USB cable comparisons

[acousticsguru]

why all this anger? you should only thank me for helping you to get this new knowledge...

 

1) Excellent question: feel free to answer it for yourself (= we don't know why you're angry, nor why you chose to come to this site to share it).

2) What's otherwise new about your contribution?

 

Greetings from Switzerland, David.

[2string1]

I havn't read every page...Is there any mention of the Curious cable? I have one coming...

[Cycleman]

I havn't read every page...Is there any mention of the Curious cable? I have one coming...

 

There's a great thread focused just on the Curious Cables.

 

Here:

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f6-dac-digital-analog-conversion/curious-cables-configiurations-connections-and-conversations-about-27267/

[highstream]

Kevin - If you can't remain civil and allow everyone to comment without a rude response, you will be banned from the site. You are encouraged to disagree, but you must do it in a respectful fashion.

 

To me, his posts are willfully off topic and should be banned. Polite or not, he's trolling. The subject and OP of this thread assume that USB cables make a difference in sound, not whether or not they do, and the OP asks those who want to talk about the latter to post elsewhere. As someone who's been subscribing to this thread for some time, these off topic posts generating an email from CA amount to spam.

[Blake]

Thanks for cleaning up the thread Chris.

[jabbr]

Many people feel the same way you do, and as you might imagine this "discussion" has been going back and forth in this and other audio forums for years. One thing we've done to waste less time on arguments that, like this one, are never going to be resolved, is to reserve certain threads for the "crazy" people, and others for the "sane" people. (Which is which is of course, up to you. ) We do this by letting the originator of the thread choose which sort of thread it's going to be. In this particular thread, the crazy people who think we can hear differences among digital cables are given free reign to share their delusions. For all the sane folks like you, it's up to you to find a thread someone else has started where you can call us crazy, or you can start one yourself.

 

Have fun!

 

Wow ... actual useful post in a USB cable thread ... what a find!

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi Guys - I just ran into a really weird issue that was caused by a USB cable.

 

The complete story involves a lot of time troubleshooting, so I will just give you the final conclusion.

 

With the cable connected to my iMac and nothing connected to the other end of the cable (or a DAC connected to the cable) The Transparent Audio - Hardwired USB cable causes my iMac to detect an overcurrent and shut down the USB ports.

 

[One and a half]

Hi Guys - I just ran into a really weird issue that was caused by a USB cable.

 

The complete story involves a lot of time troubleshooting, so I will just give you the final conclusion.

 

With the cable connected to my iMac and nothing connected to the other end of the cable (or a DAC connected to the cable) The Transparent Audio - Hardwired USB cable causes my iMac to detect an overcurrent and shut down the USB ports.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]23735[/ATTACH]

 

Few things : There's a cable fault between the +5V and any of the other conductors inside the cable (squashed enough to cause insulation damage), the connections have shorted, or Transparent have put their resistor in the wrong place.

when you remove the cable and replace it with another one, the fault vanishes?

[The Computer Audiophile]

Few things : There's a cable fault between the +5V and any of the other conductors inside the cable (squashed enough to cause insulation damage), the connections have shorted, or Transparent have put their resistor in the wrong place.

when you remove the cable and replace it with another one, the fault vanishes?

Replaced with another cable and everything works perfect.

[hytechrednek]

I and some friends had a very expensive USB cable damage three different USB converters, in three different systems. All had to be shipped off for repair. Continuity, Channelization and Isolation Resistance tests showed no problems or intermittent conditions with the USB cable but it was the only thing common to all the three failures. Never got to the bottom of it.

[sandyk]

I and some friends had a very expensive USB cable damage three different USB converters, in three different systems. All had to be shipped off for repair. Continuity, Channelization and Isolation Resistance tests showed no problems or intermittent conditions with the USB cable but it was the only thing common to all the three failures. Never got to the bottom of it.

 

The most likely cause of that would have been an intermittent S/C between the adjacent red and white wires, perhaps when the lead was twisted a little when plugged in. Not all USB plugs are sealed internally (epoxy etc.) to prevent a small amount of internal movement of the cable at the terminations under all conditions.

[JohanS]

I havn't read every page...Is there any mention of the Curious cable? I have one coming...

Congrats! You got yourself a great cable! (It's not the only 'great cable' or the best, it depends on your system and your ears.). However: This cable proofed for me that a USB cable does make a difference! Not in tonality, but in stereo imaging or perhaps I should say recording room reflections and harmonics between notes and instruments.

 

Have fun!

Johan

[2string1]

Congrats! You got yourself a great cable! (It's not the only 'great cable' or the best, it depends on your system and your ears.). However: This cable proofed for me that a USB cable does make a difference! Not in tonality, but in stereo imaging or perhaps I should say recording room reflections and harmonics between notes and instruments.

 

Have fun!

Johan

Thanks...can't wait to hear it...

[mourip]

Thanks for cleaning up the thread Chris.

 

+1

[adamaley]

I always used the USB total dac cable, on my system between the music server and the dac CH precison.. because is excelent and your price it is unbeatable. Recently a friend mentioned a manufacturer (Qualia Physic), about a new USB cable (USB Data lines).

 

The construction is different, the total DAC has an interleaved box, this has two cables !!! It is aidentical the price of my, USB cable Total dac, I ordered this cable without many expectations, but ....

 

 

after the full burn in, about 250 hours !!!! I found that has the same neutrality of the total DAC, but with the advantage without "grain" in the high frequencies ", another issue that was also enjoyed is the space between the notes is higher than the cable total DAC.

 

Highly recommended also !

 

regards

 

Sorry to point this out, but you joined this forum to post one comment on a USB cable that's relatively unheard of to mention how it betters the pseudo-consensus best USB cable per this thread, and then you disappear completely. Highly suspicious. Hopefully you return to tell us more though.

[adamaley]

Fellas, what is everyone's source for the TotalDAC d1 USB cable? I seem to not be able to locate a US dealer on their website. How much is this cable, and how does one go about ordering it? Thanks in advacnce.

[One and a half]

Fellas, what is everyone's source for the TotalDAC d1 USB cable? I seem to not be able to locate a US dealer on their website. How much is this cable, and how does one go about ordering it? Thanks in advacnce.

 

You can buy direct from the manufacturer here. It's great to buy from the manufacturer directly.

[Angular Mo]

I am running a basic Straightwire USB cable to a Schiit Wyrd (to clean the power) then a Supra USB cable to a Wyrd4Sound Recovery USB Reclocker to a Elijah Audio Konvertible Cable to my Bimby.

 

The Elijah cable is tiny, allows one to unplug its power cable after the DAC handshake and it very much reveals timbre, attack, all the elements that add realism to acoustic instruments. That part of my chain is nonnegotiable.

 

Any advice on the upstream aspects?

 

Do folks have preferences when sequencing their USB cables when running more than one brand. I preferred the Supra after the Straight. But I am asking about people's experiences when sequencing cables.

[ChipotleCoyote]

Grr. Based on reading this thread, I have ordered a MapleShade Clearlink Plus cable, despite having just received an Audioquest Cinnamon from Amazon. The most expensive USB cable I have bought before this was a Schiit PYST (apparently really a Straight Wire something or other), and honestly I don't think I can tell the difference between that and the Cinnamon yet -- although I've bought these in preparation for upgrading my headphone DAC/amp from a Modi/Vali combo to a Bifrost Multibit/Asgard 2 combo.

 

In any case, I am both anticipatory and trepidatious.

[PopPop]

Grr. Based on reading this thread, I have ordered a MapleShade Clearlink Plus cable, despite having just received an Audioquest Cinnamon from Amazon. The most expensive USB cable I have bought before this was a Schiit PYST (apparently really a Straight Wire something or other), and honestly I don't think I can tell the difference between that and the Cinnamon yet -- although I've bought these in preparation for upgrading my headphone DAC/amp from a Modi/Vali combo to a Bifrost Multibit/Asgard 2 combo.

 

In any case, I am both anticipatory and trepidatious.

 

I have both of those cables. I hear no no obvious difference in the SQ between the two. I'm 67 and my hearing rolls off about 12k. I have recently spent time working in my room, listening position, curating high quality music for

testing. I will be doing that next week. I hope you are realistic about your expectations of how much one of those cables will improve the sound of your system over the other.

[ChipotleCoyote]

I hope you are realistic about your expectations of how much one of those cables will improve the sound of your system over the other.

 

I admit that over my years of lurking, I've decided audiophiles tend toward overstating small differences. But I think I've become a more critical listener over the last few years -- frequency response isn't everything. (I am going to try and develop a better vocabulary for trying to describe why Thing A sounds better to me than Thing B, though. Is there a terminology guide article somewhere on CA?)

 

Frankly I'm scratching my head about the... well... eclectic construction choices in the Mapleshade Clearlink, but, hey. I've noticed an audible difference not just between obvious things like headphones and speakers, but between software players on my Mac and, despite what I suspect I'd have thought ten years ago, DACs. And I think I can hear subtle differences between analog interconnects, which despite annoying me on general principle never seemed entirely unreasonable. So this is something of a calculated risk. I may plug it in and decide it doesn't make any difference compared to the Cinnamon. I may plug it in and decide it sounds worse. I just hope that if I decide it sounds better, I still have time to return the Cinnamon.

[Jud]

I admit that over my years of lurking, I've decided audiophiles tend toward overstating small differences. But I think I've become a more critical listener over the last few years -- frequency response isn't everything. (I am going to try and develop a better vocabulary for trying to describe why Thing A sounds better to me than Thing B, though. Is there a terminology guide article somewhere on CA?)

 

Frankly I'm scratching my head about the... well... eclectic construction choices in the Mapleshade Clearlink, but, hey. I've noticed an audible difference not just between obvious things like headphones and speakers, but between software players on my Mac and, despite what I suspect I'd have thought ten years ago, DACs. And I think I can hear subtle differences between analog interconnects, which despite annoying me on general principle never seemed entirely unreasonable. So this is something of a calculated risk. I may plug it in and decide it doesn't make any difference compared to the Cinnamon. I may plug it in and decide it sounds worse. I just hope that if I decide it sounds better, I still have time to return the Cinnamon.

 

I think system interactions regarding fairly subtle stuff like low level ground noise may have an effect, so what you hear with your present rig may well be different than what you will hear with the new stuff.

 

My own anecdotal experience with my system is that the Clearlink Plus was leaps and bounds better than the AQ Coffee it replaced, despite the fact that the Mapleshade was half the price.

[KLH007]

Grr. Based on reading this thread, I have ordered a MapleShade Clearlink Plus cable, despite having just received an Audioquest Cinnamon from Amazon. The most expensive USB cable I have bought before this was a Schiit PYST (apparently really a Straight Wire something or other), and honestly I don't think I can tell the difference between that and the Cinnamon yet -- although I've bought these in preparation for upgrading my headphone DAC/amp from a Modi/Vali combo to a Bifrost Multibit/Asgard 2 combo.

 

In any case, I am both anticipatory and trepidatious.

 

I think you will find the Mapleshade Clearlink to be an improvement. I was at a shootout of SPDIF cables, and the Mapleshade was the best, especially in the imaging/soundstage being bigger in all dimensions with much better depth. Good luck.

[PopPop]

I think system interactions regarding fairly subtle stuff like low level ground noise may have an effect, so what you hear with your present rig may well be different than what you will hear with the new stuff.

 

My own anecdotal experience with my system is that the Clearlink Plus was leaps and bounds better than the AQ Coffee it replaced, despite the fact that the Mapleshade was half the price.

 

I remember you reporting that, some time ago and your report prompted me to buy the clear link. I think I may have to be more methodical about my listening. [emoji1]

[Jud]

I remember you reporting that, some time ago and your report prompted me to buy the clear link. I think I may have to be more methodical about my listening. [emoji1]

 

I think it's likely just down to system differences. You're welcome to blame me.