Recommendations for a good audiophile digital coax (BNC-BNC) 50 ohm cable?


Needed for a connection between DAC and clock. Most good cables out there are 75 ohm, and the 50 ohm coax cables easily available are mainly for video, with clearly poor insulation, cable quality and solidity (albeit very cheap! :-). It is my understanding that using a 75 ohm cable for this connection might be OK for extremely short distance (1-2 ft) but for not recommended for "normal" use (1 m or more). Was wondering if I missed something?
rajah

Showing 2 responses by mike_in_nc

Oh, I see the Mutec has both 75-ohm and 50-ohm outputs; I’d guess the K1 has a 50-ohm circuit, so Mutec suggests you match it.

If you bought one of these Amphenol cables (almost free) you would at least have a baseline for assessing the boutique ones. Amphenol has been designing and selling radio-frequency cable and connectors for generations for commercial and military use. It’s hard to imagine that a specialist cable manufacturer working out of a small shop knows RF technology better. With such a cheap baseline, you can decide for yourself (you might want to ask Mutec their opinion -- they are sensible people).


Most wordclock connections I’ve seen specify a 75-ohm cable. I don’t know if that’s the case for your gear, but 50-ohm connections typically are used for circuits carrying considerable power. May be worth a check to make sure you get the right cable for the job.

I sincerely doubt you’ll have anything to complain about with a standard cable assembly made by Amphenol or other such vendor, but of course the boutique cable manufacturers do make a much nicer looking product.