ex brickie
pfm Member
Hopefully a simple question. Can you use standard analogue RCA to RCA interconnect cables for single digital RCA sockets on amps / components? Or are digital RCA cables a different material inside?
Thanks!
Thanks!
Using interconnects for digital
- Thread starter ex brickie
- Start date
narabdela
who?
adamdea
You are not a sound quality evaluation device
They are basically the same (assuming use of coax. cable) and should work fine. if concerned the thing to use is actually analogue video cable (eg old fashioned coax tv cable) which is what is used in most good "digital" S/PDIF cable. It is cheap.
If you ask a magician, expect a magical answer.
If you ask a magician, expect a magical answer.
uncl_nigel
pfm Member
I've used Kondo VZII digital cables for pre to power link with no problem apart from having no white and red cheannel-identifiaction bands on the plugs 
Dowser
Learning to bodge again..
I run dual AES/EBU connections between my dCS Puccini and Delius for upsampling - started with 1.5m of 50 ohm Neutrik NK2 cable as I had it to hand. Recently swapped to 50cm proper 110 ohm Mogami 3080 cable to meet the standard - not sure I heard a difference, but back of rack is much more tidy 
Plan to swap back next week to really see if there is a differenceā¦but I think not.
Plan to swap back next week to really see if there is a differenceā¦but I think not.
uncl_nigel
pfm Member
I run Nordost Valhalla 1 and Tyr 2 BNC-BNC between dCS Rossini clock and DAC on the 44kHz and 48kHz circuits respectively - defintely better than the cables dCS supply.
Darren
So gentle when he tries to understand.
Yes you can. When I bought my first audionote dac direct from the factory. They sold me half if an interconnect to go with it. I've used it for the last fifteen years.
Eoin
pfm Member
Yes you can. No issues.
rubycat
pfm Member
This is a big thing for me as I am Cd based and have spent a lot of time and money trying different options.
Regardless of what cables you use manufacturers cant seem to make their mind up what digital sockets they use anyway.
Naim Unity Qute, Dac V1 BNC sockets, Naim Atom RCA sockets ? Cyrus cd Transport RCA.
I have been through dozens of cables, the biggest difference I found was when the cable did not use the screen/braid
for the return signal but used a second separate cable, currently using NVA TIS cable (50/75 ohm ?? who knows) between
Cyrus CD Signature transport and Mscaler.
Have just bought some silver 75ohm coax wire from HiFi Collective with which to make my own digital interconnects from cd to Mscaler and TT2.
But I have still to wade through all the different types of BNC plugs and how to terminate the screens/braid.
To avoid this rabit hole just stop when you cant hear any improvement regardless of type.
Regardless of what cables you use manufacturers cant seem to make their mind up what digital sockets they use anyway.
Naim Unity Qute, Dac V1 BNC sockets, Naim Atom RCA sockets ? Cyrus cd Transport RCA.
I have been through dozens of cables, the biggest difference I found was when the cable did not use the screen/braid
for the return signal but used a second separate cable, currently using NVA TIS cable (50/75 ohm ?? who knows) between
Cyrus CD Signature transport and Mscaler.
Have just bought some silver 75ohm coax wire from HiFi Collective with which to make my own digital interconnects from cd to Mscaler and TT2.
But I have still to wade through all the different types of BNC plugs and how to terminate the screens/braid.
To avoid this rabit hole just stop when you cant hear any improvement regardless of type.
Years ago I tried a bunch of different cables between a CD player and Beresford DAC. I also tried placing random steel objects in the signal path. Pots, the ironing board, even large objects didn't seem to upset the flow of bits and if there was a difference I couldn't hear it.
Then a few years ago I tried different cables between my Saturn-R and Rega DAC. I tried both analogue RCA, cheap 75ohm cables, digital cables I'd made myself from recommended parts and some cables from brands like the Chord Company up to Ā£200. Yes, I could hear a difference between the cables. Some sounded identical while others sounded different. There was no correlation between price and whether or not it was an analogue or digital cable and how much I liked it. There wasn't a vast difference between any of them but over time there were some I would not want to keep listening to.
My favorite and the one I'm still using today, a cheapo freebe yellow video cable that was kicking around in my bits box.
Then a few years ago I tried different cables between my Saturn-R and Rega DAC. I tried both analogue RCA, cheap 75ohm cables, digital cables I'd made myself from recommended parts and some cables from brands like the Chord Company up to Ā£200. Yes, I could hear a difference between the cables. Some sounded identical while others sounded different. There was no correlation between price and whether or not it was an analogue or digital cable and how much I liked it. There wasn't a vast difference between any of them but over time there were some I would not want to keep listening to.
My favorite and the one I'm still using today, a cheapo freebe yellow video cable that was kicking around in my bits box.
martin clark
pinko bodger
NO RCA plug, whatever is claimed, can achieve '75ohm' ; neither do any audio cable companies have any real understanding,
of the end-to-end reqts, to achieve ..such.
'They' really, do not.
..so if what you have, works, pleases-you: well - that's pretty much as good as it'll be; just enjoy.
of the end-to-end reqts, to achieve ..such.
'They' really, do not.
..so if what you have, works, pleases-you: well - that's pretty much as good as it'll be; just enjoy.
ex brickie
pfm Member
Thank you all. Iāll try a couple of inexpensive optionsā¦ā¦
Harvey63
pfm Member
I made a cable with that and Canare plugs. It sounded the same as more expensive commercial cables but not as good as the Ā£200 Chord or cheapo video cable.
gustav_errata
pfm Member
I knew that was generally the case, but based on what you say, it sounds like that is necessarily the case. Would you mind explaining why that is or otherwise pointing me to a resource that explains it? Is it something about the geometry that BNC avoids?
@ex brickie
I have 2x 1m 75 Ohm coax here doing nothing, PM me your addy and I will send them too you FOC.
1 is a Mogami 2964 and the other is supposedly a 'reference hi definition 75 Ohm asymmetrical mono-crystal, double shielded video signal cable' according to all the BS written on the outside.
I have 2x 1m 75 Ohm coax here doing nothing, PM me your addy and I will send them too you FOC.
1 is a Mogami 2964 and the other is supposedly a 'reference hi definition 75 Ohm asymmetrical mono-crystal, double shielded video signal cable' according to all the BS written on the outside.