First Of Its Kind – ddHiFi BC44B / BC44PRO Nyx Interconnect Cable
ddHiFi BC44B Nyx is a $119 USD a short interconnect cable designed to connect a DAC that has a 4.4mm balanced line out to an amplifier which has a 4.4mm balanced line input. With a short length of just 10 cm, this is the first 4.4mm to 4.4mm balanced cable that we are reviewing, and despite having a somewhat high price, it opens the world to the new Balanced Connector Era. It is also called BC44PRO.
Introduction
ddHiFi is now so popular that I can find their products in similar shops with FiiO products, as ddHifi is now the most popular audio accessory producer in the audiophile hobby. Most of ddHiFi’s products are entry-level, affordable, but effective, and they also have developed a couple of innovative new products that I use on a daily basis, including their ddHiFi XLR44B, ddHiFi XS110, and ddHiFi HS270W.
As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases, and using the purchase links in my reviews helps me maintain this website and Youtube Channel. Huge thanks to ddHiFi for providing the sample for this review, in exchange for my honest opinion.
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3X8ym7j
Build Quality/Aesthetics
A lot of the interconnects you find in the audiophile hobby, especially portable interconnects, are short, and should do the simple task of getting the sound from the line out of a DAC to the line in of an amplifier. Most of them are of a decent enough quality, and most companies even make short high-end cables with two 3.5mm connectors that can do the task, but ddHiFi takes this one step further, as the new BC44B Nyx is part of their Nyx series of cables, using a high-quality cabling, and also is the first balanced interconnect that we are reviewing.
Among the fun little details that BC44B brings to the table, we can see the premium interconnect cables, advanced shielding and a high transparency SoftFlex PVC. The conductors are 27.2 AWG for the core and 24.9 AWG for the spiral shielding.
ddHiFi has multiple conductors inside of the BC44B, including a Conductor Material
- Litz Type Il high-purity pure silver (core)
- Litz high-purity oxygen-free copper (black)
- Litz silver plated over long crystal copper (silver)
And We also have the Cable Structure
- 0.05mm×7×7 strands x 8 strands (core)
- 0.05mmx 7×14 strands x 8 strands (shielding)
Subjective Usage / Sound
To be fair, there are very few Amplifiers that have a 4.4mm balanced input, and very few DACs that have a 4.4mm balanced output, so finding a pair for testing the BC44B was a bit complicated, although for those who need a simpler 3.5mm interconnect, ddHiFi also makes the BC35B which is exactly the same thing, but with a 3.5mm single ended connector and which will work for all your devices.
ddHiFi BC44B Nyx is flexible, convenient and has a clean, coloration-free sound that simply sounds and feels natural to the ear. As an interconnect that uses 4.4mm balanced plugs, unless someone makes another one, it would be impossible for me to say for sure what signature BC44B has, as most of the alternatives are 3.5mm single ended or XLR and have vastly different lengths. But the bottom line is that compared to using the XLR interconnect option with adapters, the new BC44B is convenient and lightweight, at just 15 grams.
We can only hope that more companies will adopt the new 4.4mm balanced line standard. The main devices I have used the BC44B Nyx with have been iBasso D16 and iBasso PB5, and comparing the new BC44B with the default interconnect cable of the D16 + PB5 combo, the new BC44B is a bit less flexible, but the connectors are smaller and a bit more ergonomic, the sound is very similar, ever so slightly warmer and fuller sounding on the new BC44B. Overall, this is a cable you would purchase either out of necessity or for improved ergonomics and not for an improved sound.
Value and Conclusion
With a price tag of $139 USD at the moment of me writing this review, the new ddHiFi BC44B is quite pricey for a short interconnect cable, and besides being one of very few in existence, you can actually purchase very high-quality IEM cables from ddHiFi for a similar price, not to mention the excellent headphone stands and the HS110 stand for smartphones and tablets. The new BC44B carries a slightly premium price, but it will power a much better system if your DAC and AMP can use the 4.4mm connectors to connect.
At the end of the day, BC44B is an excellent interconnect cable, short and flexible, with plugs that are small in size, and while you can see in my review of PB5 that I plugged in the interconnect cable just a tiny bit on the side and it scratched the PB5, something like that cannot happen with BC44B as it is smaller and should fit all DAC / AMP combos out there, being a fully recommended purchase.
PROs
- Flexible and high quality
- 24K Gold Plating
Cons
- Quite pricey
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3X8ym7j
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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