2. digital
  3. 1389497973

Length of digital cable?

Picking up where I left off a year ago, somewhere on the net I ran into a recommended length of 18 ft of digital cable between transport and D/A converter. Various lengths were discussed and one source was very confident of the 18 ft length to successfully resolve jitter. And the Beldon 1694A was recommended. For $30+ or whatever I gave it a shot and was surprised by the quality of sound, and I swear on a stack of owners' manuals that this length with this brand of cable resolves jitter. The sound is rock solid gorgeous.

The Beldon lies behind the system mostly in a coil, and I think coils are probably not ideal. I'm wondering if anyone has found a shorter length that works. Al suggested 8", but I was unable to make it work because the components aren't close enough. I know that 1 ft" doesn't work and that 1 meter doesn't work.

Part 2: Does length of ethernet from computer to avr also affect jitter? My sister who is a computer person and not an audio person set up my avr with computer using cat 5. The sound quality is bad. I'd like to get good sound quality with computer as source down the road but need advice on how to get it.
arnettpartners
ps68
230 posts
 
Hi Camb,

Thank you, it all depends on the cable design, termination, and transmission and receiver circuits. In our tests, the audible results are superior with a specific design over short lengths, which also minimises potential interference from all the mass of power cables etc usually found behind a system. What would be the shortest you could use?

Rgds,
Paul.
audioengr
3,282 posts
 
The 1.5m cable length is a good guideline. Shorter cables can be problematic depending on the signal risetime. The 1.5m length insures that any jitter causing reflections occur too late to have any impact. Really short, say 6 inches can also be good, but between 1 foot and 1.5m, you are taking a risk IMO. Dont spare the change.

Adapters do make a difference, but again depending on the signal risetime. The faster the risetime, the better the jitter result. Here are some plots showing jitter with different cables and adapters:

http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/pcaudio/messages/13/132743.html

I have been doing this a LONG time and I know what I'm talking about.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio
camb
164 posts
 
Hi Paul,

I would need 1.5 to 2 feet to connect my Meridian streaming gear to my DAC.

I've got a 1.5 meter MIT Oracle digital coax RCA cable now.

Cheers,

Cam
ps68
230 posts
 
Cam,

It would be an interesting shoot out, the IC you have has a reputation for excellence!

Rgds
Paul.
audioengr
3,282 posts
 
The best performing and also the best price coax cable is my 4-foot BNC-BNC cable with RCA adapters. Beats everything in customer shootouts, at any price. Silver with expanded Teflon dielectric and terminated to low-loss true 75 ohm BNC connectors. A steal at $250

Steve N.
Empirical Audio
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