DAC Cable compatability

[RyanTX]

Love to hear how it performs in your system, Ryan!

So I've been burning this AfterDark cable in for about 2 weeks straight...honestly, I really like it. It sounds great in my system! Currently I'm using it between the switch and Extreme and I've ordered a second one to use between the router and switch.

This cable certainly airs on the warmer side vs. the Melco or FS. I have a full loom of Nordost cabling so in general, my system can lean a bit on the analytical side at times, but this seems to have really restored the balance I was looking for--and used to have before I added the Taiko switch/router/DCD. I found the that Taiko network products really lowered the noise floor, increased clarity (especially in the vocals) but I was missing a bit of soundstage and that overall "musicality" from the instruments--especially piano, drums, etc. I feel like I got all that "musicality" and soundstage back AND I still have the exceptional vocal clarity from the Taiko network equipment--so it's kind of the best of both worlds.

A few other caveats worth mentioning. I ordered 2 of the 1 meter cables. These cables have about 15cm of stiff plastic wrapping at each end so there's really only 70cm of flexibility in a 1M cable so if you order one, be careful on sizing. Secondly, compared to my other cables (and the Melco) the build quality feels cheaper--but it sounds great. Lastly, it really does require 2 weeks of burn in...the first 2 days were kind of wonky....and there were ups and downs for the next 1.5 weeks after that, but it's great now.

Hope this is helpful. I'm not the most technically savvy guy in the room--but I've personally had the FS, Melco and AfterDark in my system and for me this was the best. Curious if MarcusBarkus or others had a similar experience with the AfterDark cable.

 

[engadin]

So I've been burning this AfterDark cable in for about 2 weeks straight...honestly, I really like it. It sounds great in my system! Currently I'm using it between the switch and Extreme and I've ordered a second one to use between the router and switch.

This cable certainly airs on the warmer side vs. the Melco or FS. I have a full loom of Nordost cabling so in general, my system can lean a bit on the analytical side at times, but this seems to have really restored the balance I was looking for--and used to have before I added the Taiko switch/router/DCD. I found the that Taiko network products really lowered the noise floor, increased clarity (especially in the vocals) but I was missing a bit of soundstage and that overall "musicality" from the instruments--especially piano, drums, etc. I feel like I got all that "musicality" and soundstage back AND I still have the exceptional vocal clarity from the Taiko network equipment--so it's kind of the best of both worlds.

A few other caveats worth mentioning. I ordered 2 of the 1 meter cables. These cables have about 15cm of stiff plastic wrapping at each end so there's really only 70cm of flexibility in a 1M cable so if you order one, be careful on sizing. Secondly, compared to my other cables (and the Melco) the build quality feels cheaper--but it sounds great. Lastly, it really does require 2 weeks of burn in...the first 2 days were kind of wonky....and there were ups and downs for the next 1.5 weeks after that, but it's great now.

Hope this is helpful. I'm not the most technically savvy guy in the room--but I've personally had the FS, Melco and AfterDark in my system and for me this was the best. Curious if MarcusBarkus or others had a similar experience with the AfterDark cable.

This is the AFTERDARK. PROJECT CLAYX CONSTELLATION REFERENCE IX2000 SFP/SFP+ DAC LAN CABLE you are talking about?

 

[RyanTX]

This is the AFTERDARK. PROJECT CLAYX CONSTELLATION REFERENCE IX2000 SFP/SFP+ DAC LAN CABLE you are talking about?

Yes, that's right.

A couple small updates since then though. I did purchase a second 1M AfterDark cable to use between the router and switch. In the end though, I actually preferred using just 1 of these in my system. Also, the real burn in time was more like 450-500 hours, not 2 weeks--and it was noticeable.

I've done a lot of experimenting on cabling since I got the router/switch/DCD and the best combo for me was using a 4M FS cable between the router and switch and then a 1M AfterDark between my switch and Extreme. That 4M FS cable between the switch and router brought back a lot of weight to the music that I was missing with the shorter cables of any brand. (If it was free, I would try experimenting w/the 5M AfterDark cable in its place, but it's it not and I'm not ready to purchase a 3rd cable just for testing! Also, I definitely don't want to burn it in for another 500 hours! lol).

But the sound is fantastic now...so it's time to just grab a glass of wine and enjoy the music!

 

[Bobofei86]

Awesome man and gald to hear the mix and match works well, same here and i need a longer DAC cable to balance the tone, I compared the FS cable offered by Taiko with Amphenol (Skewclear) both 7m and 5m DAC cable which praised by lots of DAC users, and also the genuine Cisco cable SFP-H10GB-CU5M and CU3M, cause i work in a Telco and easily to get different brand and spec cables to compare, finally i stay with the Cisco 5M one which is far more better than the FS one, highly recommend Extreme users to give it a try

 

[RyanTX]

Awesome man and gald to hear the mix and match works well, same here and i need a longer DAC cable to balance the tone, I compared the FS cable offered by Taiko with Amphenol (Skewclear) both 7m and 5m DAC cable which praised by lots of DAC users, and also the genuine Cisco cable SFP-H10GB-CU5M and CU3M, cause i work in a Telco and easily to get different brand and spec cables to compare, finally i stay with the Cisco 5M one which is far more better than the FS one, highly recommend Extreme users to give it a try

That's great. I'll see if I can find one of these Cicso 5M cables to try in lieu of that FS 4M cable.

The one thing that I'm still trying to understand as that since these longer cables add a lot more bass and body to the music, is that an effect of the cable length, or the fact that these longer cables usually have a thicker gauge wire? It's challenging to find short cables, 1M, etc, with a heavier gauge, but I know many of these aren't actually designed for audiophiles.

 

[Bobofei86]

Exactly and maybe both matters, my 5m Cisco should be 24awg, but I think it’s similar as other audiophile cables which offer a stronger signature and tone with a longer cable

 

[TRHH]

Exactly and maybe both matters, my 5m Cisco should be 24awg, but I think it’s similar as other audiophile cables which offer a stronger signature and tone with a longer cable

Strange, normally a DAC cable over 5 meter is 26 AWG not 24 AWG

Torben