[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Surprised at sound quality from Transporter toslink to DAC...

[Gazjam]

Previously used BNC to BNC hookup my TP to my M2Tech Young DAC, sounding
better than onboard DAC to me and read in this parish that Sean Adams
himself had quoted BNC as best digital connection.

Last part makes sense...given Transporter is "proper" transformer
coupled 75 Ohm socket as is the socket on my DAC?

Recently heard a coupled glass optical cables in my system, which
surprisingly to my ears noticeably improved upon the BNC connection.
(Lifatec glass optical and another one....both sounded different)
Had tried toslink before with plastic based cables and written it off as
subpar, but glass one sound noticeably better to these ears.

But Sean had said BNC was a better connection...so that's got thinking
about the actual BNC cable I'm using as possibly being a lot be improved
upon.

Anyone have any thoughts or experience on this?
Currently I'm using BlueJeans Belden 1694a coax with Canare 75Ohm BNC
connectors...but I'm aware that this is "budget" cable and others from
the likes of Black Cat exist.

What's got me interested going down this path a looking at other BNC
clues as a possible improvement is that I've tried the BlueJeans cable
as a normal RCA terminated interconnect and digital cable and found
there was lot better sounding out there.
Also, I have an Oyaide FTVS-510 silver RCA terminated digital cable
hooking up my Oppo bluray to the DAC, which I'm thinking if re
terminated with BNC would probably be of better sound quality than the
BlueJeans?
(though as RCA to RCA Transporter to DAC it is inferior sounding that
the BNC hookup...but that's a BNC vs RCA issue)
Confusing to tell overall quality improvement of a different BNC hookup
without re terminating the cable!!

So any experience or comments very welcome. :)
As favour, digital "it's only 1's and 0's" Luddites please just sit back
and laugh at my silliness, but don't reply.
It IS the audiophile section after all!


Thanks!


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[arnyk]

Post by Gazjam
Previously used BNC to BNC hookup my TP to my M2Tech Young DAC, sounding
better than onboard DAC to me and read in this parish that Sean Adams
himself had quoted BNC as best digital connection.
Last part makes sense...given Transporter is "proper" transformer
coupled 75 Ohm socket as is the socket on my DAC?
Recently heard a coupled glass optical cables in my system, which
surprisingly to my ears noticeably improved upon the BNC connection.
(Lifatec glass optical and another one....both sounded different)
Had tried toslink before with plastic based cables and written it off as
subpar, but glass one sound noticeably better to these ears.

There are two questions here - which are:

(1) Which is the preferred interface, coax or optical?

(2) I think I hear a difference, what does that mean?

Answers:

There is an incredible amount of angst among audiophiles about coax
versus optical, and IME audiophile wisdom is that coax is always better
sounding.

The big technical difference between the two is that the coax connection
usually involves what is known as a Galvanic Connection or electrical or
metallic connection between the chassis of the two pieces of equipment
being the source component (optical player, TV set, cable box, etc.) and
the DAC, AVR, or surround decoder. This connection (usually due to the
shield of the coax cable) at least opens the door to the creation of a
ground loop which may cause hum and noise elsewhere in the system or in
the component being driven.

Therefore, from an interfacing standpoint *-the optical connection is
superior -*in terms of the probability that it will cause the system to
have noise in it. Given the choice, the wise person will IMO choose the
optical connection.

Audiophiles have been taught to distrust optical connections on spurious
grounds of jitter, which ironically, if anything the optical connection
could make go away.

The other question is whether or not the optical connection will
actually lead to improved sound quality.

The answer here is an undesirable answer of Maybe. If your system has an
audible ground loop which is mostly manifest as a hum either low or
loud, then the optical connection should make it go away. Of course that
should be a good thing.

Against that you have to weigh the usual perceptions of changes in sound
quality due to the fact that in all liklihood, you will be doing one of
those eqgregiously flawed sighted evaluation, which are reliable enough
perchance there is actually a clearly audible deficiency such as a
clearly audible hum, which one alternative makes go away.


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