Is there a better quality Firewire cable?

Hi Tbg,

Yes they do matter.

In the context of the 1394 link carrying DSD from a dCS Verdi Encore transport to a dCS DAC I have found a major improvement by using the Esoteric 8N-6P-6PI cable (actually made by Acrolink in Japan). That improvement is compared to the cable supplied by dCS.

My estimate was that the stack was giving only 70% of its best performance prior to adding the 8N-6P-6PI.

Gtfour45, these are certain expensive Firewire cables. It looks like they are only available in 6 pins, and I need 9 pins Firewire 800 into my Mac. Did you get them from Japan?

Doubtful. Remember if it is call 'firewire' it must meet a standard spec. So, the issue is does it meet the spec or not. If it does not meet the spec, the cable is defective, quality has nothing to do with it. How would one know if it is meeting spec? Testing it. How do you test it? You really can't with mega bucks of test gear. However, the standard's organization, located in New Jersey does some testing/certification. Try them. Most pure differences in cables are always due to one not meeting the spec, not its pricing.

Tbg,

"...digital cables also matter"

Please explain to me how a cable that is only passing 0s and 1s, and has error correction on the devices connected at both ends (in the case of FireWire), can possibly affect the end result? Jitter (timing issues) are not cable dependant, so how else can you explain what you think that you hear? I'm not trying to be a jerk - the science just doesn't add up.