(Admin, feel free to move this to the relevant section in case I’ve incorrectly placed it, as it could be in three different sections.)
This is not really a DIY as I unable to DIY these cables. However, this is just to get the info out there.
When I purchased my Denon D-F109DAB system (receiver, CD player, network player) in 2013, I also purchased Atlas Cable’s, “Compass”, 75ohm interconnect cable, with their Achromatic RCA plugs (S/PDIF), in both 0.75m & 0.5m long. This to connect the RCA digital outputs of the CD player & the network player to the RCA digital inputs on the main receiver/amp/DAC. (Yes, I know these terminations are not as good as BNC, but I have no choice in the matter)
However, I have never been happy with the length of them as they are too long for my situation, even though they were the shortest I could find at the time at a reasonable price. Then there is the issue of “jitter” where it is considered better to have interconnects 1.5m long or circa 0.3m in length to lessen the amount that jitter can occur.
I looked at DIY making two short cables by chopping the longer 0.75m cable in half. However, after dismantling one connector I found that the centre pin is cold crimped onto the main central core! Also, their Achromatic RCA plugs are low mass versions which I haven’t seen available as separate items.
So, I contacted Atlas, who are in the same country as me, & asked if they could chop the cable in half, fit new Achromatic RCA plugs to the two new bare ends, & if they could remove the two existing outer covers/sleeves & fit the new red ones to make all the plugs match. They said they could & the price would be about the cost of one new 0.5m long “Element” cable with Achromatic RCA plugs. Apparently, my Compass model is worth keeping as not as “basic” as I thought, as it sits between the entry level Element & the mid-level Hyper cables, with the Hyper cables costing at least £114 for a single 0.5m length with Achromatic RCA plugs!
Anyway, a couple of weeks after sending them my single 0.75m cable I received two short cables with all red plugs as requested, & as you can see, a much better fit for my situation!
Now the million-dollar question:- “does it sound better?”
The only noticeable difference, to my ears, is that in sections of music which have a lot going on, i.e., loads of different instruments playing at the same time, or rapid changes in tempo etc., the music “flows” subtlety smoother than before.
Photos of before & after….
This is not really a DIY as I unable to DIY these cables. However, this is just to get the info out there.
When I purchased my Denon D-F109DAB system (receiver, CD player, network player) in 2013, I also purchased Atlas Cable’s, “Compass”, 75ohm interconnect cable, with their Achromatic RCA plugs (S/PDIF), in both 0.75m & 0.5m long. This to connect the RCA digital outputs of the CD player & the network player to the RCA digital inputs on the main receiver/amp/DAC. (Yes, I know these terminations are not as good as BNC, but I have no choice in the matter)
However, I have never been happy with the length of them as they are too long for my situation, even though they were the shortest I could find at the time at a reasonable price. Then there is the issue of “jitter” where it is considered better to have interconnects 1.5m long or circa 0.3m in length to lessen the amount that jitter can occur.
I looked at DIY making two short cables by chopping the longer 0.75m cable in half. However, after dismantling one connector I found that the centre pin is cold crimped onto the main central core! Also, their Achromatic RCA plugs are low mass versions which I haven’t seen available as separate items.
So, I contacted Atlas, who are in the same country as me, & asked if they could chop the cable in half, fit new Achromatic RCA plugs to the two new bare ends, & if they could remove the two existing outer covers/sleeves & fit the new red ones to make all the plugs match. They said they could & the price would be about the cost of one new 0.5m long “Element” cable with Achromatic RCA plugs. Apparently, my Compass model is worth keeping as not as “basic” as I thought, as it sits between the entry level Element & the mid-level Hyper cables, with the Hyper cables costing at least £114 for a single 0.5m length with Achromatic RCA plugs!
Anyway, a couple of weeks after sending them my single 0.75m cable I received two short cables with all red plugs as requested, & as you can see, a much better fit for my situation!
Now the million-dollar question:- “does it sound better?”
The only noticeable difference, to my ears, is that in sections of music which have a lot going on, i.e., loads of different instruments playing at the same time, or rapid changes in tempo etc., the music “flows” subtlety smoother than before.
Photos of before & after….
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Sorry but that was never going to be a question because there is simply no way it could sound any different. Digital signal transmission either works or it doesn't and when it doesn't you get nothing... zero... no sound at all, there are never subtle differences.
Of course SPDIF cables and or connector problems can affect sound quality. Please see attachment below on J-test. Basically, SPDIF carries digital data and analog clock data at the same time, so its not simply a matter of digital transmission.
Also, a well considered post by marche that touches on jitter audibility (not due to cable in some cases, but still jitter): https://www.diyaudio.com/community/...c-using-ess-es9038pro-wow.388314/post-7153467
Also, a well considered post by marche that touches on jitter audibility (not due to cable in some cases, but still jitter): https://www.diyaudio.com/community/...c-using-ess-es9038pro-wow.388314/post-7153467
Jitter in SPDIF cables is mainly caused by reflections. These can be mitigated by impedance matching at both ends of the cable. But even with impedance matching there will be reflections bouncing back and forth until they decay. These reflections may superimpose on the signal causing time shifting of transitions and thus jitter. The length of the cable affects the time when reflections hit the receiver which is why cable length may have an impact. The problem with these "rule of thumb" spdif cable lengths is that there are other factors as well such as receiver speed. So without measurements it is not possible to know whether or not spdif cable or connector is adding jitter.