What's your budget? Where in the world are you located?

There are several products that might do what you want, although you generally need a stagebox only at one end. Don't forget that digital transmission over CAT5 implies having pre-amps and A-D converters at the stage end and D-A converters at the mixer end. This in turn implies the need to control the gains remotely as well as assigning perhaps the most important part of the sound of your mix to the quality of these components.

Welcome jacko,

There are also passive baluns available ([="http://www.markertek.com/CATV-Headend-Interface/CAT-5-Transmission-Systems/Audio-Over-CAT5-Systems.xhtml"]like these[/]="http://www.markerte…"]like these[/]), but you would be limited to 4 XLR mic channels per Cat5 cable. Since they don't digitize the audio, there is only so much you can accomplish with 8 conductors.

An active 16-channel digital snake such as [[url=http://="http://www.aviom.co…"]Aviom[/]="http://www.aviom.co…"]Aviom[/] with A-D/D-A [bare minimum 16-channels to mixer, no returns] is going to cost you roughly 10x more than your mixer by the time you add the necessary audio cables. Then, if you need returns to an amp rack, the cost can really start to add up quickly. Plus there's the expense and issue of the Cat5 you would use; unshielded?, shielded?, solid-core?, stranded? (good cables aren't cheap, cheap cables are rarely good)

I hope that helps. (and explains why a lot of people still buy conventional snakes from ProCo, Rapco, Whirlwind)

Good luck.

thank you guys
(keep replying):redface: