I have sent your question to Simaudio. Let's see if they answer. I must say, however, that the RCA interconnect sounds awful damned good. I am playing Damien Rice's "9" and it sounds much better from the CD than streaming it.
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?
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An RCA interconnect will work, it just won't be the best tool for the job. What that gives up in a real world situation is case specific, but a cable with the desired specs all around need not be pricey. For example, this one is well engineered with correct impedance for both cable and connectors and is the theoretically most desirable length. |
@audio-b-dog no worries. |
Here's what chatgbt had to say about the chip:
1) The DAC “ID” (the actual DAC chip)The 280D’s D/A conversion is built around the ESS Sabre ES9018K2M DAC chipset. That chip is used in a fully asynchronous design, with support up to PCM 32-bit/384 kHz and up to DSD256 via USB/network (depending on input). 2) The “ID number” in the manual (FCC IDs for the wireless modules)If by “I.D. number” you meant the regulatory ID printed in documentation, the 280D manual lists transmitter module FCC IDs:
Extra useful info about what’s “around” the DAC chip (often matters more than the chip)The manual also notes MOON’s jitter-control DSP approach (M-AJiC32 / MOON Asynchronous Jitter Control) and describes the unit as a fully asynchronous DAC. |
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