S/PDIF cables with great value?

TechieHub

Well-Known Member
Aug 28, 2019
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1
83
I'm after a new S/PDIF cable that can do better than my blue jeans digital s/pdif (1694A) rca cable.(someone says its the best they have heard under 1000$..)
I have been looking at:
Zenwave D4
Synergistic Research digital
Jorma

All are getting good reviews and feedback. Has someone made comparisions between them and other cables. There are digitalcables costing 13000$ like Nordost Odin 2 but thats an insane price, im looking under maybe 2000$ and with very good value. And every soundparameter must be from good to excellent, from bass to imaging to airyness to neutral to organic. It shall have no real weakness.

So please suggest me a top performer.
 
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Onepoint5

Well-Known Member
Sep 23, 2011
47
13
913
If you can DIY, the Belden CTF100.00100 is braided and shielded, RG-6 cable. The cable is terminated with F connectors, and use proper 75 Ohm adpaters for RCA or BNC.
 

jfrech

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Sep 3, 2012
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LampiNA

Well-Known Member
Jun 30, 2015
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DaveC

Industry Expert
Nov 16, 2014
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Just a FYI, ZenWave Audio has a new S/PDIF that has been reviewed here:

http://www.audiophile-magazine.com/bancs-d-essais/zenwave-audio-d4/

I'm working on a new website that will have a lot of new products and changes, the S/PDIF will now be a 1.5m minimum and come with your choice of WBT 0102 AG with the carbon fiber dampers shown in the review or Furutech BNC plugs for a slightly lower cost.

This cable will be better vs any coax type cable, coax is not the best choice for S/PDIF frequency range, coax cable is best at higher frequencies.
 

kennyb123

Well-Known Member
Nov 30, 2012
856
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Kirkland, WA
I'm in the Uk so the cables I mention might not be available where you are but I've heard good things about Shunyata Research they do 4 versions, the Sigma and Alpha being the top two from $1000 to $2000 https://shunyata.com/view-cables-by-type/?product_cat=digital-cables

The Alpha S/PDIF is very transparent with great clarity. It's more on the neutral side when it comes to tone. As far as it being a "great value", I can't really say as I don't have much experience with S/PDIF cables in that price range.

What I will put forth as a "tremendous" value is the Wireworld Gold Starlight 7, providing you can still get one at closeout pricing. Warmer and fuller sounding than the Alpha, but nowhere close to being as transparent.
 

david1111

New Member
Jan 10, 2020
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@TechieHub
You might want to check out the Silnote Audio site, and the Pro and User reviews on their cables. I've been using BJCs as well, and I've been researching for an upgrade.
I just ordered the Silnote Morpheus Reference Series ii digital BNC cable to connect my Linn Unidisk 1.1 CDP to my Naim Superuniti. Read some of the reviews. I think its going to be excellent. I ordered direct from the factory, cuz they have some great factory sales going on right now.
They sell much better cables than the ones that I ordered if you want to spend more, and they're all about 60%+ cheaper at the moment.
Anyway, hope this helps. Good luck with whatever you decide to get.
Cheers.

Dave
 

TechieHub

Well-Known Member
Aug 28, 2019
4
1
83
Thanks for all the replies. Two weeks ago I took the chance on a used HiDiamond Digital Reference rca cable, which I had read should be really good at least for the retail price of 600$. It turned out to be pretty good in my system. Clearly better than the Blue Jeans Cable coax and Supra Trico coax. It has no real irritating faults like the others two, but If I should be picky maybe it could maybe be more open, airier, have more impact, less laidback, more livelier and more livefeeling, maybe a little bit of everything. But its difficult to say since I have not compared it to a megabucks true reference cable. After I bought it I read some that upgraded from the HiDiamond Digital Reference AES to HiDiamond AES EBU BIG ONE which retails for 2500€ and they said it was much better something like a world reference cable. But that was for XLR AES version so it's maybe not comparable to the rca version of the cable. Well, at least I'm finished for now with my hunt for coax cable as Im pretty satisfied. Before I jump higher up the priceladder in cables I will first change my bluesound node 2i streamer. And then again maybe switch to usb, aes or i2s or whatever cable which fit the streamer and dac.
 

david1111

New Member
Jan 10, 2020
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0
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I received the Silnote Morpheus Reference ii digital cable a few days ago and I've been listening to it. They burn the cables in at the factory so they're ready to go out of the box.
It sounds excellent ... much better than my audioquest and blue jeans digital cables. The music is much more open and alive. When I put the other cables back on it sounds a bit muddy in comparison.
The instruments sound more real now, and the sound stage is generally more full. Slightly wider, and quite a bit higher and deeper.
All this for $99 USD. Very pleased.
It was only $99 cuz they're having a factory customer appreciation sale at the moment. List price is $400.
I'll definitely be getting some of their speaker cables at some point.
Cheers.

Dave
 
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Audioking87

Well-Known Member
Dec 13, 2019
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Inakustik digital reference
Albedo silver digital
Tchernov digital (their entry lines are excellent for the price).
 

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