Marco, did you try the Apogee Special Edition, or the regular. It's horseshit, because they should just make 1 great box, but I suppose it's transition time. Glad you like your Lucid. I'd try it if I wern't so happy.
Nathan, I repeat Apogee Wide eye sucks. You're a great sage addition to this board, but I bet you haven't a/b'ed like a proper little sound scientist. They are deadening used both as AES digital cables (as compared to Monster Prolink 500 or 1000, and it's not a taste thing, it's just wrong), as well as using them for analog connects. When I say my comparisons are excellent a/b'ing, what I mean is back to back time wise, through the exact same channels with no changes in between, recording to tracks digitally, then listening back in "repeat" mode to snippet after snippet of piano and drum synthesizer pre-recorded music, and then the less standard vocal testing where you can't get a repeatable "live" test, but you do the best you can. With the vocals, and the piano drums, their is a substantial flattening, dead sound, (analog or digital use) So I opened the cable on apogee, and looked down below the solder. Silver colored wire. They don't advertise using silver cable, only gold foil. Therefore, I conclude Aluminum. The sound matches the characteristics of the cable. Admittedly, it shouldn't matter in digital use, but it does, and the difference is large. I love Apogee psx100 special edition. They're big on expanding their line now, even offering their own branded CD's, so they've probably had some company make these cables up for them to expand their line. They (two engineers) also "think" the SPDIF should be equal to the AES, and maybe better if you're using the famed Wide Eye cables. I checked the SPDIF with another cheaper brand cable, which was worse than the Wide Eye,just in case there was something wrong. I tried a second apogee wide eye coaxial. I then had great results with the AES route. Many of these guys are not musicians. They don't all have practiced ears like someone who has spent years trying to produce exacting sounds (like vocal pitch, timbre, feeling, or lead guitar that's bright, but not piercing). They are simply wrong, and I'd say.. you very nice man you.. you are.. ..wrong on this one little issue, of great importance. You can spend thousands on a piece of equiptment, and ruin it's ability with the wrong cable. All the best.. Ps. I would call, but got started with Guitar center, and the ability to try out, the prices, and now the endless chain of credit left on account etc, makes it hard to switch until I zero my balance. Will call on the next bout, as I respect your opinions on so many of your contributions to this board.