The more audio products from one operation I review, the more connections and patterns I see within their portfolio. In most cases these are logical steps forward and not mere marketing maneuvers associated with growing larger to need more models. It's all too easy to play the armchair skeptic when for many, sitting down in the hot seat to have an actual listen seems far more difficult. Quite the paradox. It should really be the other way around.

In any case, after getting familiar with the Fidata range, my conclusion became that these cables aren't separate items but virtual extensions of their key components. I haven't asked Sugimori-san of Fidata about their philosophy. To me it nonetheless resembles what Combak Corp. have been up to for years already. It's safe to say that a shared Japanese mentality was my angle this time around but that wasn't the best part. Sugimori had informed me that their HFLC works best between their big server and a separate streamer which I didn't have on hand. What I did instead was connect my router to the HFAS1-XS20U via this cable and report on what happened. And something very much did happen.

The Fidata HFLC arrived in a fancy box lined in a silken fabric. A box is a box and after a minute to the drawer it goes never to be seen again. Still, it was nice that the Japanese team made the effort. Warranty and measurements cards indicated a professional job.  The former is nothing uncommon but the latter was unexpected.

We learn that the Fidata HFLC is an Ethernet cable unofficially compliant with the CAT7 standard although its shielding being removed for noise reduction makes it a CAT6A product. It's terminated with the terrific gold-plated RJ45 Telegärtner known as MFP8 plug. The 7mm thick cable sleeve holds 8 x 26-gauge silver-plated copper conductors. Arrows on the outer insulation imply a directional product whereas the 'fidata' branding suggested that the Japanese might have developed their own cable from scratch. The HFLC was flexible and easy to use and its RJ45 plugs fit perfectly. Instead of the rather industrially looking rubber final jacket, I'd simply have preferred something more elegant like a Techflex nylon multi-filament sleeve. But that's a subjective nit of no importance.

To review the Fidata HFLC, I used my trusty Linksys WRT160N router powered by its stock SMPS. The Japanese cable went between it and their HFAS1-XS20U server/streamer which passed digital signal to my LampizatOr Pacific DAC. Next in line were either a Trilogy 925 or Kinki Audio EX-M1 integrated amp to power Boenicke W8 floorstanding speakers. The Fidata HFLC dueled against a generic CAT5 cable of identical length.