[Thetaburn]

Out of curiosity, I bought a Blue Rigger optical cable to connect the U18 to the optical input of the x26pro.
In my opinion it sounds a bit cleaner than the IIS and coax.
Have others had the same result or perhaps I might have a ground loop or some EMI RFI issue?

 

[MartinWT]

I bought a Blue Rigger optical cable to connect the U18 to the optical input of the x26pro.

In my opinion, none of the S/PDIF interfaces can hold a candle to the purity of I2S, which takes a further leap forwards if the U18 is fed by an external clock. This clock is carried through I2S and benefits the X26 Pro, too. No other interface does this.

 

[kennyb123]

Have others had the same result or perhaps I might have a ground loop or some EMI RFI issue?

You don’t state which coax it bettered, but it could simply be a case of that particular coax being of sufficient quality to better the optical connection.

As @MartinWT says above, you should definitely give I2S a try. It’s often not too difficult to find used HDMI cables that are affordable and of audiophile quality.

 

[Thetaburn]

You don’t state which coax it bettered, but it could simply be a case of that particular coax being of sufficient quality to better the optical connection.

As @MartinWT says above, you should definitely give I2S a try. It’s often not too difficult to find used HDMI cables that are affordable and of audiophile quality.

Yes it could be a quality difference between the cables I am using.
So for optical I am using a Blue Rigger $15 cad from Amazon.
Coax is from Xangsane $30 cad from AliExpress.
I2s is Blue Jeans cable $40 cad from their website.

In my system, Optical sounds better than the coax.
Optical is slightly betteror equal to i2s which I found strange as well.

 

[kennyb123]

In my system, Optical sounds better than the coax.
Optical is slightly betteror equal to i2s which I found strange as well.

You said it sounded a bit “cleaner”. Can you explain that more maybe in musical terms? “Cleaner” sounding can mean different things to different people so It would help to hear what you mean by that.

RF/EMI often has the effect of graying out tonal colors, in my experience. RF/EMI can also sometimes fool us into thinking we are hearing more detail as it can provide an etching around images.

Coax is from Xangsane $30 cad from AliExpress.
I2s is Blue Jeans cable $40 cad from their website

Honestly, your gear deserves better.

So for optical I am using a Blue Rigger $15 cad from Amazon

Nice looking cable, but it looks like it still uses plastic fiber. If this used glass fiber instead it might explain why it beat those two inexpensive copper cables. They can be surprisingly good relative to copper cables that use low purity copper. What you might be observing as “cleaner” might very well be due to avoiding the harm those cables were doing (disclaimer: I didn’t see if those two cables are actually using low purity copper - I just assumed from the price that they were.)

 

[Thetaburn]

Honestly, your gear deserves better.

What would you recommend for an i2s cable, preferably around 200 cad or below?

 

[kennyb123]

What would you recommend for an i2s cable, preferably around 200 cad or below?

I have no experience with selecting I2S cables myself. I do have experience though with selecting HDMI cables for my AV system. I can definitely recommend both Nordost, Audioquest and Wireworld.

Recently my Wireworld Silver Sphere HDMI started behaving badly. While waiting for a warranty replacement from Wireworld, I ordered an $10 HDMI from Amazon. Sound quality was noticeably degrading as you might expect from the price difference. Voices from my center channel were less articulate and also the highs were rolled off. It became more difficult to understand what was being said.

I opted to try an Audioquest Forest as my local Best Buy had one in stock. Right out of the box it was an obvious step up from the $10 cable from Amazon. Both articulation and the highs were improved.

The replacement Silver Sphere was another nice step up from the AQ Forest, even right out of the box. It was as if it vanished as I stopped thinking about the sound and just started enjoying what I was watching. This probably had to do with it restoring things to where they had been for quite some time.

So long story short, you might have luck finding a used HDMI at a good price. You won’t need one that’s 4K or 48gbps compatible since you won’t be using it for video. Best Buy listed a few of the older AQ models at a substantial discount.

 

[Thetaburn]

I have no experience with selecting I2S cables myself. I do have experience though with selecting HDMI cables for my AV system. I can definitely recommend both Nordost, Audioquest and Wireworld.

Recently my Wireworld Silver Sphere HDMI started behaving badly. While waiting for a warranty replacement from Wireworld, I ordered an $10 HDMI from Amazon. Sound quality was noticeably degrading as you might expect from the price difference. Voices from my center channel were less articulate and also the highs were rolled off. It became more difficult to understand what was being said.

I opted to try an Audioquest Forest as my local Best Buy had one in stock. Right out of the box it was an obvious step up from the $10 cable from Amazon. Both articulation and the highs were improved.

The replacement Silver Sphere was another nice step up from the AQ Forest, even right out of the box. It was as if it vanished as I stopped thinking about the sound and just started enjoying what I was watching. This probably had to do with it restoring things to where they had been for quite some time.

So long story short, you might have luck finding a used HDMI at a good price. You won’t need one that’s 4K or 48gbps compatible since you won’t be using it for video. Best Buy listed a few of the older AQ models at a substantial discount.

Thank you Kenny for sharing your experience and recommendation.

I purchased the Blue Jean HDMI Cable as users on Headfi and Amazon praised it for its price point.

Coincidentally, I was able to purchased a used Wireworld Silver Sphere HDMI cable tonight at $225 cad. from a local seller on Audiomart.

I am skeptical of pricey interconnect cables but I do agree the $40 price point is very likily hindering the performance of the the x26pro.

Will listen to it for a few days and report back.

 

[kennyb123]

I purchased the Blue Jean HDMI Cable as users on Headfi and Amazon praised it for its price point.

Blue Jeans tends to have the equivalent of a cult following amongst many who oppose the idea that cables can make a difference. Many who boast about BJC at the same time show a disdain for those who spend more on cables. Such individuals will often wear BJC as if is a badge of honor signifying that shows that they the sane ones. Nothing sane though about not even wanting to take the time to hear how they sound compared to well regarded audiophile cables.

Coincidentally, I was able to purchased a used Wireworld Silver Sphere HDMI cable tonight at $225 cad. from a local seller on Audiomart.

Nice move and a low risk move as you should be able to sell it for what you paid should you find it not worth the money.

 

[christal]

Hi guys,

I wanted to ask about the use of SR Purple fuse. I know the topic was discussed somewhere, but cannot find it. MartinWT, whose opinion and expertise I value very much, mentioned if I remember well, that on amps and streamers is probably best not to use purple SR, but rather red or orange.
I have two purple SR fuses in Gustard X26 pro and Gustard U18 DDC with very nice improvement in sound.
I am looking to upgrade the fuse in my Aurender N150 server, as well as in my single ended triode tube amp. What kind should they be?

Regards,
Christian

 

[kennyb123]

MartinWT, whose opinion and expertise I value very much, mentioned if I remember well, that on amps and streamers is probably best not to use purple SR, but rather red or orange.

I value his opinion very much and am in agreement with him on most things. I differ as far as SR fuse go as I’ve always had consistent outcomes with the same color across all my components. This was true with Black Blue, and Orange so I assume it would be true with Purple, but in full disclosure I’ve thus far only purchased a single Purple, which is inside my x26pro where it does nice things.

What I have heard from each generation of SR fuses is a fuse that does less harm than the one it replaced. In other words, it does a better job vanishing. To choose to go backwards is, in my opinion, making a choice to add a more colored fuse than the latest generation. Sometimes though adding a coloration can be perceived to be a good thing as it can color over something else that might have been harming musical enjoyment. The Orange fuses do seem to make things more organic-sounding so maybe some components could very well be better off with one of these instead of the Purple, which seemed to me to not add anything itself (though if I were to hear the Master fuse, I would likely realize that this wasn’t the case).

 

[MartinWT]

Thank you, guys!

To explain: I use an SR Purple fuse in my DDC/DAC combo and my streamer. That's 6 fuses because in the UK we have a fuse in the cable plug, too. The effect on these digital devices is profound and revelatory - I'm sure I don't need to tell those of you who have used one. Resolution, soundstage, dynamics - everything is improved.

Everything else in my system has SR Orange fuses and that's largely legacy as I moved up through the colours from Quantum to Red to Blue (yuk) to Orange.

My system sounds pretty fantastic right now and the last thing I want to do is disturb that perfect balance. So, do I replace some Oranges with Purple? What about a Master fuse in each regenerator? I am undecided on whether to make further changes or just to leave it.

 

[kennyb123]

My system sounds pretty fantastic right now and the last thing I want to do is disturb that perfect balance. So, do I replace some Oranges with Purple? What about a Master fuse in each regenerator? I am undecided on whether to make further changes or just to leave it.

I can totally understand the sentiment as I’ve opted to stay put as well. The Orange was a fantastic fuse so I have been able to silence that inner voice that suggests I should upgrade whenever SR runs their fuse promotions.

 

[MartinWT]

The kicker may be the gradual lack of availability of SR Oranges as they are no longer manufactured.

 

[christal]

Thanks for the input! Of course, if you like the sound, there is no need to change anything

So probably I will get the SR Purple.