AudioQuest Pearl RJ/E Ethernet Cable

Pearl Is the Entry Point to AudioQuest's Ethernet Range

An Ethernet cable carries data in packets, and built-in error correction means a damaged bit gets resent rather than heard as distortion. What still varies between cables is shielding against outside noise and how reliably the connection holds up over a longer run.

AudioQuest's Pearl RJ/E is the first rung of its Ethernet cable line, built with high-purity Long-Grain Copper conductors and gold-plated nickel connectors with 100% shield coverage around the connector body.

High-Purity Long-Grain Copper Conductors

AudioQuest builds Pearl around Long-Grain Copper (LGC), the same base conductor material it uses across its entry-level cables, paired with Geometry Stabilizing Solid High-Density Polyethylene insulation, which the company says is selected for its ability to minimize distortion and preserve dynamics in an Ethernet cable.

Gold-Plated Connectors With Full Shield Coverage

Pearl's RJ45 connectors are gold-plated nickel with 100% shield coverage, which AudioQuest says further reduces distortion and complements efficient noise-dissipation for a cleaner, more reliable connection at both ends of the cable.

The Connectors, Explained

Pearl ends in a standard RJ45 plug on each end, gold-plated for a corrosion-resistant connection, with full shield coverage around the connector body itself to help keep outside noise away from the contacts.

Who Is This Ethernet Cable Best For?

• You are upgrading from the cable that came in the box — Pearl is AudioQuest's entry point, built around Long-Grain Copper at the lowest price in the range
• Your streamer, DAC or network player has a standard RJ45 Ethernet port — Pearl is a plain RJ45-to-RJ45 cable that fits any such port
• You want a wired connection instead of relying on Wi-Fi — a wired run is generally more stable than Wi-Fi, whatever cable you use to make it
• You want AudioQuest's gold-plated, fully shielded connector at the lowest price in its Ethernet range — that connector construction starts here, at Pearl
• You have no wired networking at all, only Wi-Fi — a streamer with built-in Wi-Fi is the better starting point; an Ethernet cable only helps once you have a router or switch to plug into

How Does It Connect to Your System?

Plug one end into an RJ45 port on your router, switch or network device, and the other end into the RJ45 port on your streamer, music server or networked DAC. Either end can go to either device.

Then power up the system as usual. Other and longer lengths available. Call for prices.

Pairs Well With

An Ethernet cable is one link between your network and a source component. It usually joins these categories.

• Music Streamers — the most common source device an Ethernet cable feeds
• Digital-to-Analog Converters — many network-enabled DACs take an Ethernet input directly
• Home Theater Receivers — networked receivers stream over the same wired connection
• Power Conditioners — clean power for the same networked gear this cable feeds

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a bad Ethernet cable damage my music files?

This is true of any Ethernet cable: network data travels in packets with built-in error correction, so a flawed connection causes a retransmission, not corrupted audio. What a premium cable changes is shielding against outside noise and connection reliability, not data integrity.

Do I need this if I already use Wi-Fi?

A wired connection is generally more stable than Wi-Fi, with no dropouts from interference or distance. If your source component has an Ethernet port, running a cable to it removes Wi-Fi from the equation entirely, whether or not you upgrade beyond the cable that came in the box.

Does Pearl use silver-plated conductors like the tiers above it?

Pearl is AudioQuest's only Ethernet tier built on plain Long-Grain Copper without silver plating. Forest, Cinnamon and Vodka each add a different percentage of silver, which is the main thing that separates them from Pearl.

Is there a step up?

AudioQuest Forest is the next rung. It adds 0.5% silver-plated copper conductors and is rated for throughput up to 10Gbps.

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