Connecting DAC to amp. Better to have longer USB cable or RCA?

[admin_exported]

Due to the setup of my room and equipment I can either have the DAC with the PC so using a small length USB and then about 3 or maybe 4 metre RCA cable or I could have the DAC on the amp thereby requiring a 3 or 4 metre USB cable.

Is there a preference or should it not matter at all. I will try to get the best of both, but budgets apply, so could you recommend both an RCA and USB cable please. Forget about Kimber and its ilk as that is not for me at the moment. Something cheaper but not cheapo if that makes any sense.

Thanks.

 

[Crocodile]

I'd go for the longer RCA.

IIRC, USB is spec'd up to 5m but as there's two way communication involved, I'd keep it short.

Plenty of cables in the review section so you pays your money & takes your choice.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks, you cleared up my main concern.

Yes, there are lots of cables. The USB being short I will have to have it near the PC then. I will check them all out. Cheers.

Was just wondering if there were any good bargains re these 2 cables or if there were any no brainers.

Cheers!

 

[oldric_naubhoff]

USB is spec'd up to 5m but as there's two way communication involved, I'd keep it short.

if a digital cable is specd up to 5m shouldn't it be working fine up to that lenght? and what is this 2-way communication thing. isn't a DAC a receiver only?

also you should keep RCA cables as short as possible. they aren't optimal for long runs. as a rule of thumb you stick to up to 1m long pairs. so I'd suggest the opposite: long USB and as short as possible RCA...

 

[dannycanham]

The two way is in the case of asynchronous usb dacs where the dac clock is used to tell the computer to adjust how often it sends the data.

I'd probably agree with long usb.

 

[chebby]

Long USB (up to 5m) short RCA cables.

I used a 5m Belkin USB 2.0 (DACs generally only need USB 1.1 standard) and 0.5 metre Chord Crimson.

 

[paradiziac]

Another vote for longer USB.

It's a lot cheaper as well.

If your DAC works properly, any standard USB cable will do.

4m lengths of RCA cable might be double the price of 1m lengths--if indeed you can find them.

 

[Anonymous]

OK that's even better. As it will be with my amp.

Thanks, also appreciate the fact that a normal usb should be ok, although I think I will splash out and get something with pro or gold in the name.

I would like to do an A/B with a premium USB when I am used to the new system but just need 'good' for now, cheers!

 

[Anonymous]

I'd go with longer USB too. Extending the USB cable will increase the amount of jitter, but this is less than the amount of noise/distortion that would be added by the equivalent length of analogue interconnect.

FWIW, Ive got a very cheap 7.5m digital coax cable between my PC and Wadia (that contains the DAC), it works fine although the music isn'tquirte as sharp as playing from the CD.

 

[Crocodile]

Having been so comprehensively contradicted, I thought I'd see what a couple of manufacturers thought. So I asked the same question of Arcam & Beresford. Both agreed with me that over the distances the OP specified, the better approach would be a short USB lead & longer RCA.

As for Dr Lodge's notion that a 3m RCA would intoduce noise & distortion... :?