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Cable suggestions

Definitely a novice. But figuring this out based on research, advice, and trial / error. Remodeling our home. Have a big, L shaped room with the listening position in front of the short wall with a big offset room behind to the left. 
 

I live in Cave Creek. Have great components. D’Agostino Momentum HD preamp. Currently upgrading my M400 amps to MxV since they are down the street, with Wilson Benesch Resolution speakers with REL 32s. 
 

for my digital side I have an Aurender W20 for my streaming source. Have an Aurender MC10 master clock to time it. But just changed from a Chord DAVE DAC to an MSB Reference DAC which has its own internal clock. 
 

I’ve always used BNC connections from streamer to DAC. But it seems I have two possible issues. 
 

should I use AES EBU connections instead?  And if so, what do you recommend?  Seems that is the better option. And should I get rid of the MC10?  Seems redundant and would free up funds for better cables. 
 

Thank you in advance. I appreciate people’s insight and value your responses. 
 

Cheers

wjcasey3rd
zlone
1,342 posts
 

That is quite a system for an admitted novice. Aurender suggests that SPDIF is the best choice as an output over USB due to their high quality clocking, and given the choice between bnc and aes, aes will always win. On the other hand it looks like MSB is good at handling USB.

i would definitely upgrade to AES, but I would also try USB. You owe it to yourself to find out which sounds best in your system.

My system is not at that level, so I can only recommend cables I have tried that sound better than the rest. I am sure there are better ones, but it might be best to start with lower cost options and then go up the chain once you decide on a path. Acoustic Zen MC2 AES is a decent cable, and WireWorld Platinum USB is another good choice. I have used both of these and compared them to others and they rose above.

Keep us posted on what you find.

 

studio1
119 posts
 

Friend 

Congratulations on building an outstanding system!  MSB makes very high quality gear!  It sounds like a possible compatibility issue - which doesn’t surprise me when dealing with the very temperamental technology of Clocks.  That said, unless the Aurender MC10 is bringing a performance level that you can just cannot be without - you may want to consider replacing it.  

There are many Digital Cable choices out there offering both BNC and AES/EBU connections.  This is such a challenging area due to the unpredictable sonic results any given cable can have with different systems.  For this reason, I srongly suggest visiting www.usedcable.com and picking out a number of cables that can be shipped to you for audition with the allowance of returning the ones you did not like.  This gives you the ability to have some fun swapping out those cables and arriving at the right choice.

 

fastfreight
1,285 posts
 

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