AIM NA9 Ethernet Cable
We don't put many ethernet cables on the TweekGeek shelf, and we're particular about the ones we do. The AIM NA9 earned its place because AIM didn't set out to make a generic network cable that happens to carry audio data - they built the SHIELDIO series specifically to address noise in a streaming audio chain, and the NA9 is where that engineering reaches its current peak. It picked up a HiVi 2022 Grand Prix award and a HiVi 2022 Best Buy in the accessory category, recognition that lines up with what we heard.
Design
The headline feature here is what AIM calls Hoplon, a newly developed four-layer shield combining PULSHUT MU - an electromagnetic interference suppression sheet developed by Asahi Kasei Corporation - with an aluminum shield, a copper shield, and a high-density copper braided shield. Each layer is chosen for a different part of the frequency spectrum: aluminum for high-frequency shielding and flexibility, copper for broadband performance across the audio band, and the braided layer for low-frequency rejection. AIM backs this with a dedicated conductive inner sheath, developed specifically for this cable, rather than a repurposed data-cable jacket.
Inside that shielding sits AWG22 single-line oxygen-free copper conductors, among the largest gauge used in LAN cable construction, wrapped in a specially developed foamed polyethylene insulation with a symmetrical drain wire structure. The connectors are 8P8C RJ45-type modular plugs built on a die-cast, nickel-plated zinc shell with 360-degree shielding, using the latest Telegärtner connector design so the outer cable jacket no longer has to be cut back at the joint - AIM's reasoning is that preserving that continuous shield at the termination closes off a common path for noise ingress. The cable is built to ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B and IEC60603-7-5 standards, finished in black at 10mm overall diameter.
Subjective Listening Experience
The AIM 9 cable performed very well in my system, In fact so well that it is my new reference. The lower noise floor created by the thoughtful and unique design of the cable produced exactly what it should. It allowed me to hear more. More low level detail, and more dimensionality in the presentation. It let my components and speakers communicate to their best ability without editorializing or veiling the low level information. Tonally, I heard a more neutral balance than what I heard through my now previous reference Fidata ethernet cable, which I felt was always a little soft on top, but possessed a beautiful midrange. The Beauty was still there, but now there was more. More resolution and dimension. The attributes of the Innuos Stream3, Matrix ND-1 DAC and rest of my system were able to come through more clearly and transparently. Again due to the lowering of the noise floor.
Connectivity
The NA9 is available in 0.5m, 1m, 1.5m, 2m, and 3m lengths, with custom lengths available on request through Tweek Geek. It terminates in standard 8P8C RJ45 connectors, so it drops into any ethernet-fed streamer, network switch, or media converter without adapters.
System Fit
We see the NA9 as the right call for a system built around a network streamer or DAC with a wired ethernet input, particularly where the rest of the chain has already been sorted out and the network connection is the last unaddressed link. It's a natural fit alongside our Matrix Audio streaming and DAC lineup, where a clean, quiet digital feed matters to the rest of the components doing their job properly.
Press Recognition
- HiVi 2022 Grand Prix, Peripheral Group
- HiVi 2022 Best Buy, Winter, Accessory Group
Specifications
- Product Name: Audio LAN Cable NA9
- Models: NA9-005 (0.5m), NA9-010 (1m), NA9-015 (1.5m), NA9-020 (2m), NA9-030 (3m); custom lengths available
- Connector: 8P8C Modular connector (RJ45 type), Telegärtner design
- Connector Size: W13.9mm x H53.8mm x D16.3mm
- Connector Structure: 360 degree shielding with die-cast nickel-plated zinc
- Standards: Compliant with ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B and IEC60603-7-5
- Cable Diameter: 10mm
- Cable Color: Black
- Conductor Size: Single line AWG22
- Number of Conductors: Twisted pair x 4 (8 total)
- Conductor Material: OFC, high purity oxygen-free copper
- Conductor Coating: Specially developed foamed polyethylene insulation
- Drain Wire: Symmetrical structure
- Shielding: Four-layer Hoplon structure - PULSHUT MU, aluminum shield, copper shield, high-density copper braided shield, plus dedicated conductive inner sheath
- Manufacturer: AIM Electronics Corporation, Japan
The Hoplon shield structure represents AIM's most complete answer yet to noise in the last stretch of an audio network connection - four materials, each addressing a different part of the frequency range, working as one shield rather than a single blanket layer.
Ready to quiet the last link in your streaming chain? Then let's talk about auditioning the AIM NA9 to your system.
