Chord Electronics - Blu Mk. 2 - The Official Thread

[Triode User]

I use 1m Chord Sarum Super Aray BNC Coax, Evolvist. It replaced my 1m Chord Indigo Tuned Aray BNC which was in itself very good.

I'm saying nothing.

 

[Bonesy Jonesy]

  QED Performance 0.8m DIGITAL Audio 75Ω Coaxial Custom Cable with Neutrik REAN Plugs. I paid £43.90 for the pair.
 
I have added RCA to BNC convertors.

Using RCA to BNC convertors is not a good idea. 
 
Chord Electronics state this in their Blu Mk1 Manual and their older QBD76 DAC Manuals (solid BNC connection terminations only) so I assume the Blu MKII and DAVE will be no different.
 
As both the Blu and DAVE are very high audio precision pieces of electronic equipment that have been built to provide maximum audio listening quality (with huge upsampling) I personally wouldn't take nothing to chance with interconnecting cables.   If you can afford over US$20,000 for these two pieces of Hi-Fi equipment then you should be making sure you have the best digital interconnect cables you can afford to get the best out of the Blu and DAVE. 
 
For me I always go with the UK company called Clearer Audio for all my cables (power and interconnect).  There interconnect and power cables have had great reviews and their top of the range cables (Silverline Optimum Reference) have been quoted as some of the best cables on the planet from very well respected Hi-Fi Reviewers.   Clearer Audio also provide excellent customer service and can make a cable to almost any length you want and with whatever termination you need. 

 

[Triode User]

  Using RCA to BNC convertors is not a good idea. 
 
Chord Electronics state this in their Blu Mk1 Manual and their older QBD76 DAC Manuals (solid BNC connection terminations only) so I assume the Blu MKII and DAVE will be no different.
 
As both the Blu and DAVE are very high audio precision pieces of electronic equipment that have been built to provide maximum audio listening quality (with huge upsampling) I personally wouldn't take nothing to chance with interconnecting cables.   If you can afford over US$20,000 for these two pieces of Hi-Fi equipment then you should be making sure you have the best digital interconnect cables you can afford to get the best out of the Blu and DAVE. 
 
For me I always go with the UK company called Clearer Audio for all my cables (power and interconnect).  There interconnect and power cables have had great reviews and their top of the range cables (Silverline Optimum Reference) have been quoted as some of the best cables on the planet from very well respected Hi-Fi Reviewers.   Clearer Audio also provide excellent customer service and can make a cable to almost any length you want and with whatever termination you need. 

Thanks for your thoughts. I was with you all the way right up to the point where you mentioned that you have high spec power cables . . . .
 
I WILL get the best out of Dave and Blu2 but it won't require me to spend more that £20 or £30 on each digital cable (I might get proper BNC terminations). The power cables will be free issue.

 

[Sonic77]

Yeah, you're right. From my understanding it's all about precise impedance match over materials. Blue Jeans Cables will send you the test pages with your specific cables so you know you're not getting screwed.

I'll probably get the 1.5m. And they have Canare terminations.

​I have this cable, bnc to bnc, it is well built and works great! You also get to choose the color of the cable you want, I chose yellow to be different.
For the Blu Mk2, I will be using Cardas cable, bnc to bnc connections.

 

[Triode User]

Yeah, you're right. From my understanding it's all about precise impedance match over materials. Blue Jeans Cables will send you the test pages with your specific cables so you know you're not getting screwed.

I'll probably get the 1.5m. And they have Canare terminations.

I have looked at the Blue Jeans Cables website (UK version). The prices seem very reasonable. Which specific cable of theirs have you used please?

 

[EVOLVIST]

I have looked at the Blue Jeans Cables website (UK version). The prices seem very reasonable. Which specific cable of theirs have you used please?

Oh man, I'm using their cat6a Ethernet cables right now. I have XLR and RCA cables from them that I've used in the past with other gear. All short run stuff.

Like Chord Electronics, I believe in BJC's tech, which is true, tried and tested. I have heard no sonic difference in short runs over more expensive cables. USB cables, yes. Power cords, also yes. Interconnects, no.

 

[jelt2359]

Oh man, I'm using their cat6a Ethernet cables right now. I have XLR and RCA cables from them that I've used in the past with other gear. All short run stuff.

Like Chord Electronics, I believe in BJC's tech, which is true, tried and tested. I have heard no sonic difference in short runs over more expensive cables. USB cables, yes. Power cords, also yes. Interconnects, no.

I was about to post this. I hear big differences in power cords. Digital as well. Ironically analog cables are where I hear the least differences.

But most people seem to reverse the order they spend on- analog the most, the others; least!

For me the differences are most amplified on speaker setups. Somehow room interactions seem to make every power cord or digital cable change seem super obvious.

 

[Triode User]

I was about to post this. I hear big differences in power cords. Digital as well. Ironically analog cables are where I hear the least differences.
 

 
Perhaps because it is your eyes and brain modifying what you think you are hearing.
 
But this is a Blu2 thread and not a cable thread.
 
However, regarding power cables, I invite you to think of the many many many yards of cheap cable buried in the wall before the electricity magically appears out of the wall at the socket. Then just think it through as to how the last 3ft of cable from the socket to the equipment can possibly modify the sound. That is the correct answer - IT CAN'T!
 
Then plug in the free issue power cable to your Blu2 and rejoyce in how the music coming from the Blu2 sounds exactly the same as when using that $500 power cord.
 
Really people. Next you'll be telling me that upsampling the input to the Dave improves the sound! - Countdown started to when my upsampling Blu2 arrives

 

[bigfatpaulie]

   
Perhaps because it is your eyes and brain modifying what you think you are hearing.
 
But this is a Blu2 thread and not a cable thread.
 
However, regarding power cables, I invite you to think of the many many many yards of cheap cable buried in the wall before the electricity magically appears out of the wall at the socket. Then just think it through as to how the last 3ft of cable from the socket to the equipment can possibly modify the sound. That is the correct answer - IT CAN'T!
 
Then plug in the free issue power cable to your Blu2 and rejoyce in how the music coming from the Blu2 sounds exactly the same as when using that $500 power cord.
 
Really people. Next you'll be telling me that upsampling the input to the Dave improves the sound! - Countdown started to when my upsampling Blu2 arrives

 
I mean no disrespect but your comment is pretty ignorant sounding...  Think of all those water pipes under the city and copper ones in your home, how on Earth could a shower head at the very end of the chain POSSIBLY change the water pressure?  That is the correct answer - IT CAN'T!  
 
Oh, wait...
 
With power, a better, more accurate way of thinking of power cords isn't the last 3 feet, but the but the FIRST 3 feet.  In addition to that, the lines have had all those kilometers of cable to pick up noise, EMF and such.  That last 3 feet is our opportunity to battle all that.  Suddenly, we are looking at a situation where a lot has to be done in just 3 feet and its crucial role comes into focus.  I invite you to consider that.  
 
I appreciate that it is easier (and cheaper) to just dismiss it, and that's okay, but please don't take a condescending tone with someone else just because they have had a different experience than you.  We can all be gentlemen here, despite have different experiences.
 
 
Back on topic...
 
 
@jelt2359 Do you have a Blu2 in house?

 

[EVOLVIST]

Perhaps because it is your eyes and brain modifying what you think you are hearing.

But this is a Blu2 thread and not a cable thread.

However, regarding power cables, I invite you to think of the many many many yards of cheap cable buried in the wall before the electricity magically appears out of the wall at the socket. Then just think it through as to how the last 3ft of cable from the socket to the equipment can possibly modify the sound. That is the correct answer - IT CAN'T!

Then plug in the free issue power cable to your Blu2 and rejoyce in how the music coming from the Blu2 sounds exactly the same as when using that $500 power cord.

Really people. Next you'll be telling me that upsampling the input to the Dave improves the sound! - Countdown started to when my upsampling Blu2 arrives

With today's modern cable designs, I'm convinced that with PCs, USB and interconnects, the difference in what we hear is coloration and not a cleaner line of power. If you read the technology, folks have designed their cables in such a way that it ends up darkening, or brightening, or hardening the sound. Some people dig that, and there is an audible difference. But none of it is "better." I have auditioned tons of high-end schiznits, that for me tells me that coloration is the difference, because I'm achieving at least of modicum of clean power by using an AC regenerator to give me a pure sine wave to plug my gear into.

So, right, this isn't a thread about cables, but it's only natural for people to discuss them, for pretty soon we are going to get our Blu2s, and they'll be connected to al sorts of hyperdrives and teleporters to get our kicks.

 

[jelt2359]

   
Perhaps because it is your eyes and brain modifying what you think you are hearing.
 
But this is a Blu2 thread and not a cable thread.
 
However, regarding power cables, I invite you to think of the many many many yards of cheap cable buried in the wall before the electricity magically appears out of the wall at the socket. Then just think it through as to how the last 3ft of cable from the socket to the equipment can possibly modify the sound. That is the correct answer - IT CAN'T!
 
Then plug in the free issue power cable to your Blu2 and rejoyce in how the music coming from the Blu2 sounds exactly the same as when using that $500 power cord.
 
Really people. Next you'll be telling me that upsampling the input to the Dave improves the sound! - Countdown started to when my upsampling Blu2 arrives

 
I wish it wasn't the case, would save me loads on power cords. This is one case where I'm with you, in that I'm not sure how it makes sense. Digital, even less so, since apparently 'bits are bits'.
 
Just two days ago my friend and I had a session in his house, it sounded rather off first. Now this is of course a bit dramatic, but notice I said 'off', not crap. It was a speaker setup, and any slight change can really throw off the balance of frequencies, the soundstage, and imaging. Then he did a power cord change and we both looked at each other and gasped, suddenly everything snapped into place and what sounded like a studio setup was now like a 'live' one.
 
Then he gave me the 'aww shucks' look, as in 'aww shucks I gotta buy this cord now'.
 
I'm not even sure how this is controversial at this day and age- power cords make a difference, connectors on those cords make a difference, digital cables make a difference. Yup, yup, yup. If you can't hear the difference, good for you, but what I hear with power cord changes was of such a great order of difference that perhaps we just have very different power situations (always a possibility). Who knows?

 

[jelt2359]

With today's modern cable designs, I'm convinced that with PCs, USB and interconnects, the difference in what we hear is coloration and not a cleaner line of power. If you read the technology, folks have designed their cables in such a way that it ends up darkening, or brightening, or hardening the sound. Some people dig that, and there is an audible difference. But none of it is "better." I have auditioned tons of high-end schiznits, that for me tells me that coloration is the difference, because I'm achieving at least of modicum of clean power by using an AC regenerator to give me a pure sine wave to plug my gear into.

So, right, this isn't a thread about cables, but it's only natural for people to discuss them, for pretty soon we are going to get our Blu2s, and they'll be connected to al sorts of hyperdrives and teleporters to get our kicks.

I suspect that too. But for the guy to say it sounds exactly the same... heh, still shocked.
 
Anyhow I also have an AC Generator. Three of them, actually. But the power cords from the generator to the wall make a difference still, and so do the ones from the generator to the component. What makes it harder to gauge is that price is not always an indicator of good quality. Thankfully I've found one builder now that I like a lot that is reasonable (as far as power cords go, ie ~$500) and so I'm sticking with him

 

[Triode User]

 . . . . . pretty soon we are going to get our Blu2s, . . . . . ..

And then we can talk about Blu2 instead of all this cable rubbish where we all know we can't agree but we just can't keep our big mouths shut (me included!!).
 
Roll on Blu2 day.

 

[jelt2359]

@jelt2359
 Do you have a Blu2 in house?

Nope. Heard two of them at canjam. One silver one black. Incredible.

 

[EVOLVIST]

Nope. Heard two of them at canjam. One silver one black. Incredible.

Yeah, I read your impressions in the Canjam thread. Did you get the impression that the Blu2 would sound just as good with speakers as they did on cans, or perhaps even better with speakers?

That might be a difficult question to answer. I'm just thinking about how one perceives depth with headphones and how depth is generally better with speakers.