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Lautus HDMI cable??

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Ash View Drop Down
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    Posted: 06 Jun 2020 at 1:09pm
I would like to experiment with how to get the best audio fidelity out of a computer without sacrificing too much of its versatility.

I have a Hystou mini-pc on the way to play with soon. It. will feature:

i5-7360U dual core processor, 2.3GHz base clock, onboard graphics
32GB DDR4 RAM
120GB SATA SSD with Windows 10 Home
Fanless aluminium heatsinked case
LAN or wi-fi (wi-fi PCIe can be removed)
12V switched-mode power supply (possible to upgrade)

Audio output options would be USB, optical, HDMI 1.4 or Display Port.

This is just a starting point.

P.S Majestic USB uses the Bitzie digital circuitry to convert it to S/PDIF, giving it the same transformer isolation as the S/PDIF??


Edited by Ash - 10 Jun 2020 at 10:43pm
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Robnpg View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Robnpg Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Jun 2020 at 1:06pm
good info. On a side note, I’m curious about building a streamer using a Rasberry Pi. That sounds intriguing. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BackinBlack Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Jun 2020 at 12:11pm
Hi Ash,
Sorry to be a spoiler for your idea.
Not sure what you're trying to achieve or connect to your PC.
In my experience some form of electrical isolation between PC and DAC is an essential in reducing noise on the audio. As you may recall the Majestic has an isolation transformer on each S/PDiF input, can't remember what isolation the USB has.
My simple system uses a Raspberry Pi model B V1.3 as digital streamer/source. Digital Music storage is on SSD connected by adaptors to the Pi USB. Output from the pi can be either USB or S/PDIF through an HiFiBerry DigiOne+ Pro. I prefer the S/PDIF connection.
If I use the USB output from my (older) HP Pavilion Laptop to the Majestic USB input there is very little electronic noise when on battery, but there is very low level, but noticeable, noise when the Laptop power supply is connected. My new ASUS Zenbook produces much less noise. Must be better power supply regulation and isolation I guess.
The simplicity of the Pi and it's lower processing power helps in reducing electronic noise, but it still has more than enough processing power to handle digital music files and internet 2Radio" streaming.
Just listen, if it sounds good to you, enjoy it.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ash Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Jun 2020 at 11:11am
A 19-pin cable that is handmade is going to be a bulky and inflexible one. Hmm, I guess I didn't think this idea through. Thanks Ian. I was thinking that HDMI from a PC might be a better choice than optical. I shall have to test rather than postulate.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BackinBlack Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Jun 2020 at 10:06am
HDMI would be a challenge. 5 twisted shielded cable pairs handle audio and video signals up to 8.16 Gbit/s for HDMI 1.4 and 42.6 Gbit/s in the latest 2.1 specification. The audio is all digital and is specified as 192kHz, 24 bit capable. Then there are at least 4 other signal wires plus ground wire and overall shielding.
I wouldn't doubt John's capabilities, but such a cable requires specialist cable lay-up to maintain core spacing and keep them in close physical contact within an overall shield.
And then there's the question of a license to manufacture and legitimately sell HDMI specification cables.

Just my observations .......... Wink

Ian
Just listen, if it sounds good to you, enjoy it.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ash Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jun 2020 at 11:46pm
As I understand it, the Lautus cables have a CuSat50 conductor but have one or more ferrites placed at calculated lengths along the interconnect sheath corresponding to a quarter wavelength (peak amplitude) of the intended "culprit" radio wave region which are most prevalent in causing EM interference. There is a load of physics stuff I don't understand like "skin effect" but it is believed to create theoretical short-circuits in the sheath current (?). Sounds like BS I know but ultimately, there is no such thing as an insulator; only a very poor conductor. Basically the ferrite acts like a radio wave filter and less EMI is carried forward to the next stage.

Both digital and analogue signals involve electron oscillation that transmit EM waves along the conductor. Even though the oscillation speeds are vastly different, both domains should benefit.

It is just theoretical. I guess in the end, what a person accepts as fact ultimately boils down to belief.

The different HDMI specs just have different bandwidth specs, I think. My interest in a Lautus version would be entirely concentrated on preserving the purity of the signal.

Edited by Ash - 05 Jun 2020 at 11:47pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Robnpg Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jun 2020 at 10:36pm
This is an interesting follow. I was under the impression that digital cables such as HDMI, were pretty much the same except for versions (2.0, 2.1 etc etc). Not true?
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