Audience AU24 SX BNC Digital Audio Cable

Audience Au24 SX AES/EBU Digital Cable

The Finest Digital Connection for Balanced Digital Systems

Most audiophiles with high-end digital systems eventually arrive at the same question: which digital interconnect standard delivers the best performance between transport and DAC? For those whose equipment supports it, the answer is almost always AES/EBU. The AES/EBU standard — developed jointly by the Audio Engineering Society and the European Broadcasting Union — uses a balanced 110-ohm transmission line that is inherently more resistant to noise, reflections, and impedance mismatches than the single-ended 75-ohm S/PDIF interface. It is the professional broadcast and recording industry standard for a reason.

The Audience Au24 SX AES/EBU cable brings the full Au24 SX platform to this superior digital interface — six-nines OCC copper, CRYO² dual-stage cryogenic treatment, low-mass directional construction, and the proprietary solder-free termination philosophy that defines the Au24 SX line — in a cable purpose-built for 110-ohm balanced digital transmission. It is the natural digital complement to an Au24 SX analog signal chain, and the most complete expression of what an AES/EBU cable can achieve.

Why AES/EBU — and Why the Cable Still Matters

The AES/EBU interface's balanced architecture provides inherent common-mode noise rejection — the same principle that makes balanced analog interconnects superior in electrically noisy environments. The differential signal transmission means that interference appearing equally on both conductors is cancelled at the receiving end, rather than reaching the DAC's clock and conversion circuitry. This translates directly to lower jitter, a cleaner clock environment, and a more accurate analog output.

But the interface's theoretical advantages are only as good as the cable implementing them. A 110-ohm impedance mismatch at either end of the cable generates signal reflections that degrade timing accuracy and increase jitter. Poor shielding allows RF interference to contaminate the signal despite the balanced topology. And conductor quality affects the resolution of fine timing information throughout the cable's length.

The Au24 SX AES/EBU is designed to honor the interface's technical promise rather than squander it — with materials and construction chosen to minimize every source of degradation between the balanced digital output of your transport and the AES/EBU input of your DAC.

The Au24 SX Platform Applied to Digital

The Au24 SX AES/EBU shares the defining characteristics of the entire Au24 SX line.

Six-nines OCC copper — 99.9999% pure. At this level of purity, grain boundary artifacts and resistive losses are reduced to near-zero. For digital transmission, where timing is embedded in the signal waveform itself, conductor purity affects the precision with which that timing is preserved — contributing directly to lower jitter and more accurate DAC operation.

CRYO² — dual-stage cryogenic treatment. Each component of the cable is cryogenically treated individually, then the fully assembled cable undergoes a second cryogenic treatment. This two-stage process refines the crystalline structure of conductors, insulation, and connectors at the molecular level — improving signal integrity and long-term stability throughout the cable. No other cryogenic process applied to cables achieves the same thoroughness.

Low-mass construction. The Au24 SX AES/EBU retains Audience's core design philosophy: minimal jacketing, no excess mass, no oversized connectors. Lean, fast, and honest — a cable that preserves timing rather than obscuring it.

Directional construction. As with every Au24 SX cable, conductor directionality is assessed and optimized during build. Follow the gold arrow for correct signal flow direction.

True 110-ohm balanced design. The AES/EBU cable is a purpose-built 110-ohm design, not adapted from an S/PDIF or analog cable. The impedance is maintained throughout the cable's geometry to minimize reflections and preserve the integrity of the balanced digital signal.

What to Expect

The Au24 SX AES/EBU's improvements are consistent with what the Au24 SX line delivers throughout: a lower and quieter noise floor, greater resolution of low-level detail, more stable and three-dimensional imaging, and a more natural, flowing presentation from the DAC.

In a balanced digital system, the AES/EBU cable's noise rejection advantages compound with the Au24 SX's material quality — producing a digital front end that is cleaner, more coherent, and more musically engaging than either the interface or the cable alone could achieve. Listeners consistently note improved tonal color and harmonic texture, tighter and more articulate bass, and a sense that the DAC is operating in a more favorable environment.

The Au24 SX AES/EBU is the natural digital complement to Au24 SX analog interconnects downstream — bringing the same character and quality to the digital link, and completing the coherence of a full Au24 SX loom.

AES/EBU or S/PDIF — Choosing the Right Format

Au24 SX AES/EBU (this cable): Choose AES/EBU if both your transport and DAC have AES/EBU XLR connections. The balanced topology provides measurable noise rejection advantages over S/PDIF, and Audience's 110-ohm design takes full advantage of that architecture.

Au24 SX S/PDIF (RCA or BNC): Choose S/PDIF if your equipment lacks AES/EBU connections. The Au24 SX S/PDIF brings the same material quality and cryogenic treatment to the 75-ohm S/PDIF interface, and is an excellent choice where AES/EBU is not available.

If you're unsure whether your transport and DAC implement true AES/EBU balanced digital output and input, or simply XLR-connectorized S/PDIF, it's worth checking the equipment documentation before choosing — the two are electrically different and are not interchangeable.

Press Recognition

The Au24 SX line has earned sustained recognition from the audiophile press since its introduction. While specific digital cable reviews are not yet available, the line's overall recognition includes:

• The Absolute Sound — TAS Editor's Choice Award 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023 (Au24 SX line)
• The Absolute Sound — Product of the Year 2017 (Au24 SX line)
• Enjoy the Music — World Premiere Review Award 2016 (Au24 SX line)
• Stereo Times — Most Wanted Component Award 2017 (Au24 SX line)
• Audio Bacon — Best Cables Award 2017 (Au24 SX line)

Read the full Au24 SX world premiere review

Specifications & Options

• Interface: AES/EBU balanced digital — 110-ohm
• Conductors: 99.9999% pure OCC copper
• Insulation: XLPE (cross-linked polyethylene)
• Treatment: CRYO² — dual-stage cryogenic process (component-level + assembled cable)
• Connectors: XLR (male to female)
• Construction: Low-mass; directional — follow gold arrow for signal flow
• Available lengths: 

Not sure whether AES/EBU or S/PDIF is the right format for your transport and DAC, or how the Au24 SX digital cable fits into a full Au24 SX loom? We're happy to help you work it out.