Digital Cable recommendations.
pearsall001
Posts: 5,068
I'm in the market for a digital cable (1.5M max. length / RCA connectors). My budget tips the scale at $175.00, new or used is fine. I've already gotten a few recommendations but a few more won't hurt. I've had the Black Cat Veloce before (an excellent cable) and now it's been replaced with the Silverstar. That is definitely on my radar but not ready to pull the trigger just yet till I hear other recommendations.
"2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
Post edited by pearsall001 on
Comments
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http://www.audioquest.com/seventy-five-ohm/carbon
I have had excellent results with both the Carbon and Cinnamon level Digital Coax cables. But honestly dude , this isn't a place where you want to spend a ton of cash on a Digital coax cable. Once you get into quality cables , you don't get any benefits from higher end cables especially under the 2m length. But termination and quality of materials will assure you are getting the correct speed and no loss over the short travel distance. Just make sure whatever you buy passes spec no less.Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
Hey Dan, I agree completely with your advice. I've been looking at those very cables from Audioquest. What's your take on the cable length? I've read that the digital cable should not be less than 1.5M. It has something to do with the digital signal needing that minimum distance for proper transfer of signal. Is that BS or a valid point as far as digital transmission is concerned. It is supposedly completely different from analog signal transmission."2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
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It's total BS. If it was a problem, no one would make 1.0m cables and there are plenty. I have done hundreds of 1.0m and even .5m Digital coax cables with NO issues at all. Get the length you need and not worry about it.Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
Steve Nugent wrote an interesting white paper on the benefits of 1.5M...Mr. Nugent is a former Intel engineer who happened to love audio.
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue14/spdif.htm
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue43/jitter.htm
You can usually email him questions, he's always been quick to respond...a real enthusiast -
Good read on those links. Very informative, but the one thing left out is if any of it, some of it, all of it.....is actually audible. I would imagine that he's talking a cumulative system effect on jitter in his explanations.
While I dig the science of it all, and it's certainly interesting, if it's not very audible one has to ask if it's worth chasing.HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
Not sure how much of effect the length might have however Keith Johnson (co-creator of the HDCD format, and head of Spectral audio) suggests that even 7 picoseconds can be audible, and certainly measured.
http://www.avguide.com/forums/jitter-audibility-robert-harley-and-keith-johnson-comment
The analogy that really interests me is Mr. Johnson's speaker placement difference.
"We can move forward one loudspeaker of a stereo pair 6 inches an action creating roughly one half millisecond difference in arrival times to create audible consequence."
I've never thought of it in those terms. -
Good read on those links. Very informative, but the one thing left out is if any of it, some of it, all of it.....is actually audible. I would imagine that he's talking a cumulative system effect on jitter in his explanations.
While I dig the science of it all, and it's certainly interesting, if it's not very audible one has to ask if it's worth chasing.
Pretty much my take on the subject Tony. Specs are one thing but are we capable of hearing the differences? There's no way our hearing can compete with a sophisticated machine that can detect the smallest differences in detail."2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up. -
pearsall001 wrote: »Pretty much my take on the subject Tony. Specs are one thing but are we capable of hearing the differences? There's no way our hearing can compete with a sophisticated machine that can detect the smallest differences in detail.
I suspect our hearing is more sophisticated than people allow. On one hand, people want measurements that show one cable behaves differently than another. Then when they are shown data they say it is not audible.Lumin X1 file player, Westminster Labs interconnect cable
Sony XA-5400ES SACD; Pass XP-22 pre; X600.5 amps
Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers; SPOD spikes
Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on source, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables
Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
Three 20 amp circuits. -
I've tried to keep my cable runs as short as possible, including digital coax, and my current one is about 2ft and performs great. I recommend a custom digital coax from Luminous Audio which is what I have, and prices are very reasonable.
