Just two days ago I disliked streaming then this

fridays

Just two days ago I disliked streaming then this
« on: 22 Jul 2026, 03:31 am »
The Triode Wire Labs "Freedom" Ethernet Cable completely transformed my streaming setup, especially paired with my Lampizator Big 7 DAC. Right out of the box, the cable was super flexible and easy to route, which is a huge plus behind a busy equipment rack.Once plugged in, the sonic difference wasn't subtle. It feels like it stripped away a layer of digital glare, letting the natural, organic magic of the Lampizator DAC fully shine. The soundstage opened up beautifully, the background became dead quiet, and the bass gained a ton of clean punch. It makes streaming audio sound incredibly fluid, textured, and lifelike—almost like listening to a great analog source. If you want to feed your high-end DAC the cleanest possible signal without spending a fortune, the Freedom cable is a no-brainer.
Pete also says it takes about 100 hours to fully break in…wow can’t wait

skunark

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Re: Just two days ago I disliked streaming then this
« Reply #1 on: 22 Jul 2026, 08:21 pm »
Ethernet includes error detection and buffering, so as long as the link is functioning correctly, the DAC receives the same data regardless of the cable. If someone prefers a different cable, that’s their prerogative, but descriptions like “removing digital glare” and “Ethernet cable break-in” aren’t supported by established engineering or controlled listening tests.

Charles Xavier

Re: Just two days ago I disliked streaming then this
« Reply #2 on: 22 Jul 2026, 09:47 pm »
TWL for the win

toocool4

Re: Just two days ago I disliked streaming then this
« Reply #3 on: 22 Jul 2026, 10:40 pm »
Ethernet includes error detection and buffering, so as long as the link is functioning correctly, the DAC receives the same data regardless of the cable. If someone prefers a different cable, that’s their prerogative, but descriptions like “removing digital glare” and “Ethernet cable break-in” aren’t supported by established engineering or controlled listening tests.

 :thumb:

Also, I would love to know what breaks-in in a cable?

nlitworld

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Re: Just two days ago I disliked streaming then this
« Reply #4 on: 23 Jul 2026, 12:59 am »
Not sure how or why, but I've experienced both cable phenomenon to be true. My best guess for the ethernet cable is that digital data isn't exactly a 1 or 0, but a high voltage and low voltage much like a pwm signal for computer data. If you have a high and low voltage repeating at amazingly fast speeds, the quality of connector and soldering job, the purity of conductor and the ability to cancel noise would all play a major role.

As to rca cables, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

skunark

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Re: Just two days ago I disliked streaming then this
« Reply #5 on: 23 Jul 2026, 02:39 am »
The issue is that Ethernet doesn’t work the way you’re describing. The receiver isn’t trying to interpret tiny analog differences as audio—it recovers digital packets using standardized signaling, error detection (CRC), and buffering. If the signal is good enough to maintain the link, the data received is the same. If it isn’t, you get retransmissions, dropouts, or a broken connection—not subtly better bass or a wider soundstage.

Connector quality and shielding absolutely matter for reliability in electrically noisy or industrial environments, but that’s very different from changing the sound of a correctly functioning Ethernet audio stream.

As for RCA cables, those can make a measurable difference in some situations because they’re carrying an analog signal. But with reasonable cable lengths and properly designed equipment, audible differences are usually far smaller than marketing claims suggest.

cleeds

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Re: Just two days ago I disliked streaming then this
« Reply #6 on: 23 Jul 2026, 03:07 pm »


... descriptions like “removing digital glare” and “Ethernet cable break-in” aren’t supported by established engineering or controlled listening tests.

That's interesting. Will you please tell us about the "controlled listening tests" that you reference here?

skunark

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Re: Just two days ago I disliked streaming then this
« Reply #7 on: 23 Jul 2026, 07:28 pm »
That’s a fair question. I probably should have phrased that more carefully.

I’m not aware of any well-controlled listening tests that demonstrate audible differences between standards-compliant Ethernet cables in a properly functioning network. If there are such studies, I’d be genuinely interested in reading them.

My skepticism comes from the engineering. Ethernet is designed with differential signaling, galvanic isolation, clock recovery, error detection, buffering, and (where applicable) retransmission so that, when the link is operating within specification, the same data arrives regardless of the cable.

From a practical standpoint, Ethernet is also one of the easiest cables to evaluate yourself. Swapping Ethernet cables takes seconds, doesn’t require powering equipment down, and can be done repeatedly without anyone knowing which cable is connected. If the reported effects are as large as “removing digital glare” or dramatically changing soundstage, they should be straightforward to demonstrate under blinded conditions.

Triode Pete

Re: Just two days ago I disliked streaming then this
« Reply #8 on: 24 Jul 2026, 12:38 am »
:thumb:

Also, I would love to know what breaks-in in a cable?

I use a HI-POWER Reference audiodharma cable cooker (https://www.thecablecooker.com/) to preliminary "burn-in" the Freedom Ethernet cable. When shipping, the coiling & uncoiling of the cable results in another required "in system" burn-in & settling.The "magic" comes from a non-standard lay for the individual wires instead of a simple twisted pair.  The wire itself is the fastest (velocity of propagation) wire that we can find and it does not have individual foil shields.  The foil makes for decreased leading edges at audio frequencies. Also, one of the recipe secrets is our wire geometry & proprietary cryogenic treatment along with the best-sound RJ-45 connectors from Telegärtner...

My $0.02,
Pete

skunark

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Re: Just two days ago I disliked streaming then this
« Reply #9 on: 24 Jul 2026, 01:20 am »
Respectfully, this is exactly the kind of explanation that causes technically minded people to be skeptical.

You’re presenting a collection of engineering terms—velocity of propagation, leading edges, wire geometry, cryogenic treatment, cable cooking, and burn-in—but not explaining a plausible mechanism by which those properties survive the Ethernet PHY, packet buffering, and ultimately change the analog output of a DAC.

“Leading edges at audio frequencies” is particularly confusing. Ethernet is not an analog audio interface, and the cable is not carrying an audio-frequency waveform. It’s carrying a high-speed differential digital signal designed to be recovered by the receiver while operating within the Ethernet specification.

The claim that coiling and uncoiling an Ethernet cable during shipping requires another 100 hours of settling is even more extraordinary. If that were true, it should be straightforward to demonstrate with repeatable measurements of either Ethernet link performance or the DAC’s analog output.

And yes, this is the last couple of meters of a network path that may have traversed hundreds or thousands of miles of ordinary fiber, copper, switches, and routers before reaching the streamer. That doesn’t prove the final cable is irrelevant, but it does mean the burden is on the manufacturer to explain why this short compliant Ethernet cable is uniquely capable of changing the sound in ways the rest of the network does not.

These are manufacturing claims, not just personal listening impressions. Extraordinary engineering claims deserve engineering evidence.

Triode Pete

Re: Just two days ago I disliked streaming then this
« Reply #10 on: 24 Jul 2026, 03:01 am »
Respectfully, this is exactly the kind of explanation that causes technically minded people to be skeptical.

You’re presenting a collection of engineering terms—velocity of propagation, leading edges, wire geometry, cryogenic treatment, cable cooking, and burn-in—but not explaining a plausible mechanism by which those properties survive the Ethernet PHY, packet buffering, and ultimately change the analog output of a DAC.

“Leading edges at audio frequencies” is particularly confusing. Ethernet is not an analog audio interface, and the cable is not carrying an audio-frequency waveform. It’s carrying a high-speed differential digital signal designed to be recovered by the receiver while operating within the Ethernet specification.

The claim that coiling and uncoiling an Ethernet cable during shipping requires another 100 hours of settling is even more extraordinary. If that were true, it should be straightforward to demonstrate with repeatable measurements of either Ethernet link performance or the DAC’s analog output.

And yes, this is the last couple of meters of a network path that may have traversed hundreds or thousands of miles of ordinary fiber, copper, switches, and routers before reaching the streamer. That doesn’t prove the final cable is irrelevant, but it does mean the burden is on the manufacturer to explain why this short compliant Ethernet cable is uniquely capable of changing the sound in ways the rest of the network does not.

These are manufacturing claims, not just personal listening impressions. Extraordinary engineering claims deserve engineering evidence.

A far as Engineering goes, I'm Licensed Professional Engineer with both Bachelor & Master's degrees... with that said..

As Don VanVliet (aka Captain Beefheart) would say, "If you got ears, you gotta listen"...

It's really easy to discern differences among ethernet cables... Explain that?????

Trust your ears! Your need nothing else if you're listening

Cheers,
Pete

ps - I'm about to shut this thread down due to the cable disbelievers... not worth my time!

Doublej

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Re: Just two days ago I disliked streaming then this
« Reply #11 on: 24 Jul 2026, 12:50 pm »
One cable disbeliever to be precise. Me, I listen and decide for myself.

I agree with you, shut it down.

Triode Pete

Re: Just two days ago I disliked streaming then this
« Reply #12 on: 24 Jul 2026, 01:36 pm »
The Triode Wire Labs "Freedom" Ethernet Cable completely transformed my streaming setup, especially paired with my Lampizator Big 7 DAC. Right out of the box, the cable was super flexible and easy to route, which is a huge plus behind a busy equipment rack.Once plugged in, the sonic difference wasn't subtle. It feels like it stripped away a layer of digital glare, letting the natural, organic magic of the Lampizator DAC fully shine. The soundstage opened up beautifully, the background became dead quiet, and the bass gained a ton of clean punch. It makes streaming audio sound incredibly fluid, textured, and lifelike—almost like listening to a great analog source. If you want to feed your high-end DAC the cleanest possible signal without spending a fortune, the Freedom cable is a no-brainer.
Pete also says it takes about 100 hours to fully break in…wow can’t wait

Thanks, Bruce! I appreciate your kind comments!

TWL for the win

Thanks, Charles! BTW, your 7+ is "cooking!"

One cable disbeliever to be precise. Me, I listen and decide for myself.
I agree with you, shut it down.

Thanks, Doublej! Remember what H.H. Scott Chief engineer Daniel von Recklinghausen stated: "If it measures good and sounds bad, — it is bad. If it sounds good and measures bad, — you've measured the wrong thing."

Real-World Sound: The primary focus remains on how the music actually sounds to the human ear over raw laboratory data numbers alone... Enough said, Pete out...


toocool4

Re: Just two days ago I disliked streaming then this
« Reply #13 on: 24 Jul 2026, 02:21 pm »
Just because you don’t like the debate, you are going to shut it down. Wow

It’s like being back at kindergarten, you won’t let me play so I am taking my ball home so no one else can play.

Let people debate and hopefully get hold of cables to listen to and decide for themselves

cleeds

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Re: Just two days ago I disliked streaming then this
« Reply #14 on: 24 Jul 2026, 05:16 pm »
I’m not aware of any well-controlled listening tests that demonstrate audible differences between standards-compliant Ethernet cables in a properly functioning network. If there are such studies, I’d be genuinely interested in reading them ... If the reported effects are as large as “removing digital glare” or dramatically changing soundstage, they should be straightforward to demonstrate under blinded conditions.

Actually, there is almost nothing that is "straightforward to demonstrate under blinded conditions." That's because conducting a valid controlled double-blind test is much more difficult than it might appear at first glance. To be really useful, you need multiple trials with multiple test subjects. If you ask anyone who's actually participated in such testing, it's not fun. Rather, it's tedious and time consuming.

One thing I've long found interesting is that those who argue in favor of such tests rarely conduct their own or participate in testing conducted by others. They tend to expect others to conduct the tests. And I'm not convinced that such testing is the best way to validate sonic differences.

Charles Xavier

Re: Just two days ago I disliked streaming then this
« Reply #15 on: 24 Jul 2026, 09:36 pm »
The way I see it is TWL and many others have awards and professional reviews under their belt so to me that says alot. Ears only.

fridays

Re: Just two days ago I disliked streaming then this
« Reply #16 on: 24 Jul 2026, 10:04 pm »
The post-burn-in(100 plus hours) transformation is real
I wanted to share a quick update on my Triode Wire Labs Freedom Ethernet cable now that it has plenty of burn-in hours on it.
Right out of the box, it showed promise, but after letting it fully settle in, things really clicked into place. The biggest difference is how effortlessly the soundstage opened up. Highs and upper mids smoothed out completely, eliminating that subtle digital fatigue that makes you want to turn down the volume after an hour or just stop streaming and play local files in this case.
The presentation is natural, relaxed, and incredibly organic without losing any detail. Bottom line: I just catch myself getting lost in the music and not wanting to stop listening—which is the best endorsement I can give any cable. Highly recommended
I certainly can’t explain any of this but I can still hear pretty darn good

nlitworld

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Re: Just two days ago I disliked streaming then this
« Reply #17 on: Yesterday at 12:40 am »
I'm not sure the reasoning behind the settling burn in requirements, but I will attest they are real. Every cable purchase has that scenario, even used cables passed around on demo tours to some extent. Some go from good to great, some new cables go through a case of the uglies before sounding wonderful. My best guess at this comes down to the dielectric interaction around the cable? Some have said it's getting the + and - electrons of the conductor to all get in line but since I'm not a physicist, I won't stick my neck out for that claim. Either way, every single cable swap I've done results in that quirk.

@fridays, it's good to hear you're lost in the music. These are the fun days of new sonic discovery.  :thumb:

fridays

Re: Just two days ago I disliked streaming then this
« Reply #18 on: Yesterday at 02:04 am »
Thanks there’s so much music to discover

fridays

Re: Just two days ago I disliked streaming then this
« Reply #19 on: Today at 05:55 pm »

"As good as streaming sounds now, it’s still just a little less enjoyable than playing local files—though I’m sure there’s still room to refine the streaming setup."