udis Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 I finally decided to upgrade my mytek dac to auralic vega. I am looking for recommendations for power cords and USB cable. My combined budget is around $700. Link to comment
esimms86 Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 If you like the Nordost line then I would suggest their Blue Heaven power and usb cables. Both can be had for well 600 new. I personally use a Shunyata Venom power cable and a Paul Pang usb cable with my Vega. Both also fit nicely within your budget. You may also want to check the less expensive usb cables in the LHLabs line, also within budget. Esau Link to comment
udis Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 Thank you Esau. I'll take a look at LHlabs. Link to comment
Speedskater Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 I think that you have one too many zeros in the price. Link to comment
jtwrace Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 DH Labs Mirage. W10 NUC i7 (Gen 10) > Roon (Audiolense FIR) > Motu UltraLite mk5 > (4) Hypex NCore NC502MP > JBL M2 Master Reference +4 subs Watch my Podcast https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXMw_bZWBMtRWNJQfTJ38kA/videos Link to comment
udis Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 DH Labs Mirage. New to this brand. can't find any reviews on it. how does it compare to the wireworld platinum? Link to comment
JR4321 Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 I think that you have one too many zeros in the price. +1 two too many zeroes, I'd say. Link to comment
udis Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 +1 two too many zeroes, I'd say. belkin gold? Link to comment
wwaldmanfan Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 I beieve there is a difference in sound between USB cables. I tested half a dozen different USB cables on my system, ranging in price up to $200, by Belkin, Wireworld, Kimber Kable, and Elijah Audio. My choice is the Kimber B-Bus Cu USB (1 meter, $60). I tested several power cords on my DAC and power amp, ranging in price up to $200, by PS Audio, Straight Wire, Douglas Connection, and Tripp-Lite. I do not believe there is a significant difference in sound, at least at the price point of my stereo system ($7,000, inc. MBP front end). MY choice is Tripp Lite 14AWG 15A SJT (3 foot, $8 at Amazon.com). Link to comment
scan80269 Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Not sure if this is a recommendation, but I have used a WireWorld Starlight Platinum USB cable between Auralic Aries and Vega DAC with very good results. I recently changed to an iFi Mercury USB cable for evaluation, which is ongoing. Since Vega is one of those DACs that don't require +5V power coming over the USB cable to work, it should be possible to use a USB cable that does not carry +5V power (no +5V wire). I wanted to evaluate such a cable (0.5m) with my Vega but haven't found one yet. My Vega is also powered through a custom balanced transformer which yields a positive change to the sound. Link to comment
wwaldmanfan Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Since Vega is one of those DACs that don't require +5V power coming over the USB cable to work, it should be possible to use a USB cable that does not carry +5V power (no +5V wire). I wanted to evaluate such a cable (0.5m) with my Vega but haven't found one yet. Find a cheap USB printer cable, open up the sheathing with a razor blade, and cut the red wire (power). Seal it back up with electrical tape. Evaluate the SQ before and after. Michael at Elijah Audio offers the custom Isolate USB cable with no power lead or power ground connections, just data and ground. Elijah Audio - Products Link to comment
udis Posted February 25, 2015 Author Share Posted February 25, 2015 Not sure if this is a recommendation, but I have used a WireWorld Starlight Platinum USB cable between Auralic Aries and Vega DAC with very good results. i did notice that this was the USB cable the folks at Auralic used at shows. Link to comment
Doak Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Not sure if this is a recommendation, but I have used a WireWorld Starlight Platinum USB cable between Auralic Aries and Vega DAC with very good results. I recently changed to an iFi Mercury USB cable for evaluation, which is ongoing. Since Vega is one of those DACs that don't require +5V power coming over the USB cable to work, it should be possible to use a USB cable that does not carry +5V power (no +5V wire). I wanted to evaluate such a cable (0.5m) with my Vega but haven't found one yet. My Vega is also powered through a custom balanced transformer which yields a positive change to the sound. I bought a 1m VUE VU-1 "data only" several months ago for $99 delivered and LOVE it - much better than the Wireworld cable I'd been using. Highly recommended VUE Digital Cables VUE Cables offers USB Cable No Power Supplied - VUE Digital Cables Doak Doak's Audio System Link to comment
udis Posted February 25, 2015 Author Share Posted February 25, 2015 I bought a 1m VUE VU-1 "data only" several months ago for $99 delivered and LOVE it - much better than the Wireworld cable I'd been using. Highly recommended VUE Digital Cables VUE Cables offers USB Cable No Power Supplied - VUE Digital Cables Doak thanks.. according to a review i found at 6moons review, this cable does tend to be fickle with macs. did you find that to be true? ""On all Macs the two USB ports closest to the middle offer more power than the outer two. This goes for all Mac Minis as well. Depending on the current draw of the device, the port/cable may appear to be faulty/malfunctioning. Try to use the two innermost ports for digital audio transfer to a DAC or USB-to-S/PDIF converter. I have tested the VU-3 with data transfer up 30MB/sec and used it to watch HD movies from HD to PC. The VU-3 has been working on an iMac 27" quad core in Australia for 3 months now. However this iMac has only one USB cable out to a DAC." The same was true for mine. And I always use the innermost USB port. As this mystery remained unsolved, I followed Kevin's reasonable suggestion to eliminate the VU-3 from the auditions." Link to comment
Doak Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 I've used it only with Windows 7/8. Doak Doak's Audio System Link to comment
sandab Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 I use a Schiit Wyrd with the USB cable that came with the DAC and a PS Audio AC cable to a Furman PST8D power strip. Nice and clean, not a hint of jitter (master clock phase noise, actually) and no dropouts or other problems with the exact mode clock - which IMO the Vega earns its price tag. The computer is either a MacBook Pro or an Intel NUC core i5 with a 512GB SSD running Ubuntu and mpd. The USB cable to the computer is a 2m Ghent Audio U01. Link to comment
udis Posted February 27, 2015 Author Share Posted February 27, 2015 I use a Schiit Wyrd with the USB cable that came with the DAC and a PS Audio... my set up is a little different... curious if you think i can benefit from the Schiit OWC (samsung pro 1tb ssd) enclosure - usb3 (AQ carbon) - Aries - WW Platinum USB - Vega DAC Link to comment
udis Posted February 27, 2015 Author Share Posted February 27, 2015 OWC Mercury Elite Pro Dual mini HDD Do you use the stock psu on this unit? Link to comment
johndoe21ro Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Audioquest Diamond! Triangle Magellan Concerto 2 < AQ Everest < Vitus Audio SS-010 Mk2 < AQ Dragon High Current < AQ WEL XLR < Chord Qutest DAC w UpTone JS-2 & AQ Dragon Source < AQ Diamond USB < Innuos Phoenix USB w AQ Dragon Source < Aurender N100H & AQ Dragon Source < NetGear GS105GE Switch w UpTone LPS1.2 < Supra CAT8 Ethernet < Gryphon PowerZone w AQ NRG-Wild < Stillpoints UltraSS, Ansuz Darkz D-TC & D2, Omicron Harmonic Stabilizer, Gold Evolution SE & Classic < Furutech FT-SWS (R) < Synergistic Research Orange Quantum Fuse < Solid Tech Hybrid < GigaWatt G-16A 2P Circuit Breaker Link to comment
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