Cat 5 vs Cat 6

[Strikkflypilot]

Hi. I have a large roll of non terminated Cat 6 cable lying around.
Does anyone know if it would make a difference, which one I use?

[mcandmar]

In theory the Cat6 is better, designed for higher frequencys with lower crosstalk between pairs. Were talking over 100mhz signally rate in network applications so who knows if it would make any difference for audio. Personally i would just go with whichever is the nicer quality, assuming all thing are equal, both being shielded, solid core wire etc.

[galyons]

IMO, there won't be any audible difference at audio frequencies between Cat5 & Cat6.  The audio "preference" is to use plenum rated as the conductor insulation is specified to be Teflon, versus high-density polyolefin for risers and general purpose.  But, again, on short runs probably not a significant difference.   

In the past I did some 10', (3m) speaker wire pairs  plaiting the twisted pairs.  There were 8 pairs per channel.   To my ears, there was better sound staging, low level detail and timbre with the plenum rated Cat5, (teflon).  Fun project but it took a very long time for my fingers to forgive me.

Cheers,
Geary

[Paul Birkeland]

The key to this cable is that it's shielded.  Secondary to that, we use a cable that's fire rated, so that when you solder it the melting is minimal.

If your CAT6 isn't shielded, I wouldn't use it.  If it's stranded, I wouldn't use it.  If it doesn't carry the riser or plenum rating, it will probably be a bit more difficult to work with.

[Strikkflypilot]

Thanks guys. Will do a specs comparison. The supplied Cat 5 seems to be the safer bet.

[HF9]

Agreed with the other members here, the quality of the dielectric and the shielding would have the most correlation to sound quality. If you move to another wire, I would recommend getting something with twisted pairs, Teflon dielectric and braided shielding.