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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
parkergetdean
1,032 posts
 

you can  waste money buying expensive cables and waste time reading about cables. Luckily I can only afford the second one...

audphile1's avatar
audphile1
7,834 posts
 

The impact on sound quality of speaker cables and analog interconnects is governed by science
 

digital too. It’s all ones and zeros. There’s no difference between transports. No difference between streamers. It’s governed by science. 
CDs sound identical to streaming. Don’t waste your money on transports and streamers. The output voltage when measured on dac output will be identical no matter the transport. Just watch Audio Science Review. That’s the science that governs the difference between cables, dacs, transports, etc 

All this cables changing how your system sounds is pure lunacy. 

westcoastaudiophile
819 posts
 

"I audition each cable” LOL

I am wishing good luck to identify SQ most impact variables! 

Post removed 
audio-b-dog's avatar
audio-b-dog OP
778 posts
 

@audphile1 

Okay, for science's sake, let's take an obvious example. I used an RCA analogue interconnect to connect my transport to the Moon 280D. It worked in that the sound came through and I didn't hear any breaks or blips. When I changed to the $14 75 ohm digital cable, the sound tightened up considerably. Anybody could have heard it. It didn't take a refined ear. The difference between the $14 and $249 digital coax cables was more subtle, but it was there. I think that had to do with the cables' shielding and electrical interference. Although, scientifically I have no idea how electrical interference can affect digital information. A bit is either on or off. Maybe I'll try testing the $14 cable again just to make sure it wasn't my expectations I was hearing.

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