USB Lead Help Please.

[chebby]

Now that the Caiman is sold out and withdrawn from my site anyone after a USB DAC may well be interested in the links and details of suitable alternatives to mine.
Stan

After the extremely rapid sale of the Caimans are you not tempted to make it your standard premium DAC offering and 'disappear' the TC-7520 ?

The name change alone would at least save HFW reviewers from the arduous task of differentiating between two products with a one digit difference in name. (This month's HFW photographed and reviewed the TC-7520 but insisted on calling it the TC-7510 throughout!)

They are not alone either. Numerous times I have come across people on various forums who confuse the two DACs (innocently or otherwise).

[StanleyB]

After the extremely rapid sale of the Caimans are you not tempted to make it your standard premium DAC offering and 'disappear' the TC-7520 ?

I am more likely to withdraw the TC-7510 seeing that I have had it in production for several years and demand has dropped since HFW got the price wrong....

The TC-7520 is more flexible than the Caiman. You can do a lot of mods on it, including removing the USB input and fitting another TOSLINK input in its place. And you can even convert it into a Caiman for just an extra £20 or less if you are skilled in soldering.

My personal bedside DAC is a TC-7520 with WM8716 and LM4562HA. And soon I hope to be experimenting with some power supply tweaks. I would never dream of butchering a Caiman with those experimental mod. One day a unmodded Caiman may well be a very high priced collector's item on eBay, going for a fortune .

[chebby]

'What Hifi?' are reviewing a Caiman soon. (Just in time for the WHF awards deadline apparently.) http://community.whathifi.com/forums/t/292926.aspx

So, if it does really well, you could have a whole new bunch of potential customers (who have little interest in soldering irons or doing mods) asking where to get a 5 star product that is no longer available according to your earlier update.....

Now that the Caiman is sold out and withdrawn from my site ...

I must admit I am confused. Is the withdrawal a temporary state of affairs or is that it, no more Caimans?

[StanleyB]

'What Hifi?' are reviewing a Caiman soon. (Just in time for the WHF awards deadline apparently.) http://community.whathifi.com/forums/t/292926.aspx

So, if it does really well, you could have a whole new bunch of potential customers (who have little interest in soldering irons or doing mods) asking where to get a 5 star product that is no longer available according to your earlier update.....

I must admit I am confused. Is the withdrawal a temporary state of affairs or is that it, no more Caimans?

You are late to the Caiman discussion, so I am not surprised that you are confused. To recap one last time: the Caiman was a limited run for AoS members who are not skilled enough to modify a TC-7520 with a WM8716.

As it turns out, the product is a success outside of AoS, and there is a demand for more. So I am looking at making an additional quantity. But to do that takes time. First I have to order the parts, and then wait for them to arrive before I can solder them onto the PCB.

The Caiman is currently not available. That is not the same as writing that it is no longer available. So don't confuse people by turning 1 + 1 into 5.

Stan

[chebby]

Ok fair enough. This is why I needed to ask the questions.

(a) I am a potential Caiman customer and an existing TC-7520 customer.

(b) I want to see the Caiman do well and wish the best for Beresford in the forthcoming WHF review.

[The Vinyl Adventure]

and it is a def caiman that whathifi have not a 7510 or 7520? id be interested to here what they make of it!

[StanleyB]

and it is a def caiman that whathifi have not a 7510 or 7520? id be interested to here what they make of it!

If I can see the list of the other DACs under review, the likely winner is probably going to be a mainstream brand name. I trend to just make up the numbers...
My DAC is far too clinical and revealing. Most reviewers are into titillation, rather than full nudity. Or to put it in a different way: they like to imagine listening to a guitar player stroking a guitar, rather than actually hearing it loud and clear.

[Alex_UK]

One day a unmodded Caiman may well be a very high priced collector's item on eBay, going for a fortune .

Do you know what Stan, I seriously wouldn't bet against it! This little box has all the hallmarks of becoming a legend, IMO.

[aBe]

You are late to the Caiman discussion, so I am not surprised that you are confused. To recap one last time: the Caiman was a limited run for AoS members who are not skilled enough to modify a TC-7520 with a WM8716.

As it turns out, the product is a success outside of AoS, and there is a demand for more. So I am looking at making an additional quantity. But to do that takes time. First I have to order the parts, and then wait for them to arrive before I can solder them onto the PCB.

The Caiman is currently not available. That is not the same as writing that it is no longer available. So don't confuse people by turning 1 + 1 into 5.

Stan

Hi Stan,

It's been a while since I visit AoS and there you go - I've missed all the brouhaha on Caiman, only to discover it when it's already out of stock.

I am currently using the 7510 6/4 and really looking forward to upgrade to Caiman. Hope that you won't pull the brake in producing Caiman..

[aBe]

Getting back to the thread.

From my own experience, crappy free USB cables do sound well..crap.

Lossless files which are saved inside the Mac sound much better than the ones which are stored in the External Hard Disk (connected via USB)

I can't comment on the differences of USB cables as I only own freebies.
Can someone please recommend a decent USB cable for me to try?