Digital XLR vs Digital RCA

I’m with @rego on this one - the type of connector i.e. whether you use IEC, BNC or XLR, is mostly immaterial when it comes to cable performance.

The cable’s geometry, the quality of the wire and the capacitance of the insulations used AND the quality/design of the actual connector can make more of a noticeable difference.

Granted, BNC is designed specifically for Digital connections, but even a quality BNC connector on a poorly designed cable will not sound as good as as well designed cable with either RCA or XLR connectors.

Trouble is - most cable manufacturers DO NOT publish their geometries, so it is very often difficult to assess how well a cable is made and hence how well it may perform.

You can spend a lifetime trying different cables and each time you’ll probably hear changes - but you are still basically "guessing" each time you make a choice.

There are two options...
- buy cables from companies like InAkustik, or Nordost.
- build your own, then you control all of the cable’s parameters

Companies like InAkustik and Nordost (and a few others), that reveal their geometry’s, allows the educated customer to make an informed decision.

I chose the DIY approach and have never looked back.

But then - my DIY cables are built from scratch
- I DO NOT just solder a fancy connector onto a piece of bulk cable
- I build the the actual cable from individually sourced wires & connectors

It really boils down to how picky YOU are :-)

Regards - Steve

Amount of silver and type makes a difference in a digital cable? Really? Someone should tell those people that make cables that work in the 10's or GHZ or higher. They will be thrilled to find that out.

I have tested side-by-side pure copper, silver and silver-plated cable combinations.  The material used in digital cable absolutely affects the character of the sound.  This is just another medium you can use to help tune the sound to what you want.

I’m with @rego on this one - the type of connector i.e. whether you use IEC, BNC or XLR, is mostly immaterial when it comes to cable performance.

If you are looking at the cable performance itself (i.e. the wire), then this statement is generally correct.  However, when looking at digital cables, the type and impedance of the termination drastically affects the performance of the digital cable.  I have done many tests on different RCA connectors, using RCA that are designed specifically for digital (i.e. DH Labs RCA-75) as well as several extremely expensive and high end analog RCA (such as WBT, Furutech, etc.).  In all cases, a good low-cost BNC connector was superior to all RCA connectors.  The problem with RCA is the lower impedance, which allows reflections caused by the target S/PDIF receiver to flow back down the cable to the transmitter.  This causes distortion and timing errors in the source square waveform pulses.

In all my results, the audio high frequencies were not as well defined or clear with all RCA cables.  The high frequency extension and resolution was always better with a pure BNC cable/sockets. 

If you don't have true BNC connections on your source/DAC, the next best thing is to use a true BNC cable with BNC-to-RCA adapters on the end.  Nordost makes all their digital cables this way, but you can always do a DIY cable. 

I found the Blackcat BNC-to-RCA adapters are the best and have the highest resolution.

BNC and @buff on this site often has NOS Nordost cables at quite reasonable prices.

Twisted pair on XLR are the standard connector for AES3 balanced at 110 Ohm, BNC is the standard connector for AES3 unbalanced 75 Ohm and can be used for longer distances. RCA/Toslink are standard connectors for variant 2 known as SPDIF at 75 Ohm. AES3 balanced is used mostly in professional installations. To interchange XLR 110 Ohm balanced with unbalanced 75 Ohm you need an impedance converter. Mostly you'll see BNC to XLR converters. Which one sounds the best I have no idea I doubt I could tell in a controlled test. I use mogami XLR 110 Ohm cables. 

There is nothing wrong with the engineering approach. Alchemy was long abandoned and science had prevailed.
The understanding of what is going on in a digital cable is better than ignorance.
The so called digital cable is not a mystery. It was actually designed by engineers, from PHILIPS Netherland and SONY Japan in the late 70’s.
This is why it is called SPDIF (Sony Philips Digital Interface):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S/PDIF
I love the silver over copper say, that is even better than snake oil.
The element silver conducts better electricity by 5% over copper but costs 131 times more. 5% in conductivity can be compensated with 5% additional cross section of copper. it may cost 5% more, rather than 131 times (13,100%) more. Be my guest and go for it. You may also throw that amount of $$ into the toilet and flash it down. You will earn the very same feeling.
On your fantastic hearing, we had some fantastic examples over medieval ages and later, when it was enough that two sister came out, saying they dreamed you are a witch, to burn you alive. Hearing the difference, is way more easy and no consequences, but drain your wallet dry. You can claim whatever you want, even if it is unmeasurable?
At age over 60! When did you tested last your hearing?
Up’s sorry! it;s tested by an engineered instrument. Not by a doctor’s or nurse hearing to compare with. Go get your glasses that way...
The human ear was never nominated as an instrument. Hearing is individual. The best part of "I can hear the difference" is that no one can doubt it. Even if it doesn’t exist.
Many audiophiles are in love with LP and tubes. They are in love with a lot of IM and THD, poor Fr. response and compressed dynamic range. Those all measure bad, but many like it.
I don’t!
I remember last concert, the guy next to me claimed to his wife, that the sound is not as good in concert sa with his LP/Tube sound system :-)