Location: Suffolk, UK
Posts: 1,473
I'm Paul.
If you wanted to dabble for little cost buy a half decent Lindy cable with the shortest length that you can and compare to a longer standard cable. At worst you are likely to have a cable with better contacts and better mechanical fit than the standard offering, not a bad thing for a cable that could potentially be fitted and forgotten about for a long time.
You’ll be surprised what a tarnished contact can do on a data cable.
~Paul~
Location: Melksham, Wiltshire
Posts: 731
I'm Peter.
Geoff,
Never a doubt in my mind, “especially with digital RCA cables”.
However, I relegated all that cable stuff and gone direct streaming via Roon Sever to a MicroRendu and usb to my Mytek Brooklyn. (With the usual analogue RCA Connection to the Amp.
Bloody Fabulous.
Peter
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I tried a slightly expensive 'Atlas' USB cable for a giggle. Didn't find it a jot better than my usual Belkin or Lindy cheapo models.
Generally I find Lindy to be great quality at a great price for all my cable needs (I also have a fair few video type ones from them...)
Location: South East Cornwall
Posts: 322
I'm Dominic.
Once had a brief play with a JIB Silver Arsenic USB cable and it was only brief with an £800 price tag. I don't normally dabble in streaming and such-like and as far as USB cables go I was firmly in the 1's and 0's camp thinking there is no way a USB cable can alter the sound for the better. Couldn't have been more wrong, it transformed the sound and if I was more involved with the digital aspects I would consider looking into upgrade USB cables for sure. Maybe not 800 notes worth!
CD player = Marantz CD6006
DAC/pre = Rotel RC 1572
Power amp = ADA PF201
Speaks = Quadral Chromium Style 6
For me, USB cables can and do make an audible difference, but the question is "how much do you have to pay to get better sound quality?" Sadly, I don't think there's much relationship between price and performance here, but my £60 Kimber is audibly better than an inexpensive and supposedly genuine Belkin cable that I bought specially for the North West Audio Show. I'd be open to trying other USB cables out of curiosity, rather than intent to buy.
That is the issue for me Hugo.
It is the price relative to the performance gain of 1's and 0's arriving at their destination unharmed.
I can understand that removing the power from the cable may be beneficial for audio use, but I can do this with insulation tape if needed.
Kevin
Too busy enjoying the music....
European loan coordinator for Graham Slee HiFi system components..
Getting those 1’s and 0’s to your dac unharmed is a tougher nut to crack than many assume it is.
From personal experience USB isn’t the best way to connect to a Dac, the better (read: more expensive) cables sound better as they better mitigate the inherant problems with USB transfer.
USB cables can sound different..but I’d avoid USB if you can.
Sometimes if your using a laptop or PC its unavoidable, in that case I’d buy a USB to coax converter, the best one Ive heard (and owned back in the day) was a Musical Fidelity VLink 192.
Last edited by Gazjam; 27-06-2018 at 21:47.
AC POWER
Hardwired 10kVA balanced mains powering entire system
AMPS
Meridian 557 power Amp (Modded) / PS Audio BHK Preamp (Modded)
SPEAKERS
Wharfedale Evo 4.4
DAC
PS Audio Directstream (Modded)
TURNTABLE
Pro-Ject X8 balanced output via XLR / Ortofon Quintet Blue cartridge
PHONOSTAGE
Pro-Ject DS3 B balanced Input (TT and Phonostage powered by Pro-Ject Power box RS2 linear psu)
DIGITAL
OPPO 203 (Modded: Linear PSU, i2s output to Dac) - Roon Endpoint, HDMI input used for all things Streaming/ PS5 /AppleTV ... also good for movies apparently?
MUSIC PLAYBACK
Tweaked AP-Linux based Roon Server into Oppo 203 as Roon endpoint
Ipad Roon Remote.
Apple Music/ YouTube via AppleTV, fed to Dac via Oppo HDMI input/i2s output to Dac.
SPEAKER CABLES
Biwired: Duelund DCA10GA (Bass) Duelund DCA16GA (mid & treble) Duelund 12DCA used as jumpers (On "Blackcat Cable" Chris Sommivigo's advice - yup, even with biwire it sounds better - and it does)
INTERCONNECTS
All Balanced: Ghost+ recording studio XLR cables
Location: gone
Posts: 11,519
I'm gone.