Ansuz Acoustics Digitalz D2 Ethernet Cable
Streaming is so damn convenient and the repertoire choices available almost endless. No wonder audiophiles will listen to slightly substandard streamed digital sound for those conveniences and benefits. Many times, of course, the sub-standards are simply budget constraints.
But streaming is undergoing massive changes in quality. Unfortunately, one has to pay large bucks for that quality and improvement. Let’s hope trickle-down happens sooner than later. But in the here and now, you have to pay lots to get the best in streaming—and by the best, I mean matching and surpassing (SA)CD, even approaching vinyl using the new audiophile switches, upgraded DACs and streamers, or audiophile Ethernet cables.
Cables
There’s no good bellyaching. There are big differences when using quality splitters and cables. And ridiculous rhetoric is not going to change that fact. You can’t hear it? No prob. Exit stage left.
My Use
Under review is Ansuz Acoustics Digitalz D2 Ethernet Cable (€2160/metre). Thanks again to Audio Group Denmark (AGD), Ansuz’s parent company, for shipping three cables (2 metres each) to the island. For best results, my situation requires three Ethernet cables. You can get by with one and hear significant differences—ensure it’s going from the wall to the streamer. I used one from the router to my Ansuz PowerSwitch D2, the second from PowerSwitch to the wall and the final cable between Aavik S-280 Network Music Player and Ansuz PowerSwitch D2.
The rear of my Ansuz Acoustics PowerSwitch D2 with the three Ansuz D2 Ethernet cables and an Ansuz C2 power cord.
Features and Specifications
Interestingly, the Danish designers of the Ansuz cables began their careers at US Nordost. I reviewed an equivalently priced Ethernet cable from Nordost. It may be instructive to read that review before you continue here. The cables are similarly priced and both are built to very high standards.
The top-tier Ansuz cables can be run “actively” using an Active Cable Tesla Coil (green cable). This is an active coil type that affects the mains directly. The review was completed with the active cables in place between the cable and the PowerSwitch D2 (photos below).
Like all of Borresen’s designs, his cables are chock-a-block with his “advanced technologies”.
The fit ‘n finish of the Digitalz D2 Ethernet Cable is superb and features gold-plated, pure copper connectors and individually shielded “twisted pair” cabling (said to reduce electromagnetic radiation and crosstalk, and rejection of external electromagnetic interference). It also uses a passive Tesla coil wound around the outer part of the cable to protect it from absorbing disturbing airborne RF noise and a passive end coil prevents noise from bleeding into audio components. In addition to the noise-killing passive Tesla coils, the D2 adds the aforementioned Active Cable Tesla Coil. Chock-a-block.
Sound
One of the big objections about expensive audiophile Ethernet cables from naysayers, trolls and the like is bits are bits and anything in between the wall and the component is simply a conduit for the unaffected 0s and 1s.
You don’t really believe that, do you?
I quote my friend Austin who’s forgotten more about digital audio than I know to give the naysayers, maybe, something to think about:
The 1s and 0s in an ethernet cable are travelling electrically and can be corrupted. There is a presumption that data error correction will somehow always get it right and restore the corrupted data. This is flawed thinking. Error correction at its best is a guess. Would it not make more sense to get the data to the destination fully intact, rather than increasingly rely on checksum and error correction? What a better ethernet cable does is exactly that.
If you had a chance to listen to one of Austin’s Ethernet cable shootouts, I think you may be convinced. Sure, I was skeptical going in but intrigued. When my ears (and my wife and friends in attendance) heard the musical and aural evidence, consider me convinced. Long-term with quality Ethernet cables, things only get better and clearer. Subtlety is what’s on offer. Subtlety in dynamic shading, imaging, soundstage, timbral accuracy and musical immediacy. These are not sledgehammers, they are like musical feathers. And the stroking can sometimes take a little time.
Once the cable(s) is in place, I think you’ll hear significant (to audiophiles) differences, especially switching back and forth between a Monoprice and your new Ansuz. But it’s the creeping sonic improvements that I enjoy. Hearing Barry Tuckwell and his magic horn even more specifically positioned in Kingsway on Dorati’s amazing The Firebird (Mercury) or even more bloom around the glorious cello tone of Mischa Maisky on his Philips Schubert Arpeggione Sonata. And while we are listening, Martha Argerich’s piano tone on the same recording is even more beautiful. All subtle, for sure, but there’s no doubt they’re there. Also, these sounds I’m describing are compared to good-quality AudioQuest Ethernet cables (Cinnamon, Vodka and the like). With Monoprice? Flat and uninteresting.
Reasoning? Noise floor and elimination of noise. Børresen’s Tesla coil implementation, like in his DAC, streamer, etc, works beautifully to retain super accurate instrumental and vocal timbres but drops the floor to subterranean levels and eliminates a lot of noise, much of which is only “heard” when the inferior cables go back into the system. The Ansuz guys do these ear-opening switches a lot at shows. Try to hear one for yourselves.
Your best bet. Hit it off with an Ansuz dealer and let him/her demo for yourself or better still, try the old “take it home with you and try it out”. As we all know, this never fails! Sold!
Summary
In the here and now, grab a cheap Monoprice off Amazon and do the old switcheroo with the Ansuz D2. I’m guessing you’ll hear major differences out of the box. Then, sit back for a few weeks and enjoy your favourite recordings. Slowly but surely you’ll hear new information revealed that makes significant and profound musical differences to your listening experience.
As one of my Facebook friends said “Never discuss digital cables with engineers or others who have a theoretical idea of digital signals and no real-life experience with comparing cables like this. Don’t waste your time on them. Listen to your favourite music instead!” Good advice.
Further information: Ansuz Acoustics
