BNC Vs RCA Digital Connection for Naim DAC

Posted by: J The Kop on 17 April 2010

I am getting a HiFace USB/ SPDIF connector. It comes with either RCA or BNC connector. Which one would sound better between BNC and RCA type or any difference at all? I do not have an option to demo. I am on a trip and found the dealer for Hiface.

I plan to use the HiFace USB to connect between MAC and Naim DAC. Currently I am using Apple TV with Toslink cable connecting to DAC.

Is naim DC1 cable RCA or BNC?

Thx

J
Posted on: 17 April 2010 by aht
You can get the DC1 terminated either way. According to the authorities, BNC input is recommended for the Naim DAC--partly because BNC itself sounds better, but maybe also because input 1 on the DAC sounds best.
Posted on: 17 April 2010 by Hook
Hi Aht -

Care to elaborate on why you think input 1 sounds best? Or did I miss a thread discussing this?

Thanks.

Hook
Posted on: 17 April 2010 by J The Kop
Thank Aht, So I will get BNC type then...it should sound better than RCA then.
Posted on: 17 April 2010 by aht
Hook--

That was the learned opinion of Dave Dever of Naim USA, imparted over the phone. I have done no experimentation.
Posted on: 17 April 2010 by David Dever
No idea why, just an observation....
Posted on: 18 April 2010 by james n
quote:
but maybe also because input 1 on the DAC sounds best.


For a DAC touted as insensitive to the usual SPDIF interface issues this is an interesting observation. How does it sound better ?

James
Posted on: 18 April 2010 by Hook
quote:
Originally posted by David Dever:
No idea why, just an observation....


Dave -

If this is true, doesn't it cast doubt on the belief that different sources sound different when connected to the DAC?

Could we all simply be hearing an input 1 bias?

Doubt that anyone has done a sound comparison between two different sources each feeding input 1 of two separate DACs!

My RME 9632-based music server (connected via BNC) sounds best to me, and it is connected to input 1. My Oppo BDP-83SE (connected via Toslink) is connected to input 2, and is ranked second in sound quality ahead of my laptop (USB->M-Audio Transit->Toslink) connected to input 3. Too many variables to be able to say input 1 sounds better, and if I tried to swap things around to test, I doubt I'd be able to tell a difference.

I wonder if this falls into the world of "you can only hear it on a 500-based system"?

Would be very interested to hear if other DAC owners concur with Dave, and if so, how they arrived at this observation.

Thanks.

Hook
Posted on: 18 April 2010 by RAyling
In a personal reply from Nigel Finn of Chord, he recommended that a RCA - BNC configuration, where possible, is preferable to RCA - RCA.
Posted on: 19 April 2010 by hifi-dog
bnc is the only real true 75ohm connection - single ended rca does not cut it -so use bnc's if you have em...