[Ragonix]

Do coaxial cables matter? I bought a 1 foot Belden 1694A from Blue Jeans for $12.50. Am I missing anything by not using a more expensive cable?

 

[mrarroyo]

Currently I am using an inexpensive plastic optical cable. Is there a reasonably good glass optical for under $100? Thanks.

 

[skamp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaMnEd /img/forum/go_quote.gif Most DACs do not even have error correction implemented, so, if the data is missing or corrupted = imperfect stream, in sound terms, you can have all kinds of interference and missing details. Even with error correction, some erros are irrecoverable, and affect timing. Like myinitialsaredac, said, could you guarantee a perfect environment, where the streams would be equal until conversion, yes, 0s and 1s, no difference, but this is not the case.

Fortunately this is one link in the audio chain that can be objectively tested. Place a recording device at the other end of your current cheapo TOSLINK cable, play some tunes, and compare the output to the source (of course this should be executed with proper care and preparation). If the output matches the source bit-for-bit, you (or the OP or anyone doing the test) don't need a $100 upgrade or whatever. If it doesn't, and you're sure it's not because of resampling or some unforeseen flaw in the testing process, then I guess an upgrade would help (although I'm very dubious about a TOSLINK cable being at fault - I would check the rest of the chain first).

 

[olblueyez]

Can some of you who are proponents of Glass Toslinks direct us towards some of these cables? Preferably some that dont cost an arm and a leg, but I welcome all suggestions.

 

[HeadLover]

Amm, I think that going COAX is much better - seem to be handled better in most DACs, you get a bit higher volume to (tested)

 

[Currawong]

Even on my cheap ZERO DAC, between a cheapy white Toslink cable, the Toslink cable that came with the ZERO and a Van Den Hul Optocoupler there were significant differences. The former was obviously very bad sounding after I upgraded, and the Optocoupler made the sound much sweeter. The Optocoupler is also the only good optical cable I know of that that is available with a mini-optical plug on one end, not a cheap and nasty adaptor.

 

[RockCity]

mrarroyo and olblueyez, here is a cheap (quality?) glass cable. I've seen this mentioned a few times here.

 

[olblueyez]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RockCity /img/forum/go_quote.gif mrarroyo and olblueyez, here is a cheap (quality?) glass cable. I've seen this mentioned a few times here.

Thank you sir. You da man, im going to buy that.

 

[xenithon]

I could not get that specific cable since they did not want to ship to South Africa. I have however, purchased 3 times from Stuart Cobb at Audiogon and can highly recommend him.

 

[Oublie]

There are 10 types of people in the world those who think digital cables matter and those who dont

Sorry couldn't resist.

 

[Nocturnal310]

See what matters in Digital Cables is the built quality.

good strong plugs, well shielded, well designed for smooth fit.



some cheap digital cables crack and then your sound gets distorted when they are bent.

 

[krmathis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ragonix /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do coaxial cables matter? I bought a 1 foot Belden 1694A from Blue Jeans for $12.50. Am I missing anything by not using a more expensive cable?

As you see by reading this thread, and similar ones, there are no given answer to that question.
So think cables make a difference, while others don't think so at all.

Your best bet is to try out a couple of alternatives yourself, and make up your own mind.

 

[RockCity]

Blue Jeans came today. I am positive now that my old cable had jitter. My right channel has always sounded slightly distorted. For a long time, I thought it was a tube dieing however swapping the tubes did not change the direction. In detail, the right channel sounded like a blown driver or a hair was stuck to it. It created a noticeable imbalance in my music because the left channel was crystal clear whereas the right was slightly muffled. My conclusion is a good digital cable does not improve sound, it merely does the job right. There is no shade of gray, only if the cable is doing its job or it isn't (so just find one that does it right and don't blow a lot of money). The only thing that confounds me is why the disturbance is only in one channel rather than in both. Lastly, I want to assure you that I am not hearing a placebo. There is no personal interest in advocating a $12 cable over a $5 cable- buyer's remorse simply does not occur at this price point.

 

[wavoman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fzman /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...glass is better than the plastic, and more fibers are probably better than fewer....

We all seem convinced that glass is better than plastic, and yes the fibers are smaller, hence more of them. But the digital audio spec is written for the width of the plastic fibers. I am not convinced that a high-quality plastic TOSlink cable is not as good as glass, and in fact it might be better IMO. For non-audio applications I can see glass over plastic perhaps, but the audio spec is different, or so I have read.

I am not an expert in this area, and there is less info on the web than there is for e.g. USB audio. Anyone really know? Any citations?

 

[Golden Monkey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oublie /img/forum/go_quote.gif There are 10 types of people in the world those who think digital cables matter and those who dont Sorry couldn't resist.

OK, that's pretty damn funny and clever...