Which Coax Cable Do You Prefer Using?

Digital cables are probably the items where a small increment in improvement will cost the most money.

The Audioquest Eagle Eye digital with the dBS (battery) system is obscenely expensive in my view, but not a bad purchase if you can find it used.

As good as it is with its price of around $ 750.00, it is only marginally better than another cable I paid $ 250.00 for. But it IS a bit better and you CAN hear the difference in the extra resolution and transparency. But I could live with the cheaper cable of course.

Whether it is a worthy investment is of course highly debatable.

I used a very non-scientific approach to justification: Given the substantial price of my speakers, pretty fancy integrated amp, CD player and Dac, I figured it cost me $ 120.00 per component to upgrade them all !

Had I discovered this cable before, it would have prevented me from selling my previous amplifier for sure.

Emerson, a point to keep in mind is that the length of the cable, and the relationship between that length and various characteristics of the signal being provided by the particular source (characteristics that are almost never specified, such as signal risetimes and falltimes), may be at least as significant a factor as the type of cable. And unfortunately those signal characteristics will probably differ somewhat between the three sources you mentioned.

More often than not, it would be best to go with either a length of about 1.5 meters (about 5 feet), or with a very short length if that is practicable (e.g. 8 or 10 inches or less).

See this paper.

Best regards,
-- Al

Can you please state your budget?

Vhiner, I paid something like $135 for the Pulsar and I would like to stay in that range but might go higher. Maybe I'll try a few loaners from the Cable Co. Looking for something good yet not too expensive.

Al, thanks, I'm aware of the 1.5 meter standard.

If you are ever lucky enough to find a used Moray James digital cable....buy it. He's worked with Ed Meitner and is a genius when it comes to wire. His cables are not shamed by my $800 Shunyata Zitron digital.

You could probably find one for $150 now. Might even be worth a wanted ad....they are THAT good. Short of that, the black cat and Kimber Illuminati are decent and within your range.