Your experiences with digital cables

[Yelamanchili manohar]

Yet another cable thread from a previous non believer

I have only two decent digital coaxial cables from Hifidelity and Transparent audio, and though I've never done an A/B test, there is probably not much between them at a causal listen. If pushed I might choose the hifidelity because it costed more .

My current USB cable is a generic one that came with my daughters printer. No name nothing, but it just works.

So just wanted to know others experiences with digital cables, coax or Aes-ebu or Usb. Did you find a difference worth the investment for you.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[drkrack]

@reignofchaos should share the 2 videos (which he shared recently) with and without a premium digital Coax cable and add a poll with 3 options,
1. Video 1 is Premium Cable
2. Video 2 is Premium Cable
3. Both Cables are Same

Let's see the Forum Conclusion.

Speaking from Personal Experience, Digital Cables Make a Significant difference but only the Flagship ones (read the most expensive ones), unfortunately, Many times the cables themselves are expensive than the Components they're connecting. For Eg Coax or USB cable being expensive than the Streamer or CD Transport itself

 

[Miany]

I have compared 2 USB cables in the same setup... Both from Audioquest....Cinnamon and Diamond...

Diamond is definitely better in my experience... worth the money if you have a resolving system... But ultimately i preferred COAX over USB in my setup...

Thanks,
Miany

 

[Spiritwinds]

Yet another cable thread from a previous non believer

I have only two decent digital coaxial cables from Hifidelity and Transparent audio, and though I've never done an A/B test, there is probably not much between them at a causal listen. If pushed I might choose the hifidelity because it costed more .

My current USB cable is a generic one that came with my daughters printer. No name nothing, but it just works.

So just wanted to know others experiences with digital cables, coax or Aes-ebu or Usb. Did you find a difference worth the investment for you.

Thanks for sharing.

+ 1 .. I never believed digital cables like the coax or AES does not really matter much.. but recently a friend in the neighborhood did mention after changing to Atlas Ascent series coax cables his whole chain sounded different. It was like adding life into something..

 

[fLUX]

Speaking from personal experience & without any scientific backup before anyone pounces on me
I) I have owned coaxial cables from SF(Othello) , Chord Clearway , AQ Carbon & Wireworld Chroma & Gold Starlight 7 ( currently using this one) . Each of these altered the signature to my ears & some more subtly than the others. Noticed a decent enough change in high frequencies with AQ Carbon, the wireworld gold on the other hand brought in changes across the spectrum. Also got to try the AudioNote silver coax cable & was amazed at the difference it further brought about albeit at a premium cost.

ii) Similarly in the usb cable world also I noticed differences with an AQ Carbon , Phasure Lush, Pangea cables I tried.

While expensive is not necessarily better , per my experience they do bring in changes in the signature. However I would use it as a last resort after ones chain spends are pretty much finalised , as with other cables you might find it less effective on certain gears and if you buy a super expensive cable & it doesn’t go well with your new chain then you are in for a good loss.

 

[spirovious]

To me yes.Digital cables do make difference. I have compared digital and HDMI cables. Compared with FM too. There is a difference in quality/performance which actually shouldn't.

 

[Fiftyfifty]

Hi
Useful thread with a good question @Yelamanchili manohar

In my view, there is a greater discernable difference between the different types of cables, viz., USB, Coax, Optical, i2s and AES/EBU. I guess the reason for this is the difference in implementation on the DAC. Beyond a certain threshold of construction quality, I have not found different brands of the same cable type make a really significant difference. It's always a trade off between one attribute and another, not necessarily better or worse.

In contrast, though, analogue RCA interconnects and speaker cables show marked differences in performance.

IMLO

Cheers!

 

[prateekatasniya]

Unless the opinions are based on blind testing those opinions can be psychological too.

 

[muralimmreddy]

We have starlinks, global internet and transport network running mission critical services yet transferring digital bits in audio is unsolved problem, phase jittler clock, silver/copper cables and what not

 

[chander]

I am one of those people who can't really tell the differences in cables. I have in my current setup everything - from cheapy EMK, to expensive AQ, chord company, professional mogamis, amphenol, belden, mid priced Pangea, amazon speaker cables, 10,000 a meter cables. NADA.

If I go fancy I go either to prove theories to myself or if I need some heavy duty application - so build quality.

There have been only 2 cables till date - that have made a repeatable noticeable difference in my opinion, can't tell why or how - I do not understand the science behind it.

1 - Mogami - 2497 neglex - bought from Soundfoundation as stereo RCA. No clue what is happening there - but there is definitely something. Whenever I hook them up - which is a pain - they sound very deep. I can't have them hooked up all the time though as my primary system takes XLR, so hooking them up means my subwoofer won't work.
2 - A 75ohm DIY Coax cable I bought from an FM here - it is a short 6 inch type cable. But whenever I plug it in the volume increases. I did mention this to the FM as well, neither of were sure what is happening there. But I measured using 2 different apps, a few times. With all settings remaining constant the output is always a FEW DBs louder. I stopped using that cable as I was scared there is something wrong with it. But well. That's that.

Apart from that - nothing really. A lot of times there are perceived changes to justify the purchase, but once the honey moon period is over, an A/B then mostly comes with - NADA.

So just wanted to know others experiences with digital cables, coax or Aes-ebu or Usb. Did you find a difference worth the investment for you.

 

[dafreaking]

So when someone says their new cable has brought things to 'life' just exactly how lifeless were these before?

 

[Shammi Dang]

Yet another cable thread from a previous non believer

I have only two decent digital coaxial cables from Hifidelity and Transparent audio, and though I've never done an A/B test, there is probably not much between them at a causal listen. If pushed I might choose the hifidelity because it costed more .

My current USB cable is a generic one that came with my daughters printer. No name nothing, but it just works.

So just wanted to know others experiences with digital cables, coax or Aes-ebu or Usb. Did you find a difference worth the investment for you.

Thanks for sharing.

On a personal level I am not very fussy about cables and I use just mid qlty decent cables that does not burn big hole in the pocket. Most of my digital cables are of MX brand like co-axial, toslink, hdmi(4k compatible). For usb cables I am using the same stock cables that came along with purchase of stuff from brands like Dell or mobiles etc. About the experience so far, no complaints as these cables are good enough for a mid level system in terms of investment.

Although I also believe that it is entirely on a person buying capability to invest any amount in cable provided the system is good enough to justify that. On very high end systems we can feel the difference by use of some very high end cables but for the stuff we often buy in India like a set up of 1-2 lakhs these cables will not make much difference.

 

[sound1]

Hi
Useful thread with a good question @Yelamanchili manohar

In my view, there is a greater discernable difference between the different types of cables, viz., USB, Coax, Optical, i2s and AES/EBU. I guess the reason for this is the difference in implementation on the DAC. Beyond a certain threshold of construction quality, I have not found different brands of the same cable type make a really significant difference. It's always a trade off between one attribute and another, not necessarily better or worse.

In contrast, though, analogue RCA interconnects and speaker cables show marked differences in performance.

IMLO

Cheers!

Thank you for this insightful post

 

[bornfi]

Not only for cable but for any change I make to my system, I expect that I should hear the change immediately within 10 seconds of the play to substantiate the spending. I started with Van Damme based coax and then one fine day I made my own with Neotech's solid core OCC silver and could hear an immediate difference and, since then never explored this area again.

I will be honest to accept that I have a phobia of having longer cables so, my digital cables aren't longer than 6-8 inches and that is probably the reason why my system appears ill-organized at times.

Now reading through the experiences of some fellow members here, I will have the courage some day to try some but something in my mind tells me that the difference will not be that huge to justify the spending.

 

[Yelamanchili manohar]

Not only for cable but for any change I make to my system, I expect that I should hear the change immediately within 10 seconds of the play to substantiate the spending. I started with Van Damme based coax and then one fine day I made my own with Neotech's solid core OCC silver and could hear an immediate difference and, since then never explored this area again.

I will be honest to accept that I have a phobia of having longer cables so, my digital cables aren't longer than 6-8 inches and that is probably the reason why my system appears ill-organized at times.

Now reading through the experiences of some fellow members here, I will have the courage some day to try some but something in my mind tells me that the difference will not be that huge to justify the spending.

Id agree on immediately noticeable differences being important for me too. If it is not immediate and reasonably substantial then I wont bother.

Funny that I too suffer from the short or just about adequate cable length OCD

 

[Yelamanchili manohar]

Hi
Useful thread with a good question @Yelamanchili manohar

In my view, there is a greater discernable difference between the different types of cables, viz., USB, Coax, Optical, i2s and AES/EBU. I guess the reason for this is the difference in implementation on the DAC. Beyond a certain threshold of construction quality, I have not found different brands of the same cable type make a really significant difference. It's always a trade off between one attribute and another, not necessarily better or worse.

In contrast, though, analogue RCA interconnects and speaker cables show marked differences in performance.

IMLO

Cheers!

Thanks for sharing. I agree that the implementation of various types of inputs decides the final cable of choice. Glad that the law of diminishing returns applies to digital cables too.

 

[CKumar]

I was also not a big believer in digital cables unless I tried something different than the stock cables
I was happy using printer stock usb cables until I bought oyaide neo d+ class a(quite mouthful) , and I felt not the immediate change but after couple of weeks. Since then I never tried that stock cable
Same goes with coaxial cable , after stock cable, tried pangea coaxial and also Kannan diyed cable . This time changes were immediate and noticable.

May be if somebody has good audio resolving system, ultra/diamond/promax high end cables might bring some good amount of changes and enhance the overall performance. Will this justify the cost ,that upto buyer.

 

[AP@1992]

I will limit my reply to USB cables since I have been playing around with them recently.

Streamer is Eversolo A6 ME -------> Denafrips Pontus II.

1) Generic USB which came with Eversolo - I took this as my starting point to access the general character of the DAC. Warm with sufficient details. Good timing and no fatigue. Voices are big (horizontally and not projecting forward like my Weiss Minvera DAC). No digital glare or sibilant. Sound stage depth and width was satisfactory. This was my general impression of the DAC as well.

2) Transparent USB cable- All of the above remained true. What got added is a even bigger soundstage depth and width. Even more warmth which sounded darker than system No.1. Details and pin pointing of instruments and clarity suffered a bit. At this point, I could really see that this USB cable cab be a great match for a bright system. The changes it brought were noticable even without a critical listen.

3) Joshua USB Cable - This cable was made for our FM Jai. He had given it to me to try it. This Cable was cleared and sharper than system 1 and 2. Better resolution, clarity and image.

So if system no. 1 is the middle ground, system no.2 and 3 are either end of the spectrum. I prefer system No.1.

I have always believed that everything from wires to DACs to amps to speaker, everything sounds different, albeit degree may differ.

 

[PTP]

Yet another cable thread from a previous non believer

I have only two decent digital coaxial cables from Hifidelity and Transparent audio, and though I've never done an A/B test, there is probably not much between them at a causal listen. If pushed I might choose the hifidelity because it costed more .

My current USB cable is a generic one that came with my daughters printer. No name nothing, but it just works.

So just wanted to know others experiences with digital cables, coax or Aes-ebu or Usb. Did you find a difference worth the investment for you.

Thanks for sharing.

In my experience a digital cable can make or break your entire setup.

I was using a basic MX coax cable connecting Digione Signature with Zen one signature DAC. I had sibilance problem and it was less resolving and bright. I was able to identify these issues with MX cable only after upgrading to DH labs D-750. Till then I was satisfied with MX itself. But since I have tasted the flavours of a better coax I'm unable to return back to basics.

When I first connected Dh labs D-750, i felt like music tempo had dropped down and the music was not playing it was actually flowing. Sibilance got rectified and my system is now more resolving without sounding harsh.

I consider that it's worth spending on a high end digital cable.

 

[rajivaryan1984]

In my experience a digital cable can make or break your entire setup.

I was using a basic MX coax cable connecting Digione Signature with Zen one signature DAC. I had sibilance problem and it was less resolving and bright. I was able to identify these issues with MX cable only after upgrading to DH labs D-750. Till then I was satisfied with MX itself. But since I have tasted the flavours of a better coax I'm unable to return back to basics.

When I first connected Dh labs D-750, i felt like music tempo had dropped down and the music was not playing it was actually flowing. Sibilance got rectified and my system is now more resolving without sounding harsh.

I consider that it's worth spending on a high end digital cable.

Hey @PTP from where in India you were able to procure the DH labs D-750 cable. Can you share the source and price ?