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unshielded SPDIF digital cable?

Hi, yesterday I tried a home made unshielded SPDIF cable and I must say that it sounded surprisingly good. I compared this home made cable (consisting of two twisted solid core gold/silver wires with teflon insulation) with a trusty Nirvana AES/EBU. The results: the unshielded SPDIF cable sounded more "natural" and warm, emphasizing the midrange. The bass is a bit diffuse and the treble a bit subdued, but there is comparable amount of detail and PRaT. Do you have experiences with unshielded digital cables? What are the sonic characteristics of these cables in comparison with their shielded counterparts? Of course most experts would not recommend using unshielded digital cables and they won't recommend the type of cable I'm using either because the characteristic impedance of the cable, which is very likely wouldn't be the standard 75 ohms. But there are some experts (more enfant terribles) also who don't care about shielding or 75 ohms characteristic impedance, like Kimura San of 47 Labs and Kondo San of Audio Note Japan. Could it be that the sound I hear from the unshielded SPDIF is in fact the sound of jitter, which adds a bit of warmth to the sound? Your comments please.

Chris
dazzdax
dazzdax OP
599 posts
 
Hi Al, I compared the DIY with Nirvana AES/EBU and Atlas Opus SPDIF. Both the Nirvana and Atlas sound quite similar. The sound is clear and spacious, but rather "hifi-ish", with some emphasis on the highs. High pitched violin sounds a bit thin through these cables. The DIY brings a bit more warmth into the sound and while it is not as good in the bass department, it sounds more "musical/natural" to me, which is a remarkable thing. I've heard that some fellow audiophiles who own some $$$$ audio rig prefer the very simple 47-Labs OTA for their digital than the expensive boutique cables. Apparently the reason was not because they haven't the money to buy those expensive cables...

Chris
clio09
2,978 posts
 
The 47 Labs OTA is very good. Sometimes simpler is better.
dazzdax OP
599 posts
 
Hi Clio, could you explain a bit why in this case simpler would be better? The OTA cable (like the DIY cable) is a non- shielded and non-75 ohms cable, which is against the existing paradigm with regard to a SPDIF cable!
What are the sonic attributes of the OTA when used as a SPDIF in comparison with a "real" (shielded, 75 ohms, 1.5 m length) SPDIF cable?

Chris
clio09
2,978 posts
 
IMO simpler is better in this case because of both the lack of shielding and minimal use of dielectric and other materials. As I have become more experienced with different cable designs I have come to appreciate these two attributes. However, they are system and environment dependent. For example, I used to live near a radio station and using unshielded cables on my components yielded a lot of noise. In my current situation that is no longer an issue. I have actually come to appreciate non-shielded designs for the ability to provide more openness and air to the sound.

As for SPDIF, well lets just say I'm not going to provide much of a technical explanation here simply because I'm not qualified. However, from what I've read I think we realize this isn't the best digital interface. So paradigms for me are non-essential in my choice of cable with digital.

As for testing, I made up a 1.5m OTA digital cable using the stock parts in the OTA kit and compared it to my 1.5m Creative Cable Concepts Silver Bullet cable. The differences were minimal to my ears, mainly preference. I thought the Creative Concept Cable was faster with better extension at the frequency extremes, noticeably in the bass. The OTA cable still had nice extension, just a little leaner in the bass IMO. I'm not sure what, if any of this had to do with 50 ohms vs 75 ohms or shielded vs unshielded.

FWIW - I also use unshielded PCs through out my system. I don't notice any additional noise versus my shielded PCs, especially on my digital components.
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