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Opinions on lower priced digital that can compete

With the high end or maybe even enter into the range of "giant killer", if such a thing exists. Has to be coax, looking for something that does not add any character of its own to the mix. Should not be either light or full in any part of the frequency range. Should not be extra zingy or slow. Shouldn't push the soundstage further forward or further back, yada yada yada.

In the "budget" range I've been getting info on

Stereovox XV2
Cardas Neutral Ref
Signal Silver Digital
Apogee Wyde-Eye
Zu Cable

Don't know if there are any others in this ballpark worth considering, and having the (non) characteristics I'm looking for.
tonyptony
tplavas
123 posts
 
I've tried all of those except the Zu, and I'd have to go with the Stereovox as well. The Discovery Digi-cable can sound very impressive in some systems as well.
the_kid's avatar
the_kid
465 posts
 
I have heard and Owned numerous digital cables. Several that you mention above. The Stereovox does reside on the lean side of things and is very analytical sounding to me. Kind of like the D-60 can be in the wrong setup. I do not know what DAC you have but paired with something like a Benchmark DAC-1, it will make you teeth hurt.. LOL..

I would advise you to consider following. Purchase a nicer cable used here on Audiogon and make the most of your money.

One of the best bang for the buck Digital Cables I have used period is the Original XLO Reference 1 Digital Cable. They can be found for $100.00 and are amazingly good on a variation of gear. Transpareny, Dynamics, Huge Soundstage, and Musicality in Spades.

The Current Reference 4A is a new an improved version of the orginal and is very similiar sounding but will cost you a little more. Also, the Signature and Signature 2 are also excellent and yes, even a bigger step up but well worth it if you can swing the extra coin. I would keep my eyes pealed for one of these cables to pop up on E-bay, Fatwyre.com, or here on Audiogon.

If you need something to get you by until you find one. I would suggest just picking up an Apogee Wyde Eye or a Canare Digiflex Gold as they are great for the money and you can usually sell them for almost what you pay for them here on Audiogon.

There is more information on the XLO stuff here: www.xloelectric.com

Good luck,

Chris
tripper
223 posts
 
Apogee pretty much does it all and has the deepest pedigree, but not as sexy as Stereovox. If the music comes first give them a try. Of course, one may work better than another in a given system. The Apogee seems to work well in a variety of systems. You might try DH Labs as well.
audiofeil
4,011 posts
 
Tony,
Cable performance is system dependent. Don't draw too many conclusions from magazines and/or other reviews unless their components/room are identical to your own.

To quote Paul Simon, "One man's ceiling is another man's floor".

Good luck
deecee's avatar
deecee
112 posts
 
You may want to try Chris VenHaus' Pulsar with Copper/Gold WBT NextGen RCAs (vhaudio.com).

They worked well in my setup (and the price was right)... generally I found that changes in digital cables seemed to only effect soundstaging and (to use an audiophilic term) "air" - space around the vocalists and instruments.

It seems that better cable matching enhances the "you are there" illusion.

Of course, system matching is what the hobby is about and YMMV.

Happy Listening!
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