5 ms·

8m (26'3“) Audioquest Diamond RJ/E (Ethernet) Cable, $5,494.75

9 points by jpatokal 12y ago

xenophonf 12y ago
Do these companies actually sell these cables at these prices, or are these pranks? I have a difficult time thinking anyone with an ounce of sense would buy a $5500 patch cable.
- jondiggsit 12y ago
  I guess they only need to sell one to make a huge return
- jpatokal 12y ago
  There are so many snake oil hifi cable/accessory companies that at least somebody must be buying this crap: http://wathifi.tumblr.com/ http://wathifi.tumblr.com/ (which is where I found the cable in question)
- vinceguidry 12y ago
  There are great numbers of people out there with more money than sense. That ratio can reach staggering heights.
  - Springtime 12y ago
    Possibly the most extreme example I've come across of flawed digital audio logic was an article I was linked to recently co-written by one of MacWorld's technical editors describing in detail the differences in sound quality between various hard drives and SSDs [1]. The audiophile world can provide a laugh now and then. [1] http://www.enjoythemusic.com/hificritic/vol5_no3/listening_to_storage.htm http://www.enjoythemusic.com/hificritic/vol5_no3/listening_t...
    - BFay 12y ago
      ...what? How is this not satire? How do people have the gall to make claims like these, while explicitly stating that their hypotheses are based only on "anecdotal murmurings and some limited first-hand experience?"
- jzila 12y ago
  I sometimes wonder if this is just an elaborate money laundering scheme.
ShinyCyril 12y ago
My favorite excerpt from the reviews: "As everyone knows, Ethernet cables are for transmitting digital data and that any basic cable with the right rating will successfully transmit any signal thrown at it. However, what people don't know is that -- given the right product -- you can transmit more than digital information through the cable. In addition to the digital information, this cable lets you transmit analog signals such as love, tea, the color green, and the feeling that you get when you first step into a warm bath. After experiencing this, I'm never going back to the cheap $5 Ethernet cables that only transmit digital data."
hartator 12y ago
There is worst: http://www.amazon.com/AudioQuest-Diamond-52-49-Braided-Cable/dp/B00IL3TZSQ/ http://www.amazon.com/AudioQuest-Diamond-52-49-Braided-Cable... Almost $14k!
- jpatokal 12y ago
  But but but it's low-distortion and low-jitter!
jpatokal 12y ago
Serious question: Has anybody found a simple way to explain digital vs analog to a non-technical person? I've been asked this a few times, and even though the concept seems so simple, I have yet to find a good, intuitive way. Because any people paying $5,000 for an Ethernet cable quite clearly have not grasped the concept.
DrinkWater 12y ago
Is that somewhere near the official price tag, or just some number determined by some bot?

9 points by jpatokal 12y ago

Do these companies actually sell these cables at these prices, or are these pranks? I have a difficult time thinking anyone with an ounce of sense would buy a $5500 patch cable.

jondiggsit 12y ago
I guess they only need to sell one to make a huge return
jpatokal 12y ago
There are so many snake oil hifi cable/accessory companies that at least somebody must be buying this crap: http://wathifi.tumblr.com/ http://wathifi.tumblr.com/ (which is where I found the cable in question)
vinceguidry 12y ago
There are great numbers of people out there with more money than sense. That ratio can reach staggering heights.
- Springtime 12y ago
  Possibly the most extreme example I've come across of flawed digital audio logic was an article I was linked to recently co-written by one of MacWorld's technical editors describing in detail the differences in sound quality between various hard drives and SSDs [1]. The audiophile world can provide a laugh now and then. [1] http://www.enjoythemusic.com/hificritic/vol5_no3/listening_to_storage.htm http://www.enjoythemusic.com/hificritic/vol5_no3/listening_t...
  - BFay 12y ago
    ...what? How is this not satire? How do people have the gall to make claims like these, while explicitly stating that their hypotheses are based only on "anecdotal murmurings and some limited first-hand experience?"
jzila 12y ago
I sometimes wonder if this is just an elaborate money laundering scheme.

ShinyCyril 12y ago

My favorite excerpt from the reviews: "As everyone knows, Ethernet cables are for transmitting digital data and that any basic cable with the right rating will successfully transmit any signal thrown at it. However, what people don't know is that -- given the right product -- you can transmit more than digital information through the cable. In addition to the digital information, this cable lets you transmit analog signals such as love, tea, the color green, and the feeling that you get when you first step into a warm bath. After experiencing this, I'm never going back to the cheap $5 Ethernet cables that only transmit digital data."

hartator 12y ago

There is worst: http://www.amazon.com/AudioQuest-Diamond-52-49-Braided-Cable/dp/B00IL3TZSQ/ http://www.amazon.com/AudioQuest-Diamond-52-49-Braided-Cable... Almost $14k!

jpatokal 12y ago
But but but it's low-distortion and low-jitter!

jpatokal 12y ago

Serious question: Has anybody found a simple way to explain digital vs analog to a non-technical person? I've been asked this a few times, and even though the concept seems so simple, I have yet to find a good, intuitive way. Because any people paying $5,000 for an Ethernet cable quite clearly have not grasped the concept.

DrinkWater 12y ago

Is that somewhere near the official price tag, or just some number determined by some bot?