MIT Oracle MA Digital AES/EBU

Thanks Richard.

Wow, it's really strange but the MIT Oracle I bought from The Cable Company sounds different than you describe between my Sooloos MC 200 and Simaudio 650D dac. In my system the MIT sounds fantastic in many ways but it's a little roled off in the high frequencies, making it sound very warm and analogue-like but lacking in air and spaciousness. The bass and mid-range are fantastic and articulate but I can't get over the missing high frequency extension. Neither The Cable Company nor MIT can figure out why I'm experiencing this roll off in high frequencies - must just be one of those few cases where the cable isn't a good match for the system...

Richard,, I use MIT's Oracle speaker cables, so when a digital link upgrade seemed necessary I brought home the Oracle MA and although it was the best one I tried, I had issues with the price. I kept searching and found the new Shunyada ZI-Tron to be the MIT's sonic equal but at a third the price.
The cable I'm using is AES and is connected between an Ayre C5mp and an Audio Research DAC8.

Joncourage: Thank you for your suggestion, certainly I am curious. Our's is a very strange hobby especially when it comes to how new products come to market. Being around as long as I have there seems to be a pattern with products that have a sudden spike in forum activity/enthusiasm. Of course not all those products are being shilled but they all warrant caution IMO.

Camb: Yes, it does sound a little strange but with digital audio so many things seem to matter so there are near endless reasons why the MIT is performing that way in your system. I have gone through every possible adjustment to refine my source...power cords, conditioners, outlets, USB cables, digital cables etc and they all matter. The latest find for me is the USB cable that connects my exterior drive to my server. If you read the forums or ask and "expert" they will tell you this cable will not impact sound. Most will say the USB cable that connects the server to DAC will but even some guys say that will not. Well...in my system they both do and not in subtle ways. Changing the feed from my HDD to server from generic eSATA cable to an Acoustic Revive USB cable has been a transforming event for my systems performance. Tremendous reduction in S/N, depth, image placement, clarity...just exceptional. I never thought this would matter but so glad I approached it with an open mind and tried it. Point of all that is there may be other things going on that are causing the rolled off highs. It could be the cable, just seems a little out of character from what I know. Luckily there are a zillion choices in digital cables so if it is in fact the cable it is a relatively easy fix and you may even find a less expensive solution:)

Tmsorosk: It IS pricey! Honestly, I have issues with most of MIT's pricing but continue to use them because I'm basically an idiot when it comes to hifi. As a whole, I still think they are the best, just way too much cash...way. Thank you for the suggestion, seems to be mounting respect for the new Shunyata technology. I'd love to give one a go.

07-28-12: Richard_stacy
The latest find for me is the USB cable that connects my exterior drive to my server. If you read the forums or ask and "expert" they will tell you this cable will not impact sound. Most will say the USB cable that connects the server to DAC will but even some guys say that will not. Well...in my system they both do and not in subtle ways. Changing the feed from my HDD to server from generic eSATA cable to an Acoustic Revive USB cable has been a transforming event for my systems performance.

From a technical standpoint, I for one don't find that to be at all surprising, Richard.

Since you are apparently connecting the server to the DAC via USB, presumably the DAC and the external HDD are located not all that far apart, probably in the same room. Therefore RFI emissions from the HDD cable could couple through the air to the DAC and/or its cable, affecting jitter. Digital noise associated with the signals that are present on the HDD cable could also couple into the DAC cable through the common ground connection they have with the computer.

Those kinds of effects could very conceivably, IMO, have sonic consequences that would vary among different cables of the same type (e.g., USB). But changing from eSATA to USB introduces additional variables that are likely even more significant. In doing that, you've made major changes in the technical parameters of the signals being conducted by the cable, including risetimes and falltimes, which directly relate to RFI and noise. You've also changed the interface circuitry that is being used in the HDD and the computer, and you've changed the involvement of the CPU and related circuitry in the computer in processing the transfer of data. All of that likely affects the timing, magnitude, and frequency components of computer-generated noise, some small fraction of which probably ends up being conducted into the DAC, affecting jitter and/or bypassing D/A conversion and directly affecting analog circuitry in the DAC.

Of course, as we've discussed in other threads, IMO these kinds of effects figure to be highly system-dependent, and to not have a great deal of predictability, and to have a degree of correlation between cable performance and cable price that is much less than perfect.

Best regards,
-- Al

Thanks Richard,

Yes, it's a little strange how finicky the Sooloos is. Its performance is impacted not only by digital cable but also by where I place it (it was dynamically flat when placed on the shelf above my amp - much better when moved far away from the amp) and where I plug it in (highs were really rolled off when it was plugged into the same Nordost power bar as the rest of my equipment). Aside from placement and power source there's not much else to tinker with, as it has it's own ac to dac power cord/ transformer. Maybe I can try some sort of simple power conditioner to keep it from feeding noise into the powerline?

Cheers,

Cam