Auricle Audio Design or Atlas Opus digital coax??


Regardless of price wich one would you choose? I read that a digital cable of a least 1,50 meters will reduce jitter in comparison to shorter ones. It seems the Auricle audio design is only available at 3' lenghth, a bit short, still they promise almost no jitter on their website. Did anyone tried both cables?
rcduck7
If you want to hear the superbly revealing and musical
Auricle Audio Design "Encore!" Signature Digital IC
in a longer length,
why not ask Joe Mazzaglia to build it for you?
On his website it requests "please email for longer cables."
Thanks Listener57, it seems i missed that bit that you can request longer cables on the Auricle Audio Design website. I have read on older topics here at Audiogon that both the Auricle Audio Design and Atlas Opus are very good in comparison with most cables. The Atlas Opus is also THE reference cable to test equipment with for a certain respected hifi magazine. The Atlas Opus used to be about twice the price of the Auricle Audio Design cable but can nowadays be found for half the price new. I bet i won't be dissapointed with either the Atlas or Auricle cable but if someone had heard both let me know!
Rcduck7,
Post your decision and what you hear when you install your new digital IC.
If you speak with the designer, Joe Mazzaglia, he can tell you about the results replacing other brands with Auricle's best.
The Atlas Opus may not have enough sales in the US to ever find someone who has directly compared your two finalists.
I can tell you that in my systems with Auricle everything in a recording is revealed letting the great recordings deliver their full audio and musical thrill.
Best luck making your pick.
I also opened up a thread on Audiocircle in the meantime. Someone who tested more then a few cables also recommends the Atlas Opus, especially for timing and rhythm, something that is a problem with a lot of digital cables he says. He didn't have the Auricle Audio Design i believe. I also got a few recommendations for a Black Cat Veloce digital RCA, it certainly got good reviews on 6moons and Positive Feedback. I didn't have contact with Joe Mazzaglia yet. I'm not i a big hurry to buy a digital RCA but i guess within a few weeks. Recommentdations are still welcome.
Rcduck7,
Although I do wish more than one of Joe's satisfied customers would comment, let me be a "one man band" stating that outstanding "timing and rhythm" or the overused reviewer abbreviation "PRAT" ( ?pace, rhythm, attack, timing) is certainly applicable to more than one digital IC brand. Auricle does elicit the WOW response in those listening to their own familiar recordings in my systems.
In the digital cable sales arena it is almost unheard of to have a reviewer connecting two pieces of equipment already owned by any one of us mere mortal audiophiles - and you are not there to listen and simply judge for yourself.
Spending good money without an airtight guarantee of owning the best for our specific system components is a fact of life for most of us.
Yet, you can count on owning a wonderful performer in other people's systems based on the preferences of others.
Then you have a high probability that it works beautifully in your own system(s).
Auricle is at work in two of my systems, which may either be one or two votes in its favor :>)
I still believe it can be fun and informative to speak directly to the person who actually designs and manufactures a product, because the character, taste, and persistence of the designer affects what he chooses to sell as his best effort at a given point in time.
By the way, if you are willing to pay for unique "regardless of price" customized one-of-a kind digital IC tell that to Joe at Auricle. He can make it for you.


A message has been sent to joe regarding lenght of cable and regarding Cryogenic treatment.
I got a quik response regarding my email from Joe an he suggest that only 1 foot or 0.3 meter of digital cable is problemtic regarding jitter from his cables (other brands of cables might benefit from 1.5 meters), 0.5 meters or 1.5 foot or longer shouldn't be a problem. I ordered 1 meter of length at a promotional price. Allthough i got no word from him regarding the Cryogenic treatment. But his cable was a good deal i couldn't pass.
When the Auricle Audio Design is initially inserted into your system you will notice how much more musical information is already present in each CD, only you didn't hear it all before. This comes along with the "PRAT" that gives a more lifelike dynamic quality to the music.
What transport and DAC are you about to connect together when the new digital IC arrives?
Happy to hear you got a good deal.
I will describe my system and a bit of my not to distant history with sources. My current transport is a chinese MHZS CD88G CD player, before i had this player i had a DacMagic DAC and Xindak DAC-8 connected to a first generation Playstation 3 (SACD compatibele). I found the DAC in the MHZS player to be pretty good so i sold the Xindak DAC-8 and i propaply also will sell the DacMagic. I normally would stay with this cd player without a DAC. But then i read a very good review from the Netherlands of a reasonably priced Metrum Acoustics NOS Quad DAC and so i tried it. It sounded smooth and balanced and a sense of cohesion i didn't witness before. So i want to use this Auricle digital cable between the MHZS transport and the Metrum Quad DAC to get the most out of it. My interconnects are also from a DIY person, they are AG audio interconnects.http://www.s-arrowcables.com/agaudioebay.html These did beat a a qed interconnect but there arent any reviews from these IC's on google to be found i believe only has the seller very good feedback on Ebay, it makes me wonder how they would compare to Joe's interconnects. As for speaker cable i use the Anti Cable, was using Chord Odeyssey before that. As for the other components i have Hyperion HPS-938 speakers connected to the Power stage of a Dussun V8i and a passive EVA II as pre amp.
The system I listen to the most for CD is antique, but effective.
CD Source is JVC XL-Z1050 upgraded by an engineer for use as transport. Machina Dynamica "Code Turquoise" Green CD tray covering. Bedini Ultra De-Magnetizer spin for CD before playing. Herbie's Audio Lab Super Black Hole CD Mat.
Digital output signal processed through an interface box called the Genesis Digital Lens. Digital output from the Lens next goes to
one of the first-ever tube output DAC's which were then an innovation over twenty years ago from the Anodyne brand of Scott Nixon. Tubes were chosen by "tube rolling" until it sounded best to my ears
The system uses two unique custom digital interconnects from Joe Mazzaglia of Auricle Audio Design. These are painstakingly created to beat his over-the-counter usual wonderful offerings. So, I guess I can call them super wonderful.
Next, from the DAC tube output stage the analog signal travels via Joe's unique custom analog IC's on to a rare heavy industrial strength and appearance preamp with the famous Acoustat logo on the front, but no model name.
I don't recall the original name of this very limited edition unit. Its exterior is ugly, but the phono preamp section is incredible - that's where my audio heart resides. The line stage amp is excellent, too. I bought this on Audiogon and never have seen another just like it.
I should mention it was Joe's best digital and analog IC's of regular construction which first hooked me on his abilities to really optimize signal transfer, without exorbitant pricing. I still use these original regular editions elsewhere.
The amp is one from an evolutionary series made by Cary Audio; mine is the SLA 70 Sig (output is only EL34 )with all tubes selected after tube rolling.
My speaker wire is Reality Cable. Another outstanding boutique manufacturer.
Speakers in this system are from an evolutionary series by talented designer Philip R. Clements (now of Solusaudio.com), with planar ribbon tweeter and patented variation on transmission line bass for the Clements RT-7 floor stander with special original issue stands.
I use Herbie's Audio Lab "Big Fat Black Dots" as footers.
Incidentally, I listened for a very long time to your speakers at a manufacturer demonstration some years ago, and your speakers sounded excellent enough for me to purchase, except too many speakers owned already.
Lastly, I have placed two Clever Little Clocks from Machina Dynamica in this listening room for many years with audible improvements. These devices fall under the category of "guilty pleasure" because of potential for negative reaction from Audiogoners who have never tried them.
Nice, i will post when Joe's cable arrives and have a chance to listen some music.
I received my Auricle Audio design digital RCA, it looks very nice build :thumb:
The cable replaced an old Profigold digital RCA.
In comparison, straight out of the box the Auricle cable sounds better, clearer and openener from the first notes of music i listened to, the familiar curtain taken away when an improvement takes place in a setup, defenitly a keeper this cable.
I never thought before i could ever pinpoint differences in the digital domain but i did.

PS: Joe mentined that this cable has a direction for the signal, the signal should flow towards the end with the serial number. So if i am right, the end of the cable (wich connects to the pre amp) is the end where the serial number is and the end without serial number to the source??
From your original 4-26-11 post,
did you follow your plan to use the
Auricle Audio Design Encore Signature Digital IC
unlabeled "sending end" for connecting the MHZS transport (source) to the serial numbered "receiving end" of IC inserted into the Metrum Quad DAC input (processor receiving the digital signal)?