First Listen: Moon Audio Silver Dragon iPod LOD (Line Out Dock) Cables
These days there are specialty cables for everything, and the mobile audiophile has to wonder if it is all in the interest of better, more accurate sound. Certainly there are cables that make an audible difference, and sometimes an audible improvement. But there are also cables that seem unnecessary especially if you are on a budget. For this first listen, note that the Moon Audio LOD cables belong in the former group: i.e., they make a difference you can really hear.
Moon Audio has produced a cable for the iPod and iPhone that goes beyond normal cable benefits, though. This one effectively makes significant changes in the analog circuitry involved in the traditional iPod/iPhone-to-headphone-amp signal path. Recognizing that this statement might seem a bit misleading, allow me to explain.
Most iPod-to-amp cables are designed to plug in to the headphone outputs of the iPod, but not so the Moon Audio Silver Dragon iPod LOD (Line Out Dock) cables. No sir, those cables plug into the big multi-pin connector at the base of the iPod, and they deliberately bypass the iPod’s earphone/headphone amplifier circuits altogether. Thus, you get what traditional audiophiles would call a “line out” connection. This means, of course, that you have to use an external amplifier (not a bad idea anyway) when using the LOD cable. It also should mean better sound, because you don’t have all that extra and unnecessary iPod circuitry adding distortion. After all, why run audio signals through two amps if you don’t have to? But sound should also be better in the sense that with the LOD cable you will, more or less by definition, be using a higher quality amplifier.
Moon Audio offers two versions of its LOD cables: the Silver Dragon LOD cable, Version 3 ($95 for a 6-inch model), and the Silver Dragon IEM LOD cable, Version 3 ($65 for a 6-inch model). Moon Audio builds cable to order, so you can—for a reasonable fee—have your LOD cables made up in just about any practical length you’d like.
Silver Dragon LOD
In simple terms, the Silver Dragon LOD cable is intended for higher-end applications (often in desktop audio contexts), and therefore uses exotic, ultra high-quality signal wires that are optimized for sound quality, but that are consequently quite thick and stiff. Moon Audio offers this description of the LOD cable configuration:
• “The cable uses 4 x 99.99998% UP-OCC silver 24AWG Teflon insulated stranded conductors. We have improved the conductors’ properties over the previous Version 2 cable. These conductors are free from impurities and have virtually no crystal boundaries. The conductors have almost no distortion compared to ordinary silver conductors.”
• “Each conductor is made up of a special varying sized stranded geometry. The silver strandings are mixed with Kevlar standings to reinforce the conductor, making it stronger overall and less prone to failure due to the harsh constant flexing of a portable system. The conductors are then surrounded by cotton and a thin layer of Teflon tape.”
• “(The Silver Dragon LOD cable) is protected by a 100% coverage silver plated copper shield and placed in a polyethylene jacket for further protection.”
• “To improve (the cable’s) flexibility we are no longer using a Techflex jacketing as we did with our previous versions.”
• “A variety of connection options are available for your downstream connection. Such as the mini plug, RCA, XLR and a whole host of others. We custom build these in house to your connection specification.”
• “The cable can be used in either a single ended or balanced design. The wire is soldered to a connectors using high quality Cardas silver solder.”
Silver Dragon IEM LOD
The Silver Dragon IEM (in-ear monitor) LOD cable, in turn, also uses very high quality though admittedly less exotic signal wires that offer, by design, a good compromise between improved sound quality and excellent physical flexibility. In short, the IEM LOD cable is intended for applications where users will want to strap their iPods to a companion portable headphone amp and will therefore need a signal cable that can accommodate a sharp, 180-degree bend in order to plug into the amp (see accompanying photo). Moon Audio highlights the following construction details the define the IEM LOD cable:
• “The cable uses 2 x 99.99998% UP-OCC silver 26AWG insulated stranded conductors as the central positive leg of the cables. Each central conductor is surrounded by an externally wrapped negative conductor. By using a coaxial design, we where able to create great flexibility and a small footprint. The conductors’ purity is the same as its big brother’s. And thus these conductors are free from impurities and have virtually no crystal boundaries as well. The conductors have almost no distortion compared to ordinary silver conductors.”
• “The center conductors are made up of a special varying sized stranded geometry.”
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Comments
This is a pretty funny comment "herefore uses exotic, ultra high-quality signal wires that are optimized for sound quality" Do you really think that makes an iota of difference in the signal, its goes over all that internal pcb board wiring, over that million unit design criteria connector on the bottom, and you believe that the final 12 inches of cable makes a difference? Ha!
I don't know whether it makes a difference. But since the two cables here are the same other than the wire used, and they sound different, it would appear that the cable matters. Whether exoticism and purity of the wire does the trick, is another matter. I would add that since all cables have capacitance and inductance and resistance, one could ask "do you really believe that a very basic amplifier, heavily constrained by size, cost and power consumption would be affected by hanging different capacitors and inductors on its output stage?" A reasonable answer might be that it isn't impossible, and so one should listen to confirm whether something sonically meaningful happens.
CEO and Editorial Director, Nextscreen LLC
Actually, a more reasonable explaination is that the difference is imagined. The difference in the electrical characteristcs of a 24 gage vs 26 gage 6 inch cable on a 1 volt single is so vanishingly small that to me it's just a way for the vendor to get an extra $30 for an additional one or two cents (if that much) of material costs.
If the reviewer had performed a double blind test, I'd think differently. But I know that in the world of cables magic is more important than science.
I don't know that it is "more" reasonable, but your hypothesis that I'm imagining things is reasonable. Magic isn't however necessary or relevant here, and thus certainly not important, as far as I can see. I spend many hours each week listening to audio equipment professionally. I'm human and humans occasionally misperceive phenomena, even when they practice a lot. No magic needed for that error!
Additionally, in an observational review, the goal is not to explain what is happening, but to report on what the sound quality is. So, I didn't invoke magic to explain what I heard, nor do I know how to explain it in electrical engineering terms. Logically, I simply say that inserting different components could (not the same word as does) make a difference. My conclusion: worth trying these cables, since you can return the cable if you don't like the result (e.g. test my empirically-derived hypothesis yourself). The consumer's satisfaction is what is important and the approach I'd recommend is pragmatic science.
You say that what I heard is essentially impossible, which might also be the case, though I don't see a reason other than your assertion that two different cables in a system can't create different behavior because they are short. That's fine as assertions go, but it seems less involving and less scientific (at least if it implies, as it seems to, that consumers resolutely live within a box of some rough theoretical orthodoxy). As a parallel to your imagined view that "cable magic is more important than science", I might deduce that your view is that "theory is more important than listening". I suppose such an approach could be more efficient, by helping consumers skip listening to any component for which they don't have a theory of why it should sound better. (We should note, for the sake of balance, that humans occasionally mis-theorize too).
I advocate that consumers choose an approach to these issues with which they are comfortable. They should enjoy the process of selecting and setting up equipment. They should have pride of ownership. All in support of enjoying music.
CEO and Editorial Director, Nextscreen LLC
Actually, I believe in measurement. It's a 6 inch cable. Tell me the difference in its capacitance or resistance or inductance. I think that if you listened to the two different cables and weren't told which one was being used, you couldn't tell the difference. It's not that theory is more important than listening. It's that self deception is more powerful and more prevasive then you realize.
This isn't limited to the high end audio market mythology. There was a study in 2007 that used a functional MRI to determine preceived wine quality. When subjects were told actually cheap wines were expensive, the MRI showed pleasure center reactions were stronger than when a subject was told an expensive wine was cheap. The functional MRI also demonstrated a direct relationship between pleasure center reactions and the price that was reported to the subject, regardless of the quality. This was a demonstrable, measurable chemical reaction.
As I said, your hypothesis is perfectly reasonable. For the Moon Audio cables, during the test I didn't know the price or composition of the cables. I just took notes on what I heard. But I still could be deceiving myself, as I also said. This possibility is addressed in my suggested methodology.
Your assertions about the state of my knowledge, however, are unfounded.
For measurement, I invite you to contribute to this thread:
http://www.avguide.com/forums/are-cable-differences-real-data-cache
CEO and Editorial Director, Nextscreen LLC
Tom:
Did you compare these to the old standby from ALO? I see that Ray Samuels is also now offering these cables.
dennis
Dennis Davis Hi-Fi+
No, I only compared them to each other and to the cable supplied with the NuForce Icon (not a docking connector based cable, and thus one that runs through the iPhone amp). Is there a specific model of ALO cable for the iPod that you're referring to?
CEO and Editorial Director, Nextscreen LLC
yes, ALO has been the only high end line out ipod cable for a long time, and its what ALO and others used to recommend before they introduced their models. It's called the ALO Reference line out cable.
Dennis Davis Hi-Fi+
Chris has this on the radar. Thanks.
CEO and Editorial Director, Nextscreen LLC
A better product and one that I have not found anywhere on the internet is an ipod cable that has the same multi-pin base connector on one end and a toslink connector on the opposite end. That is, a cable that bypasses the ipod's internal DAC while still giving the user full menu and song selection control.
You will not find such a product as the ipod will not output a digital signal.
Actually, Wadia makes a product to extract a digital signal from an iPod. I believe these are rare because the license fee to Apple is costly, and perhaps additional circuitry is required. In the event, the Wadia product is not portable, so for this use case it doesn't really help.
CEO and Editorial Director, Nextscreen LLC
I wonder why? Too bad.
The Wadia 170i and 171i transports that's right. Thanks Mr Tom.
You were very nice to artk, but it would have been kinder in the long run to call him out for his bad behavior.
Putting aside for the moment that artk takes the liberty of commenting on gear he hasn't heard, which is rude in itself, let's take a look at what he says. "Actually, I believe in measurement." Better re-read that. "Actually, I... believe... in measurement." "Actually, I believe in measurement.". And then, "It's that self deception is more powerful and more prevasive [sic] then you realize." Houston, we have a problem.
It's OK that many audiophiles need a side order of pseudo-scientific verbiage to justify a piece of gear. That's human nature. "It sounds good." doesn't make very compelling ad copy any more than "I think it would be good business." makes a bang-up business case. Of course, often, that's all we've really got to say, so some fertilizer gets slung to get the job done. The BS works if it matches the sophistication level of its recipient. artk's level of sophistication, and yours and mine, are each obviously greater than some and less than others.
Mr Beard's ad copy didn't float artk's boat. So be it. But that's one thing, the cables are another.
artk himself reminds us that people take pleasure in associating price with value, sometimes reveling in the glories of the $3,000 interconnect and sometimes in the impossible bargain, and that somebody used some very expensive kit and some wine to "prove" it. That's the same mechanism in a slightly different setting. "Self deception" is a rather pejorative way of putting it, but yes, the effect is very powerful, and clearly just a bit more pervasive than artk cares to admit. That's really OK as long as he's respectful of others. It's all part of the hobby.
Just own your own kinks and don't put others down for theirs.