To Vade Forrester,
Could you tell me the differences and (dis)advantages between 75-ohm and 110-ohm digital cables? I would like to connect my M2Tech Young DAC and my older CD player via digital cable (RCA on both ends). Some people say not to spend too much money, since "digital is digital." Thank you.
Sincerely,
Dejan Veljkovic
Good question. The different impedances are characteristic of different digital connections. An S/PDIF connection has a 75-ohm impedance, while an AES/EBU connection has a 110-ohm impedance. They have different connector types. I don't think there's any inherent sonic superiority in either type of connection, although individual manufacturers may implement one or the other connection better. The AES/EBU connection is a balanced connection, which is probably better if you have to use a long cable.
If your CD player has an RCA digital output, that's an S/PDIF connection, and you should use a cable with RCA connectors on each end and plug one of them into the S/PDIF 2 connection on the M2Tech Young DAC. If your CD player has an AES/EBU connection (doubtful), the Young DAC can also accommodate that. Note that you should use a cable designed specifically for an S/PDIF or AES/EBU digital signal, not just a regular analog audio interconnect.
Regarding how much money to spend for the cable, I haven't compared different S/PDIF and AES/EBU cables, but my comparison of USB cables showed me there are indeed sonic differences in different digital cables, and the more expensive ones wound up sounding better, unfortunately. . . . Vade Forrester
