Sooloos C15 Digital Output vs. Cat 5
 

Since I am contemplating using a different DAC with my Sooloos C15 I decided to compare the SPDIF rca out put with the Cat connection to the ID40 in my 808.3.

It is simply done by connecting a 75ohm digital cable to one of the SPDIF inputs on the 808.3 and choosing a different zone to the ID40.

I listened hard until I had a headache and in all honesty I could not really tell a difference in the sound quality. The position of the singer did shift between options by as much as 1-2 feet which is weird but the overall sound was pretty much the same. You loose some of the inhouse controls by using a thrid party dac such as auto on, volume control and using the 808.3 controls to play and stop etc but in terms of quality I don't think there was a difference.

The Cat5 option though is a lot cheaper!

howie

Howie
Were you comparing the output from CD or SooLoos? Are you using Cat5 or Meridian's SpeakerLink for the connection?

Howie, may I suggest upgrading the 808.3 -> 808.5 first? I think you will be very pleased with the audioquality upgrade. And if you would like to go crazy with a Da Vinci DAC later you can do so but connect it to the 808.5 and not the C15. For best results use a custom Speakerlink -> AES/EBU cable. You will then have the best sooloos source 808.5 combined with the best DAC, Da Vinci with a proper balanced digital connection.

One output was C15 spdif to 808.3
One output was C15 cat 5 to 808.3

In other words in the first case the 808.3 was not networked to the C15 and I was using it as a standalone dac.

Howie

Would that be good? That means putting signal from a C15 through a 808.5 then into another dac? What would be the purpose of the 808.5? Why not C15 direct into the Da Vinci, for example?

The speaker link Aes Ebu cable I am guessing is just to get a balanced digital output. Would it make much difference with the normal spdif digital output on the 808.3/5?

Thanks

Howie

Yes, C15 - 808.5 source difference is that you are still using your C15 clock with all it's imperfections that your DAC needs to buffer and clean up and reclock to the best of its ability. When using the 808.5 as a source it will have much lower noise and better clocks than a computer to begin with thus making the DAC job much easier which results in the usual audiophilia improvements. ;)

I would say there are no source clock immune DAC's, every DAC will benefit from having the S/PDIF or AES/EBU dinner served from the 808.5 which is not a noisy computer.

And the 808.5 pushes this even lower as the switched powersupply is left behind and a real heavy-duty linear transformer takes its place. Also the jitter and phase noise is vastly (40%) improved upon in the new .5 design.

Going balanced digital or speakerlink usually means the cable becomes less important than with s/pdif RCA connections which are prone to impedance mismatches and the fact of being single ended. In other words, one less thing to worry about by going balanced digital ;)

I have to say the Sooloos Control 15 matches up to the DaVinci DAC I've got in room two a lot better than it does to my dCS Vivaldi in room one. dCS and Meridian have never been a match made in heaven.

And, 2nd the motion on the balanced output. It is a little smoother overall.

Hi Tonepub, are you only using C15's as sooloos sources? No 808.5/818.2 in hiding somewhere? ;)

Jeff,

Do you mean the C15 straight into the DaVinci is a lot better than straight into the Vivaldi?

Howie

Got it. It does make quite an expensive clock though!!

Howie