Difference in sound between copper and silver digital cables?

Williewonka, to keep it very simple.

The network interface sends ethernet frames which are composed of a header, a payload and a CRC. At this stage it uses mac adresses to communicate.

A TCP/IP packet is a software created packet which will be the payload of a ethernet frame. TCP/IP is a little more complicated to explain but it uses a 3 way handshake to start a connection. Sequence numbers are used in those packets so that the a missing packet can be detected (if sequence number unexpectedly increases) and a resend can be asked with it's sequence number. For example if a package with sequence number 65 is received while there was no 64, a resend of 64 will be asked (it will actually go back to 64 which means that 65 will also be resend ... etc)

If you send a TCP/IP packet that packet will stay the same until it reaches it's goal (rare cases where it doesn't like a router using NAT), while every node will "repack" the TCP/IP packet into a new frame with the according mac addresses (a switch is not a node).
When a TCP/IP packet is lost it almost certainly happened "far away" (for example due to lack of bandwidth)

To get back on topic. I think the major problem with SPDIF is that each device generates it's own clock and older devices often generated a crappy clock.
Today's devices generate more consistant and accurate clocks which means less jitter problems.

@danip - all good :-) 

Many thanks for taking the time to explain.

Regards  - Steve

My DIY advance Digital Helix cable has been settling into my system now for 2 days and they are Staying...Outstanding results on my 25 year old Dac as my reference Dac is currently being modified with new Caps, more filtering, better wiring and a DHT rectifier.

I was considering Vh Audio Cu Coax but really have no desire as the Oyaide DB 510 is a similar typology and I’ve already tried and evaluated that cable which is good but no where near this Helix Cable.

Here are a few Coax that I have owned and evaluated within the last 6 months; Oyaide DB 510, Empirical Audio Reference, Black Cat Silver Star Mk II, Digit 75 Mk II, Snake River Boomslang, Audio Revelation,
Inakustik 2404 Air Helix and a few others that I can’t recall but none of these can approach the performance of the Helix.

Here’s what the Helix does so well; No bright or warm sound signature, a larger soundstage with much more width and depth, life-like sound that appears to have no obstructions which allows the music to flow in a you-are-there fashion. Removing the Helix sounds as if I’m listening to a recording in mono verses having a real instrument occupying a space within your listening environment.

I recommend you guys give these a try to see what you think but my eyes have been opened and a pair of DIY Helix interconnects are next on the horizon!

Kudos to Steve for his research and implementation which makes it a breeze for DIYers : )

Wig

Wig, many thanks for the Kudos - It's always nice to hear of someone else that is enjoying better sound due to the Helix geometry.

I've had many conversations with people about the various digital sample rates when used with the Helix SPDIF - and I (and others) have found that 16/44 provides exceptional sound quality, to the point where it becomes difficult to tell the difference between 16/44 and 24/192 formats.

Unfortunately 24/192 is as high as I am able to decode, so I have no idea what the maximum sample rate the Helix SPDIF is capable of conveying.

I'm hoping someone on Agon that uses sample rates higher than 24/192 might give the Helix a try :-)

Thanks for having the courage to take the plunge into the "Helix Pond" - I'm pretty sure you will also really enjoy the analogue Helix cables also .

If anyone else would like to try building them, take a look at
http://image99.net/blog/files/54c02c12532d31f960ee85a6ed674b01-83.html

Click on the link for the interconnects on that page and then scroll down to (or search the page for)  …

"Can this cable be used for SPDIF purposes?"

It details the wires and RCA's I have found to work extremely well for digital purposes

Regards - Steve

Steve - Can either the Duelund or Mundorf XLR version be used for AESEBU?