Which is better - glass optical or aes?

[Distroyed]

I'm planning on getting the Benchmark Dac1 soon and connecting it to my Emu 0404, which happens to have both glass optical as well as aes digital out connections. Given the quality of the source, does it matter which one I go with, and what cable should I get that will cost me under $60 with a 2m length?

 

[jefemeister]

It doesn't look like you have a ST Glass connector, but instead would be using toslink with a glass cable perhaps. I'd go with the AES/EBU. It's generally considered to be much better than toslink.

 

[Distroyed]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jefemeister It doesn't look like you have a ST Glass connector, but instead would be using toslink with a glass cable perhaps. I'd go with the AES/EBU. It's generally considered to be much better than toslink.

Sorry, you're right. What am I looking for in an aes/ebu cable? Is there a max length? For the emu 0404, do I need a cable with 2 males or will it connect to a dac1 with a standard female-male? Does anyone on ebay offer any quality aes cables? Know of any good sites?

 

[gerG]

I agree with the jefemeister, AES is the way to go. If you can solder, they are easy to make. Otherwise I would go with a Markertek cable. I am not familiar with the soundcard that you mentioned, but I am assuming that it uses the standard XLR connector for AES output.

fwiw I am using AES cables up to 50 ft in length, and they work great. I can even hook them in series. For outdoor duty I used Belden 89207. Indoors I stick with the beautiful blue Canare DA206.


gerG

 

[Distroyed]

Where would I get the raw materials to solder?

 

[cosmopragma]

As usual: Two head-fiers, two opinions.
I'm owning a Benchmark, a RME soundcard , a cheap AV-710 and a CDP with digital out(coax) and I've tested any option.
I've performed a blind test with the help of a friend and I could not tell them apart, no matter if AES/EBU, cheap 2m glass Toslink from ebay, very expensive glass Toslink borrowed from a local hifi dealer and a cheap 10m plastic fibre (!) Toslink cable.
Take advantage of the jitter immunity of the Benchmark and simply purchase the cheapest Toslink cable, 60 $ is way too much.

 

[gerG]

cosmo, I agree that sound quality is not a major factor here. I like AES for the ruggedness and solid connection. Since my amp moves around with me, the AES is by far the most durable, and thanks to locking plugs it stays connected. Toslink comes unplugged far too easily, and the fibers are relatively fragile. sp/dif uses fragile rca connectors (the sockets break under side load).

distroyed, www.markertek.com is my favorite source. iirc the Canare DA206 is $.70/ft (expensive when compared to signal cable, but at least you only need one lead). The Nuetrik XLR connectors (with gold plated pins) are all of $2.50 each. You need one of each. XLR cables always have a male at 1 end and a female at the other.

I am not sure if they have a minimum. If so, let me know and we can work something out. I just stocked up.


gerG

 

[lan]

The 0404 uses RCA digital outs not 3 pin XLR as the physical connection. The signaling is a different thing. When you say AES you confuse most people into thinking it is via 3 pin XLR. Just wanted to clarify this.

I'd use a glass toslink.

 

[Distroyed]

What makes glass so good? Isnt there a risk of microscopic fracturing when the cable is bent or flexed? I'm looking for a 9-12' cable, can anyone provide links to possible quality products?

 

[lan]

Glass reflects better than plastic.

Here's an ebay glass toslink:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...sPageName=WD1V

he has 1m and 2m also.

I don't know of cheaper yet better coaxes at 2m. For your computer, I think the glass toslink is the way to go. To me in my system they were better than Stereovox HDXV and that's a good $100 coax cable and the cheaper Belden based ones.

 

[Distroyed]

Thank for the links lan. I was looking at that guys cables... wasnt sure if they were decent or not.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lan The 0404 uses RCA digital outs not 3 pin XLR as the physical connection. The signaling is a different thing. When you say AES you confuse most people into thinking it is via 3 pin XLR. Just wanted to clarify this.

Can you clarify this some more; I'm not certain I understand what you're saying.

 

[gerG]

oops, lan is right, I was confused. AES covers multiple standards, but the balanced connection seems to be the most common.

I guess it depends on your application. If the amp will be mostly stationary, I would use a glass toslink. If you plan to wander, you may want to try an s/pdif coax instead.

As for glass vs plastic, glass is a more efficient optic transmitter. The disadvantage is that the fibers have to be small in order to be flexible. For that reason, plus the poor coupling inherent in the toslink standard, bundles of small fibers are used. With plastic you can use a fat single fiber.

Oh, some more glass (they come in 3 lengths):

mcm cables


gerG

 

[Ph34rful]

Length doesn't affect the sound of optical does it? (Like it affects RCA, etc)
I mean up to a reasonable distance. Like 1m vs 3m.

 

[GoRedwings19]

balanced connections are really ideal for lengths of 5m or more this is due to the propagation delay in glass/coax cables. As long as you cables are not excessively long then there is little difference. The only difference you can hear is in a very high end setup. As for which sounds better between toslink/electrical in a budget system it will be neglible and a waste of money. In a high end system then electrical is way better than toslink. I hope this helps.