|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
99.110.160.105
Friends,
I was excited to replace a coaxial Digital cable (3-ft, Canare LV-61S 75 ohm) with an AES/EBU XLR (3-ft, Mogami 110 ohm 3080 Wire terminated with Neutrik NC3MXX-B & NC3FXX-B Gold XLR Plugs) thinking the balanced XLR will sound better than the RCA coaxial. To my surprise, the AES/EBU cable sounds harsh and is somewhat veiled and less dynamic in the low frequency. Questions:
1. Do digital interconnects need time to burn in?
2. By design, are AES/EBU cables the most desirable for digital?
Cheers!
Edits: 10/01/21Follow Ups:
Shouldn't sound the way you describe it. Almost like the signal is overloading something.
Are you using the equipment in your profile? Sony player, Monarchy DIP, Emotiva pre with built in DAC? You may be doubling up on some processing. Though not sure why it would only be evident with the AES/EBU cable.
Which digital cable were you using before?
Where are you making the switch? Between the Monarchy processor and the Emotiva DAC/preamp?
Cheers!
Jonesy
"I know just enough to get into trouble. But not enough to get out of it."
Hi Jonesy, yes, the same equipment, no other changes were made. I swapped out the Canare LV-61S RCA for the Mogami AES-EBU, connecting the Monarchy DIP OUT to the Emotiva DAC/preamp IN. Do digital cables need time to break in as analog?
To be honest I'm not sure about break-in requirements between digital vs analog cables. But I'd be surprised if break-in yielded results to the degree you are hoping for in cables designed for studio use.
Have you tried going from Sony digital out directly to your Emotiva with your Canare? The extra processing going through the Monarchy and Emotiva AES/EBU may be over doing it.
Jonesy
"I know just enough to get into trouble. But not enough to get out of it."
Good question. The direct link between the Sony CDP and Emotiva DAC/preamp via coaxial RCA is a little less transparent and a touch muddy in comparison with the Monarchy DIP in the chain. The Monarchy DIP brings out refined nuances and air in the instruments, most noticeable with acoustic instruments (cymbals, acoustic guitar, sax ...) on critical listening. The Monarchy DIP cleans things up and I can crank it up without harshness and listening fatigue and the low frequency is exceptional (fuller, more dynamic, no gap that I could detect).
Sounds like the Monarchy is still doing a great job!
Still, it must be disappointing trying out the AES/EBU cable and actually hearing things get worse vs at a minimum no difference in sound.
All I can add now is sheer speculation as I am not familiar with the Emotiva unit, other than what I can find on the internet. From what I am reading there are symptoms that you describe attributed to the digital volume control. But if you find you are leaving the volume control level alone, regardless of which cable, the culprit may be elsewhere.
My gut is telling me it's not the cable. But putting some more hours of burn in on the cable doesn't cost anything. So I suppose it's worth a try.
Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.
Jonesy
"I know just enough to get into trouble. But not enough to get out of it."
I take it you mean a Canare LV 61S is the coax. Not sure which Mogami was used. Did you make these yourself? Have you allowed enough run in time on the AES cable?My experience is the opposite; I much prefer AES to Coax on the Transports/DACs I have used.
Hope this works out for you.
Edits: 10/01/21
Davem1, thanks for pointing out the typo I had on the Canare cable, it is indeed the LV-61S. The Mogami is the 3080 Wire terminated with Neutrik NC3MXX-B & NC3FXX-B Gold XLR Plugs, assembled by World Best Cables. I've edited my original post to correct the typo and added more details. Two questions:
1. Do digital interconnects need time to burn in?
2. By design, are AES/EBU cables the most desirable for digital?Link to the Mogami cable I purchased from:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00X70XYC6?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details
Edits: 10/01/21
I really liked the ELF Custom Cables all silver AES-EBU terminated with a silver Neutrik XLR.
It took a Stealth Vari-dig T16 to replace it.Much better ,but $4400 Vs $300 ish.
If he can no longer build this ,let me know.I may be able to help.
Hi Elixir63, long ago I paid hundreds of $$$ for interconnects and power cables and $1K+ for speaker cables. I am at the point in my life where I want a simpler audio life and enjoy the music at a reasonable cost. For this particular AES/EBU Digital Cable, I'd like to stay under $50, give or take. Not sure if there are anything decent out there for that price range.
You might try Monoprice to see what they offer.Will probably be a copper cable.
FAQ |
Post a Message! |
Forgot Password? |
|
||||||||||||||
|
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: