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Special digital cable needed?

I just bougth a secondhand Yamaha DSP-E800 DD/DTS/Prologic decoder with built-in amps for centre and rear speakers. So I wanted to hook up my DVD-player, using a 75-ohm cable to feed the digital input on the Yamaha. Since the shop didn't have a digital cable and I didn't want to wait to play with my new toy, I just used an old analogue cable. And it works. And it sounds pretty good too. So my question is: will replacing this cable with a 75 ohm digital cable sound better? Or can I save the money and waste it on other joys of life?
satch
gs5556
1,236 posts
 
The 75-ohm value is a "standard" of sorts. Basically, the reason for it is to keep the impedance between sources at a value where there is no signal reflection (which can cause jitter). Whether or not a 75-ohm cable sounds better because of it I guess depends on the equipment. If the equipment is in the SOTA category - maybe. If they aren't - maybe, maybe not. I'm sure cable literature will give you more details and reasons to buy "digital" IC's. But avoiding damage will not be one of them.
audioengr
3,282 posts
 
75 ohms characteristic impedance is beneficial, but not necessary. If you want to minimize jitter, then stick with 75 ohms and get a 1.5m length minimum. Ask someone with digital and transmission line experience for advice. Read this article I wrote on S/PDIF for more info:

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue14/spdif.htm
satch OP
329 posts
 
Thanks for the responses, untill funds allow I just use the old analogue cable. Audioengr, just one question: why a minimum of 1.5 meter? With analogue cable should be as short as possible, and 0.5 meter would be sufficient.
audioengr
3,282 posts
 
Satch - this article I wrote for Positive-feedback explains it:
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue14/spdif.htm
satch OP
329 posts
 
Thanx Steve, I read it and almost understood it - just let it digest for the night and I will be OK. Just for the record: I can lend a digital cable next week, and plug it in. I keep whatever sounds best......
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