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In Reply to: Re: Thinking of trying a Pulsar for digital application. Question... posted by DeeCee on August 3, 2006 at 18:29:27:
The whole 1.5 meter digital cable 'requirement' is anything but. I've heard plenty of systems, including studio systems, that use .5 meter cables for digital transmission with no problems, or sonic penalties. If you search the web, you'll find there are 'experts' with serious credentials on either side of the issue. I say if it sounds good to you, that's all that matters.
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Follow Ups:
Obviously,the bottomline is quality of the sound, however this likely is system dependent in regard to reflectivity.Given manufacturing recommendation, the slight cost increase and updates seen here in regard to audibility of this *particular* cable, I will likely go with the 1.5 meter length.
I have no doubt that there are probably some cable systems somewhere that this "1.5 meter" rule may not apply and possibly be even detrimental to the sound of the over all system.
(He said in his best techno-agnostic style...)
While a digital cable's performance can be system dependant, the minimum 1.5 meter length recommendation for the Pulsar cable when used as a digital cable is not a system dependant issue, it's a cable specific issue (specific to the Pulsar in this case). Digital cable reflections occur as a result of a cable's particular design and it's terminations, not the components that it's plugged into. Many 0.5 meter and 1 meter digital cables function well at that short of length, but this is simply not the case with the Pulsar cable, no matter what gear it's connected to.The Pulsar when used as an analog line-level interconnect has no minimum length issue, so a 0.5 meter analog Pulsar IC is just fine, and the notion of "the shorter the better" is applicable to the Pulsar as much as any other analog IC.
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This particular 75 Ohm coaxial cable when used as an SP/DIF digital cable is sensitive to cable reflections, so the Pulsar's 1.5 meter minimum length recommendation is very important. The matter has been evaluated by Chris VH and others (including myself) and has been found to be an audible issue. Most notably I found the soundstage to collapse when even a 1 meter length was used rather than the 1.5 meter minimum length recommendation. You can email Chris at VH Audio for more information concerning this issue if you wish:
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While I don't doubt that the cable sounds better to you in your system in 1.5 meter length, the 'technical' reasons commonly given for this are questionable. Since 'reflectivity' formulas are commonly based on frequency and rise-time in 'hypothetical' circumstances, their applicability in various 'real-world' conditions is suspect. I did a google search, and found that experts as respected as Dan Lavry of Lavry Engineering doubt the accuracy of the 1.5 meter rule.
Sorry to be a contrarian, but I've got .5 meter cables in my system that blow away the 1.5 meter ideal.
Period.
Of course, IMO, YMMV, IMOHO, yada, yada, yada...
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You speak as though I lack proper insight into this particular issue. For you to contradict without direct knowledge of the particular cable's characteristics and without direct experience of it's performance is an insult. This issue is not a subjective "sounds better to me" situation, so don't patronize me.I informed you about a particular cable which you are not familiar with that's been found by the cable's designer and by the cable's end users to be length sensitive for digital applications and you question the merit of this advice as if you know better regarding a certain matter you have no direct experience of.
If you doubt the credibility of this insight, you should request further information from VH Audio as I previously suggested.
You also mention ".5 meter cables in your system that blow away the 1.5 meter ideal". There is no universal "1.5 meter ideal". This particular thread is about a specific cable that is indeed length sensitive for digital applications, like it or not. Please consider the direct experience and observations of other inmates as something to respect in the forum.
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I though the rule of thumb was 0.5m or less or 1.5m or more, but not between these two?Anyone tried Pulsar with any BNCs?
Anyone tried Pulsar with those bling Furutech BNCs?
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as suggested, i asked the maker[Chris VenHaus replied:] Digital IC’s can be either 1.5 or longer, or really short ( < .5 meter).
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