[will75]

Hey all.

I am finally getting away from using my computer as a source and am now in need of some advice.

I have a Sony CE-595 on the way. Will this come with some cheap cables to connect to an amp? Are they worth upgrading? I think I will use coaxial because I have read it is better or at least as good as optical. If I use optical do I need an amp that has that input or is the cable optical on one end and coax on the other?

I will be getting an AT-HA5000 amp (and the W5000) as soon as I can. So, I'm in need of a cable to connect my Sony 595 CDP to the amp. I will be using the W5000, W10LTD, and HF-1's with this setup. I'll be using the Monster Power HTS 3500 as my power conditioner.

I'm mainly a rock fan and love a full sound with plenty of bass and an in-your-face presentation (hence my headphone selection).

I'm very new to this and doubt my ears will discern a huge difference yet so I don't want to go crazy with the price here.

Let's say around 20 or 30 bucks for the cable (higher recommendations are welcome but not too much higher). Also, how many do I need for my setup?

Thanks all.

 

[Sovkiller]

The player will probably came with some RCA cables that are nothing spectacular and most of us replace them, a good alternative without breaking a bank is the Blue Jeans cables....analog audio RCA's....

Now digital output is different, and you need an external DAC, or an map with DAC integrated. You use optical, or coaxial, but they are not compatible. The optical cable is made of fiberglass and transfer a light signal from the player to the DAC, the coaxial transfer the signal in a digital format, but not optical...the optical cable terminations are toslink to toslink, and the coaxial are coaxial to coaxial, but they not alike, not interchangeable...

IIRC the cables you may need for the AT amp are the RCA audio analog ones, the AT does not take digital inputs of any kind, so optical and coaxial are both ruled out for that application...

 

[infinitesymphony]

If you plan on using the DAC that's built into the SCD-CE595, you won't be doing any digital transmission and therefore won't need any digital cables, as Sovkiller said. All you need is a pair of RCA-type analog cables to connect the CD player to your headphone amplifier.

I second the recommendation for the Blue Jeans Cable LC-1. A pair should be right in your price range (or just above).

 

[will75]

Wow. Thanks for the replies guys. That is the EXACT kind of information I needed.

Here's a question. Sov, you mentioned the AT amps may not have coax or optical connections available. If I buy a DAC down the road how would I connect it? Would it be the CDP to the DAC via opt or coax then the DAC to the AMP via RCA?

Thanks again guys.

 

[Sovkiller]

Quote:

Originally Posted by will75 Wow. Thanks for the replies guys. That is the EXACT kind of information I needed. Here's a question. Sov, you mentioned the AT amps may not have coax or optical connections available. If I buy a DAC down the road how would I connect it? Would it be the CDP to the DAC via opt or coax then the DAC to the AMP via RCA? Thanks again guys.

First I did not say the "AT amps", I was only talking of the one you mentioned, actually the AT DHA3000 made also by AT, is only a digital amp and takes only digital input signals, but the HA5000 does not, So if you are planning to get the other amp, you are all set, but it is a way more expensive...BUT if you are planning ot get later on an external DAC why not getting directly the DHA3000, it is also tuned for the AT heapodhones and has a digital EQ integrated IMO a very good combo....

Now the only thing that an external DAC does is exactly that, to convert the digital signal into analog, so all DAC has analog outputs, balanced or unbalanced, that you will connect to the amp, so you connect the player to the DAC via a toslink or a coaxial, and later on the DAC to the amp using the analog RCA's...

 

[Uncle Erik]

Keep in mind that the CE595 will not ouput the SACD layer digitally if you connect it to an external DAC. The DRM won't let you.

 

[will75]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik Keep in mind that the CE595 will not ouput the SACD layer digitally if you connect it to an external DAC. The DRM won't let you.

Ok, thanks for the heads up. Unfortunately for me, my preferred albums don't come in the SACD format (unless I'm looking in the wrong place).