Is coax 75ohm stupid legacy for home use?

[SegaCD]

Answering OP's original question...
Sometimes for experimental purposes (or for the quick capture of a DAT tape or something), I'll grab a video cable out of the "cable hell" box to just rig something together. There is a 50-50 chance that it will work. I've had runs that are less than 1 meter that just wouldn't produce ANY audio (even at the relatively low speed 44kHz / 16 bit), but are perfectly reliable and work fine for composite video or analog audio. I also test devices with non-standard AES/EBU interconnections at work and I find that sometimes they can be quite sensitive to slew and noise.

Using shielded 75ohm cable from source to destination is an excellent way to avoid future headache and debug. Skimping to save money or time now will cost you much more of both later. Whether or not you bundle the cables into a (not-so-easy-to-source) multipin connector or not doesn't functionally matter as long as your cabling and mating connectors conform.

Cables periodically fail when you least expect them to so I personally prefer using common & easily-sourced interfaces and connector types so I can swap them out on the fly, but that's just me and my personal need to debug efficiently and methodically.

Cat snake cables are even available off the shelf, terminated in Neutrik etherCON connectors or copies thereof (basically an RJ45 with gold-plated contacts shoved into an XLR sleeve).

I use these in a commercial environment where we cycle them thousands of times. They work wonderfully with high reliability.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

View attachment 399355
Internet will be our tower of Babel, but I keep struggling This is the second simplest chain I forsaw. Just add box and wire.

Do you already have wiring, in-wall or not? If you do, all you need are the appropriate adapter/cables.

 

[DonDish]

Do you already have wiring, in-wall or not? If you do, all you need are the appropriate adapter/cables.

I have enough to make something complete, but im gonna make a second buy. Im gonna go through all info here, and make a list for parts. Cat8 multipair ill get some meters and see if I can work with for sure. Whatever fits and works.

 

[DonDish]

Do you already have wiring, in-wall or not? If you do, all you need are the appropriate adapter/cables.

If I only used standard parts this could be done in a couple of hours, 1.5 y ago. I have a "9.5 4way D-style steel front. Could just get a standard steel case for it, and filled it up. I just thought quality sucked. Holes werent even aligned. I wanted something better for my RME boxes. My post: Is coax obsolete. Thats frustration over that water-hose cable tech I thought Id have to use for my creation. I use RME hardware and software in my home setup, so that what its for. Now I have used this forum post to distil my project. Lots of great ideas here, but though some/all of them are very technically sound. They may not be practical for me.

Fancy wood + cool contacts + smart and simple electrical design + practical use + having a good time doing it = kicka** breakout box

 

[DonDish]

@Kal Rubinson Industry insider. My investment in traditional wood veneering amounts to twin AHB2 and a nice set of speakers. What do you think about that? Its never meant to pay off. The way i am working this it will pay for a cup of coffe in 50 years, maybe. Another 50 for a Big Mac menu. Would be nice to make up for some materials, but its not a commercial project like the myriads you can find on FB and Instagram. I used to spell Johnsson with capital H so Im just making up for lost time. Beauty lost and found. Sure a New Yorker and grownup man could understand

Stereophile, thats where I first heard about RME. A PCI card solution. A bit premature for the internet, digital audio revolution. Interesting none the less. You would be a fool not to see some possibilities out of that article. When they launched ADI2-DAC fs, desicion was a no-brainer.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

Stereophile, thats where I first heard about RME.

Really? Do you have a link?

 

[DonDish]

Really? Do you have a link?

RME Digi96/8 PAD computer soundcard

When I read John Atkinson's reviews of the Digital Audio Labs CardDeluxe (Vol.23 No.9) and RME Digi96/8 Pro (Vol.23 No.11 and Vol.24 No.1), I realized that soundcard technology had matured far faster than I had been aware. For about the price of a mainstream CD player, anyone with a reasonably...

www.stereophile.com

From 2002

 

[Kal Rubinson]

RME Digi96/8 PAD computer soundcard

When I read John Atkinson's reviews of the Digital Audio Labs CardDeluxe (Vol.23 No.9) and RME Digi96/8 Pro (Vol.23 No.11 and Vol.24 No.1), I realized that soundcard technology had matured far faster than I had been aware. For about the price of a mainstream CD player, anyone with a reasonably...

www.stereophile.com

From 2002

A ways back.

 

[DonDish]

A ways back.

I had a twin isdn 64+64kbps in those days. It was actually fast for rural Norway at that time. I liked this soundcard tech, but a bit thick for playing mp3´s perhaps.

 

[voodooless]

I had a twin isdn 64+64kbps in those days. It was actually fast for rural Norway at that time. I liked this soundcard tech, but a bit thick for playing mp3´s perhaps.

I’m not sure if you realized, but did you notice the name all the way at the end of that 2002 Stereophile measurements page?

 

[DonDish]

A ways back.

I bet its a lifetime for some ASR users

So you see im a RME fan. I first had ADI2DAC and digifaceUSB. Then I upgraded to a UCXII/ADI2PRO combo. As a preamp its just insane power, ive never counted how many EQ´s I can put in a chain etc. Via TMfx I can setup routing for any situation. Digital process is transparent to the user, and so on. The icing on the cake is that enthusiast like me can actually afford it, DIYers dream tools. It takes some dedication though, to get the most of it, but its all well documented with thick manuals and videos. Software and drivers are super stable, far better than say NVidia consumer stuff. Ive had NV since TNT2.

You should call MC at RME, maybe he can lend you a couple. Do an article, like a reviwal of that 20y+ piece. Audiophiles can be a conservatitve crowd, but I bet some of your readers would really enjoy it.

 

[DonDish]

I’m not sure if you realized, but did you notice the name all the way at the end of that 2002 Stereophile measurements page?

I know JA by rep and that he is at ASR. Crazy to actually "meet" these guys

 

[DonDish]

Answering OP's original question...
Sometimes for experimental purposes (or for the quick capture of a DAT tape or something), I'll grab a video cable out of the "cable hell" box to just rig something together. There is a 50-50 chance that it will work. I've had runs that are less than 1 meter that just wouldn't produce ANY audio (even at the relatively low speed 44kHz / 16 bit), but are perfectly reliable and work fine for composite video or analog audio. I also test devices with non-standard AES/EBU interconnections at work and I find that sometimes they can be quite sensitive to slew and noise.

In the end It will just have to be tried out I guess. I have a cable hell box to, so. Ive been thinking of ways to stress test. I have RME bitest, it can give me an idea of dont-almost-do work. It would be interesting to try it out at a lower level, maybe even with a cheap oscilloscope. I dont know about precision of those or how to operate it, If i can set trigger points, my idea was to pick up and render disturbance and interference in real time. I have DDS signal generator, ocilloscope and laboratory PSU on my bucket list

Using shielded 75ohm cable from source to destination is an excellent way to avoid future headache and debug. Skimping to save money or time now will cost you much more of both later. Whether or not you bundle the cables into a (not-so-easy-to-source) multipin connector or not doesn't functionally matter as long as your cabling and mating connectors conform.

I messed up my head about those connectors. Im gonna try out, suggested here shielded CAT8 multipair. I have some experience with Lemo, tight to solder but really good quality. If it doesnt work Ill redo it.

as long as your cabling and mating connectors conform.

Conform, how precisely?

Cables periodically fail when you least expect them to so I personally prefer using common & easily-sourced interfaces and connector types so I can swap them out on the fly, but that's just me and my personal need to debug efficiently and methodically.

This makes sense, and certainely pricing for parts. ,but with this project estehtics is certainely a parameter. With that in mind a standard DB-9 might not just fit. Its ugly and reminds me of clumsy VGA monitors. Then again I could buy 50 of them and my wallet wouldn´t notice. They are a euro apiece. Ethercons and better Neutrics are up to €20. A set of 9-pin Lemo is like €60 or something. For a single project I can stretch it.