Hi @tedsmith
Does the DS filter out RF/EMI? If so, can you share some tech info on the filtering
Mostly interested on the Bridge input and AC power input
And followup (based on the above) - how critical is having proper shielded cables, with the DS inputs? If RF is heavily filtered, is it less critical? I know that’s a bit of a ‘how long is a piece of string’ question.
And what ethernet cables do you use or would recommend to use for audio (Bridge II)? Shielded or un-shielded (if the shielding isn’t done correctly)?
Cheers
In general with DACs in a system you should be more worried about RF coming out than going in. The DAC is much more likely to disturb your preamp or amp(s) than they are likely to be affected by RF.
The DS emits much less RF than most DACs - it uses balanced runs for all higher frequency signals - unlike many projects we deleted caps when we were doing RFI testing. The transformers reject RFI coming in on the audio out cables and filter RF that may have gotten on the audio lines before it goes out.
There’s not a lot of explicit RF filtering on the power supply board, but the digital and especially the analog board filter the power over a wide frequency range including RF.
Shielding on cables is a very system specific issue. Even a minor amount of shielding on the power cords to my amp is audible and in general a shield takes the life out of the music on interconnects and speaker wires. Still there are differently constructed interconnects and speaker wire that where shielding may be the lesser of two evils. Also the general environment (too near a cell tower, …) may cause a different set of compromises.
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Ted Smith said
In general with DACs in a system you should be more worried about RF coming out than going in.
Thanks so much Ted. I’m using balanced XLR’s at the moment coming out of the DS and unshielded power cable and unshielded ethernet.
So I’ll leave it that and get back to the listening!