker cable). I would never pay more than $4.00 per foot though (for speaker cables - a $10 set of patch cables seems to work just fine).
Click to expand...

I love my setup at home. I didnt have to spend thousands but having a decent 5.1 receiver and a good set of speakers makes movies,music and games more enjoyable. It really is about what is most important. Some spend more money on visual quality, some audio, and some both. I know plenty that use tv speakers and are happy. I don't think any one group is right or wrong, it is all preferences.

I do just fine with a spool of cheap speaker wire for my stuff. Just don't undersize your wire gauge and you will do just fine.
 
Dirty Butler said:
I will say the part about the high frequency running on the outside of the center conductor is true. All the coax cable in our headend is silver plated copper.
Click to expand...

prime2515102 said:
Hi frequency or not, the signal in going to go through the silver. Electricity takes the path of least resistance and silver has lower resistance than copper.
Click to expand...

Yes, but the silver is in the SHIELD, not the twisted pair conductors.

Coating a cable with silver to improve conductivity for a high-frequency surface signal = good.

Improving the conductivity of a shield = not so useful. The signal is traveling on the surface of the copper conductors, not the shield. The shield is only there to protect the twisted pair from interference, and the twisted pair already does a pretty fantastic job on it's own:

http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1279624

This is why Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) is the industry standard for everything except 10GbE: shielding doesn't add much more than extra cost.
 
It's feeding off obsessive compulsive disorder and delusion in the audiophile community, it's disgusting and immoral.
 
Lol, for people with more money than brains, who make emotional purchases rather than informed rational ones.

If a large sample of even bona fide audiophiles with the high end audio equipment of their choice can pass an A/B test significantly more than 50% of the time (the rate oclf chance of guessing) based on the difference in sound between this, and a cheap $3.99 cable from Monoprice I will eat my hat.
 
Zarathustra[H];1041749632 said:
Lol, for people with more money than brains, who make emotional purchases rather than informed rational ones.

If a large sample of even bona fide audiophiles with the high end audio equipment of their choice can pass an A/B test significantly more than 50% of the time (the rate oclf chance of guessing) based on the difference in sound between this, and a cheap $3.99 cable from Monoprice I will eat my hat.
Click to expand...

yup. not to mention how much money would need to be spent for the cable to finally be the weak point in an audio setup?
 
Zarathustra[H];1041749632 said:
Lol, for people with more money than brains, who make emotional purchases rather than informed rational ones.

If a large sample of even bona fide audiophiles with the high end audio equipment of their choice can pass an A/B test significantly more than 50% of the time (the rate oclf chance of guessing) based on the difference in sound between this, and a cheap $3.99 cable from Monoprice I will eat my hat.
Click to expand...

Your hat is safe.
 
About the only thing that makes this worth more than a $10 cable is the braiding to help prevent wear and tear and heavy duty (latching?) connector.

At most, there might be $30 worth of parts there, maybe a $50 cable. It is definitely not worth $300.
 
defaultluser said:
Yes, but the silver is in the SHIELD, not the twisted pair conductors.

Coating a cable with silver to improve conductivity for a high-frequency surface signal = good.

Improving the conductivity of a shield = not so useful. The signal is traveling on the surface of the copper conductors, not the shield. The shield is only there to protect the twisted pair from interference, and the twisted pair already does a pretty fantastic job on it's own:

http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1279624

This is why Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) is the industry standard for everything except 10GbE: shielding doesn't add much more than extra cost.
Click to expand...

According to that article, the copper conductors are silver plated. That is not a shield, it's a plating.
 
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