Listening – Jorma Ethernet
For the Ethernet cable tests, I made sure to start with a Qobuz streaming source so that we actually have music flowing through the cable… although, with the Extreme, do we really listen to the stream directly? Certainly, with TAS, the server first buffers the stream and then plays from memory. This is another reason why I made sure to not only use TAS but also Roon.
Along with the Final Touch Audio Sinope, I also reviewed the Final Touch Audio Metis Ethernet cable, and like the USB cable, I liked it so much that it became my favorite Ethernet cable which is why I will primarily be comparing the Jorma to this cable.
Retaining the Jorma USB Reference cable and adding the Jorma Ethernet cable to the Taiko server in place of the OEM CAT6 cable makes for an absolutely dramatic increase in soundstage width and depth as well as a further increase in fluidity and flow. In addition, the singers and instruments gain deeper tonal saturation, leading to a meatier sound and more body within the soundstage, which further helps develop deeper 3D imaging.
Just like the Jorma USB cable, but slightly more so, the Ethernet cable provides a presentation that is focused on the natural musical flow, rather than going out of its way to provide the utmost in terms of solidity and chiseled-rock-like bass. This is again fully in line with what one expects from a Jorma cable: natural musicality with high resolution and a high level of refinement. While I would say that the Jorma USB cable is perfectly centered between relaxed and free-flowing on the one hand and fast and incisive on the other, the Jorma Ethernet cable does lean more toward the relaxed side.
So far, I have been playing only from Qobuz. I know I’m going to be called out for this, but indeed, I hear the same differences between the cables when playing music that is stored locally on the server. Moreover, I hear this with TAS as well as with Roon. This supports the growing suspicion that it’s not so much the data stream itself but rather superimposed factors that are messing with what we hear as the end result. How, why, I don’t know. All I can do is report what I hear.
Swapping from the Jorma Ethernet cable to the FTA Metis Ethernet cable, the sound becomes more solid and impactful, as well as less organic, stricter, and more direct, in fact quite similar to the FTA Sinope USB cable. It’s interesting how these two brands offer very different perspectives that are upheld through the different connections.
During the review, I contemplated also including a test with the Jorma Ethernet cable connected directly between the server and the DAC but I know from earlier experience that the Taiko server sounds better via USB, so that would not have yielded helpful insights. In retrospect, I do wonder how the Antipodes K50 would have responded when streaming directly to the C1 via the Jorma Ethernet cable. It’s too late now as the cables have returned, but I have yielded very interesting results in the past using various Ethernet cables between the Antipodes CX and EX server and player, as well as from either the CX or EX directly to the C1 DAC.
Swapping to the Pink Faun Digital Link LAN introduces yet another perspective, even richer, more liquid, and more free-flowing than the Jorma. In another setup than mine, one that verges on clinical or over-controlled, this cable may well prove an absolute blessing but in the context of my system, this cable pulls the sound too much toward mellow and relaxed. Like the Pink Faun USB cable, the LAN cable’s lushness comes at the expense of a measure of propulsion, momentum, and rhythmic expression.
If also taking the OEM Cat6 cable into account, then that cable would be positioned all the way over on the other end of the spectrum with lots of control but a bleak tonality and a flat and kind of forward soundstage. So here’s the million-dollar question. Is the OEM Cat6 cable leaving out harmonics and fullness or allowing lots of malicious noise to come through, or is it simply relaying the truth, warts and all? In other words, are the high-end Ethernet cables beautifying the signal or do they provide a more truthful rendition? Honestly, I have no way of knowing but would argue that it comes down primarily to personal taste and system synergy. What cannot be denied, however, is that Ethernet cables really do matter, a lot, actually, and largely irrespective of the server/streamer hardware.
So, where does this leave the Jorma Ethernet cable on the sonic landscape? Well, if the Pink Faun is relaxed and mellow and the Final Touch Audio is strict and upfront, the Jorma falls in between but is positioned more toward the Pink Faun than the Final Touch Audio. In terms of tonality, I’d consider all three to be neutral, in spite of their large other differences. So far, it seems that an Ethernet cable is not capable of truly changing the tonality of a system. It can, however, strongly affect the balance between tension and flow, and with it, the emotional involvement.
Conclusion
I started this review by stating that the Jorma USB Reference cable is getting rave reviews and that I was interested to find out what all the fuss is about. So, is it something special? Well, yes indeed! This is a costly cable but it offers a unique proposition with its presentation that is fluid, natural, smooth, and unforced yet clean and neutral as well as articulate, lively, and well-paced. The longer I listened with this cable, the less I was thinking of the cable and instead relaxing into the music. Importantly, it handles all styles well, whether seductive soul or upbeat R&B. With the Jorma USB Reference cable, there is never the impression of trading one quality for another and that is really the best compliment that I can give a cable. The Jorma Ethernet cable offers many of the same traits as the USB cable but is positioned more toward the smooth and relaxed end of the scale, and it is an ideal choice if you want to maximize the brand’s core qualities such as fluidity, refinement, and unforced natural flow.
External Links
Manufacturer: Jormaaudio
Distributor for the Benelux: HVP Audio
Read also
Jorma Audio Duality and Trinity Speaker Cables
Jorma Audio Origo interlinks and speaker cables (as part of Mingus Quintet review)
You state:
The Taiko Extreme is a rare exception because its USB output actually produces an acoustic that is more free-flowing, 3-dimensional, and organic than the MU1 manages via the by me hitherto idealized AES/EBU interface. This has made me realize that, when implemented with great care, USB can indeed deliver on its promise of a theoretically more perfect asynchronous interface whilst avoiding the format’s pitfalls. This, of course, makes it ideal for assessing the Jorma USB cable.
Unless I misunderstand, you do not have an AES/EBU output on the Taiko in your system, and you have therefore never listened to a top quality AES/EBU cable with the Taiko in your system.
Your judgment regarding the Taiko USB output cannot therefore be complete without a comparison in your system with the same cable as USB and AES/EBU, as I have done for 400+ hours with the Shunyata Omega 1.5 meter lengths in both variants
Hi Ronnie, the Extreme does indeed not offer AES but even if it did, I have often found that same-brand USB and digital cables need not sound the same, meaning that the comparison will always be a mix of the sound of the cables as well as the interfaces. Thanks to extensive experience (which is not all described in every review) I feel that I am able to discern between the two. I could use the K50 to compare the Jorma AES directly with the Jorma USB but because that server’s outputs sound inherently very different, that would also not tield a valid comparison. My grasp of the Jorma AES cable’s sound has been solidified through countless tests over a long period using many other sources as well as using it in other people’s systems. I am confident that my descriptions of it are accurate. Since I have extensively compared the Extreme to my other sources, again using various cables that I know very well, I know how the server inherently compares. The final takeaway of this review is not how the servers and their outputs differ, but in the direct comparison of the Jorma USB and Ethernet cables to the same-interface cables of other brands, using the same server hardware.
Sorry, many words to avoid having to describe the relative merits of AES/EBU v USB on the Taiko, since it seems to be accepted “Gospel” that the Taiko’s USB card is something special (the “exception” to your previous experience that AES/EBU usually sounds better than USB), that’s how I interpret your comments
If I could compare “the relative merits of AES/EBU v USB on the Taiko” then I would have. I cannot, simply because my unit is not equipped with an AES/EBU output.
By the way, I have tried five quality USB cables on my Taiko:
Wireworld Platinum 8, Audience Front Row, Shunyata Omega, Signal Projects Avatar, and Kubala Sosna.
None of them sounded as good as the Shunyata Omega AES/EBU, the Wireworld as almost unlistenable (thin and screechy), while the Signal Projects USB was spectacularly grandiose on orchestral works, the best of the lot, but still behind the AES/EBU in overall quality.
The natural reaction of the “group think” crowd convinced of the “natural” superiority of the USB connection, especially with the new USB card on the Taiko, is to suggest that I try different USB cables. Since my conclusion hasn’t changed that I prefer (in my system and in my judgment) AES/EBU after having tried five USB cables, I think I will stop there.
That said, I have not tried the USB cables of Final Touch Audio, Jorma, and Sablon, to name few contenders. Sablon could be interesting, since they have a special version of their USB cable for my Nagra DAC, which leaves out the power connection. Judging by several comments on the What’s Best Forum, leaving out the power connection could potentially improve the “typical” USB sound, which I do not appreciate.
In my view, what always matters most is system synergy. And the success of USB also ties in very heavily with the synergy between the interfaces on both ends. In your case or someone else’s case, with any particular DAC, the ideal sound might be obtained with any one method. For me, AES/EBU has historically achieved better sound. As far as I can assess it now, this seems to be different with the Taiko. But this review is not about the Extreme and my aim for this review was not to find “the best” cable but to describe what I hear in an effort to guide readers so that they can make their own decisions.
By the way, I have tried five different USB cables in my system, Wireworld Platinum 8, Audience Front Row, Shunyata Omega, Signal Projects Avatar, and Kubala Sosna. None of these have changed my opinion (in my system and in my judgment) that AES/EBU is superior, despite the “group think” which implies that the Taiko USB card output is superior to anything else out there, and that anyone who thinks differently just hasn’t found the “right” cable yet. That said, I haven’t tried the USB cables by Final Touch Audio, Jorma, or Sablon. Sablon could be interesting, since they make a special version for my Nagra DAC which leaves out the power cable. According to several comments in the What’s Best Forum, this could be a very interesting alternative for better USB sound.
I currently have ww platinum 8 and shunyata sigma usba im trying to bring in shunyata omega , fta sinope and siltech to try out. Have you had any time with siltech usb cables?
Alas, I have no experience with Siltech USB cables.