For those looking for the best sound from an X-Fi

[spacemanspliff]

http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/RCA-mini-spdif.html

This cable allows for the best SQ I have gotten out of an X-FI. It goes directly to my DAC and sounds better than the breakout box optical on the X-Fi Elite pro. I need to try the little I/O box which I have but I believe that regardless this RCA coaxial cable gives me better SQ than optical.

Of course, for music always use Audio Creation Mode w/ bit-matched and 96khz and select digital I/O on settings to get this to work.

For gaming you need to also select digital I/O to get this to work. I don't use CMSS for gaming but my headphones have a surround feature that actually works with stereo.

Ultrasone 2500 for those that are interested but be warned that they are not cheap and require a good amp at least to work properly and they are picky as hell to get singing.

[spacemanspliff]

that website has TONS of great audio gear for cheap btw. look around for sure.

[jmmtn4aj]

Eh? Since the information is digital, whichever cable you use should sound the same right?

[spacemanspliff]

nope. you would think so but for some reason the best sound is this way.

[error401]

The distortion comes about not because the data is misinterpreted (though this is possible with very poor cables), but because the clock signal is embedded in the same signal and recovered at the receiver end. I'm not totally certain on the physics of it (or whether it causes a noticeable difference), but instability in the S/PDIF signal travelling over the coax/optical connection can induce jitter into the receiver side's clock. Since S/PDIF doesn't provide for flow control, even the best of DACs aren't immune to this. There are basically two choices to correct it: asynchronously reclock or use a very stable PLL, both of which have downsides.

[soloz2]

I got my digital mini-RCA from bluejeanscable. the price was about the same and it has excellent build quality and sounds great

[Dragon Rider]

Here we go again, with the cable magic and the upsampling magic I'm getting tired of hearing about black magic

[shoenberg3]

Noobie question, is this cable different from other mini-to-RCA cables (what is SPIDF?)?

[Gilly]

Originally Posted by shoenberg3

Noobie question, is this cable different from other mini-to-RCA cables (what is SPIDF?)?

SPDIF is just a name. Sony Philips Difgital InterFace iirc. Its basically just meaning digital audio output, i believe it COULD be DTS/DD encoded or just standard PCM (decoded already) but in theory this cable is the same as any other 3.5mm mono to rca (phono) cable. But, some would say its better grade, as with any other cable, their grades, quality and sound signature will be different, even when its just 0's and 1's

[Nick63]

Originally Posted by spacemanspliff

http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/RCA-mini-spdif.html

This cable allows for the best SQ I have gotten out of an X-FI.

Exactly which cable on the page you linked are you referring to? The Belden 1505F or the Belden 89259?