Can I use xlr interconnects as a temporary balanced digital cable????

[GoRedwings19]

My DCS is arriving on monday. I have I coaxial digital cable but forgot to buy another one. Is it possible and safe to use a interconnect as a temporary balanced digital interconnect???

 

[ooheadsoo]

It will work but may not be ideal. You want a cable that is 110 ohms. Your existing cable may or may not be 110 ohms. If it isn't, the reflections of the signal may introduce jitter if your cable isn't very long.

 

[GoRedwings19]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ooheadsoo It will work but may not be ideal. You want a cable that is 110 ohms. Your existing cable may or may not be 110 ohms. If it isn't, the reflections of the signal may introduce jitter if your cable isn't very long.

It is 1.5metres. It is only temporary. Will I cause any harm if I use it.

 

[ooheadsoo]

I don't think so. For example, no RCA coax digital cable is true 75ohms because RCA jacks are the wrong dimensions for 75 ohm - but people still use them all the time! 1.5m sounds ok though I'm no expert by any stretch.

I think 6 moons had an article that recommended 1.5m+ for coax RCA.

 

[Jon L]

Just use it. There will be no damage. In fact, many cable manufacturers just use the same XLR plug, same cable, different label to call it "balanced digital cable." Same thing with RCA interconnects.

Doesn't mean this is good practice, and this partly explains why digital cables in general sound so wildly differently from each other. Having listened to, DIY'd, tons of digital cables, this is why I have forever sworn off digital cables.

Gotta go USB or Optical..

 

[ooheadsoo]

or BNC.

 

[GoRedwings19]

There Was a glass optical cable that was brought to my attention. I think it is made by AT&T and is promoted by wadia as the best ever digital cable. Can anyone shed some light on this. I think it costs very little and outperforem coaxial digital cables costing many times more.

 

[ayt999]

you mean the ST optical cables? I hear that a glass optical TOSLINK cable is better... but forgot where I saw this information.

the ST optical cables use a special connector btw and is incompatible with TOSLINK jacks.

 

[GoRedwings19]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ayt999 you mean the ST optical cables? I hear that a glass optical TOSLINK cable is better... but forgot where I saw this information. the ST optical cables use a special connector btw and is incompatible with TOSLINK jacks.

Yeah that's the one. How would the glass optical compare with the nordost silver shadow digital interconnect I have????

 

[Jon L]

AT+T ST optical is a completely different animal than toslink (glass or not), and it's very expensive to implement, which is why it used to be like $500 option for high-end transports. ST optical is theorhetically superior to coax, AES/EBU, and Toslink, but which sounds best can definitely depend on the transport/DAC combo in question. For example, in certain setups, some have reported they prefer glass toslink over AT+T.

Toslink (glass or not) is the person child of digital interface b/c its bandwidth is far lower than Coax. Glass toslink improves bandwidth but does not approach coax still. The advantage of Toslink is immunity from RFI and no need for shielding as Toslink does not connect grounds of transport and DAC. Toslink sound will heavily depend on implementation, which has to be done particularly well since Toslink transmitters and receivers are usually of questionable quality.

Nordost Silver Shadow coax is a great digital cable, and you will have hard time exceeding it, glass toslink, AT+T, or whatever...