[_scotty_]

WerTicus, What the people in this thread are hearing is the how well the squarewave is transmitted from the transport to the DAC.  If the squarewave is deformed by phase anomalies introduced by the transmitting medium then the receiver may not lock to the signal and the DAC has a very hard time distinguishing bit-transition levels. A better
clock in the transport won't help this and reclocking the data in the DAC
may not entirely cure the problem either. It is easier to try to do the least damage possible along the way. You could look for an online tutorial to study up on this subject, a world of information is at your fingertips.

[satfrat]

   

If, by some chance you're not a troll I'll make this one effort.  Every digital cable I've had has sounded somewhat different.  To this point the HDXV has been better than all the rest AND miracle of miracles costs less too!!  Unless you've actaully given it a listen in your system how can you assume otherwise?

                           Byteme, I hope at some point you get the opportunity to give Ridge Street's Digital Link a listen. It's an ear opener with a silver lining,,  Regards, Robin

[wreilly]

umm being digital and all its going to be exactly the same assuming its not SO CRAP it cant even transmit all the bits correctly....the clock is whats affecting the sound.. you would do far better with your money to upgrade that!

Werticus,

Naturally you are right that the stability of the primary clock has a first order effect on the resulting quality of the final output. However, if you will re-read the original post one of the main sources is the Motorola Settop box supplyed by COMCAST for digital cable.

This was the reason I suggested that an external DAC may be the best solution. I did not go into details and that was an ommisiion on my part but is was the reason for expecting to pay ( perhaps dearly ) for a DAC that re-clocks the source.  And no one has commented on this; yet.

The other 2 sources, Sony DVP 7700 and Denon 3800 both have rock solid clocks, and may not benifit as much from an external DAC or better cables. Although better cables will not hurt.

The Aragon Stage one is a top notch DAC but it will not buffer the input and re-clock the source. Theta Digital is one of the only ones on the market that has this feature built into ther Pre/Pro.

Thank you for your comment as it forced me to elaberate my goals.

Regards,
Bill

[wreilly]

[/quote]                            Byteme, I hope at some point you get the opportunity to give Ridge Street's Digital Link a listen. It's an ear opener with a silver lining,,  Regards, Robin[/quote]

Robin,

What is the Ridge Street Digital Link? I see digital cables bt nothing with this name on ther WEB Site.

Thanks and Regards,
Bill

[satfrat]

                           Byteme, I hope at some point you get the opportunity to give Ridge Street's Digital Link a listen. It's an ear opener with a silver lining,,  Regards, Robin[/quote]

Robin,

What is the Ridge Street Digital Link? I see digital cables bt nothing with this name on ther WEB Site.

Thanks and Regards,
Bill[/quote]                         Well Bill, let's see, a cable links two components together, right?  Now what could a Digital Link mean? But you ARE right about the designation change. I've been needling Robert to update his website and it looks like he finally has to include his new "Poiema" line. Robert use to call his digital cable a Digital Link but I guess he decided to personalize the name to be included in his Midnight Silver Edition gen. 11 series. I hope this explains the cable/link mystery?  Regards, Robin

[Fathom7]

This info comes not from a "fully tuned" set of ears with all the attendant verbiage  but from some guy with some equipment   and, what turned out to be, a bunch of digital cables .  Here's what I heard:

Kimber D-60:  Brought out so much high end detail that an already warm system was just too much .  Probably a reflection of the system more than the cable.

Onix Maestro:  Far smoother.  The soundstage collapsed just a bit relative to the Kimber but the lack of piercing treble was sooooo welcome.

(These were positioed between an Audio Alchemy DTI Pro 32 and a Channel Islands VDA-1 (enhanced by ModWright as was the VAC-1 feeding it).

Bolder Digital Cable:  (Purchased before the Napalm was fully evolved)
Sweet God this thing drags everything out of the CD player and brings it to the DTI   .  Everyting.  Now I have to buy a new CD player   (I'm hung up on a carousel so it looks like I'm either shopping for a Cal CL-10 or an Anthem CD-1) .  This guy is wonderful.

Bybees into the digital line:  The input about "veils being lifted" is true.    The individual voices and pieces of instrumentation (especially female vocals my personal most frequent choice of listening) floated more free in the space .  Nice addition.

HDXV in/ Bybees out for the moment:  Wonder of wonders the detail and definition of the instruments and vocals was a bit of magic again.   No bybees at this juncture.  The cable is not yet broken in so the final on this is pending.  Is it the equal of the Bolder?  It's different, slightly.  Impressions are that it gives more detail -- not brightness or emphasis, just detail .  Will put the Bybees back in later after more listening.

Next move is Acoustic Zen MC2 between DTI and DAC. It's already broken in.  SOOOOO:  Here's the equipment:

Parasound CMC 1500 player =====>  AA DTI Pro 32B ====> CI VDA-1 Modded DAC ======>Jolida 302B Modded by Parts Connexion and tube rolled amp.  The current speaks are going out (B&W Matrix 805's) and JMR Trentes coming in if UPS doesn't destroy them en route.

Music:  Joni Mitchell For the Roses (HDCD); Bonnie Raitt Home Plate; Loreen McKennitt Book of Secrets; Patricia Barber Cafe Blue; Holly Cole Greatest Hits.  These are things with which I am most familiar.

Like most things, inclusion of a digital cable in the system is SYSTEM dependent IMHO.  The Trentes will require a re-run of the cables again just because the output is key.  Yes, I am a believer in Bybees and in Wayne @ Bolder.  I have cryo-Bybeed Nitro ICs from DAC to Amp.  However, the HDXV is amazing so far.  Remember -- it's totally unshielded and thus you must make certain to keep everthing else the Hell away from it.  

A last note -- contact Stereovox direct about the HDXV if you're interested.  They referred me to a place to get the cable that was FASSSSSTTTTTTT and incredibly responsive.  Great folks both at Stereovox and at the dealer.  

With aopologies to Oliver Stone's Platton:  Free your Ears and your Ass will follow.

[wreilly]

Fathom,

Great post! So it looks like for the money the HDXV are a great deal.

Hantra you are allowed some Gloating here.

Unfortunaltly they are not expecting a shipment until Monday ( I hate that phrase ).

Regards,
Bill

[zybar]

Ok,

You all have convinced me to try this digital cable.  I will compare it against my current reference (Argent Audio Jaden Signature - which bested Audience and WireWorld Gold Starlight III).

Hopefully it won't be too long of a wait to get the HDXV...

 

GW

[satfrat]

Fatham7, we talk the same talk ma’man. It's all the more reson that I'd REALLY like for you to hear Robert's MSE gen.11 Digital Cable w/silver Bybee's installed from Ridge Street. I too have much respect AND gratitude to Wayne Waananen Of Bolder Cable for all the Bybee adapters in the form of S-Video adapter, IEC adapter, speaker filter adapter, and many inlines. As much as I would have like to give his cables a shot, I much wanted silver and Ridge Street has the most neutral, full frequency cable I know of. Regards, Robin

[Fathom7]

Satfrat:

ONe more digital to try on.  It's worth the while, no doubt.  The point you make about the silver is key to me.  In my system I've got more silver than was pulled out of Nevada during the peak rush year.  I'm a fan.  I'll work on the Ridge Street audition.  There's always room for one more.
 
F7

[satfrat]

Satfrat:

ONe more digital to try on.  It's worth the while, no doubt.  The point you make about the silver is key to me.  In my system I've got more silver than was pulled out of Nevada during the peak rush year.  I'm a fan.  I'll work on the Ridge Street audition.  There's always room for one more.
 
F7

                         Why not email Robert and see if it's not too late to be included in the present one? He did say only 5 auditioners but you never know. So you like silver heh? Got a silver Bybee yet? It's only twice the cost of a regular one but if your going to include Bybee's in a silver cable, why would you want a Bybee with copper leads? Sort of defeats the purpose wouldn't you say? This was the question I asked myself after doing just that with my first MSE digital cable. I spent the extra $$$ the second time and boy am I glad I did. Regards, Robin

[audiojerry]

Thanks to Fathom for doing so much work in the trenches - it's not easy.
I had the Ridge Street Midnight audition pack, which included the digital cable "link". Those of you who did not read my comments on the Midnght Gen II should know that it easily surpassed everything I've heard. However, the digital link had the least impact. I am speculating that it was because I need two cables: one between my P1A and P3A, and one between my transport and P1A, and there was only one cable in the pack.

[wreilly]

Thanks to Fathom for doing so much work in the trenches - it's not easy.
I had the Ridge Street Midnight audition pack, which included the digital cable "link". Those of you who did not read my comments on the Midnght Gen II should know that it easily surpassed everything I've heard. However, the digital link had the least impact. I am speculating that it was because I need two cables: one between my P1A and P3A, and one between my transport and P1A, and there was only one cable in the pack.

Fathom, Jerry is right that was a lot of work; Thank you, I'm sure everyone appreciates the effort.

Jerry as much as I would love to try the Ridge Street cables, at those prices there would have to be a significant HOLY SHIT element, Other wise IMO it's just not worth it. Doesn't stop me from wanting to do it though.

Also the cable shipment did not come in today so for the time being I'm in a holding pattern.

[ton1313]

Have any of you compaired the above mentioned cables to the new Zu ASH? ($250) I have it & find it much more detailed & smoother than the Zu firemine ($60). The Firemine bested a Tara Labs CD-1 ($225) & a Kimber (the one that retails @ about $60) digital cable in my tests.

[Fathom7]

I appreciate the thanks more than I can say.  As for additional auditioning here's where I'm at:

I just got a new set of speaks to fit into my modest little system -- some JMR Trentes.  These are reported to be "revealing" of a system's weaknesses.  I hope so in order to better understand where I need to go next.  I highly doubt the HDXV is going out.  I still haven't put the Bybees on it and won't until I hear the output through the Trentes.  BTW -- I also just received the silver ended Bybees I need when I do so that takes care of that concern.  Whether they get installed on the HDXV or not (they will at some point for audition I'm sure) is another matter.

I'll see if I can get in on the Ridge Street audition-go-round as well.  Thanks for the tip.

The big audition matters begin in earnest this weekend with the Trentes in place.  I'll be bouncing around with keeping one digital cable in place (between the AA DTI Pro 32 and the DAC while listening carefully to the HDXV some more (don't really know what the break-in time is on this so I want to be fair.  You know, it sounds great now but (and I had this happen with an old Cardas  Lightning cable) may muddy up or screech out with break-in.  

The really odd thing is that I "won" an auction on a digital cable I thought looked interesting on the 'goN about 6 weeks ago.  That cable, whenever it arrives from a nameless dealer immediately goes into the "cable drawer" never to see the light of day until I find someone willing to pay a pittance for what may or may not be a good cable.  

For me one of the positive things about the HDXV (aside from how it sounds so far) is that it's BNC amenable.  This helps with the connects at the DTI since it is desirous of BNC connects.  Anyway -- these untrained ears will listen as carefully as they can to the various combinations and if anything really exciting comes up I'll post.

F7

[wreilly]

Hello all,

What follows are my impressions, using my equipment in my environment and of course my ears, they are in no way meant to reflect what your impressions would be in your circumstances.

Cables:

Straight Wire -  Mega Link II
Cobalt            -  Ultimate Digital
StereoVox      -  HDXV
Onix               -  Grand Master

Gear:

Sony DVP 7700 ( stock )
Aragon Stage One Pre/Pro
Odyssey Dual Mono
KAS Silver Maestro IC
Aerial Acoustics LR5 Speakers

The Music ( various from each artist ):

Burmester Vorfuhrungs ( Demonstrations ) CD III ( used all of this one )
Ricky Lee Jones
Acoustic Alchemy
Celin Dion
Dave Grusin
Enya
Pink Floyd
Sarah McLachlan
The Police
Diana Krall


Background:

The Straight wire cable has been used for about 2 years, the Cobalt about 3 months.
The HDXV and the Grand Master ( GM ) are new and each has about 10 hours use.
I will try to leave the editorializing for the end or another time.
Also I would like to point out that this the first time I have done this; that is, compare cables of different types and then ( gulp ) write a review.

One of the reasons I started this was that my system is overly bright.
I know that much of this is due to the lack of room treatment, but I believe I can tell the difference between problems with reflections and the inherent, sometimes ear piercing harshness due to system integration.
It should also be said that the synergy between the Odyssey and the Aerial's is perhaps not the best match.
Which is why I'm waiting on the AVA 550 EXR and a Transcendence 7.
However being an engineer ( electronics type ) by nature I have to start at the source and work my way through to the output.

One other note, what I am looking for is focus, an open soundstage, delineation of instruments, and detail.
I will sometimes refer to the delineation of instruments and detail as being articulate.
As for detail I do not mean the clinical resolution of say a Krell which I find fatiguing.




The Test ( finally ):

When I replaced the Straight Wire ( SW ) with the Cobalt the first noticeable effect was the collapse of the sound stage.
After several days it was back. Cobalt's cable is very well constructed. It is detailed but not clinical.
However it is not as articulate as I would like. The focus is dead center and the soundstage open but not what I would call
spacious, it was also not as articulate as the Straight Wire.
   It is however a very good cable, and their purchase policy is hard to beat:
Lifetime "No Questions Asked" Exchange Policy on Every Audio and Video Cable We Sell!
90 Day Money Back Guarantee on All Our Standard Length Audio and Video Cables.

WWW.COBALTCABLE.COM check them out. At about $40 for a 1 meter cable this is a great deal.

Next up is the HDXV. This is essentially an instrumentation cable with RCA adapters.
Out of the box ( bag )  my first reaction was " Great a cable I don't have to wrestle with to install."
It has a diameter a little bit larger than lead from a # 2 pencil. I was also dubious about what the performance would be like. Cable of this type is intended to transfer very high frequency ( microwave )  signals between laboratory test equipment.
   At first I was very taken with the performance of the HDXV, out of the box the sound stage was open and the focus
dead center, a vast improvement over the Straight Wire and the Cobalt. However I fount it to be clinical in it's presentation, detail is sometimes slightly harsh with extended listening. Currently it is connected to the Digital Settop Box.
This seems to be a better match, ( yes synergy again ) the detail brought out while watching TV is actually a plus.
Since I have more than one of these the next test will be on the DVD for HT use.
               One other note, given the characteristics of this type of cable I would expect it to be an outstanding video cable.
However at one meter it is simply not long enough to check this, and it is off topic.

At $75 this is a must try cable. You may prefer the attributes that I did not.

And lastly the Onix Grand Master:

What can I say? Out of the box I was stunned at the size. Its diameter is about the same as a US Nickel, slightly less than a Quarter.  I purchased this from Walter at Underwood hi-fi for $150.0 including shipping. A steal since as I understand it this originaly retailed for about 4 times that.
At $140.0 this is the most expensive cable I own ( except for the KAS which I purchased at an introductory price far less than retail ). I probably would not have even considered this cable at its retail price.
   Articulate, open and focused without ( at least yet ) being clinical or harsh. Actually I am somewhat surprised at my
reaction to this cable. I knew it was what I was looking for within several minuets, I had expected to be straining to hear subtle differences. However I continued the test all the way through just as I had done with the others.
                In a way this cable has a completely different presentation than any of the others, different in a way I'm having a hard time
expressing. I guess the closest I can come is the emotional engagement it offers. Not so much in the sense of being there ( live ) but being able to participate in the artists craft.


Summery:

At this point I believe the HDXV will be used for HT, it seems to excel here.
Eventually I will try the GM for DVD and TV. But for now I am enjoying them as is.

Best Regards,
Bill

[Mad DOg]

wreilly,

nice review...thanks for taking the time to share ur opinions on the four cables...good stuff...will be interested in hearing what you think of the Ridge Street cables compared to the hdxv and onix gm...

yust be sure to start a new thread for that one otherwise i'll end up PM'ing u 2 months after u post again!  

[wreilly]

wreilly,

nice review...thanks for taking the time to share ur opinions on the four cables...good stuff...will be interested in hearing what you think of the Ridge Street cables compared to the hdxv and onix gm...

yust be sure to start a new thread for that one otherwise i'll end up PM'ing u 2 months after u post again!  

Hi Mad Dog,

Thank you, and you are right I should have started a new thread.

Regards,
Bill