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Digital Cable Choice; how critical is it?

I am a beleiver that analog cables play a big part in a system's sonic performance.

I am giving consideration to adding an external DAC to my system, for the first time. Always using a single box digital source, I have no experience with digital cables.

I really am a music guy & not a computer/techie guy. So, considering that the digital information that runs from the DAC to the Preamp is 1's & 0's or bits & bytes or whatever they are called; how critical is it to the sonic perfromance that I use an elaborate digital cable, as I have done with my analog interconnects?

Is the sound quality affected with the use of different cables, while still in the digital domain?

Your experience is appreciated
barrelchief
barrelchief OP
294 posts
 
Nsgarch, you are correct! I obviously had a brain freeze. I am questionning the importance of the single cable that runs from the transport to the DAC.

Regarding the analog cables, I have always run balanced XLR. However, I was considering going single ended, from the DAC to the pre, because my new pre has a single ended (only) "CD Direct" input that supposedly offers better sound than the XLR inputs.

All of my cabling is Kubala-Sosna, which I am VERY pleased with & intend to stay with.
nsgarch's avatar
nsgarch
2,524 posts
 
I don't know if Kubala makes digital (75 ohm) ICs, but if they do, stay with them (for RCA or BNC which is the 75 ohm I'm talking about). Otherwise, if you have AES/EBU connectors on your DAC and CD transport/player, those are always preferred over coax S/PDIF (RCA) or BNC (bayonet) IMO. Kubala has those I'm sure.

I don't know about that "CD direct" business. If your new preamp also has balanced inputs, I'd try it both ways. Betcha a new CD you like the XLR better ;--)
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fatparrot
1,314 posts
 
Nsgarch, Toslink cable is now available with GLASS stranding. Glass Toslink made a HUGE improvement over the cheapo plastic Toslink. And this was in a relatively modest system!
nsgarch's avatar
nsgarch
2,524 posts
 
Hi Mike -- That's not a surprise. Glass Toslink has almost twice the bandwidth as plastic. But its practical length is still only 5 meters, while AT&T ST cable can go up to 100 Km between repeaters (for those REALLY large listening rooms ;--)

The real issue with Toslink (for audio, that is) the poor quality of the little transceiver units. They cost about $5 wholesale (STs cost about $120 wholesale) and the quality of their signal output is affected by end-to-end reflections in the cables (another reason to use glass if you can) and transmission jitter (glass won't help with that.)

It can't ever beat AT&T, but whether a glass Toslink connection would outperform a high quality coax (RCA) or aes/ebu (XLR) I really don't know. It would be easy enough to try though, because today, almost all stuff that has Toslink has coax inputs/outputs well.

Here's a little Toslink history if you're interested:

http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/audioprinciples/interconnects/toslink.php
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jeff_jones
418 posts
 
Barrelchief, digital cable sonic difference = placebo effect = no measurable difference on recorded waveforms downstream of your dac. But they do look cool!
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