We use 10 meter optical cables to connect the EMMLabs / Meitner transport to the Meitner DAC.
This is so that we can have the transport near where we sit and the DAC (using its nice built-in preamplifier) within 1 meter of the amps so that we can use a very expensive interconnect, the Stealth INDRA, between the DAC and the amplifiers. These optical cables cost about $50 for the 3, all told (10 meters of INDRA would cost about $57,000.00 – assuming you could get them to make you a pair).
There are 3, bright orange 10 meter optical cables that connect to the DAC. No, this would NOT be our first choice in colors!
You can see we have to label them so that we can tell one from the other. The cables that we decided on only came in one color.
The other sides of the cables are connected to the transport – also labeled, of course.
Yeah, not quite audiphile grade labeling – cheap masking tape and crude pen markings. Hmmmmmm…. Maybe someday we will upgrade to using…. *gasp* colored tape and no pen scriblings?
Here is Neli’s description of how and where she found them:
“The emmLabs ST interface cables are 125/62.5u (micron) multimode simplex ST to ST optical patch cables. We ordered them from GoCables — http://www.gocables.com/
Here’s the category listing here:
http://www.gocables.com/Fiber_Optic_Patch_Cables/
/index_multimode_simplex.htm
And here are the specific cables here:
http://www.gocables.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=G&Product_Code=GCFA1TT
When I researched cable sources, I wanted a high quality connector — not plastic connectors — GoCables says:
> SC, ST, LC, FC, MT-RJ, E2000 and MU connectors have polished ceramic ferrules for precision and durability.
This is one of the reasons that I selected these cables, even though it would be more convenient to have 3 different colors, or 3 different color terminations at the end — we marked ours so that we can tell ’em apart when they’re all laid out. We have not heard a difference between these and the stock 2-meter cables that emmLabs ships with the pair. Sometime, I should order another set and have ’em cryoed, and see if that makes an improvement.
I remember looking through a number of network equipment sites before settling on these cables.
There was also some talk some weeks ago on Audiogon regarding audiophile-grade (and audiophile-grade-expensive) optical links. Haven’t tried any of these.”
