Over the past several years there’s been a revolution in the way people store, distribute, and access digital media, including photos, movies, and, of course, music. No longer dependent on physical media, our media is often data that’s moved from multiple devices to multiple locations. For audio applications and protocols, audio over Ethernet offers the virtues of high-speed, low time delay (latency), significant distance capability (328 feet without an active booster or repeater), and extremely low-jitter, bit-perfect communication. How effectively these promises of Ethernet translate into real-world performance depends upon the quality of your Ethernet cable. AudioQuest's Vodka RJ/E is a high-quality Ethernet cable featuring Solid 10% Silver conductors, high-density polyethylene insulation, Carbon-Based Noise-Dissipation, precision-made Telegärtner connectors with 100% shield coverage and strain relief, and CAT7 high-speed data capacity. AudioQuest’s digital cables start with Solid Long-Grain Copper (LGC) conductors. Each successive step up the line adds increasing amounts of silver plating and reaps the associated cost-effective performance benefits: improved noise-dissipation for clearer, cleaner, more naturally beautiful sound. Solid silver-plated conductors are excellent for very high-frequency applications like digital audio. These signals, being such a high frequency, travel almost exclusively on the surface of the conductor. As the surface is made of high-purity silver, the performance approaches that of a 100% silver cable, but at a price much closer to solid copper cable — a cost-effective way of manufacturing very high-quality USB cables. Solid conductors eliminate strand interaction, a major source of distortion. 10% Silver Conductors: Increasingly thick layers of silver plating are applied to AudioQuest’s Long-Grain Copper (LGC) conductors to improve Noise-Dissipation. Placing the superior metal on the outside of the conductor produces the greatest benefit on overall performance. Geometry Stabilizing Solid High-Density Polyethylene: Carefully selected and optimized for its ability within an Ethernet cable to minimize distortion and preserve dynamics. Individually shielded pairs minimize crosstalk between pairs (a Cat7 requirement). Overall shield around all pairs minimizes outside interference Carbon-Based Noise-Dissipation: Alternating layers of metal and carbon-loaded synthetics "shield the shield," absorbing and reflecting most RF energy before it reaches the layer attached to ground. Precision-Made Low-Loss Telegärtner RJ-45 Connectors: Provide efficient shield coverage and extra-strong tabs for ultimate durability. Directionality: All drawn metal strands or conductors have a non-symmetrical, and therefore directional, grain structure. AudioQuest controls the resulting RF impedance variation so that noise is drained away from where it will cause distortion. The correct direction is determined by listening to every batch of metal conductors used in every AudioQuest audio cable. When applicable, arrows are clearly marked on the connectors to ensure superior sound quality.
