[teeedubb]

Just came across this and thought I would share to help everyone get better audio and video quality out of Kodi, with the AudioQuest Diamond RJ/E Ethernet cable, for a mere $1,195/1.5m:

http://www.audioquest.com/ethernet/diamond

Some important tid bits from the page:

Wire insulation and circuit board materials all absorb energy (loss). Some of this energy is stored and then later released as distortion. Solid High-Density Polyethylene Insulation ensures critical signal-pair geometry while minimizing insulation-induced phase distortion.

All insulation slows down the signal on the conductor inside.

All audio cables are directional. The correct direction is determined by listening to every batch of metal conductors used in every AudioQuest audio cable

Also, as the site states, Beware of Counterfeits - you don’t want to spend all that cash and get a cable that doesn’t provide signal-pair geometry while minimizing insulation-induced phase distortion.

Heres a legit review that backs up the product page.

Well I'm off to sell a kidney so I can re-cable my unit with this stuff asap.

/sarcasm

[BORIStheBLADE]

There is a ton of this stuff that some audiophiles are going for.

This quote really gave me a chuckle. "All insulation slows down the signal on the conductor inside."

[Prof Yaffle]

I had to specially train my electrons to move the right way through the copper on my old system, although the photons on the optical cable never did get it (stupid things, light - half the time they couldn't decide whether they were particles or waves).

[joelbaby]

The cable is only the beginning. A real audiophile must also use the correct NAS:

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/hificritic/...torage.htm

Here is a direct quote:

"Also, QNAP1 did not sound as clean as CD in the higher registers. Some edgy grain exaggerated the sampled horns that sets the scene in the opening of Primal Scream's Loaded, adding to the color but nudging it off neutrality. Splash cymbals lived up to their name.

QNAP2 rendered the same song more tunefully. It was more organic and made more sense, the lines of melody and rhythm cooperating better. As well as showing better individual instrument distinction, the whole piece sounded tidier, tonally less messy without the roughened HF, and perhaps better integrated in musical intent."

There is also a comparison of listening to music from an SSD and HDD in the article.

[poofyhairguy]

All of it useless without the right sata cable:

http://www.coconut-audio.com/megalodonsata.html

[BORIStheBLADE]

Maybe MS can make a Platinum version of Windows 10 for audiophiles?

[movie78]

I have AudioQuest HDMI cable forest that i boughty from Best Buy and it is not much better than $5 or $10 cable.

[smitopher]

I can't tell if some of these sites are sincere or over the top spoofs with no winks.

OK, the Megalodon SATA cable MUST be a spoof, but I have NOT found any "winks" (aka "this is satire" disclaimers).

[nickr]

Once again the unfortunate people who use wireless between their NAS and their HTPC miss out! Or has someone found wifi version of this wonderful cable?

[joelbaby]

I am very glad you raised this important point nickr.

A true audiophile needs the cleanest possible wifi signal. To help ensure this you should consider using the correct power cords to minimise interference. This 220v/240v power cable is specially developed with a multiple position noise dissipation system and counter spiral geometry:

http://www.amazon.com/AudioQuest-NRG-WEL...B0055OM9WS

Any serious and self-respecting audiophile will need one for each device in the HTPC setup, as well as for any other devices located close to the wifi router.

[teeedubb]

Damn there is some good stuff getting posted here...

I'm gonna need a bigger case for those awesome sata cables... I wonder if they sell a case to block cosmic rays, I don't want them damaging my data...

You would most likely need 2 routers as a bi-directional signal would degrade the quality of the data.

I was about to buy the AudioQuest power cable after reading some of the great amazon reviews (apparently it can power a whole house by itself!) until I read about the dangers of using it coiled up:

...Nichola Tesla experimented with this once, but quickly abandoned it after discovering the dark side to this configuration Simply put, by running power through it while the cable is coiled, creates a counter-counter spiral geometry. Tesla did not know this at the time, but if you work out the effect of a current flowing through this configuration using Einstein's field equations, you will quickly find that this will result in space-time itself getting tied up in knots....

[nickr]

I tell you, I did Electrical Engineering at University to 3rd year level*.

But clearly this information was being saved for the fourth year or post-grad programme because they never told me. They never even hinted at it.

Mind you, perhaps it had less relevance in the early 1980s.

*at which point I did fail and turn to Law as a career..

[whitebelly]

If you do use WiFi, every audiophile know you need a top quality air purifier so those signals arrive with the least possible obstruction.

[Claudio.Sjo]

And if you want HiFi over WiFi, you cannot afford to be disturbed by reflected radiowaves.
You MUST use a yagi antenna on both sides!

[danfloss]

everyone is forgetting the lead lined room, a veritable must!