Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

AudioQuest Diamond RJ/E Ethernet Cable: £6899

audiovisualonline.co.uk

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

121–129 of 129 posts

Re: AudioQuest Diamond RJ/E Ethernet Cable: £6899

#121

Post by TylerE »

gcommer wrote: post #99
jkot wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can confirm that. On most computers I could tell what is happening on screen just by listening. Scrolling, video playback, task switching all makes different noises. I have decent headphones and amplifier.

Any external DAC will eliminate this for you.

Nope. I'm running into an external DAC and then a Rega integrated amp. Makes noise her as the bars get smaller. The noise is independent of amplifier volume, including with the amplifier volume all the way down, and even occurs with the amplier and DAC switched OFF. The noise is actually coming from the LCD.

Re: AudioQuest Diamond RJ/E Ethernet Cable: £6899

#122

Post by TylerE »

gcommer wrote: post #99
jkot wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can confirm that. On most computers I could tell what is happening on screen just by listening. Scrolling, video playback, task switching all makes different noises. I have decent headphones and amplifier.

Any external DAC will eliminate this for you.

Nope. I'm running into an external DAC and then a Rega integrated amp. Makes noise her as the bars get smaller. The noise is independent of amplifier volume, including with the amplifier volume all the way down, and even occurs with the amplier and DAC switched OFF. The noise is actually coming from the LCD.

Re: AudioQuest Diamond RJ/E Ethernet Cable: £6899

#123

Post by zaphoyd »

icebraining wrote: post #94
TazeTSchnitzel wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In a society with ridiculous and increasing inequality, you make a fortune by investing in what the ultra-rich and the very poor will buy.

How does that fit with Apple rolling in cash?

There is probably more than one way to make a fortune. That said.. Apple's upcoming watch product appears to be employing this strategy.

Re: AudioQuest Diamond RJ/E Ethernet Cable: £6899

#125

Post by qb45 »

jkot wrote: post #96
z-e-r-o wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While I totally agree with the moral of this story, I'd like to point some reasons why the visuals of a software might interfere with audio: 1. just check this website: http://thume.ca/screentunes/ there is a large chance that your computer videocard and/or LCD will make a noise on that page 2. when the videocard makes such a noise, it can interfere with the PSU and thus affect the soundcard as well. 3. Thus, it's ac…

I can confirm that. On most computers I could tell what is happening on screen just by listening. Scrolling, video playback, task switching all makes different noises. I have decent headphones and amplifier.

This is a ground loop. Small part of the current returning from CPU to PSU goes through "common ground" connection to the DAC, then through the analog DAC-amp ground conductor, causing some voltage to develop across this connection, and then back to your computer through grounding cables in the walls.

The voltage across DAC-amp ground causes a DC offset seen by the amp (likely less than 1mV). The exact amount of voltage varies in time with CPU power consumption, producing AC that you hear.

You need to eliminate the ground connection between computer and DAC (toslink, USB optoisolator, etc.).

Re: AudioQuest Diamond RJ/E Ethernet Cable: £6899

#126

Post by qb45 »

JshWright wrote: post #114
goodmachine wrote: post #102

IANAL, so maybe someone who is can comment: surely this is flat-out illegal? The vendor claims that 1.'All audio cables are 'directional' 2.'When insulation is unbiased, it slows down parts of the signal differently, a big problem for very time-sensitive multi-octave audio.' That's two verifiably untrue or misleading statements with reference to a data cable, putting all subjective sound-quality fluff aside. Puts me…

> 1.'All audio cables are 'directional' I have actually used this claim for less evil purposes in the past... I spent my summers in high school working phone support for a university. This was back in the day when people brought desktop computers with them to school and plugged them into the wall with an ethernet cable... Many of the issues folks had getting connected could be solved by reseating the ethernet cable (…

Did you stop for a moment to think about the poor guys selling these cables?

Re: AudioQuest Diamond RJ/E Ethernet Cable: £6899

#127

Post by Sealy »

surreal wrote: post #6

Without commenting on whether the product is worth the price (I don't know enough about HiFi quality): There is a bell curve of purchasing mentality - from a minority who buy solely based on what's cheapest, through varying degrees of cost/benefit tradeoff, through to a minority who will tend toward whatever is most expensive. It often pays to offer something to that latter group.

Would anyone then agree that this could be a marketing ploy? After all, given that we've all clicked on it to see what its all about, hasn't it worked on us?

Something I learned from startups is that PR is an underestimated force. Could this be for PR?

Re: AudioQuest Diamond RJ/E Ethernet Cable: £6899

#128

Post by mdekkers »

themartorana wrote: post #77
fdb wrote: post #19

The "Wat Hifi?" Tumblr features more of these products: http://wathifi.tumblr.com/

That some of the quotes on that blog seem to indicate that different cables can actually change rhythm and timing is really eye-opening to just how outlandish some claims can get.

Use a coathanger http://consumerist.com/2008/03/03/do-coat-hangers-sound-as-g...

Re: AudioQuest Diamond RJ/E Ethernet Cable: £6899

#129

Post by mavhc »

mavhc wrote: post #79

A 100Gbps metal twisted pair ethernet cable? that explains the price, it came from the future where such standards may have been defined. I asked them a question on their website to see if that's true.

No reply, and the page has been deleted. The time travel conspiracy must be maintained.
Post reply on HN