Warm/Forgiving AES/EBU digital cable less then $1000

What cold, unforgiving source are you trying to fix?

Yesterday I installed a Cardas aes / ebu and was amazed how good it sounds. Warm but not lacking in detail with a laid back perspective. It replaced a Kimber Orchid ( all silver) which I loved. The kimber was great with Golden Ear Triton 1's. But not the Monitor Audio Gold 300's (5 g latest version) where the Cardas excells. A number of them on the used market. My suggestion is to try one, I'd be surprised if you didn't enjoy it.

If the digital cable makes a big difference, you might consider changing your DAC. I used to hear things like that when digital was new, but it’s been decades since I could detect meaningful differences among digital cables, whether AES3 (the new name for AES/EBU), S-PDIF, or even USB cables.

I thought I must be mistaken, until I read that Steve Hoffman (well-known mastering engineer) flat-out stated he couldn't hear any differences among digital cables.

Mike, I guarantee if I switched between my Kimber and Cardas cables you'd hear a distinct difference. Hoffman would as well. Not to be rude, but if you don't you guys must be deaf.

Buy the Mogami and spend the $950 on the upgrades.

@denman which Cardas cable is this? Clear or the older Lightning 15?

The cold unforgiving source is my source, which is an older laptop. It will be replaced at the end of this year. I was hoping to find something to get me by until then. Not crazy expensive. It will be the AES/EBU for a while after the server/transport upgrade until that gets upgraded as well.

The Cardas Clear is on the list as well as the Snake River Boomslang and possibly even the Purist Audio Neptune.

Anyone know these cables and their amount of forgiveness/warmth? 

What kind of laptop has an AES/EBU output?

I knew that question would come up...

I am using a Matrix Audio X SPIDIF 2. It is a glorious little device that converts USB signal to all the other digital outputs, including I2S. I prefer the AES/EBU in my setup. 

I recommend Analysis Plus oval AES digital cable which sounds warm and organic.

OK on the Matrix, I guessed it might be something like a M2TECH.I still say not to spend $600+ on an expensive cable, unless you try something like a Mogami (I built mine for $20) and don't like the results.IMHO asking a digital cable to "warm" a sterile source is dubious.

mikey881 the cable is just called a Cardas Aes/Ebu and green in color.

The Cable Company has a  Green Digital Oval AES/EBU Digital Cable.

https://www.thecableco.com/cables/digital-cables/digital-aes/green-digital-oval-aes-ebu.html

Is this the one you are speaking of?

Mine has yellowish color, but green one  will also work.

This is the one he is talking about:
http://www.cardas.com/aes_ebu.php  

Try the Triode Wire Lab AES cable well under your budget limit.  Pete has a 30 day return policy and he runs his cables in on the newest model Cable Cooker before he sends them out. 

That is the exact cable I am using now. Have had it in place for about a year and really like it, but hoping I can find something else. A little thinner and brighter then what I need.

I realize that I am polishing a turd here, but that turd is all I have till the end of the year! The new cable will go on the the new server when I get it.

Hi, as a newbie to this forum this is my first post , well actually my last attempt failed. Some time ago I carried out a listening test with a variety of SPDIF and AES/EBU cables, using a Musical Fidelity M1 dac and a Shanling dac. I dismissed all the SPDIF cables, off the shelf good quality and custom made ones. At the time I had stumbled on some Neutrik deicated digital XLR connectors, so I made up a couple of cable using the two types available and lengths of Canford Audio BKT-M cable specced as being 110 Ohm.  Compared to standard off the shelf xlr cables, other manufacturers XLR connectors made up into custom cables, by far the best sounding were the two types of Neutriks, with a clear difference between the "ordinary" digital type and the full on ones, these are currently available as Neutrik NC3FXX-EMC and NC3MXX-EMC. In the UK a company called Designacable.com supply custom made cables using these connectors at a price for 1m lengths (£27) that is almost as low as the cost of the connectors separately. I don't know if there are any US suppliers who have similar cables available in their catalogs. I would recommend that you investigate this option, as it may be that the RFI that the Neutriks eliminate is the root cause of your dissatisfaction.