Available in several lengths and terminations: S/PDIF coax with RCA or BNC connectors, AES/EBU balanced. High quality materials.

Can be hard to find (probably because they don't have the huge profit margin that 'magic' cables have)

Excellent cable, super cheap. I've seen them on eBay for under $20! I bought several when I added a GW Labs DSP upsampler (this is a killer product!) between the transports and the D/A processor.

Similar Products Used:

Various high-end and home-built

musical and liquidity sound

little dull top freq and little weak low freq comparing nordost

after I have used the cable for long time, recently I comparing this cable with much more expensive nordost moonglo and TMC digital, I don't know how Apogee digital made this cable so good and so cheapo.. the cable surpased nordost and TMC especially in vocal sound.. only one strength of nordost which I like..extension of low and high frequency but overall I much enjoyed live with apogee (the apogge only surpasing by audioquest digi pro - almost 8 times price) .. happy listening o ya... I waiting for a new illuminati D-60 next month

Similar Products Used:

nordost, audioquest digital pro

VERY BALANCED SOUND FROM TOP TO BOTTOM. WIDE DEEP SOUNDSTAGE IN MY SYSTEM. LOTS OF DETAIL.

AT IT''S RETAIL PRICE OF AROUND $45.00 MANY PEOPLE WON''T CONSIDER IT AND WILL SPEND MORE ON SOMETHING AT A LOCAL HIGHER END HOME AUDIO DEALER. I''M NOT RECOMENDING THAT YOU DON''T, BUT IF YOU ARE NOT GOING SPEND THE MONEY TO PLAY AROUND IN THE WORLD OF CABLE ESOTERIA, I THINK THIS IS A GOOD CHOICE.

I''VE CHASED A COUPLE OF SO CALLED GIANT KILLER ITEMS BEFORE WITH MARGINAL RESULTS AT BEST. BUT I''VE ALWAYS DONE IT FOR FUN,SO THAT I WOULDN''T FEEL LIKE I WASTED THE DOUGH. (IT''S A HOBBY, RIGHT?) SO AFTER READING A FEW THINGS ABOUT THIS DIGITAL CABLE OVER THE PAST YEAR OR TWO, AND MOST RECENTLY LOOKING HERE TO SEE IF ANYONE ELSE HAD TRIED IT I DECIDED TO GO GET ONE. THAT WAS 5 1/2 HOURS AGO. I''M IN ONE OF THOSE MODES WHERE YOU''RE PULLIN OUT ALOT OF DIFFERENT DISC''S SO YOU CAN HEAR THEM WITH THIS NEW "THING" IN YOUR RIG. RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX, THIS $36.95 (TAX INCL.) PLAIN LOOKING CABLE SMOKED WHAT I HAD BEEN USING THAT I PAID ABOUT 5 TIMES AS MUCH FOR. I CAN''T WAIT TO HEAR WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE AFTER SOME BURN IN TIME. I HAVE THIS RUNNING FROM MY ROTEL RCD-950 TO MY MSB NELSON LINK III (WITH P-1000 POWER BASE). MY VON SCHWEIKERT VR-4''S ARE SINGIN IN THE BACKGROUND. IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A DIGITAL CABLE AND YOUR BUDGET IS $150.00 OR LESS, YOU REALLY SHOULD CONSIDER THIS ONE. IT WILL STAND UP TO MANY THAT SELL FOR MORE. I BOUGHT IT FOR MESSING AROUND FUN BUT I''M GOIN TO USE IT. AND IT IS DEFINETLY THE LEAST EXPENSIVE "THING" IN MY PRESENT RIG.

Well balanced sound, value for money spent

Not as revealing as higher priced cables

I have used both the balanced and spdif versions of the original Wyde Eye and have tried the new version of the spdif cable. In all of the above, I did not pay more than $30.00 for 1 meter and I think I got a fantastic bargain. The cable worked great with two different Micro Mega dac's I own and was ok, but not great with a Bel Canto Dac 1.
While some cables seem to accent the bass or highs, the Apogee is very well balanced: no particular part of the frequency spectrum calls attention to itself.
The newer version has better RCA connectors on it and seems to be a little smoother than the old, although at a loss of some fine detail (this could be due to lack of proper break in). The new cable will probably work great with lower priced dacs.
It's only in direct comparison with much higher priced cables that the weaknesses become apparent and in some applications I preferred this cable instead of much higher priced cables. I also thought it was a little smoother and richer compared to Canare cable.
You will probably have to go a pro audio dealer or The Cable Company to get this as most high end dealers do not carry it.

Similar Products Used:

Harmonic Tech Copper, Madrigal, Monster, MIT, Straightwire

I recently decided to try an balanced digital 110ohm cable instead of my JPS Labs Superconductor 75ohm rca cable between my Cal Delta Transport and my Cal Alpha (96/24 upgraded) DAC. The dealer sent me the wideeye, saying "see what you think, if you like it you can upgrade to a better cable later". I was SUPRISED, it did make a noticeable difference. The instruments were more three dimensional and there was more air around each player.
The Alpha defaults to the RCA connection every time I turn it on. I can always tell that something doesn't sound quite right until I remember to hit the button to use the balanced input. It's a good cable and it will beat a great RCA cable. If your system will use one, buy one, now.

Balanced, deep soundstage, belivevable palpability

None yet

The Monster was simply a disappointment, the Illuminati too polite and somewhat veiled, and the Kimber AGDL sounded like someone installed a treble knob ob my system and turned it all the way up! The Apogee A/D was truly balanced and allowed previously unheard detail through in believeable sound. Some people would only appreciate such a cable if Apogee charged them $1,000 for the same product! It's a mind thing! Dont waste your money, listen to real unamplified instruments (at church or concert)and try to capture that sound. Remember, if what you are looking for is better sound than the natural instrument - you may not be being true to yourself.

Similar Products Used:

Kimber AGDL, Illuminati DV30, Monster Datalink 100

Great tonal accuracy, harmonics. Great match for MSB Link Dac, maybe other dacs? beats the D60 in my rig!

Very few

Great cable. I guess there really is no association between price and performance with digital links.
I got the WE configured BNC-RCA, and I'm running it from my DTI Pro jitter device into my MSB Link Dac. My D60 has been relegated to feeding the DTI. (D60--overrated yes). Wyde Eye is truly 'far better than you imagined!'

Similar Products Used:

Illuminations D60, Canare Digiflex, Theta Linque, others

****Detail and deeper sound stage****Using for Analog Cable

I using this cable for analog. I bought 110 ohm cable to fix at balance socket. I think the sound comes out from them may better than Tara Labs Air 2. The sound stage will get more deep from the speaker. I am using them from CD player to pre amp. But please don't buy another pairs from pre amp to power amp, because it will becomes not clear for the focus.

When used as either an unbalanced 75-ohm digital cable, or as a balanced AES/EBU connection, this cable significantly bettered all the others to which I compared it in my system. My system is basically all Cello, with the current exception of a Z-Systems RDP-1 and companion analog-to-digital converter taking the place of my former Palette Preamp. But this just gives the Wyde Eye cable more places to shine or not since there are now more digital inputs and outputs where it can be used. The digital source components are the Cello-approved Marantz Professional CDR-620 used as a transport, the digital outputs of which feed the Z-Systems RDP-1. The outputs of the Z-Systems feeds the Cello Reference DAC. There all multiple unbalanced and balanced outputs and inputs on each of these units which are simultaneously active so it is very simple to compare digital cables by A/Bing. The Apogee Wyde Eye has always been the winner in each of these comparisons, in any position and either balanced or unbalanced.

The way it wins is by being simultaneously more transparent and audibly more neutral in terms of high frequency response--it has great extension but no sizzle. It also produces the widest, deepest, and most stable soundstage and imaging of the lot.

Of course, the Cello Reference DAC was designed around balanced AES/EBU connections using the original Apogee Wyde Eye digital cable, so there may be a special synergy at work here.

Or perhaps not. The new version of the Apogee, called the Wyde Eye A/D Analog/Digital cable, sounds even better than the original in all positions in my system.

The cable is extremely flexible and not heavy or cumbersome like some other high performers. The factory uses very high quality true 75-ohm connectors for unbalanced hookups, and gold-plated Neutrik XLRs for the AES/EBU version. The apparent quality of the soldering and mechanical work done on factory made cables is good. The cable is also available in bulk at very low prices.

At its price of around forty dollars for one meter factory terminated in either balanced or unbalanced (less per meter in longer lengths), this cable obviously has extremely high value as well as the best absolute performance I have encountered in a digital cable. I don't believe you can go wrong trying this one.

Similar Products Used:

Compared as a digital link against Theta Digital, Kimber AG Digital, Mod Squad Wonder Link, Straight Wire OFC and Silver, Grado Signature, MAS, Monster Siver Video.

Cable/connector quality. Soundstage coherence and depth. Reasonable price.

Hard to find

The Apogee Wyde Eye A/D cable put me though a trial of faith. As an interim step after buying an MSB Link DAC to go with my Pioneer DV-414 DVD player, I picked up a 75-ohm gold video cable from Radio Shack. This got the DAC working while I decided what “real” cable to buy. I tried Monster’s Digilink coax and Optilink optical digital interconnects. The meager, maybe imaginary, improvement in no way justified the big price increase over the RS. The Monster Optilink really fell flat, producing a cleaner but less realistic or satisfying treble and the lows were MIA.

With the help of this forum and magazine reviews, I narrowed my search to two digital cables that seemed to fit the bill of giving good performance at a reasonable price: Canare’s Digiflex Gold and Apogee’s Wyde Eye. The Canare’s price shot up 25-30% after Stereophile magazine praised it, putting it beyond my (admittedly cheapskate) price target. The Apogee proved difficult to find. An extensive Internet search led me to Recorded Media Supply at http://store.yahoo.com/blankmedia/index.html where you can order a one-meter Wyde Eye for a very reasonable $31.50. They have a $50 minimum, so I filled out the order with batteries and videocassettes. When it arrived just a few days later, it was nice to see the Wyde Eye cable with the well-regarded Canare connectors. It gave the impression of fine quality and the purplish outer insulation was attractive, too.

I gave the RS a quick listen with some reference music and then installed the Apogee, paying attention to the directional arrows but knowing that some break-in may be needed before critical listening. The frequency extremes were clearly improved, but the sound stage seemed to have collapsed into a small sphere directly between the speakers. After letting it burn in for a couple days with continuous play, the next listen brought nearly the same experience. A tiny assemblage of congested music sat lifelessly dead center. The RS had placed instruments around the room, providing a much more satisfying musical experience, even accounting for the Apogee’s improved frequency response.

To back check, I replaced the RS and found my impressions correct. The sound stage immediately and dramatically expanded and the Wyde Eye seemed destined to become a good video cable. But another try was deserved, so I pulled the RS and installed the Apogee, again careful to get the direction correct.

Wait a minute! There were clear, delicate, and lush tunes coming through my MMGs. With the same improved highs and lows, midrange as beautiful as ever, but now the sound stage was transformed. (I must have been brain dead and installed the Apogee backwards the first time.) Instead of instruments hanging in space as with the RS, the entire sound stage melded into a coherent presentation. Imaging was just as precise, but suddenly there was more air or bloom or something. (I haven’t mastered the audiophile vocabulary yet.) The ultimate width may have been a bit narrower than with the RS, but it was clearly more realistic with the space between instruments also exuding music and lending a better sense of the original room acoustics. The Radio Shack nicely imaged the instruments, but the space between them was relatively empty. This condition had seemed perfectly acceptable until I heard the alternative – full and rich sound from the entire stage. Whatever this is called, it’s wonderful.

Then I noticed another transformation. The music was more laid back, with the staging further away. This was a welcome, but unexpected, change. I had attributed the somewhat forward presentation to my MMGs and 100w solid state amp. Now the sound felt more like a live stage performance and any in-your-face edge was gone. Depth realism was equally improved with instruments more naturally placed. Overall, the Wyde Eye gives a very satisfying musical experience. How can one little cable make such a difference?

So my trial is over and I’m a confirmed believer that cables make a difference. The Apogee Wyde Eye seems to be a good match for the MSB Link DAC and falls right in the 10% budget range for interconnects, though I suspect this cable would be suitable for higher end equipment, too. Considering the price and the performance, it deserves every bit of five stars.

Similar Products Used:

Radio Shack Gold, Monster Digilink and Optilink