Post by AudioHTIT on Nov 4, 2023 0:54:46 GMT -5
I have to admit, having a digital library, I don’t listen to a lot of CDs anymore. I do still buy CDs, especially for artists I like and want to support, but usually rip them and put the disks on the shelf. Lately however, I’ve wanted to listen to them before I rip them.
In order to make listening to CDs on my two channel system easier, I needed to add an S/PDIF Digital Coax cable. This allows me to trigger my 2C amps on and HT off, when coax is selected (for CDs), and the opposite when HDMI is chosen (for movies). It further allows the appropriate speaker preset for each input. I actually had this setup years ago but for some reason took it out and sold the cable.
These days to get just the right length, I usually make my own cables if I can, but I remembered having some old component video cable that I could shorten and repurpose. Component and composite video cables (due to their 75 Ω impedance), are sort of like “one cable to rule them all”; besides their intended video purpose, they’re also good for digital audio, and unbalanced analog audio as well.
The main requirement besides the impedance is having good shielding, and decent RCA connectors, I had a set of 12’ Monster component cables that were perfect. While Monster often gets a bad rap, it’s mostly for being overpriced, they’re usually well made products. These components were the type where three cables are laid out flat and connected by a thin rubber strip, so I pulled a single cable off the bundle. Because the RCA’s weren’t moulded, it was relatively easy to unsolder the RCA, cut the cable to length, add some techshield and shrink tube, and solder the (nice quality) RCA back on (I could have even used a different RCA). I then had a very nice coax S/PDIF cable of the perfect length, made from a cable most people would have no use for. I’m actually going to do the same with the other two cables and have a pair of L/R analog RCAs to be able to listen to the Oppo’s DAC (just because I can).
So next time you need a cable, remember they can often be used for purposes other than for which they were made. For instance I have a pair of 6’ component cables (six cables) that could be used to interconnect a 5.1 analog system, with or without a passive sub. (edit: or one of them to drive a three channel amp like an XPA-3)
My Monster component cables started out like a longer version of these …
… and this is the S/PDIF that came from it
Then installed …
In order to make listening to CDs on my two channel system easier, I needed to add an S/PDIF Digital Coax cable. This allows me to trigger my 2C amps on and HT off, when coax is selected (for CDs), and the opposite when HDMI is chosen (for movies). It further allows the appropriate speaker preset for each input. I actually had this setup years ago but for some reason took it out and sold the cable.
These days to get just the right length, I usually make my own cables if I can, but I remembered having some old component video cable that I could shorten and repurpose. Component and composite video cables (due to their 75 Ω impedance), are sort of like “one cable to rule them all”; besides their intended video purpose, they’re also good for digital audio, and unbalanced analog audio as well.
The main requirement besides the impedance is having good shielding, and decent RCA connectors, I had a set of 12’ Monster component cables that were perfect. While Monster often gets a bad rap, it’s mostly for being overpriced, they’re usually well made products. These components were the type where three cables are laid out flat and connected by a thin rubber strip, so I pulled a single cable off the bundle. Because the RCA’s weren’t moulded, it was relatively easy to unsolder the RCA, cut the cable to length, add some techshield and shrink tube, and solder the (nice quality) RCA back on (I could have even used a different RCA). I then had a very nice coax S/PDIF cable of the perfect length, made from a cable most people would have no use for. I’m actually going to do the same with the other two cables and have a pair of L/R analog RCAs to be able to listen to the Oppo’s DAC (just because I can).
So next time you need a cable, remember they can often be used for purposes other than for which they were made. For instance I have a pair of 6’ component cables (six cables) that could be used to interconnect a 5.1 analog system, with or without a passive sub. (edit: or one of them to drive a three channel amp like an XPA-3)
My Monster component cables started out like a longer version of these …
… and this is the S/PDIF that came from it
Then installed …
