Computer Audio Asylum

Posted by Gonzalo (R) on September 23, 2008 at 19:01:57

In Reply to: RE: Oh My Gosh...Say It Aint So... posted by JimOfOakCreek on February 20, 2008 at 05:14:28

If I can add my 2 cents here.
It is true that different digital cables do sound different that is my perosnal experience with cabels such as Wydeye, form Apogee electronics, also RCA SPDIF cables Canare cabels with Canare 75 ohm connectors, illuminatti D-60, a cut of RG-59 terminated with some pretty good quality crimp on RCA connectors, other Kimber, MIT, Monster, some DIY (NIgel Pond Special), and a few others.
when heard and compared the same digital source (Pioneer Elite DVD player, Samsung Blu Ray BDP1200,CAL dedicated delta CD drive, Krell KAV300CD and also a PC based CD/DVD rom Drive.
They all invariably imparted their own sound soem better than others and by better I mean more clear, more coherent, beter bass, more extended, more delineated, better mids, more cristal clear top end etc.
Also the cbaels have their own sonic signature though less prominent than a good or bad analog cable interconnect as a refference, but still imparting its own sound.
Even to a DAC such as the Benchmark media still can tell small differneces in sound even though the DAC1 reclock and upconverts everything to 24 bits 192KHz. if you can't hear that simply your capability to hear things is impaired or simply your system lack enough resolution to hear the minute changes that might impart more musicality or plain old enjoyability of it.
So far my best DAC is the tube CAL ALpha with soem pair of TungsRam ECC83 tubes vintage 1960's.

I'm still to hear a 1543 DAC a good buddy of mine (Wheezer) had cooked up for me with Doede's special board (imported form Germany) and some upgraded components.

I don't think you spending $500 on a USB cable is what sanity calls for, but I do believe different cables sound different and soem of them in the right conext with the right components and in the right room can sound suberb!! thsi is clearley the case of Magnan cables (Analog and speakers too that uses brass??? of all materials to impart its own special signature to much success . . . people swear by mollecualr arrangement of the cristal by cryo treatment, there sui al kinds of stuff that really works, unfortunately this is an industry in which we laureate some of te self dilussional people that charge you for a "Teleportation tweak" that they perfrm their magic over the telephone and with their flobby dust everything sounds better, well gess what I am not surprised those people don't claim that you need the trick doen once a year becaus eof environmental causes it wears away the effect kinda thing . .. that's one end of the spectrum. On the other end you have the engineers that swear that if you can't scope it or measure it or quantify it, it just can't hear it . . .
I learned to know that sometimes we try to hard to measure or quantify with the wrong tools, that sometimes your ear is more sensitive than a meter or scope, and that most of the times we try to measure and understand beyond our capacity.
All I can tell you is that USB cables should be subject to the same set of variables that other digital cables are so hearing differences is a personal thing, maybe the $550 USb cable is betteer in some regard to the $1.25 USb I bought in cablestogo, however is how you feel about what you do that gives or takes away form your enjoyment of this hobby.
If you feel empowered by spending half of a thousand bucks, to hear things clearer or better then do it if it pleases you, makes you happy and will not take away form your family responsibilities financially.
Now, if you feel like an IDIOT because you had to starve your kids for 2 weeks to get the money to satisfy your audio latest and greates ambition , media crazed fed addiction, then by all means please don't!
Also be aware that the law of diminishing return apply here in spades.
that the differnece between a cable for $1.25 to a $550 cabel is not even a considerable factor as percentages, will you get a 20 % (or even less)cable for 440 times the price.
Now, that's what I call Insane . . .
The rest is up to you.
I am a cable believer I own interconnects form Kimber Kable (most of ém silver) then soem really super expensive cables from Australian manufacturer PSC, some from Shunyata, Monster, XLO, and a few others, they all very good ecpecially the Kimbers and the PSC's, but they all do have a particular synergy with a aprticular components in its own context, they do different things to different components.
The real secret is to find the components that synergize betwen them even though you connect them with not so $$$uperior cable$. and to me that is the secret of trial and error.
The higher up you go un the price latter, the less you have to figit around looking for synergy.
But as music and audio is concern there is such a thing as audio heaven for the common man, just takes some time and effort to matching the components, upgrade some resistors and capacitors in soem components pays VERY BIG dividends, room placements, a few tweaks, experiemnt with cables, audio points, mass loading source components (it works guys!!)
You can feel free to critizise my lines or agree or disagree with me, we still live in a free country. Thank God for that!
Hope this helps a little bit
God Bless!

Gonzalo