@ uberwaltz,
Agree, not all S/PDIF coax cables sound alike.
Here is a quote from almarg for a few possible reasons why.
As almarg said in his post there are factors that can influence how an S/PDIF coax cable will preform when connected between a digital source an a DAC.
I would add,
The coax cable itself. How well is it sheilded? Is the center conductor copper, silver plated copper, or whatever else? Is the center conductor solid core wire or stranded wire?
What is the quality of the RCA connectors? How are they connected to the coax cable?
I have a Tributaries older series 9 that is 2 meters long I bought a few years ago from a friend of mine that owned a B&M store. (Nice thing about having a friend owning the store you can borrow demo equipment and cables and buy equipment and cables at cost.) The Tributaries digital coax cables are pretty good especially at their retail price. Even better at dealer’s cost.
I was told Tributaries were non directional. From my personal experience S/PDIF coax cables with a solid core center conductor with RCA ends are directional. One reason for the why is how the RCA ends are soldered on the ends of the coax cable. Just a heavier amount of solder applied to one end can make the difference. I think it also has something to do with directionality of solid core wire/conductor of the coax cable.
At any rate flip the digital coax cable end for end and see if you can hear a slight difference in SQ. One way will sound better to your ears than the other.
Jim
Agree, not all S/PDIF coax cables sound alike.
Here is a quote from almarg for a few possible reasons why.
almarghttps://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/dac-drops-out-when-furnace-starts-or-stops-help
7,489 posts 10-09-2015 1:45pm
Jadedavid, the reason that a length of 1.5 meters is often recommended for digital cables is further explained in this paper. It relates to the potential effects on jitter (short term fluctuations) in the timing of D/A conversion, that may result from the inevitably less than perfect impedance matches between the cable and the components that are being connected.
As Kijanki indicated, though, and as can be inferred from the paper, many system dependent variables factor into the likelihood of that length being optimal. A notable one being the risetimes and falltimes of the signal that is sent into the cable (i.e., the amount of time for the signal to transition between its lower and higher voltage states, and vice versa), which are generally unspecified and unknown. So while 1.5 meters may generally stand a greater chance of being optimal than 1 meter, that will not always be the case.
All of that relates to sound quality, though, and usually not to the kind of problem you have encountered. But I wouldn’t be surprised if the characteristics of the shield relate to it, as Kijanki indicated. Given that two different appliances cause similar symptoms, though, my guess is that it is not differences in shielding against RFI pickup that are involved, but rather effects of the shield or other signal return conductor in the cable on a ground loop issue that may be occurring between the two components. A ground loop issue conceivably resulting in the marginal lock Jim referred to.
An interesting experiment, therefore, might be to temporarily put a cheater plug (a 3-prong to 2-prong adapter, with the safety ground connection not connected), on the power plug of either the DAC or the component that is providing the signal to it. That would break any ground loops between the two components. Then see if the problem still occurs with the shorter cable.
Regards,
-- Al
As almarg said in his post there are factors that can influence how an S/PDIF coax cable will preform when connected between a digital source an a DAC.
I would add,
The coax cable itself. How well is it sheilded? Is the center conductor copper, silver plated copper, or whatever else? Is the center conductor solid core wire or stranded wire?
What is the quality of the RCA connectors? How are they connected to the coax cable?
I have a Tributaries older series 9 that is 2 meters long I bought a few years ago from a friend of mine that owned a B&M store. (Nice thing about having a friend owning the store you can borrow demo equipment and cables and buy equipment and cables at cost.) The Tributaries digital coax cables are pretty good especially at their retail price. Even better at dealer’s cost.
I was told Tributaries were non directional. From my personal experience S/PDIF coax cables with a solid core center conductor with RCA ends are directional. One reason for the why is how the RCA ends are soldered on the ends of the coax cable. Just a heavier amount of solder applied to one end can make the difference. I think it also has something to do with directionality of solid core wire/conductor of the coax cable.
At any rate flip the digital coax cable end for end and see if you can hear a slight difference in SQ. One way will sound better to your ears than the other.
Jim