Audiobyte Hydra Stack: Hydra.Vox + Hydra.Hub + Hydra Zap

[nikolaindigo]

Last night I was trying to get DSD to play by trying to switch on the "DSD over PCA' function on the Aurender. It kept telling me that my DAC is not equipped to handle DSD. Then it continued to say that if not so, then I should contact the support. I found it strange. Has anyone had something similar with DSD playback?

My friend had similar problem with Aurender and Rockna. He forgot exactly what he did but at the and it was about changing some Aurender settings.

 

[Beanieboo1113]

From my experience I already knew that a quality digital cable can contribute a lot but it was difficult to get and try a more expensive I2S model before buying. There are simply not many of them on the market and they are more complicated to build. On the forums discussions about I2S cables led to the highest AQ model and the model below it...dragon and firebird. I couldn't get and try those models here before buy and they were too expensive for my budget anyway. Nowadays it's a big risk to buy AQ in SH because there are a lot of fake products. After those 2 models the next one often mentioned was Tubulus Concentus I2S. I finally decided on it and managed to find it at a good price in SH after a year of searching. The cable is excellent. It also sells easily and quickly so I didn't consider it a big risk when buying. As for USB cables all my friends use one of our local small constructor from Croatia. He makes the best USB we've tried from all Croatian cable manufacturers. It may not be the best cable manufacturer but in the USB segment it's certainly the best we've found so far. In comparison its mid-range model beaten the AQ Diamond. All my friends use his best Titan model, but the lower Purple is very close. I have that mid-range USB model Black which was already better than the AQ Diamond and used it for a laptop and it's great and not as expensive as the best ones. I've used various copper I2S/HDMI cables before...MPS HD-230, MPS HD-280, Pangea Premier and Ricable Supreme. Ricable was the best all-arounder for all genres till I got Tubulus. I like SS amps more than tubes or SS power + tube preamp so I like copper in my system...like old Cardas Golden Cross...but only Tubulus made a huge difference for me. I believe there are also good copper I2S cables but I haven't had the chance to try them. As for the I2S/USB difference on the AB VOX it's either non-existent or insignificant. The difference is made by a better-designed digital cable. Nimak cables are all silver. Higher models use litz wire diferent diameters and are more suitable for tube based systems like my friends have. While the middle models use a solid wire of different diameters and are more suited to the SS because they give more body in the sound. In the end everything is a matter of preference and the matching system. Sorry for my long reply!

Thank you Nicola. I will check out Nimak cables.

 

[Beanieboo1113]

I did figure out the DSD situation. Aurender allows for an external USB in addition to SSD and all. I uploaded the files, plugged it in and Voila,, Success. Plays it beautifully. Planing on getting an ultra fast 3.0 USB drive. Using a rather simple one now. In relation to that while searching for a nice drive i encountered this

https://www.sarte-audio.com/sites/d...nual Simple_(60201P-0009BA)_en_230714_out.pdf

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-voPyy...TgPPo3P59CsSeN-lZbpZ4ckmwKTxhw_hoCWKEQAvD_BwE

I noticed optical and it caught my attention. Not sure if it only works with Hifi Rose or other devices could be adapted as well. Also, can't quite make sense of how it works and how relevant it is. Thought I'd share.

 

[Franco66]

I bought the HUB directly from Audiobyte and they gave me their I2S cable, but it is only 30 cm long. So I had to keep the Vox and Hub on top of each other. But other than that I have to say that it goes very well and also I think that being very short affects the signal less.

 

[DrDen]

I bought the HUB directly from Audiobyte and they gave me their I2S cable, but it is only 30 cm long. So I had to keep the Vox and Hub on top of each other. But other than that I have to say that it goes very well and also I think that being very short affects the signal less.

I read some time before about the best length of I2S cable (based on wave length), if I remember correctly the best is shorter than 0.5m, or longer than 1m. Anyway, the shorter the cheaper.

 

[soundofsingle]

I use a 0.50 cm Rockna I2S cable,SuperHub>Hydra Vox

 

[Beanieboo1113]

My friend had similar problem with Aurender and Rockna. He forgot exactly what he did but at the and it was about changing some Aurender settings.

I looked into Nimak Audio USB cables. He is selling on the Ebay only, or so it seems. For some reason he currently has zero feedback. I found his old profile with a lot of positive feedback. Why no feedback now? It reflexively makes one nervous.

 

[DrDen]

Merry orthodox Christmas! Audiobyte is from Romania, an orthodox country.

 

[nikolaindigo]

I looked into Nimak Audio USB cables. He is selling on the Ebay only, or so it seems. For some reason he currently has zero feedback. I found his old profile with a lot of positive feedback. Why no feedback now? It reflexively makes one nervous.

I don't really know. Hahaha. My description and findings were not intended as an advertisement for Nimak. Rather it was more an attempt to describe my experience so far with digital cables as well as that of my friends. I also wanted to say that although I prefer copper I only got a big jump in sound with the silver Tubulus I2S. But again I attribute that to the good construction of the cable and quality of conductors rather than the type of material they are made of. I believe that in the U.S. there are far more cable manufacturers that can be tested before buy and I would not risk buying something outside the EU without testing it in my system regardless of recommendations.

 

[Beanieboo1113]

I don't really know. Hahaha. My description and findings were not intended as an advertisement for Nimak. Rather it was more an attempt to describe my experience so far with digital cables as well as that of my friends. I also wanted to say that although I prefer copper I only got a big jump in sound with the silver Tubulus I2S. But again I attribute that to the good construction of the cable and quality of conductors rather than the type of material they are made of. I believe that in the U.S. there are far more cable manufacturers that can be tested before buy and I would not risk buying something outside the EU without testing it in my system regardless of recommendations.

I value a well elaborated detailed personal experience and never perceive it as an imposition. What else is there to go by prior to a personal experience with a product other than subjective audiophile reviews and manufacturer advertisements? I prefer to go with the former.

 

[nikolaindigo]

I read some time before about the best length of I2S cable (based on wave length), if I remember correctly the best is shorter than 0.5m, or longer than 1m. Anyway, the shorter the cheaper.

I heard also the shorter the better. I had from 0.5 to 1.0 m. The best sounding one is my last one 0.75m. But this one is not so flexible so I was lucky to get 0.75 and would struggle with 0.5.

 

[DrDen]

I heard also the shorter the better. I had from 0.5 to 1.0 m. The best sounding one is my last one 0.75m. But this one is not so flexible so I was lucky to get 0.75 and would struggle with 0.5.

An ideal cable is no cable at all
In real life I prefer made of silver, mainly because it’s less prone to oxidation than copper (I use solderless connectors). High purity silver is not easy to find though, besides that it’s often costly.

 

[Diet Kokaine]

Silver foil is the best conductor in every position. That's been the case in my experience.
Silver foil USB cables are impossible to go back on once you've heard them.
Copper to me is overly colored and muddy in comparison.

 

[DrDen]

Hello! Is the USB input of the Vox really comparable to I2S sound wise? Never been using it so far. Is it worth to invest in good USB cable for it?

 

[nikolaindigo]

Hello! Is the USB input of the Vox really comparable to I2S sound wise? Never been using it so far. Is it worth to invest in good USB cable for it?

I think it is on the same level!