[Steve999]

Do digital coaxial cables make a difference?

Assuming a secure connection at both ends, I think not. If the 1s and 0s make it across the wire, that's that, IMHO.

With analog cables there is no question that there is some degree of at least minimal signal loss. Only someone with a very high level of technical expertise can get their arms fully around the subject of whether the degree of signal loss could be audible.

With digital cables, I am just nonplussed that someone could think there was an audible difference. I'd be very interested to see what the rationale is. I don't plan on any more posts in this thread, I consider myself as having had my say. In general, I hope the replies will be good-natured.

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

One of the first times Edwood and I got together, we compared some digital cables before we did our DAC comparison. One of them (I think the Bolder) had easily noticeable reduced dynamics, so I'll say these cables definitely make a difference.

 

[lan]

Yes they do make a difference but it depends on what equipment they're hooked up. Different receiving ends maybe more or less sensitive to jitter. And of course they have to be able to resolve the detail. Transports also have varying levels of jitter. I think the jitter issue can compound. In the case where the transport has low jitter, a worst cable can only do more harm.

 

[taylor]

I think having a 75 ohm impedance and 75 ohm connectors, along with good connections and proper shielding, are what makes a difference.

It amuses me when people claim that a digital cable can make the treble rolled off, or underemphasizing the midrange, or whatnot. A stream of 1s and 0s about treble is the same as a stream of 1s and 0s about bass, any percieved difference in digital cables is just that (by digital cables, I mean proper 75 ohm sheilded coax with either Canare 75 ohm RCAs or Eichmann RCAs)

 

[meat01]

Does jitter cause a 1 to turn into a 0 or vice versa? does lack of shielding turn a 1 into a 0? The signal either gets there or it doesn't

 

[Dane]

I guess the jitter can in theory make a difference. However, as opposed to analog signals where many frequencies are mixed together, the digital stream is at a constant frequency. So I would think the 0s and 1s all travel at same speed and thus cannot cause any jitter. So I voted no under the assumption that the data arrives safely.

As to a direct misread I dont know how sensitive these cables are. What happens if its 5ohms instead of 75ohms? What happens if it isn't shielded? What happens if it's 10m long?

Is it evident if misreads happen - do they cause a pop or something?

 

[gswpete]

Yes! There is a difference, and in some cases the difference is huge!
I was a big doubter until I actually compared my friends digital cable with mine.

 

[jefemeister]

you have to remember that digital connections become increasingly analog-like as transmission rate increases. IMO, digital interconnects are not as important as analog ones but are still more important than power cords.

 

[Demolition]

Swapping a Headphile BlackSilver coaxial digital cable in place of the Klotz Single coaxial digital cable (which came stock with the Rega Jupiter CD transport/Rega Io DAC combo) resulted in improved sound quality. This basically points to the fact that the Klotz cable is substandard (as has been discussed in a few reviews).

D.

 

[strohmie]

I do recall someone saying that the Klotz cable is a piece of junk. As for my own experiences with digital cables, the only I had any extensive experience with was one that I made myself out of Belden cable. I never got to use my Elco digital cable, though I bought it because it's the only cable that made Hirsch actually believe there was any difference between digital cables.

 

[bobjew]

Theoretically, as I have been told, there should not be any effect, but I think some cables are proactive; that there are other influences built into the cable by the designers which steer the sound one way or the other. I have a WireWorld digi cable that sounds way different than a Virtual Dynamics.

 

[HiGHFLYiN9]

We've touched this topic before, and in theory there should be absolutely no difference in sound because the cable is simply carrying 1s and 0s, it either gets there or it doesn't. I've even read studies from people using a clothes hanger as an IC, which carried all the data without one single missed bit. BUT, I've noticed extreme differences in the sound of digital cables, even though I believed the above statement to be true, so my judgement was not predisposed to err on the positive, but rather the negative. Some people attribute this difference completely to jitter, I think there may be a little bit more involved...

 

[HiGHFLYiN9]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dane I guess the jitter can in theory make a difference. However, as opposed to analog signals where many frequencies are mixed together, the digital stream is at a constant frequency. So I would think the 0s and 1s all travel at same speed and thus cannot cause any jitter. So I voted no under the assumption that the data arrives safely. As to a direct misread I dont know how sensitive these cables are. What happens if its 5ohms instead of 75ohms? What happens if it isn't shielded? What happens if it's 10m long? Is it evident if misreads happen - do they cause a pop or something?

I believe even in the most substandard conditions (see my hanger post

) the data arrives without any dropped bits, I'm guessing the 1s and 0s may not arrive in the same order as when they left, possibly due to a deficiency in the cable, and considering the huge amount of data being transferred, its probably hard to notice these individual errors, but as a whole the cable may not sound as good if a lot of this is happening. I'm not completely sure about ohm rating, I do know that sometimes ohm rating is arbitrary, in that it may only get tested for, say 50 ohm, when it will perform in 75 or 100 ohm conditions, I know many companies recommend 75 ohm designs for coaxial digital cable, although I have tried unrated cables with good results, such as the Stealth Silver Fineline MkII. Most people try and keep digital cables as short as possible to avoid jitter (half meter is typical) , but i've never read any tests on whether it has a percieved sonic impact. So many questions, so few answers