Forums - Tweaks - Digital Cable/Fuse

Palomino

Seasoned Member

Posts: 2474

Tweaks - Digital Cable/Fuse
02/21/13 at 18:20:32

I'm looking for a suitable SPDIF cable to connect my digital transport to my DAC. I bought DSR silver interconnects running from my DAC to my SE34 and got a nice improvement over my previous interconnects and thought I should look to replacing the digital cable as well.

Also, in my SS amp, I ran a HiFi tuning fuse and felt I got a slight improvement with that. Anyone seeing any benefits of running one of these in their Decware amp?

Back to top

i7 Mac Mini with LPSU/SSD running Audirvana 3.5, Uptone Audio Regen on LPSU, Mytek Brooklyn DAC+, Ven Haus DIY Silver ICs, 25th Ann. Zen, PS Audio P5 Power Supply, PS Audio Power Cords, GR Research Speaker Wire, DIY Big Betsy and Crystal 10 Open Baffle Speakers

IP Logged

Lon

Seasoned Member

"Love without
guts is
worthless!"
Philip K. Dick

Posts: 23589

Re: Tweaks - Digital Cable/Fuse
Reply #1 - 02/21/13 at 19:28:52

I've used this coaxial digital cable for years and any time I compare another to it, I pop it back in, pretty decent, not too expensive:

http://www.musicdirect.com/p-3907-creative-cable-black-knight-digital-rca.aspx

I also like the sound of a really good optical cable and this is my favorite:

http://www.lifatec.com/toslink2.html

Decware power cords are good. I think I still have one in use on a guitar amp; I've moved to PS Audio Perfectwave AC cables in my main system. They're damned expensive though. But in my opinion and for my ears and system . . .worth it when bought used.

Back to top

HR-1,ZBIT,ZROCK2,SEWE300B,CSP3-25mod; Rega RP3 all GrooveTracer mods;PSAudio:PST+DSD, DAC Mk II, P15,NPC,PowerBases,AC-12 pwr cbls, Reference spkrcbls; Mapleshade SamsonV3; VooDoo:Cremona+Amati interconnects, IsoPods; headphones: Sennheiser HD800S,ZMF Ori,Oppo PM1

IP Logged

Pale Rider

Seasoned Member

Posts: 1285

Re: Tweaks - Digital Cable/Fuse
Reply #2 - 02/21/13 at 19:59:09

I agree with Lon's recommendation on the power cables. PS Audio are expensive, but worth it. I still use my Decware and MAC cables on a couple of devices, and in a couple of spots where the strain relief of the Decware cables seems better suited.

On the coax, the Black Knight is a good choice. Depending on your budget, I have had success with Blue Jeans Cable, and have recommended them to quite a few folks. They don't have snob appeal, and they don't have high-end cache, but their coax does in fact test out 75 ohm tip-to-tip. I have a custom-made digital RCA cable by Grover Huffman, and it cost quite a bit more than the BJC, and though the difference is discernible, it is only just so, especially considering this particular cable feeds what is at best probably not a great signal from my DVR.

Back to top

IP Logged

Pale Rider

Seasoned Member

Posts: 1285

Re: Tweaks - Digital Cable/Fuse
Reply #3 - 02/21/13 at 20:03:20

Palomino asked:
Quote:

Also, in my SS amp, I ran a HiFi tuning fuse and felt I got a slight improvement with that. Anyone seeing any benefits of running one of these in their Decware amp?

I tried and could not. Not saying it's not there, but for the price, I couldn't hear it, and the ROI on blown fuses can go down very rapidly.

Back to top

IP Logged

Palomino

Seasoned Member

Posts: 2474

Re: Tweaks - Digital Cable/Fuse
Reply #4 - 02/21/13 at 20:52:54

Thanks for the suggestions. I actually found your post on a different forum Lon and already checked out the Black Knight. It's within my budget.

I am currently using Signal Cable basic digital coax [/http://signalcable.com/digitalcoax.html] but I was also using their basic analog interconnects and found the Decware were much better.

I currently use a DIY braided silver plated OFC power cord similar to the Decware cord and found it to be a step up from my old DIY Belden 83803 power cord.

I may have to give a good optical cable a try. I have a Mac mini with optical out but thought it sounded thin and thus stayed with the digital transport and SPDIF out.

Back to top

i7 Mac Mini with LPSU/SSD running Audirvana 3.5, Uptone Audio Regen on LPSU, Mytek Brooklyn DAC+, Ven Haus DIY Silver ICs, 25th Ann. Zen, PS Audio P5 Power Supply, PS Audio Power Cords, GR Research Speaker Wire, DIY Big Betsy and Crystal 10 Open Baffle Speakers

IP Logged

Lon

Seasoned Member

"Love without
guts is
worthless!"
Philip K. Dick

Posts: 23589

Re: Tweaks - Digital Cable/Fuse
Reply #5 - 02/21/13 at 21:01:36

The optical connection intrigues me because it is such a cool concept, no wire involved, just light traveling along plastic or glass. I found I prefer glass cables, have used Amphenol (no longer made I'm afraid) which were a step up from anything I ever used before, and then the Lifatech a step further up than that, I really like the sound of that. I use it from DVR to PWD Mk II and it gives me better sound than I ever thought possible for that source. Smooth and full.

I'm glad you enjoy the Decware interconnects. For the price they are awesome. After years of using them I spent more than I'd like to better them. . . found I enjoyed going back to copper, and used mostly cryoset.com interconnects, great sound.

Back to top

HR-1,ZBIT,ZROCK2,SEWE300B,CSP3-25mod; Rega RP3 all GrooveTracer mods;PSAudio:PST+DSD, DAC Mk II, P15,NPC,PowerBases,AC-12 pwr cbls, Reference spkrcbls; Mapleshade SamsonV3; VooDoo:Cremona+Amati interconnects, IsoPods; headphones: Sennheiser HD800S,ZMF Ori,Oppo PM1

IP Logged

Pale Rider

Seasoned Member

Posts: 1285

Re: Tweaks - Digital Cable/Fuse
Reply #6 - 02/22/13 at 00:01:24

I only use optical if I have to. Everything I have read and heard suggests to me its signal transmission is moderately inferior to a good coax cable. This excerpt from the PWD manual says as much, and it is echoed by many:

Quote:

In order of preference, from a high-performance standpoint, here are the recommendations for
connecting the PWD to your source equipment.
1. PS Audio Network Bridge. This optional slide in card connects your PWD to your home network.
2. I±S. (Pronounced “I squared S”) This is the next best performance option. This connection
method will only work with a similarly equipped I±S input using the HDMI connection.
This will not work into a standard HDMI connection and must go into a PS approved type
such as that found on the PerfectWave Transport. This input is capable of 192kHz 32 bit data.
3. USB. Universal Serial Bus. This is used when connecting a computer. The computer will
automatically recognize the PWD if it is a Mac. If you have a Windows computer you will need to
download and install the driver available through www.psaudio.com This USB input is
capable of 192kHz 32 bit data. http://updates.psaudio.com/MarkIIUSBDriver/USB-2.0Driver-V1.22.0.zip
4. XLR. This is a balanced S/PDIF encoded input that complies with standards set by the
AES/EBU (Audio Engineering Society/European Broadcasting Union). This input is
capable of 192kHz 32 bit data.
5. RCA. Coaxial single ended S/PDIF encoded input. This input is capable of 192kHz 32 bit data.
6. Optical. TOSLINK optically connected S/PDIF encoded input. This input is capable of
96kHz 24 bit data.

Having said that, I am on no anti-optical crusade. I run the AppleTV on optical when HDMI is not an option, or when there is a reason to want to split the video and audio digital signals. Moreover, as is the case of the PWD, it is important to know whether any of your inputs have limitations on them. Here, one obvious reason for the ranking of the optical link is that it will not pass higher resolution than 96/24. For me, that would be a non-starter, as I have a lot of files above 96k.

Back to top

IP Logged

Lon

Seasoned Member

"Love without
guts is
worthless!"
Philip K. Dick

Posts: 23589

Re: Tweaks - Digital Cable/Fuse
Reply #7 - 02/22/13 at 00:49:31

I know that optical gets "pooh poohed" a lot, but in my system I've used it very successfully with sources that are restricted to 48kz due to copy protection or source transmission (Blu-ray and DVR digital out) and for the DVR I actually prefer the optical, less "edgy" and more analog-like. The Lifatec optical has sounded excellent even connecting the PWT to the PWD Mk II (which I've done on a lark). Of course when using the PWD Mk II I have a digital lens in the pathway which I know is helping. Still, in my second system when I've experimented with the Denon DCD-A100 as a DAC the sound between coaxial RCA and optical was very hard to fault either way.

Back to top

HR-1,ZBIT,ZROCK2,SEWE300B,CSP3-25mod; Rega RP3 all GrooveTracer mods;PSAudio:PST+DSD, DAC Mk II, P15,NPC,PowerBases,AC-12 pwr cbls, Reference spkrcbls; Mapleshade SamsonV3; VooDoo:Cremona+Amati interconnects, IsoPods; headphones: Sennheiser HD800S,ZMF Ori,Oppo PM1

IP Logged

Pale Rider Seasoned Member Posts: 1285	Re: Tweaks - Digital Cable/Fuse Reply #8 - 02/22/13 at 05:01:48 Optical appeals to the physics/scifi geek side of me, and I had not really thought of the fact that the lens would help clean it up either way. I wonder what would contribute to the lower edginess? If your coax is the Black Knight, which is very good, I wonder if optical has more internal cable reflections?
Back to top	1: PS Audio DirectStream \| BHK Preamp & Monoblocks \| Legacy Audio Aeris 2: MSB Select II \| Custom T2 & Mjolnir Carbon CC \| Stax SR-009 & 007 3: Lumin A1 \| HeadAmp GS-X mk2 \|Meze Empyrean & HEDDphone 4. Schiit Vidar \| RAAL Requisite SR1a IP Logged

beowulf

Seasoned Member

Posts: 1447

Re: Tweaks - Digital Cable/Fuse
Reply #9 - 02/22/13 at 06:03:19

Lon:
Quote:

Decware power cords are good. I think I still have one in use on a guitar amp; I've moved to PS Audio Perfectwave AC cables in my main system. They're damned expensive though. But in my opinion and for my ears and system . . .worth it when bought used.

Hi Lon, which PS AC cables are you using and (having never held one, but since they look like garden hoses) do you find them to be very flexible when it comes to using them with the top mounted power cord recepticles of the Decware components?

Back to top

IP Logged

Lon

Seasoned Member

"Love without
guts is
worthless!"
Philip K. Dick

Posts: 23589

Re: Tweaks - Digital Cable/Fuse
Reply #10 - 02/22/13 at 12:45:53

b. in the main system I'm using the ridiculously expensive Perfectwave AC-12 for almost all components, with AC-10 in use with two.

They're not very flexible, but they work with the Decware top-mounted inlets if you have enough length. As I have all components plugged into a Power Plant Premier, four components (soon to be five) are close enough that 1 meter lengths work, others have 2 meter lengths. Carefully set up there is just enough flexibility.

Back to top

HR-1,ZBIT,ZROCK2,SEWE300B,CSP3-25mod; Rega RP3 all GrooveTracer mods;PSAudio:PST+DSD, DAC Mk II, P15,NPC,PowerBases,AC-12 pwr cbls, Reference spkrcbls; Mapleshade SamsonV3; VooDoo:Cremona+Amati interconnects, IsoPods; headphones: Sennheiser HD800S,ZMF Ori,Oppo PM1

IP Logged

Lon

Seasoned Member

"Love without
guts is
worthless!"
Philip K. Dick

Posts: 23589

Re: Tweaks - Digital Cable/Fuse
Reply #11 - 02/22/13 at 12:50:08

Pale Rider wrote on 02/22/13 at 05:01:48:

Optical appeals to the physics/scifi geek side of me, and I had not really thought of the fact that the lens would help clean it up either way. I wonder what would contribute to the lower edginess? If your coax is the Black Knight, which is very good, I wonder if optical has more internal cable reflections?

I'm not sure the why and wherefore of it all Greg, but I found that the glass cables seem more musical than the plastic, and the best I've heard give coaxial RCA a run for their money. Remember again I'm dealing with DVD-level audio here. The highest resolution material I've heard has been burned onto DVD-R by a forum member here as a gift, thank you very much, two discs that I play back through the PWT via HDMI into the PWD Mk II, so I have no comparison between coaxial and optical to use there. I have no way to burn my own DVD-Rs full of wav files, so my experience with the hi-res with this system is very positive but very limited.

Back to top

HR-1,ZBIT,ZROCK2,SEWE300B,CSP3-25mod; Rega RP3 all GrooveTracer mods;PSAudio:PST+DSD, DAC Mk II, P15,NPC,PowerBases,AC-12 pwr cbls, Reference spkrcbls; Mapleshade SamsonV3; VooDoo:Cremona+Amati interconnects, IsoPods; headphones: Sennheiser HD800S,ZMF Ori,Oppo PM1

IP Logged

orangecrush

Seasoned Member

Posts: 285

Re: Tweaks - Digital Cable/Fuse
Reply #12 - 02/22/13 at 18:04:09

After trying a few coax cables, I finially found one I love and mates very well to Decware amps: Oyaide DB-510.

Amazing cable and value. It has been accurately described as a "analog sounding cable". Even though it is pure silver, it is smooth and organic with no edge or roll off in the frequency extremes. The connectors are the highest quality you can get. Really nice cable at a realistic price. You can purchase on Ebay from Japan sellers.

Back to top

IP Logged

Pale Rider

Seasoned Member

Posts: 1285

Re: Tweaks - Digital Cable/Fuse
Reply #13 - 02/22/13 at 18:18:54

OC, maybe I am misunderstanding something, how does it mate well with Decware amps? Do you mean, that as a digital IC between digital components, it has good downstream synergy with Decware once the signal has been converted to analog?

Anyway, I have heard good things about Oyaide. If you get any comfort buying through Amazon, and I do, they list third party sellers for this cable here.

Back to top

IP Logged

orangecrush Seasoned Member Posts: 285	Re: Tweaks - Digital Cable/Fuse Reply #14 - 02/23/13 at 02:43:39 Yes. Synergy. This cable mates well with system that is on the leaner, fast, transparent side of things.
Back to top	IP Logged