Ethernet Cables, do they make a difference?

That is not the point. Ethernet cable can impact in two ways:  (1) reducing EMI interference; and (2) the connections. If it was impossible, period, the good Ethernet cables, from Cardas, Wireworld and Audioquest, would not improve the sound quality.  They do.  Period. You may not believe speaker cables and interconnects improve the sound quality, but the do. Period.

@jinjuku

IMO, whether Ethernet cable a factor is function to DAC buffer size.  Bigger the buffer, less factor.  Ideally DAC buffers the whole album, then anything before the DAC is not a factor ... play back from memory.     Companies probably making too much money selling transports, servers ... so not changing soon.

Problem is most DACs buffer's ~6 seconds and I can easily hear a difference between Ethernet cables.   If you in my neck of woods, I would love to demonstrate in my system.

@markalarsen 
.... unsubstantiated claims you can't back up with any evidence. 

Yet again we dive into technical reasoning with no technical proof at all. Only technical proof to the contrary. 

IMO, whether Ethernet cable a factor is function to DAC buffer size. Bigger the buffer, less factor.

Less a factor for what?

Problem is most DACs buffer's ~6 seconds and I can easily hear a difference between Ethernet cables.   If you in my neck of woods, I would love to demonstrate in my system.

I can set JRiver for 6 seconds. So an Ethernet cable will effect that 6 second buffer but if I set JRiver for 60 minutes of buffer it won't?

What about all the other operations going on? CPU caching operations, Interrupts, DMA transfers, Memory Paging, SMPS? This is why I don't buy into Al's argument. 

With all this going on what ever variation of cable is going to be swamped by the system wide operations going on continuously. 

What is your neck of the woods and what is your setup? 

Jinjuku 4-27-2018
What about all the other operations going on? CPU caching operations, Interrupts, DMA transfers, Memory Paging, SMPS? This is why I don't buy into Al's argument.

With all this going on what ever variation of cable is going to be swamped by the system wide operations going on continuously.

Note that I said as follows in a post dated 4-23-2018:

Regarding the OP’s specific question, though, I would expect that an Ethernet cable that is upstream of his PC would have less chance of making a difference than one that is directly connected to an audio component, where it would presumably be more likely to couple RF noise into sensitive circuit points within the audio system.

Note that I also said as follows in a post dated 4-24-2018:

Member Bryoncunningham, who IMO is an especially astute and perceptive listener, and is very thorough in his evaluations, described realizing a substantial sonic improvement by changing from a garden variety unshielded ethernet cable to an **inexpensive** shielded type.

....It should be noted, though, that Bryon’s experience involved an Ethernet cable that was connected directly to one of his audio components, not to a computer that was in turn connected to the audio system.

Regards,
-- Al