Tboooe,
Sure. I have a Classe CDT-1 connected to a Krell Showcase Surround Preamp/Processor; Using the Krell's on-board DAC. I don't know what Burr-Brown DAC Chip is used but it's 24-bit with upsampling to 192kHz.
As for the cable, I had read several reviews & description of Litz Braid cables. From what I understand, they help with the high freqs that travel along the outer surface of the cable conductors. Here are a couple sites that make these types of cables (one silver, one copper).
www.chimeralabs.com
www.b-p-t.com
Dennis Boyle of Chimera was very helpful & responded to all my questions via e-mail in a timely manner.
If you're happy with Acoustic Zen, why change. There's comfort with the familiar.
Hope that helps. |
ncwogger:thanks for the nice review. I am considering the Acoustic Zen digital cable for no other reason then the fact that I currently have all AZ cables in my system. I have never heard of Chimera. I will have to check them out. Do you mind if you ask what digital source and dac you are using? |
Tboooe/Tplavas/Audiofeil,
I've been breaking in the new Chimera Digital Cable for about 3 days now and it has absolutely put the Monster 600 digital cable to shame. I'm hearing components of the music that were just hinted at before but now are more defined and forward. Some of these notes/instruments I had never even heard before. WOW! The notes sound more real with that "air" everyone talks about. And the soundstage, Gadzooks! It has almost exploded in size & depth and, get this, the detail has increased. I sit about 9' from my Martin Logans & there were notes coming out at me. One instrument felt close enough that I could touch it! It was coming out at the 2 O'Clock position about 4' away from me. I have never experienced that with my system. The bass is so much fuller while maintaining the punch. The highs are much easier on the ears, but still have alittle work to do.
All in all, it was well worth the investment <$180. In fact, I'm so pleased, I'll be budgeting for addition chimera cables for my amp.
The cables are continuous copper core 25ga multi-strand Linz-based topology. |
Tplavas,
I am going to try the Chimera Advantage Series II Single Ended Digital Cable. After I let it burn in, I'll let yuo know how it goes; probably sometime in August.
Thanks for your help. |
Newogger,
To answer one of your questions, I have recently auditioned the Audioquest Eagle Eye with 72V DBS, and it is very, very, good. But definitely on the revealing side of neutral, so I'm not sure if it's the answer, given your problem with edginess with the Krell DAC. I haven't auditioned the latest version of Synergistic Research Active digital, but the first X versions left me unimpressed with their colored midrange. Perhaps others could give suggestions for a good cable that's more forgiving up-top. |
Tplavas & Audiofeil,
Thank you for the information. There is no such thing as too information until it starts to get confusing.....
I currently have a Classe CDT-1 transport connected to a Krell Showcase Surround Preamp/Processor via a Monster 600 digital cable; I'm using the Krell's on-board DAC. At times & with less than great recordings, it sounds abit edgy. Does anyone have suggestions on a good digital cable < $300? Any experiences with active cables vs. standard? |
A balanced connection is no guarantee of better performance. The transmitting and receiving chips for balanced and unbalanced connections are not identical in every machine. Therefore the only way to determine which cable is best for your application is to audition them.
Good luck. |
Newogger,
yes, there's a difference in the way the digital data packets are arranged, which doesn't have any effects on audio performance that I'm aware of. Plus the 110 ohm connection is balanced, which should offer an advantage, but then you have to consider the extra difficulty involved in creating a balanced (3 wire) cable with excellent performance characteristics.
Sorry you asked? :) |
Since we're on the subject, I've seen DACs with 75 ohm inputs & others with 110 ohm inputs. Is there a performance difference between the two other than the 110 ohm input is easier to drive for a transport? |
You need 75 ohms. There`s a reason there`s a standard. |
Thanks tplavas...that was question. Do I need to match the impedance of the dac and the cable...from what I understand of your response I do need to match the impedance... |
It's about reflections within the 'transmission line' of the cable. These reflections can occur at any junction in the connection (connectors, solder joints etc,), but in this case we're concerned with the junctions we can control, the connector junction. These reflections can then arrive at varying times during the transmission of the data, possibly (and that's a point of some debate) interfering with the receiving device's ability to recognize the exact point at which the waveform transitions from it's 0 or 1 positions.
How are you planning to use a cable designed for 110 ohm use for a 75 ohm connection? Adapters? If so, my personal experience says that's a bad idea sonically.
Just my two cents. |
