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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2019 6:59:32 GMT
I am looking for a good digital coaxial cable, which does not cost the earth for a bit of experimentation.
I was thinking of the QED performance cable. Does anybody have experience of this cable, or is there a better one available?
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Aug 12, 2019 7:40:13 GMT
Ive bought quite a few sub-tenner digital,coaxial cables off EBay, including Audioquest video Z and Neotech NEI5002. You couldn’t buy the plugs for the price most of them go for, I’d just buy two or three and play with them might take a few weeks to get them, but auction rather than BIN is the way to get cheap.
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Post by dsjr on Aug 12, 2019 9:02:25 GMT
75 ohm satellite grade coax cable and a couple of plugs - that's seriously all you need if the dac is doing it's receiving job properly. One area where Van Damme plasma grade cable really is inaudible  |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2019 9:38:37 GMT
In that case, I will give a Graham Slee Lautus à run and see if it makes any difference tothe old IC cable I had lying around.
My experience is telling me that my Asus Essence STX II sound card has all the DAC I could ever need.
I hear no difference between that and my Caiman SEG with Dorado PSU.
Maybe I don’t have the same golden ears as others on other forums...
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Post by dsjr on Aug 12, 2019 10:48:07 GMT
Sometimes I think I can hear a slight difference when comparing things but it's not always repeatable for me and that's when the doubts initially set in. The rest I've shared countless times so no point in repeating it. Even people trained to pick out sonic differences don't always notice changes in digital sources these days unless there are deliberate errors. Speakers and how they work (or not) in the rooms they're in out-way everything else I reckon.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2019 10:56:18 GMT
I think you are probably right.
My Asus sound card feeding my headphone amp directly, sounds no different to spdif coax to upgraded SEG to headphone amp.
I am going to try usb to rule the Asus DAC out completely, and then maybe a Majestic DAC.
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Post by macca on Aug 12, 2019 11:17:59 GMT
DACs are now the last bastion of foo. Did anyone read that review of the £13K TotalDAC on ASR? Oh dear.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2019 12:05:14 GMT
I hear no difference with a decent cable in place.
I am just going to leave it alone...
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2019 14:18:57 GMT
The only thing I read about digital co-ax cables that made much sense is that because we audiophools don't have proper BNC connections on anything, you cant get a true 75 Ohm termination, so one thing that might be worth doing is using a cable longer than 1.5m as that minimises the effect of the inevitable reflections. It sounds a cheap enough sensible suggestion.
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Post by antonio on Aug 12, 2019 14:26:59 GMT
We're just trying an Audioquest Vodka ethernet cable now, it is a very subtle improvement over the standard cable, smoother would be a good word to describe the difference. Believe me, I'm no golden ears.  |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2019 14:36:46 GMT
The only thing I read about digital co-ax cables that made much sense is that because we audiophools don't have proper BNC connections on anything, you cant get a true 75 Ohm termination, so one thing that might be worth doing is using a cable longer than 1.5m as that minimises the effect of the inevitable reflections. It sounds a cheap enough sensible suggestion. I used a 1.5m Lautus cable. I am going to try a Bitzie DAC followed by the Majestic. I have them sitting in the cupboard, so why not. If they don’t make a difference, then I need to work out if there is something limiting the performance, other than my ears. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2019 14:50:09 GMT
DACs are now the last bastion of foo. Did anyone read that review of the £13K TotalDAC on ASR? Oh dear. oh dear... he's a tad scathing I certainly wont argue with the looks and quality comments - it looks like a £130 DAC, not £13K. I dont agree with some of the nutty cases things get put in, but it should be better quality than that at that price. |
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Aug 12, 2019 17:18:17 GMT
The only thing I read about digital co-ax cables that made much sense is that because we audiophools don't have proper BNC connections on anything, you cant get a true 75 Ohm termination, so one thing that might be worth doing is using a cable longer than 1.5m as that minimises the effect of the inevitable reflections. It sounds a cheap enough sensible suggestion. Both my Dacs have BNC. Sadly none of the three CD players do. One is made by the same firm that made one of the Dacs! |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2019 20:31:51 GMT
The only thing I read about digital co-ax cables that made much sense is that because we audiophools don't have proper BNC connections on anything, you cant get a true 75 Ohm termination, so one thing that might be worth doing is using a cable longer than 1.5m as that minimises the effect of the inevitable reflections. It sounds a cheap enough sensible suggestion. Both my Dacs have BNC. Sadly none of the three CD players do. One is made by the same firm that made one of the Dacs!  |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2019 22:31:44 GMT
i use Chord Company Company C Series RCA Interconnects, HDMI & USB Cables. My last ever cables purchases.
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Post by antonio on Aug 28, 2019 5:08:14 GMT
Stay away from cable discussions now you're sorted Andre.  |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2019 10:49:22 GMT
I stay away from all Hi-Fi technicalities within a subject nowadays. Easier to take the piss & laugh to yourself in private
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Post by dsjr on Aug 28, 2019 11:16:15 GMT
Both my Dacs have BNC. Sadly none of the three CD players do. One is made by the same firm that made one of the Dacs! I'm *told* it doesn't matter really, as impedance matching of digital components may not be very precise in any case. Even (once) exalted Meridian, with transport and dac, once had ridiculous mismatching of impedances on two boxes supposedly designed to work together..
In these days where jitter isn't an issue and distortions in digital gear are so low, I reckon that the audio data stream either works or it doesn't, so less to concern ourselves with?
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Post by macca on Aug 28, 2019 12:04:03 GMT
Jitter has never been an issue except in fevered imaginations and marketing bollox.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2019 14:01:56 GMT
I'm *told* it doesn't matter really, as impedance matching of digital components may not be very precise in any case. Even (once) exalted Meridian, with transport and dac, once had ridiculous mismatching of impedances on two boxes supposedly designed to work together..
In these days where jitter isn't an issue and distortions in digital gear are so low, I reckon that the audio data stream either works or it doesn't, so less to concern ourselves with?
If it was really digital then it’d be checksummed and the data fully recoverable... but since it’s just a square wave... the thing I read said the impedance was to reduce reflections in the cable which made the signal harder to decode. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 23, 2021 16:37:01 GMT
If you want a cable from an established brand, this Amazon Basics coaxial cable for internet modem is something you should consider. I appreciate that its robust-center conductor ensures no quality loss during use while increasing the wire’s lifespan. Such a construction prevents errors and slow internet speeds due to data corruption, thus guaranteeing smooth display. Find more here www.galvinpower.org/best-coaxial-cables-for-internet/ |
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