Optical vs. coaxial DAC connection

[Marco]

Don't forget there could be an issue with the quality of the optical conversion at either/both ends of the link!

What? This is an X-777ES and DAS-R1 you're talking about, my boy, not some 'Toytown' modern CD player!



Richard,

Thanks for that - most interesting!

Marco.

[Mike]

What? This is an X-777ES and DAS-R1 you're talking about, my boy, not some 'Toytown' modern CD player!

Look here!... you can't even use a soldering iron! What chance have you got of grasping the nuances of digital transmission. !

[Marco]

Hahahaha... Aye!

It's not that I *can't* use one; it's that I don't NEED to use one. I have minions to do that for me

Marco.

[Mike]

Hahahaha... Aye!

It's not that I *can't* use one; it's that I don't NEED to use one. I have minions to do that for me

Marco.

[Steve Toy]

I hope the 'minions' take that in the spirit you intend.

[sastusbulbas]

This may sound silly, but many of the threads in the past which I have read on other forums, where someone has preffered a Toslink connection over a Co-ax, have featured many users of either cheap DACs, cheap transports, people using any old bog standard cheapo unspecified cheapo RCA cable, or they have read and assumed that toslink is therefore sounds better.

My own opinion is that AES, then Glass optic, then BNC, then Coax via RCA, then Toslink are "usually" in that order of preference, but it is completely ancillary dependent and relies on properly manufactured cables.

Another point to look at is how many people actually hear any difference withe any cable, and are perfectly happy to believe any old RCA cable will do the same job as a properly designed digital cable?

Optic puts MORE into the mix so to speak IE an extra stage, and is reliant on well made optical circuits at each end, it has to convert the electrical signal into light then back into electrical, a better optic cable with rounded polished ends and such helps, my preference being Van Den Huls opticoupler, though I have read good things about Apogees optic cable.
They still suffer from stuff like modal dispertion and the like. But in my opinion many "better" sounding optic connections are probably highlighting poor electrical connections, there is a reason why optic is more prolific on cheap and more basic ancillaries instead of electrical. Its because its cheap and relatively consistent. One area where I have always felt a detrimental impact with toslink is in the bass.

They all have their uses, but I do think electrical is deemed technicaly superior in many instances still.

[anthonyTD]

Hahahaha... Aye!

It's not that I *can't* use one; it's that I don't NEED to use one. I have minions to do that for me

Marco.

Never been called one of those before!!!

[Marco]

I hope the 'minions' take that in the spirit you intend.

Of course!

Sastus,

That's another interesting account. I don't doubt your experiences, but in my system, and in many other high quality transport & DAC systems I've used in the past, coaxial has been best - by a country mile. There are obviously many influential variables to consider.

I agree that the quality of the digital coaxial cable is essential. To that end I use a Transparent Premium Digital Link:

http://transparentcable.com/products...tal_cable.html

Marco.

[Marco]

Never been called one of those before!!!

You're a 'valve guru', shweety, not a minion

Marco.

[leo]

co-axial for me with 75ohm BNC's, properly loaded pulse transformers in the dac/transport