Budget BNC digital cable recommendation

Anyone tried Audio Sensibility Statement SE BNC-BNC cable and Nordose Blue Heaven BNC-BNC cable before? It’s for between my Naim NDX and nDAC, right now I have the Monoprice BNC-BNC cable and I think it’s really good after few day’s break-in period. But I am looking forward an unexpensive upgrade on top of that, and I am considering the AS Statement SE and Nordose Blue Heaven at the moment, any comments or suggestions?

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Take a look at dual/triple/quad shielded 12G SDI BNC cables from Canare and Belden.

Specifically the Laird CU8-HD 12G SDI or Laird 12G-SDI/4K UHD Belden 4731R Male to Male BNC Cable - 6 Foot

These are the best 12G SDI cables on the planet and take a long time to break in. But they compare very favorably with expensive audio cables. Their only downside is they are very stiff and have a large minimum bend radius

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Try a Mark Grant HDX1. Bought one to go from my ND5 XS2 to NDAC. Excellent. Will sell my DC-1 now. It certainly equals the Naim cable. I bought the 0.5m as my ND5 XS2 is on top of the NDAC, which is on top of the 62 and Hicap, both on top of the olive 250. No need for long cables.

Stacking police will issue me a warning, as will the olive and CB police.

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QED Qunex P75. I’ve had a BNC-BNC variant of this for about a decade I think. Sold my naim DC1 as the QED sounded better. It’s about £35 and well reviewed.

G

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Highly recommended Mogami 2549 off from the Rainforest.

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Thank you so much for all the recommendations! I might end up with buying couple more cables now :grinning_face:

For something neutral, have a look on Cardas Parsec…

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It might be better upgrading NDX, before spending too much on cables.

A primare NP5 or limetree bridge will be an upgrade, both are relatively inexpensive. :slightly_smiling_face:

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may I ask what’s the problem of NDX?

Doesn’t sound as good as NP5 or limetree.

Plus, NP5 and limetree will give you improved functionality.

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Mark Grant HDX1. £32 for a 1.5 metre length. £32 incl postage. Excellent build quality.

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Yes, I was also looking at the limetree bridge II before too, but since I have resolved most the issues that other folks are having with their NDX such as network connectivity, stream hi res music, stream Qobuz… I think I will stick with new bought old NDX for the next while (according to the last owner, the NDX was serviced two years ago by Naim) unless there is sound quality problem of the NDX product.

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Thanks! I found that cable online too, but when I tried to place the order, it tells me my shipping option is not available. I have sent an email to their website just to double check if shipping is available to Canada (I assume it’s available because is in the country drop down list )

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Good luck :crossed_fingers:

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Sorry, I wasn’t suggesting the NDX isn’t good.

But, rather than spending hundreds of pounds upgrading cables, it might be a better option to upgrade the transport.

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No problem at all, and thanks for the wake up call! I probably should remind myself not get too deep into the cable fantasy for now, several more good cables can easily make up a good half of the budget for ND5XS2 upgrade later on :grin:

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Think my 0.5M was £28?
Looks well crimped on the 2 bmc connections. Sounds the same to me as the DC1.

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I asked AI to generate a summary of the BNC digital cables we mentioned here along with the review and price, the information could be inaccurate, but fun to read :slight_smile:

  • Audio Sensibility Statement SE BNC-BNC cable:
    • Perceived Characteristics: Good quality, noticeable upgrade, improved clarity and detail, refined sound, good value.
    • Typical Price Range (per 1 meter cable): $150 - $250 CAD (This can vary based on length and current promotions).
  • Nordost Blue Heaven BNC-BNC cable:
    • Perceived Characteristics: Fast, detailed, revealing sound, high-quality construction, can be a bit bright for some systems.
    • Typical Price Range (per 1 meter cable): $300 - $450 CAD (Nordost prices tend to be higher).
  • Monoprice BNC-BNC cable:
    • Perceived Characteristics: Very budget-friendly, performs well for the price, good starting point, may lack refinement.
    • Typical Price Range (per 1 meter cable): $10 - $20 CAD.
  • Canare 12G SDI BNC cables:
    • Perceived Characteristics: Robust, excellent shielding, clean and accurate signal, good value for high performance.
    • Typical Price Range (per 1 meter cable): $25 - $50 CAD (Often sold in various lengths).
  • Belden 4731R Male to Male BNC Cable:
    • Perceived Characteristics: Reliable signal transmission, good build quality, clean and neutral sound.
    • Typical Price Range (per 1 meter cable): $30 - $60 CAD.
  • Laird CU8-HD 12G SDI:
    • Perceived Characteristics: Pro-grade, high bandwidth, solid construction, low signal loss, precise impedance, clarity and detail.
    • Typical Price Range (per 1 meter cable): $50 - $80 CAD.
  • Laird 12G-SDI/4K UHD BNC cable:
    • Perceived Characteristics: Similar to the CU8-HD, designed for high-resolution video, excellent signal integrity for audio as well.
    • Typical Price Range (per 1 meter cable): $60 - $90 CAD.
  • Mark Grant HDX1:
    • Perceived Characteristics: High-quality construction, balanced and detailed sound.
    • Typical Price Range (per 1 meter cable): $100 - $180 CAD (Prices might vary as it’s more prevalent in the UK/Europe).
  • QED Qunex P75:
    • Perceived Characteristics: Good performance for the price, clean signal, good detail and clarity.
    • Typical Price Range (per 1 meter cable): $60 - $100 CAD.
  • Mogami 2549 (adapted for digital BNC):
    • Perceived Characteristics: Excellent shielding, low noise, balanced sound. When adapted with BNC connectors, users often appreciate its clarity and robustness.
    • Typical Price Range (per 1 meter cable + connectors): $40 - $70 CAD (including the cost of quality BNC connectors and assembly).
  • Cardas Parsec:
    • Perceived Characteristics: High-quality copper, smooth, warm, and musical sound, rich and detailed presentation.
    • Typical Price Range (per 1 meter cable): $400 - $600+ CAD (Cardas is generally in a higher price bracket).

By many standards, the Naim DC1 is a budget cable. I’d start there.

As others have said I’d not go crazy on price with a digital cabal on the NDX. Not because the NDX isn’t good (I’t’s also my main source and I think it’s superb) but simply because the cost of the NDX when new sort of dictates what is reasonable to allocate to the cable.

If connecting to sources of questionable ground plane noise quality, I might opt for optical though. The NDX sounds superb but is not very resilient to external influence and it’s easy to break the spell when bonding it to external sources or ethernet.

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I cannot agree. Choosing a £350 coax cable because of some arbitrary relationship it may have to the cost of a streamer is not an approach I would use when my ears tell me that a couple of cables I’ve had at a tenth of that price sound as good.
Regarding optical cables - they are no use in this case as the NDX has only a coax output.

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