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Toslink cable mini shoot out

Posted by eeminer@comcast.net (A) on April 1, 2007 at 12:27:09

I don’t post a lot here, basically read the various bits of audio wisdom put forth. But I though maybe some might find my latest comparison interesting. I recently put together a kitchen/family room system that uses a Sonos for a front end with a GNS modified Bel Canto dac 1.1 , Arcam A85, Proac Studio 100, Rel Q201e, various Shunyata power cords and Shunyata Hydra, cables from Cardas and DH Labs. Originally I had started out this system with a Squeezebox but numerous issues with wifi drop outs etc had me recently switch to the Sonos which has been 100% reliable. I had the Squeezebox hooked up with a Sterovox HDVX but found that the Sonos didn’t sound as good with a coax cable as it did with a Toslink. So I decided to try a few different Toslinks. I had the $25.00 “Glass” bargain cable which surprising sounded better than the HDVX. I attribute this to the switching power supply in the Sonos, the Toslink, even the glass cheapie sounded less noisy. So last night I did a shoot out between what I believe are the top two Toslinks. The Audioquest Optilink 5 and the Wireworld Supernova 5+ these are both brand new cables. Although they sounded different they are more similar than dissimilar. The main difference is the AQ seems to have a little more detail; the WW is a bit fuller sounding. Not miles different but still different. I’ve been trying to define how there’re different. It seems that with the AQ it’s like when one turns up the sharpness on a TV past the point of normal... It’s almost, although not quite an unnatural extra bit of detail, not brightness, but it seems as if the extra detail makes things sound a bit more digital. Then I’d listen to some different tracks and then the extra detail would make the stage a bit wider sounding, a bit airier. This is really recording dependant. On really good recordings the extra air, and detail is nice, on other recordings that are less well recorded, it sounds less good. Over all the AQ is a smidge more detailed, but not always in a good way. The Wireworld Supernova 5 +on the other hand is a little fuller, voices are a little bit more fleshed out, there is ever so little less detail and air but its never lacking or slow just smoother. Not that the WW lacks detail it just sounds a little tiny bit more natural. So which one is better? I think it’ll be totally system dependant. There’s also the matter of price AQ is $450.00 1mt , WW $125.00 1mt . Is the AQ worth $325.00 more...no way.

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