zer061zer0 0 Report post Posted February 1, 2010 ok so now i know why my cdp provides a BNC cable to the DAC. Just a quick question, sonically would there be a difference...? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stereo_Electronics 0 Report post Posted February 1, 2010 ok so now i know why my cdp provides a BNC cable to the DAC. Just a quick question, sonically would there be a difference...? Done properly, yes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
:: Chicky :: 0 Report post Posted February 1, 2010 Personally, between the two I'd go for coaxial, but I've experienced a cheap PCDP with a cheap optical cable being better than a $200+ soundcard with a Van Den Hul digital coaxial cable. System-matching plays a part here too. If I could I would go for either AES/EBU or BNC. If you need more than 3 meters, coaxial would be better as there is less signal attenuation compared to optical, and coaxial cables can go around tighter corners. But if you have a lot of electronic equipment around with lots of emissions, then optical is the way to go. Thank you for the details answer Guess I will try to get an optical and a coaxial cable, same material if possible and AB them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kchew 0 Report post Posted February 1, 2010 Guess I will try to get an optical and a coaxial cable, same material if possible and AB them. Wait, what? Optical and coaxial cables can never be made from the same material. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
:: Chicky :: 0 Report post Posted February 2, 2010 Wait, what? Optical and coaxial cables can never be made from the same material. lol, I didn't know that. Ahh, how to have a fair fight then Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jojo_b2 0 Report post Posted February 3, 2010 lol, I didn't know that. Ahh, how to have a fair fight then Just trust your ears. If it sounds good to you. it doesn't mmatter if it sounds crap to opthers. Considering you're buying this for yourself. I wouldn't be surprised if they sounded the same. But My ears are pretty "bad" in the sense I end up hearing and paying for the difference. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kchew 0 Report post Posted February 3, 2010 Come to think of it, did you bring your QED Signature to Can Slam? We should've compared yours with my VDH Digicoupler and see if we can tell the difference. THe VDH Digicoupler was a big step up from the Belden 1695A cable I had previously though. It's funny how a digital signal which is technically just 1s and 0s can be affected by cabling. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sep90 0 Report post Posted February 24, 2010 put it this way, since i have vdh optocoupler mk2 optical cable and an oyaide bnc to rca sr-510 coaxial cable maybe i can help u out there i did borrow aron's home brewed rca coaxial cable which he kindly loaned it to me for comparison.... with the aron's cable i found it has same characteric as my VDH optical cable....very analogue took me some few tracks from technos, orchestrals, and fast music to notice the different bout it.. vdh has better highs, and more airyiness while aron's cables have much thicker mids, and tighter bass.. couldnt noticed the difference at 1st then when switched to Hd800 straight it showed up well hands down, the oyaide sr-510 wins over both of the cables...cos it using bnc .... even fresh of the box, the soundstage were well defined,fast and articulate bass and highs were present and very airy like giving a sense of space in between and mids r very well expressed ...bottomline is the cable r very very dead quiet and u can hear all those mircodetails... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kidult 0 Report post Posted February 24, 2010 put it this way, since i have vdh optocoupler mk2 optical cable and an oyaide bnc to rca sr-510 coaxial cable maybe i can help u out there i did borrow aron's home brewed rca coaxial cable which he kindly loaned it to me for comparison.... with the aron's cable i found it has same characteric as my VDH optical cable....very analogue took me some few tracks from technos, orchestrals, and fast music to notice the different bout it.. vdh has better highs, and more airyiness while aron's cables have much thicker mids, and tighter bass.. couldnt noticed the difference at 1st then when switched to Hd800 straight it showed up well hands down, the oyaide sr-510 wins over both of the cables...cos it using bnc .... even fresh of the box, the soundstage were well defined,fast and articulate bass and highs were present and very airy like giving a sense of space in between and mids r very well expressed ...bottomline is the cable r very very dead quiet and u can hear all those mircodetails... you sure you are hearing analogue Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dashbad 0 Report post Posted February 25, 2010 without wanting to spark a heated debate I'd be surprised if you could hear any difference between digital cables. It's just 1s and 0s. The quality of the DAC in/before your amp will have much more impact on the sound than a cable ever will. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kchew 0 Report post Posted February 25, 2010 without wanting to spark a heated debate I'd be surprised if you could hear any difference between digital cables. It's just 1s and 0s. The quality of the DAC in/before your amp will have much more impact on the sound than a cable ever will. I was surprised myself when I could hear the difference. Recently, my VDH Digicoupler coaxial cable was giving my Cambridge 840C some problems, so I swapped it out for a cheap Daiso fiber optic cable. I was shocked when this $30 optical cable gave me better instrument separation and a bit more midbass without sacrificing anything else. Now I wonder if a VDH Optocoupler would be even better. I realise that system synergy makes it very hard to recommend a specific coaxial or optical cable. When I had my Stello DA100, my Digicoupler performed better than the optical cable. With my 840C it is the reverse. All from the same Asus Xonar D2X soundcard. System matching sure can be a pain! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
greenhorn 0 Report post Posted February 25, 2010 I was surprised myself when I could hear the difference. Recently, my VDH Digicoupler coaxial cable was giving my Cambridge 840C some problems, so I swapped it out for a cheap Daiso fiber optic cable. I was shocked when this $30 optical cable gave me better instrument separation and a bit more midbass without sacrificing anything else. Now I wonder if a VDH Optocoupler would be even better. I realise that system synergy makes it very hard to recommend a specific coaxial or optical cable. When I had my Stello DA100, my Digicoupler performed better than the optical cable. With my 840C it is the reverse. All from the same Asus Xonar D2X soundcard. System matching sure can be a pain! You are right on spot. The time spent on finding the detail differences between cables, would be better spent on just sit back and enjoy the music. Just get something you like and within budget, and enjoy it. Don't need to worry too much about whether this cable is better than the others. Just my humble opinion... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
