19-Jul-2014, 13:55
(This post was last modified: 19-Jul-2014, 13:56 by GuillaumeB.)
My Devialet 800 shipped with what looked like a Transparent Premium S/PDIF. It didn't actually say Transparent on the cable but otherwise looked identical.
I tried a Transparent XL S/PDIF and couldn't believe the improvement in SQ. The music sounded more analog-like and there was more air around instruments and voices. The soundstage was deeper and there was more tonal texture. It was so good that I placed an order immediately!
At the time I owned a Chord Sarum TA AES/EBU (connecting the MiND 180 with the Master) so it made sense to try the Chord Sarum TA S/PDIF too.
The Transparent XL cable was leaps better, and the end result was that I ended up replacing the Chord AES/EBU with the Transparent XL too!
Interestingly the jump in SQ after fitting the S/PDIF was greater than that after fitting the AES/EBU Transparent XL. So in other words changing the link between Master and Slave/Companion made a greater difference than changing cables between UPnP streamer and Master. I know this because I lived with just the S/PDIF upgrade for a couple of weeks before getting the Transparent XL AES/EBU. I also did lots of experimenting swapping between the Chord and Transparent cables.
I thought this was very interesting and discussed this with both my dealer and Absolute Sounds. Why would the digital link between the two units make such a difference?
Guillaume
I tried a Transparent XL S/PDIF and couldn't believe the improvement in SQ. The music sounded more analog-like and there was more air around instruments and voices. The soundstage was deeper and there was more tonal texture. It was so good that I placed an order immediately!
At the time I owned a Chord Sarum TA AES/EBU (connecting the MiND 180 with the Master) so it made sense to try the Chord Sarum TA S/PDIF too.
The Transparent XL cable was leaps better, and the end result was that I ended up replacing the Chord AES/EBU with the Transparent XL too!
Interestingly the jump in SQ after fitting the S/PDIF was greater than that after fitting the AES/EBU Transparent XL. So in other words changing the link between Master and Slave/Companion made a greater difference than changing cables between UPnP streamer and Master. I know this because I lived with just the S/PDIF upgrade for a couple of weeks before getting the Transparent XL AES/EBU. I also did lots of experimenting swapping between the Chord and Transparent cables.
I thought this was very interesting and discussed this with both my dealer and Absolute Sounds. Why would the digital link between the two units make such a difference?
Guillaume
Industry disclosure: UK distributor for Shunyata Research
220 PRO, totaldac d1 server with additional external power supply, totaldac d1-seven, Echole PSU for Totaldac, Wilson Audio Sasha 2, Shunyata Research cables, Shunyata Hydra Alpha A10 + DPC-6 v3, Various Entreq ground boxes and cables, Entreq Athena level 3 rack, 2 X SOtM sNH-10G with sCLK-EX + 10MHz Master Clock input + sPS-500 PSU, i5 sonicTransporter w/ 1TB SSD
UK