Experiences with Cat5e interconnect

[One and a half]

If an AES3 signal can work at 100m with Cat5e, what about a balanced analog audio connection over 25m?  My audio rack was filling up with gear and the height, now 6 levels was already too far gone, something needed to change. The four Accuphase components were a WAF stamp of approval, the Playback Designs MPD-3 DAC and bits looked out of place. Between the music server which lives in the garage, it's a tower type and the DAC are two runs of CAT5e, in the first place to carry USB over an extender and also AES3 to compare to the music system.

 

Technically Cat5E is 100 Ohms, so that doesn't place an onerous burden on an output of 47R of the DAC. There's enough bandwidth into the MHz, so need to worry about reduced frequency bandwidth. With four connectors that physically convert RJ45 to XLR (M & F), the rest of the cabling remained intact from the garage to the listening area. The DAC was fitted with 1m of using a Nordost Blue Heaven USB A to B cable, that's it. No iUSB3, USB extender, associated power supplies extra USB Cables, all are gone.

AC power for the music server is 120V and the DAC is 230V. Both are sourced from different Topaz isolation transformers, the 230V transformer also feeds the reminder of the audio system. Details are in my profile at CA. The MPD-3 is meant to work without any USB fixers, with previous Icron extender in place, the fixers tamed the effects of the Icron, so it was a losing battle to remove any crud in the correct manner.

 

How does it sound?

 

No hum. Nil.

Image height : as before about 600m above the tweeter line.

Image depth : as before

Transients, like cymbals arrive quickly and on time, no smear, sibilance, well haven't noticed that

Bass: A little more controlled maybe.. hard to say, but certainly not worse.

 

One day may use the same cable for RCA connections, but with single ended transmissions would be limited to short runs, say less than 1m. The tight twists on the cores would lead to RF rejection quite well, despite not shielded, look at Kimber cables for example.

 

Two DIY cables were made the amplifier end, for those that like to tinker, photos of what the concept is.

 

  RJ45 terminations

 

 Commercially available adaptor

 

 Apart from the colours, the connection at the amp end

 

[asdf1000]

29 minutes ago, One and a half said:

If an AES3 signal can work at 100m with Cat5e, what about a balanced analog audio connection over 25m?

 

Great reading One and a half.

 

Any reason why you wouldn't want to go XLR3 analogue all the way, over 25m?

 

[One and a half]

29 minutes ago, Em2016 said:

 

Great reading One and a half.

 

Any reason why you wouldn't want to go XLR3 analogue all the way, over 25m?

 

If anything went pear shaped, the system could easily fall back using the Ethernet connections. I rather make off cables with crimps rather than soldering connections. The Cat5 is not that simple to solder, the insulation on the wire is super thin and any excess heat exposes too much copper.

 

The Cat5e UTP are now installed for a few months, so far no ill effects. I thought maybe there would be more clicks and pops from electrical interference, but so far pretty quiet.

[jabbr]

Nice. Belden’s mediatwist name for its bonded twisted pair was designed with your application in mind.

[One and a half]

3 hours ago, jabbr said:

Nice. Belden’s mediatwist name for its bonded twisted pair was designed with your application in mind.

Is this the media twist cable spec? The Belden 1872A? It's a Cat6, I'm using 5e, now at least 10 years in the wall. If i were to install today, I would use CAT6, it's easier to install through the house.

[jabbr]

5 hours ago, One and a half said:

Is this the media twist cable spec? The Belden 1872A? It's a Cat6, I'm using 5e, now at least 10 years in the wall. If i were to install today, I would use CAT6, it's easier to install through the house.

Yes. Described here: 

https://www.belden.com/blog/broadcast/the-strange-world-of-cat-5e-and-cat-6

[Speedskater]

I'm confused?

This thread seems to be mixing AES 3id digital, USB digital and balanced analog audio all together.

[jabbr]

18 hours ago, One and a half said:

If an AES3 signal can work at 100m with Cat5e, what about a balanced analog audio connection over 25m?

This is the OP. He is asking if Cat 5e can be used for balanced analog audio. The answer is yes.