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Digital Cables : Why cant someone do it right ??

Posted by Plinius_Fan (A) on April 21, 2010 at 12:28:04

Friends,
I am really frustrated !!
I have been trying digital interconnects for almost last one year and till date just nothing has worked for me enough to motivate me to retain it.
The best Digital IC I have heard till date is a Yamamura Millennium 6000 but unfortunately it is out of production. Few told me that Kubala Sosna Emotion has similar sonic foot print as Yamamura but unfortunately the Emotion Digital is built only as AES/EBU, but I need SPDIF RCA.

I have tried quite a few good ones based on suggestions and reviews like the ASI Liveline, Stereovox XV2, Ridge Street Poima, Luminous Audio, vDH, Belkin, KCI, Yamamura M-5000, Ecosse and few more...

Apart from the Yamamura M-6000, the only cable I have been able to live with was a Canare basic 75ohm cable !!!!!
Its surprising but its true that the cheap $40 Canare whose only selling point is, it claims to be true 75ohm has worked very well in my system.
Not that does not mean it does not have flaws, it has very audible flaws in fact. Bass is not tight, highs are not very refined, instrument separation is just average, background cleanliness is again average but with all these flaws it sounds very acceptable and pleasant. It presents a very wholesome musical experience with great midrange tones, nice air and decay to instruments, stage is never forward but never too dull as well. And above all there is a fluidity to music, it just flows with a very graceful smoothness !!!
Unfortunately none of the cables I have listed above could beat this Canare to make a place in my system. Some cables were too edgy, while another sounded a bit dry, something else sounded too forward, another lacked air and organic feel....none of them could present music well and thats where I am concerned.

I agree that I am not playing the high end game of cables in this case at least. However I am not looking for anything exotic as well. If I could live with a Canare for so long, one can imagine.
My front end is TEAC VRDS-10 as transport and Reimyo DAP-777 as DAC.

I have a feeling that if a cable company can keep the basics right, like providing a true 75ohm cable using good quality copper conductor and terminations, it would make a very good digital cable. But most of these smaller boutique cable manufacturers just extend their Analog IC making skills to provide a digital IC. I am not sure how many of them would have the gadgets and know how of how to make a great Digital IC. On the other hand companies like Canare and Mogami only concentrate on keeping the specs right since they supply cables to studios and they do it pretty well even without using high quality audiophile grade stuff.

I would want give this one more shot, but this time I am somehow planning to trust only the known brands, the biggies I would call, who would normally not mess up with specs a lot. My budget is $600, new or used.
My requirement is a natural, smooth sounding IC without apparent colorations with a neat unforced presentation. I like the soundstage to be airy and whole some. I would avoid Silver outright. I have also found cryogenic treatment of conductors takes away some soul out of the music, it is cleaner and quieter but also less involving and less organic, I would call it colder. Just an observation !!!

Here are some ICs I have short listed to start with:

1. Transparent Audio Reference digital (used)
2. Cardas Neutral Reference digital
3. XLO Unlimited Edition (used)
4. MIT Magnum Digital (used)
5. Audience Au24
6. Creative Cable Green Hornet and Silver Bullet

I again do not have the option to listen to any of them. The cable company cannot help because I am not in US. I would wait for inputs from you guys. When I say input, I just expect you to express any experience with any of these cables that you might have had. I will draw my own conclusions from them and may be prioritize which one to try first.
Please also feel free to add your reccomendations to the shortlist if you truly think it matches my taste as mentioned above.

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