the sssnake Cat Snake 5FB

I use the Cat Snake 5FB whenever I need a compact, low-cost stage box to run multiple analogue lines over a single shielded Cat cable - it saves me carting heavy multicore snakes and simplifies setup on small-to-medium gigs. My workflow is mostly small PA rigs and theatrical patching, so a passive RJ45-to-4x XLR 5-pin breakout like this sits in my bag as a practical, no-nonsense tool.

First Impressions

The Cat Snake 5FB looked and felt more solid than I expected for its price - a compact aluminium box with a recessed RJ45 socket and four XLR 5-pin female sockets laid out logically. Out of the box I appreciated the simple, functional design: no unnecessary bells, just the connectors you need and a build that feels like it will survive road use.

Design & Features

At its core this is a passive splitter: one RJ45 female in, four XLR 5-pin female outs, wired to carry four analogue channels over the four twisted pairs plus shield of a STP network cable. The unit is keyed for pins 1-3 on the XLRs - so it maps the standard balanced XLR trio per channel into the Cat pairs - and it will accept either a plain RJ45 or an Ethercon-terminated cable. There’s no active electronics or isolation - it’s simply a compact analogue stagebox that replaces heavy multicore with a single Cat run.

Build Quality & Protection

I found the chassis to be well finished for the price - lightweight but tough enough to be tossed in a gear case. The XLR sockets are serviceable rather than premium-brand but seat connectors firmly, and the recessed RJ45 is a nice touch for strain relief; the whole package feels like it will take the knocks of frequent setups.

Real-World Experience

I ran the Cat Snake 5FB with shielded Cat5e/6 runs in rehearsal rooms and on small stages, carrying analogue line-level signals and short DMX runs, and I did not experience hum, noise injection, or dropouts when using decent STP cables and proper terminations. In one situation I used a very long run - upwards of 150-200 m - and the unit still behaved reliably so long as the network cable was shielded and of good quality; remember, this is still a passive connection so the cable quality and grounding practice matter more than with active converters.

Ease of Use & Workflow

It is about as plug-and-play as it gets - RJ45 in, XLRs to the stage boxes or devices, and you’re done. I liked that it’s compatible with Ethercon terminations for more robust locking connections, and the layout makes it straightforward to label channels for fast channel swapping during soundcheck.

The Trade-Offs

The obvious limitation is that it’s passive - it does not convert or actively balance signals, so you must use shielded Cat cable and follow proper grounding to avoid noise on long runs. Also, the XLRs aren’t Neutrik, and there’s no mounting option for a spigot or stand clamp - if you want to hang this on a lighting truss you’ll need an adaptor or to rig a custom mount.

Final Verdict

For a low-cost, compact solution to replace short multicore snakes or to run multiple analogue channels over a single Cat run, the Cat Snake 5FB does exactly what it promises - reliably and with a small footprint. I recommend it to gigging musicians, small venues, and production techs who need a cheap, robust way to move several lines without buying heavy, expensive multicore - just be mindful of cable shielding and the passive nature of the unit.