Journey to 3.5mm audio cable upgrade for MBP & A2 speakers- $1200 silver cable INSIDE

[Cerb]

I've been reading this trying to figure out if it was a troll thread or not. I can't say for sure either way, though I suspect it is. It's a good example of Poe's law I think.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poe's_law

I agree. I made a few subtle jabs, and they went *woosh* over the OP, so I still can't tell, either.

 

[vshah]

OP should post a pic of the cable with a "hi AT" sign.

 

[cheez]

UPDATE:

After 100+ hours of break-in:

The bass has "matured". It's silky creamy smoothy bass. Depending on song, if tight bass is commanded, it will give you tight and flexible bass. If you command smooth creamy warmth / bass, you've got it.

Treble region remained about the same. Very good treble extensions and supreme detail. Edginess is completely gone btw.


This is God cable. I love it. Kiss kiss. ^_^


Let me remind you. I'm not trolling. This is what I have and I am giving you great review. You should be thankful for providing useful information. Seriously speaking.

 

[gevorg]

Should have went with a well build USB DAC (plenty in under $1000 range), that D1 DAC was a joke. For example, DACmini, which aesthetically goes well with Apple designs.

Also, if you're not trolling, check this out.

 

[cheez]

I said like for the one thousandth time, I am not trolling. This is dead serious what I am talking about sonic signatures.

There is not even a need to argue about whether analog connection (3.5mm mini for example) has effect in sound, as proven by distinctive differences in sound from generic cable and mid/high-end aftermarket cables.

I knew I was right. I am also right that running USB cable from computer to DAC have serious impact on sound. Here's a good read for you, gevorg.

Jitter is not what digital sound quality induces in the listener; rather it is the instability in the clock signal that controls exactly when the analog waveform is sampled in the original A/D conversion, or when the digital word input into a DAC results in an analog voltage being produced at the chip's output. "So what?" is the response of digital advocates, "As long as a digital one is recognized as a one and a digital zero as a zero, then how can there be any difference in sound?" goes their argument, normally culminating in a fervently expressed "Bits is bits!".

Would that things were that simple. As my violin teacher used to say, "The right note in the wrong place is the wrong note." It's the same with digital data. Uncertainty in the precise timing of that digital one or zero results in a loss of system resolution, with audible effects on the finally recovered analog signal. In November's "Industry Update" (Vol.13 No.11, p.78, see Sidebar), Stereophile's Dutch correspondent Peter van Willenswaard neatly showed how an uncertainty of well below 1ns—one billionth of a second!—in the timing accuracy of a 16-bit digital datastream resulting from an original analog signal sampled every 22.7µs, a time interval nearly 23 thousand times larger, equated with a loss of one bit's worth of resolution.

Source: http://www.stereophile.com/reference/1290jitter

Read the whole article for all supporting information.


I agree, the D1 DAC sucked. Did not like the sound signature that thing provided. Granted. It would have helped if I ran a full solid silver RCA cable from D1 DAC to the A2 speakers. But the DAC still suck, due to unfavorable sound signature the device produced. I doubt even a $500 DAC will beat a $200 Sydney analog cable straight from MBP to speakers. Don't get me wrong, not all DAC's suck.

USB DAC doesn't mean jack. You can't have jitter-free "perfect" sound. And there are no set-in-stone perfect sound as each combination of audio components have their unique sound signatures. People have different preferences. This maybe a good learning curve for many of you folks. Read that article I linked above.

 

[gevorg]

hahaha! I don't have time to go through all your wrong points, but just so you know, any digital playback has at least some jitter, even the line-out of your macbook. Hence why that outdated, but still good, Streophile article does not support any of your points. But it looks like you have made up your mind, and completed ignored the What We Hear article, so whatever floats your boat.

 

[Cerb]

Should have went with a well build USB DAC (plenty in under $1000 range), that D1 DAC was a joke. For example, DACmini, which aesthetically goes well with Apple designs.

If we're being serious, that is about 4.5 times the price, and it does look pretty well designed, from a high-level view.

For that kind of money, I'd want to know what's in it, myself, though. Also, the idea of paying for things like low output resistance (any circuit that needs more than 3-5 Ohms on the headphone out is flawed, IMO, and they never do mention anything about the amp used--class A means very little, when it comes to headphones), gain (I'm a fan of unity for 2VRMS, but it's just soldering different resistors, and could easily be switched), and not muting (also should be a switch). TBH, though, if I were going to spend that money, I'd just build up a tricked out Gamma-2, or spartan Buffalo.

USB DAC doesn't mean jack. You can't have jitter-free "perfect" sound. And there are no set-in-stone perfect sound as each combination of audio components have their unique sound signatures. People have different preferences. This maybe a good learning curve for many of you folks. Read that article I linked above.

You're getting far from jitter-free perfect sound from the onboard MBP DAC, though. In fact, if you can hear anything from the computer (like those pops and whatnot), you are certainly getting mountains of non-random jitter, on top of the rectified RF you're actually hearing. Technically, jitter-free will never happen, but like the noise floor, you want it to be very low and purely random.

The best solution there by far is a DAC with a very high internal clock, which interpolates the signal into high sample rates (making most jitter just a light loss in noise floor, which you can't hear), and also internally reclocks (buffering the signal, and adjusting its speed to the DAC to match the average clock length of the incoming signal, so that most non-random jitter from the digital source is removed). Quite a few transceiver and DAC chips can do those things internally (even low-end ones in $40 DVD players are doing this stuff, these days). The real trick is giving them a low-noise environment to do it, which is what a well-implemented USB and/or SPDIF DAC really gives you, over most internal devices (a good DAC is often a $2 chip with a $50 clock and $100 PSU ). Both USB and SPDIF pretty well suck as audio transports, but teams of engineers, many of whom are audio geeks, have helped make them work pretty well.

 

[gevorg]

For that kind of money, I'd want to know what's in it, myself, though. Also, the idea of paying for things like low output resistance (any circuit that needs more than 3-5 Ohms on the headphone out is flawed, IMO, and they never do mention anything about the amp used--class A means very little, when it comes to headphones), gain (I'm a fan of unity for 2VRMS, but it's just soldering different resistors, and could easily be switched), and not muting (also should be a switch). TBH, though, if I were going to spend that money, I'd just build up a tricked out Gamma-2, or spartan Buffalo.

DACmini (measurements here) is just an example of multiple well build DACs that don't really cost too much, if you're into HiFi audio (it functions as a DAC, pre-amp, computer transport, and a headamp). I've compared it against the rip-off audio cable, not the D1 DAC. For a similarly priced DAC as D1, there is NwAvGuy's ODAC.

 

[mugs]

I said like for the one thousandth time, I am not trolling.

Sorry dude, you made it too obvious. It was a decent caricature of a subjectivist audiophile, but it doesn't pass the smell test.

 

[0roo0roo]

this trolling is superior....


anyways..mono price is so cheap you can buy these kinds for the lulz

yes those cables are each ethernet cable thickness.:awe:

 

[Cerb]

DACmini (measurements here) is just an example of multiple well build DACs that don't really cost too much, if you're into HiFi audio (it functions as a DAC, pre-amp, computer transport, and a headamp). I've compared it against the rip-off audio cable, not the D1 DAC. For a similarly priced DAC as D1, there is NwAvGuy's ODAC.

I had heard of the O2, but missed the ODAC. Interesting that the ODAC doesn't measure all that well. DAC differences are overblown and often huge placebo, but there are DACs with much better measurements, and the base costs tend to be reflected in them (there are good-measuring "DIY" DACs, such as TP's, FI, for which costs can be clearly determined).

Tangent: the NJM4556 can be a bit ugly sounding with low-Z phones (who cares about 600 Ohms? Most HPs these days are 30-80 Ohms@1kHz!), but I notice the O2 uses 2 per channel...hmm...might have to try that next time I have an opportunity to pick them up (shipping costs many times that of the ICs themselves). I've got a teeny enclosure begging to put to use as a DAC and/or amp, but everything out there of any quality gets too big too quickly. A few NJM4556s on perfboard and a MC7812/7912 PSU could be a goldilocks solution to making use of it.

this trolling is superior....

anyways..mono price is so cheap you can buy these kinds for the lulz

yes those cables are each ethernet cable thickness.:awe:

If the shielding and termination are good, the cable is good enough. Anyway, is that double coax? Weird.

 

[0roo0roo]

its very flexible coax but yea about the same diameter.

the price premium for mono price "premium" is so low you might as well do it for a laugh, the only issue is whether the plug fits, it won't if the headphone port is crowded with other headphone ports and other 3.5" cables like on some soundcards.

 

[vbuggy]

I'm confused,

I know Apple is the first choice of the subjectivist-est of subjectivist audiophiles (as evidenced by the existence of Amarra) and other individuals incapable of rational thought, but...?

 

[midwestfisherman]

#Crazy

 

[cheez]

#Crazy

Who.. me? Thanks!

^_^

You guys have no idea how much I am loving my silver (Angel) cable.

I have over 200 hours on it now. It sound so hot damn good. I'm glad I chose this over the Sydney cable as while that cable sounded good, I felt it was topping out fast. The Silver, Angle cable has a lot of headroom. The more I listen to it the more I like it. I am so glad I took a risk on getting one of these. The result is very good.

Guys, I just waxed my Angel cable again. Applied two additional coats of Brazilian carnauba wax. I took pics of actual wax on the cable this time. Wanna see em? Huh? ^_^

 

[Oyeve]

This is, by far, the stupidest fucking moronic thread I have ever read here. Seriously.

 

[sjwaste]

This is, by far, the stupidest fucking moronic thread I have ever read here. Seriously.

That's only because he hasn't changed the connectors inside the laptop and speakers. He's basically terminating a solid silver wire with lead fittings.

 

[cheez]

This is, by far, the stupidest fucking moronic thread I have ever read here. Seriously.

It may seem that way... I know I am serious. And I mean business!

If some of you guys find it funny, laugh it up. I won't feel bad.

Entertainment is part of the game.... I hate boring threads. lol


Pics will be posted when I get home in a few....

 

[cheez]

Skip

 

[cheez]

Waxed

Looks like frost after placed in the freezer. Looks cold. lol

Buffed off

 

[cheez]

Questions?...

 

[mugs]

I just jizzed in my pants.

 

[cheez]

^

 

[Cerb]

Questions?...

It's rhetorical, I know, but do you realize that the 1/8" jacks on each end are causing more performance loss than a perfect cable can make up for? RCA and 1/4" TRS may not be ideal, but you can at least get known improvements going to them over 1/8" TRS (crosstalk, and maybe IMD depending on line buffer).

I never saw the, "don't feed the trolls," sign!

 

[Subyman]

Thanks for the hilarious read. I thought me splurging on a 680 was dumb, but this is insanity. Silver speaker wire, people will buy anything.