AES/EBU cable between Ayre C-5xe and Kii 3 Speakers.

[Casso]

Hi, I need some help.

As you can see by the title It involves a new acquisition, an Ayre C-5xe and my Kii 3 speakers. I am trying to get ready for the Ayre's arrival by having a 1.5 m AES/EBU cable on hand to link the two together but what will be best suited for the job. I'm taking a guess that the Ayre will be on the warm side while the Kii's are not. Does anyone have experience of either of these and can point me in the right direction. First do I go Carbon, Copper, Silver coated copper or pure silver. I think I will be buying used as there is no way I can afford new. At least not in the cables I looked at, AudioQuest Diamond or Vodka, and Kimber Kable Illuminatios Orchid which had been recommended to me.

I also saw other cables in the more affordable range but don't know where they fall on the Good, Better, Best scale, DH Labs D-110 AES/EBU Silver Reference or Silver Sonic, Cardas Clear AES/EBU, Acoustic Zen MC2 Absolute 110 Ohm XLR or non Absolute, Kimber Kable Select KS2120 AES and so on.

What gets you vote and why.

Thanks for your help.

Casso.

 

[Hear Here]

Hi, I need some help.

As you can see by the title It involves a new acquisition, an Ayre C-5xe and my Kii 3 speakers. I am trying to get ready for the Ayre's arrival by having a 1.5 m AES/EBU cable on hand to link the two together but what will be best suited for the job. I'm taking a guess that the Ayre will be on the warm side while the Kii's are not. Does anyone have experience of either of these and can point me in the right direction. First do I go Carbon, Copper, Silver coated copper or pure silver. I think I will be buying used as there is no way I can afford new. At least not in the cables I looked at, AudioQuest Diamond or Vodka, and Kimber Kable Illuminatios Orchid which had been recommended to me.

I also saw other cables in the more affordable range but don't know where they fall on the Good, Better, Best scale, DH Labs D-110 AES/EBU Silver Reference or Silver Sonic, Cardas Clear AES/EBU, Acoustic Zen MC2 Absolute 110 Ohm XLR or non Absolute, Kimber Kable Select KS2120 AES and so on.

What gets you vote and why.

Thanks for your help.

Casso.

Since the AES/EBU connection is extensively used in the professional monitoring and editing industries, the engineers involved would use (often long) cables that provide as good a transfer of the digital signal as is possible. They will not be spending large, let alone crazy sums on their cabling - they're likely be using cables from Canare, Belden or one of the other major audio cable manufacturers. This is a few $ per meter, plus sockets - not "audiophile prices"

Remember that digital-carrying cables only need to ensure that the flow of data is not upset by its travel between one box and the next. There is no such thing as "warm" digital cables or any other description. Either they deliver precisely what goes in or they don't. There are no cables that will "lose" or make up digital information along the way, in the same way your PC to printer cable will not lose or make up stuff, such that errors occur in the printed document, however much or little the interconnecting cable costs. Just ensure the cable is constructed in such a way that interference is prevented by decent screening. That's it! $200 maximum for a 1.5 m cable - more is what your cable dealer wants you to believe - but remember he has a vested interest!

 

[dan31]

I would try the benchmark audio digital xlr. Canare digital design. Moderately priced for a 6’ cable.

Benchmark Studio&Stage™ XLR Cable for Digital Audio

Benchmark Studio&Stage Digital XLR Cables AES/EBU 110-Ohm

benchmarkmedia.com

 

[Hear Here]

I would try the benchmark audio digital xlr. Canare digital design. Moderately priced for a 6’ cable.

Benchmark Studio&Stage™ XLR Cable for Digital Audio

Benchmark Studio&Stage Digital XLR Cables AES/EBU 110-Ohm

benchmarkmedia.com

Yes, if Benchmark choose to self-brand this great value cable, that's a pretty good endorsement - go for it Though perhaps get the unbranded cable at an even better price.

 

[dan31]

Yes, if Benchmark choose to self-brand this great value cable, that's a pretty good endorsement - go for it Though perhaps get the unbranded cable at an even better price.

Benchmark is proud to use the Canare cables. I have some of their xlr interconnects and it’s nice they will terminate any length.

 

[Hear Here]

Benchmark is proud to use the Canare cables. I have some of their xlr interconnects and it’s nice they will terminate any length.

The big names in pro cables offer so much better value (and often better quality) compared with "audiophile" cables. Canare, Belden, Mogami, etc are my first choice for power and interconnect cables, though I use Duelund for speaker cables.

 

[Carlsbad]

I have a DH Labs silver sonic cable (I only use one from my Streamer to my DAC). It is excellent. I always want silver in my digital cables and often I think that a silver plating, such as the DH Labs 110 ohm AES cable uses, is adequate. But I decided to try an Audio sensibility Signature solid silver cable and found it to be a little superior in clarity and precision. Very well made with high quality connectors and quite reasonably priced.

Jerry

 

[divertiti]

Nordost makes the best sounding (most correct timing and least smear) I've heard.

 

[aubreyBobb]

I used a vovox textura AES/EBU initially from my dCS network bridge to the kii3’s. Quite well reviewed. Sounded great. About a year later I switched to an audioquest diamond. The improvement was huge.

Meantime, other upgrades included shunyata omega xc/Everest power. Again great and I am now finding the Diamond a “weak” link. Plan to move to omega AES as soon as I can get the wife to agree!

The point of this post is to inform that upgrading cables was a big deal in my system. Even AES/EBU. Have spent the last couple of years focussing on cable upgrades…and as a strange result, I found that upgrading worked well everywhere, especially power, but the Ethernet connection between the speakers had only a nominal effect. Go figure.

best regards

 

[aubreyBobb]

As an addendum, I have been having a conversation with Shunyata on the order in which to upgrade my other cables. They advised that the AES upgrade should be first, in preference to Clock cables and the Ethernet cable from the switch to the dCS…….