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Cables and config for a set of A2's + NuForce Udac-2 + Macbook Pro

post #1 of 5
10/8/10 at 9:40pm
Thread Starter 

Hi Guys. 

 

Spent a few hours reading old threads while choosing a set of speakers and a DAC.  I will not be doing any authoring just music listening - and based on my budget and all of the reviews i could possibly find to read: I'm going to go with the Audioengine A2's.  I'm also going to pair them with a NuForce UDAC-2. 

 

In a few of the reviews it has been mentioned that the cables that come in the box with the A2's can be replaced for better sound quality.  Unfortunately I'm not 100% familiar with the exact way to hook these up.  What I'm expecting I will need is: 

 

1. High quality gold plated USB cable for Macbook Pro> NuForce.

   - Can I plug this connection in thru a hub or will I degrade it that way? Should I specifically use an actual USB port on my Macbook Pro?

 

2. High quality cable for A2 left to A2 right

   - Exactly what kind of cable does this use? Will a high quality cable have banana connectors on the ends? (from pictures it looks like the A2's will be compatible with a banana connector

 

3. High quality cable for A2 1/8 > NuForce UDAC-2  (I see from pictures that the A2's have RCA and 1/8 - I have read that Audioengine reccomends using the 1/8 is this true? 

 

 

Lastly can you guys suggest a few cable brands and connector style/type that I can shop for online for these purposes?

 

 

 

Thanks for your patience with me!!

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post #2 of 5
10/8/10 at 11:08pm
  1. Doesn't matter
  2. It's just plain speaker wires, I honestly don't think it will make a difference. Listen to one speaker and then listen to the other one connected by the speaker wire and decide for yourself. I personally did not notice any difference because the limiting factor is the A2 itself.
  3. They only recommend 3.5mm probably because most people buying the A2 do not have RCA output sources, I'd go with RCA output from the uDAC-2.

 

Unless you suspect all the cables are junk, don't bother spending money on new cables for the A2. Audioengine is not going to limit their own products by providing horrible cables; if they offer upgradable cables then I could see them doing that. Cables are the last thing you want to spend money on especially if you are bored and curiosity strikes. The A2 does not have room for improvement from cables, all it needs is a decent source.


Edited by kite7 - 10/8/10 at 11:13pm
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post #3 of 5
10/9/10 at 1:19pm

this ^

 

all these high quality cable you're thinking about (gold plated USB? ) is probably gonna cost more than the A2 and uDac put together, and some. forget it. not necessary. I'm not saying it wouldn't make a difference - but the cost doesn't justify the difference, imo. the A2 are great little speakers, and are good at what they were made for, but are not very revealing speakers. 

 

something else you may wanna consider is to add a USB interface between the laptop and the uDAC like the HiFace to reduce jitter (garbage in, garbage out), and a digital cable like the Bolder. again the A2 are not that revealing so I'm not sure how much of difference will it make. I reckon quite a bit. also placing the A2 on some kind of stands until they're raised at ear level improve sound quite a bit.

 

there's a pair of used A2 going at Audiogon if you're interested - get them!

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post #4 of 5
10/9/10 at 3:58pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks for all of your thoughts. I didn't actually mean a gold plated USB. What I guess I meant was an "upgraded" usb- like the one that NuForce sells for $30. Would one of those help, and can it be run thru a hub or should I specifically try to go directly to the computer port.

 

 

Yes I plan to get the A2 stands that point them at ear level from desk level. Is there a particular quality/brand speaker cables that you guys would suggest as a replacement for the ones that come in the box? (at a descent price) 

 

 

Lastly - that HiFace is SPDIF out - I'm pretty sure the UDAC-2 only has SPDIF out - its only input is USB, so unless i'm mistaken I don't think the HiFace could be used in conjunction with it.

 

 

Thanks for all of your input guys.

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post #5 of 5
10/10/10 at 4:55am

bruck- I've not tried the cable so I can't say if it's better than an ordinary usb cable. it looks interesting though, and the price is reasonable; if it does what it claims though (reduce jitter and timing errors) is something else. if I can find one locally I'll get one.

 

perhaps you could give The Cable Company a call, if you wanna tried different speaker cables; they should advice what cables suit you best, and if you're in the USA they'll even send some to try so you can choose the one you think "sounds" best. I would go bare wire with the A2 where possible.

 

the HiFace will positively reduce jitter - not completely - but substantially. I reckon it can connected to the coaxial RCA output of the uDac. for affordable, good built cables also check Bluejeans cables

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