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

@ted_b 

You are right. It uses an older ESS DAC chip, although I don't know if that makes you right about whether the transport's clock is used.

I will tell you one thing, I think the Moon 280 D was a deal. At least for me. It doesn't have a screen. The streaming interface is on an iPad or phone. It does not have a preamp or headphone amp. Just simple lights on the front telling the user the input in play and the quality (44.1, 48, 96, etc.) It does use, however, the same software as the more expensive Moon streamers. When I auditioned it I could not tell the difference between the 280D and streams costing more than twice its price. I didn't think I'd stream much, but I am doing more than I thought. I have heard better streamers, but this one errs in a musical way, kind of like tube gear. So, I'll keep it.

 

 

 

 

 

dekay's avatar
dekay
6,160 posts
 

Look @ Apogee Wyde Eye cables as they had a good one (years ago) for less than $40.

Tried Kimber Illuminati and DH Labs D75 (superseded by the D750) as well.

DeKay

audphile1's avatar
audphile1
7,824 posts
 

@audio-b-dog let us know what people from the Moon say. 

richardbrand's avatar
richardbrand
1,362 posts
 

@devinplombier 

Any digital device that does error correction must use buffers.  Buffers also allow smoothing between the chunks of data arriving, and the drip feed out of audio samples.

I was concentrating on the loss of complete data packets which buffering on its own cannot correct.

CDs had error detection and correction worked out in minute detail from the get go, and incidentally need a 2,000 character buffer as a minimum.

It is staggering how far backwards we have come since

devinplombier
1,637 posts
 

@richardbrand you're taking us way back! 😃

https://www.soundstagenetwork.com/rise09.htm

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=H9o9kWWwFbI&t=2s&pp=2AECkAIB

 

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