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Do I need an expensive digital cable?

I have been using a fairly inexpensive optical cable to connect my CD transport to my Moon 280D streamer. I was told that an SPDIFcoax cable would sound better. For an experiment I purchased an inexpensive Pangea coax cable. It didn't sound at all because its terminator ends did not fit snugly in my equipment. I consulted chatgbt who often gives me audio advice. It advised that for the short run of 1 meter, an RCA interconnect would work. It did. And sounded much better than the optical. Chatgbt said that RCA interconnect was good enough.

Now, there is a twist to this story that might make those doubters think twice. A digital cable carries packets of information that are rechecked to assure that the streamer is recieving correct information. There is the timing concern, though. But my Moon 280D has an asynchronous DAC with a clock as part of the DAC. Any information sent by my transport, whether it is clocked by the transport or not, will go through the Moon's asynchronous DAC's clock. So ;there shouldn't be a timing problem. Should there?

Can anyone make a case that I should buy a "better" coax cable?

audio-b-dog
stuartk
3,990 posts
 

@audphile1 

 I have never heard a detractor state they have tried one and can not hear a difference...

Well said!  Funny, how some brains operate...

audio-b-dog's avatar
audio-b-dog OP
777 posts
 

@audphile1 @stuartk @jjss49 

Okay, if Moon gets back to me and says that you are right, I will try out a decent 75 ohm coax. I don't really play CDs all l that often. I mostly play the turntable and stream from the Moon 280D. 

I was in the computer industry for years and even though I was in sales, I had to take a number of classes on various aspects of computing. Networking was one of them. I think that networking is done in packets. The transport sends a digital signal from its "digital out" optical and SPDIF cables. It sends an analogue signal through its RCA interconnects. Two different kinds of signals. 

I would refer you to the nomenclature when streaming. Higher resolution albums come in 24 bit packets and lower resolution in 16 bit packets. So, to me that says that digital audio is sent in packets just like everything else. But I commit to looking into all of this more deeply and doing a test with a decent 75 ohm digital cable.

parkergetdean
1,032 posts
 

nobody ever said on their deathbed: I wish I spent less on cables and left more money to my kids. Yet.

12many
351 posts
 

I was someone who NEVER would have thought digital cables matter, but I compared two USB cables and there was a difference in sound characteristics compared over two different very good systems by multiple people.  This hobby is full of surprises.  

audio-b-dog's avatar
audio-b-dog OP
777 posts
 

@parkergetdean 

I think their kids said it.

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