[MadMan007]

I like how this has devolved in to a 'bits is bits' argument

Do people not get tired of the same thing over and over?

 

[gitf03]

Hey, you know this finite elemente: highend furniture, bestwig, germany, deutschland, designermöbel, high quality, beste qualität, racks, hifi-racks, hifi-rack, hifi rack, audio-rack, audio rack, pagode master reference, signature, spider, level plus, cerabase, cerapuc ?

It's only 1500$. That will bring your sound experience to the moon.

Damn, i need to start thinking about an own cable company..

Honest advise for the OP: Buy a cable for 30$ (if it doesn't need to be long) and put the rest of your budget into your next DAC or something else.

 

[leeperry]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gitf03 /img/forum/go_quote.gif advise for the OP: Buy a cable for 30$ (if it doesn't need to be long) and put the rest of your budget into your next DAC or something else.

my favorite 6ft dayton glass toslink cable costs $45, does it break your argument at all? or is $30 the hard limit?

 

[rosgr63]

gitf03 I thought Head-Fi and "silly money burning" go hand in hand.
And I am guilty.
BTW I like your penis enlargement parallel!

 

[haloxt]

IF YOU GO OVER $30 IT'S LIKE GOING OVER 21 IN BLACKJACK.

 

[Currawong]

gitf03: The problem is not the cable, the problem is that the receiving circuitry is converting the data real-time into an analogue signal. If the timing of the digital signal is altered, so will the music be. It's pure mathematics. Most of the problem is eliminated by the PLL circuit though, so the cable shouldn't matter.

Considering Toslink is a poor connector and the transmitters and receivers aren't that great either, it's not an ideal connection.

 

[gitf03]

Of course you are right. That's why I suggest not to spend too much on the cable and invest the money in a good DAC. The problems of timings appear in the A/D or D/A units, but (though theoretically possible) only very marginal in the transmission. Like you mentioned, the most cheap DACs today are able to handle that easily with the help of a buffer and their own exact frequency, even when there is measurably higher jitter on toslink.

And sadly, when it's about jitter, there is much BS written and sold with that argument. It's just stupid to buy 10 different optical cables to compare their sound. Because either you have a working cable, or you don't. And in that case you will hear clicking clearly or nothing, but you won't have a deeper bass or a wider soundstage with a "better" cable.

 

[leeperry]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gitf03 /img/forum/go_quote.gif either you have a working cable, or you don't.

 

[Audio Jester]

Does anyone know of a $30-40 glass optical cable that is Toslink to mini with no adapter needed?

 

[majkel]

Glass Toslink Digital Optical Cable

This cable is a piece of crap. I owned one and even looking at the light spot, it's not uniform. Forget about a circle.

Comparing the sound to four other fiber cables, its flat, thin and colored.

From between the four I tried, the Belkin PURE|AV is the best, probably flawless. Other flawless options are the Van den Hul Optocoupler II or the Wireworld Supernova III+.

 

[Audio Jester]

Thanks Majkel,
You know the more I think about it the more I am convinced that I need to test this whole cheap vs expensive cable thing for myself. I love this hobby.

 

[music_man]

many of you may indeed have poor quality sounding toslink cables. they are poorly constructed. ie, malfunctioning. dropping packets.

all properly constructed optical cables do an exact equal sounding job. sorry.
these are not metal cables carrying electricity. they either transmit the light intact or they do not. if they do not transmit the light intact they can indeed sound poor. they are sending erratic or loss of data and an improper clock pulse/signal. with dacs that reclock the clock is not even an issue. which is lucky because the clock takes more precision in the manufacture of the cable than the data.

pof(plastic optical fiber) is also preferable. it is less prone to damage and subsequent malfunction described above. it must be properly manufactured with very specialized machines and properly polished at the terminations. cheap cables are simply cut and stuck in the termination. a polished and properly fluted brass ferrule at the termination is also required.

i spoke with a colleague that was on the board that designed the specification at length. i trust his opinion.

for an example, usually a 6 foot cable that is $10 is not going to cut it. one that is $30 if carefully choosen probably will work perfectly. i got a 12 foot philips for $10 that did not work. then i found out why. as i was checking it the ends pulled off!

i am told nxg and hosa are basic cables that will do the job in most instances.

i know people here will maintain that there is a sound difference in properly functioning cables. so let this thread go on.

music_man

 

[Audio Jester]

Not to pull the thread too far off track, but I am wondering what the general concensus on adapters for optic cables is? Are they as well made/ polished as the better cables? would I be better off getting a toslink to mini cable as a complete cable from a reputable brand?

 

[rosgr63]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Audio Jester /img/forum/go_quote.gif Not to pull the thread too far off track, but I am wondering what the general concensus on adapters for optic cables is? Are they as well made/ polished as the better cables? would I be better off getting a toslink to mini cable as a complete cable from a reputable brand?

Sysconcept, a Canadian firm making custom lengths and adaptors is worth considering.
I have been using their standard cable $18/m and some specially made adaptors for me and I am very happy with the results.
The cables are very well made.

 

[Audio Jester]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rosgr63 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sysconcept, a Canadian firm making custom lengths and adaptors is worth considering. I have been using their standard cable $18/m and some specially made adaptors for me and I am very happy with the results. The cables are very well made.

Thanks for the heads up.