which quality USB cable to consider?

[mansr]

2 hours ago, kilroy said:

These differences are obvious and easy to hear on any sufficiently resolving system if you know what to listen for.

 

It is sometimes also the case that differences are not always immediately discernible, protracted listening and comparison (days or even weeks) is sometimes required.

How can something be "obvious and easy to hear" while also being "not immediately discernible"? You'd be more (though still not particularly) believable if you stuck to one of those.

[mansr]

5 minutes ago, CuteStudio said:

I understand you feel there are two classes of listener, the incapable, lower class with cloth ears who can't hear anything and those superior listeners who can tell - which would be you.

It's funny how the same gene that gives you golden ears also makes you gullible beyond belief.

[Ralf11]

You guys are torquing pretty hard on his religion.  Let's all hope he is not an Audio Jihadist.

[mansr]

Just now, Ralf11 said:

You guys are torquing pretty hard on his religion.  Let's all hope he is not an Audio Jihadist.

It's fine. I have asbestos underwear in case of flame wars.

[Ralf11]

6 minutes ago, mansr said:

It's fine. I have asbestos underwear in case of flame wars.

 

One of the profs. on my PhD committee had special underwear - great guy, tho long gone.

[ClothEars]

So no chance of a little respect and harmony eh!

Then it might be worth remembering a wonderful Mark Twain quote.

 

"Never argue with a fool.  Onlookers may not be able to tell the difference."

[CuteStudio]

I recommend listening to some calming Priscilla Ahn instead of your cables, it's a lot more soothing

[Markhh2]

I found the curious cable "link" - the short one designed for Regen type decices - improved the sound quality of my system. 

[jamesg11]

/& this is a relatively new cab-off-the-rank:

http://www.ghentaudio.com/part/u01.html

Getting some decent remarks, & very reasonably priced.

Haven't heard it ... & I looked really hard for measurements on the site, without luck.

I'm using Curious & Uptone USPCB ...

[DarwinOSX]

Schitt audio makes one for $20 that I've been using with a SonicOrbiter.

[agladstone]

The Cardas Highspeed 2.0 USB Cable is by far the best I've used (I've tried the Curious, the Audioquest Chocolate and Carbon, the Pangea Premier XL, The Shunyata Venom, and Wirewold Silver). 

The Cardas Highspeed 2.0 USB splits the data and the power into their own separate cables and they only meet at the connectors, this really helps!

[jaspal kallar]

@agladstone:  Was there a lot of difference between the the Cardas Highspeed 2.0 USB Cable and the Curious SB cable (I have that one albeit only 20cm in length) ?

[agladstone]

On 8/16/2017 at 4:49 PM, jaspal kallar said:

@agladstone:  Was there a lot of difference between the the Cardas Highspeed 2.0 USB Cable and the Curious SB cable (I have that one albeit only 20cm in length) ?

The Cardas Highspeed 2.0 USB was / is at least a thousand times better than the Curious cable!! Night and day difference!! 

[DarwinOSX]

4 hours ago, agladstone said:

The Cardas Highspeed 2.0 USB was / is at least a thousand times better than the Curious cable!! Night and day difference!! 

 

A thousand times!  That’s a lot! 

[ClothEars]

On 8/15/2017 at 7:01 AM, agladstone said:

The Cardas Highspeed 2.0 USB Cable is by far the best I've used (I've tried the Curious, the Audioquest Chocolate and Carbon, the Pangea Premier XL, The Shunyata Venom, and Wirewold Silver). 

The Cardas Highspeed 2.0 USB splits the data and the power into their own separate cables and they only meet at the connectors, this really helps!

 

Can you give us a clue as to what it does better than the other cables? If I compared the Curious cable to the Cardas cable, what differences would I expect to hear based on your observations.  Nominating your signal chain to the  DAC would also help put this into context.

[CuteStudio]

I too was skeptical about the USB cables for audio until I bought this for £1.59:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1m-USB-2-0-High-Speed-Cable-Printer-Lead-A-to-B-BLACK/200549668167

 

It has a lovely liquid treble and solid lows, allowing the music to go down the cable from one and (USB A IIRC) to the other (USB B).

Lets never say that money spent on cables is wasted, it's certainly filled a gap between me and my music.

[George Hincapie]

9 hours ago, CuteStudio said:

I too was skeptical about the USB cables for audio until I bought this for £1.59:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1m-USB-2-0-High-Speed-Cable-Printer-Lead-A-to-B-BLACK/200549668167

 

It has a lovely liquid treble and solid lows, allowing the music to go down the cable from one and (USB A IIRC) to the other (USB B).

Lets never say that money spent on cables is wasted, it's certainly filled a gap between me and my music.

 

 

You Sir, are a steely-eyed missile man. I salute you.

[ctsooner]

I had a Belkin gold plated USB in the system as I sold my other silver USB (handmade by Steve Nugent).  I noticed the sound stage just collapsed.  The bass became a bit wooly compared to what it was and the mids were not laser focused like I'm used to.  The sound was in no way coherent.  

 

When I dropped the Diamond by Audioquest in, everything snapped into place.  The lens was dialed in so to speak.  The bass was not only tight again, but musical and much deeper. I was able to hear  a couple of light taps of the Tympany drum heads that were not there with the Belkin and honestly, not there with most any other USB cables I've had in the system over the last year or so.  The veils were lifted as audiophiles love to say.  Basically, it isn't there anymore.  Everything was just better and bigger.

 

I fully believe when you get better and better cables, they get out of the way and just allow the music to flow better.  Everything seems to get better and bigger.  I alway use my wife's ears to tell if she not only hears a difference, but is it better or worse and how much so.  I never tell her when I change anything and I only change one thing as a time.  She has picked up every single change I've ever made in the system and she's NEVER asked if there was a change when there wasn't.  To me, she hears great and has no desire whatsoever to be an audiophile.  She just loves music like I do and has learned to really love the system that I've built over the years.  

 

Hope that helps you IRT WHAT I am and am not hearing and comparing.  My ears, My system/room, so YMMV. 

[Ralf11]

Good - you are using your wife in a single-blind test scheme (no comment on whether or not it costs your $10,000)

 

if I used USB - I'd test the Lush as long as it was returnable; and I might go for an EITR before that...

[ctsooner]

10k???   Sorry, I missed the sarcasm.  Slow day today for me cognitively.  It happens often, but I am bored and wanted to read the boards, lol.

 

I was told about Lush again yesterday.  I may check that out. There is a guy locally I met on the board the other day who has one and will bring it up.  

[Ralf11]

the 10k was on another thread and was jabbr's estimate for the costs of running an experiment using human subjects (using university facilities and complaint with federal regs.)

 

a Loaner Lush sounds like a great idea

[ClothEars]

1 hour ago, Ralf11 said:

the 10k was on another thread and was jabbr's estimate for the costs of running an experiment using human subjects (using university facilities and complaint with federal regs.)

 

a Loaner Lush sounds like a great idea

 

And an awful lot cheaper!!

[ctsooner]

LOL...THanks for sharing.  Yes, pretty funny.  Cost's a TON more than that though

 

[Emerald Core]

The best i heard was:

- Audioquest Diamond USB

 

The best others have heard were:

- WireWorld Platinum Starlight 7 USB

- Totaldac USB/Filter 

 

The best I assume if money is no object are:

- Synergestic Research Galelio UEF USB with optional groundblock

- Siltech Golden Universal Crown

 

That is to my humble knowledge 

[CuteStudio]

1 hour ago, Emerald Core said:

The best i heard was:

- Audioquest Diamond USB

 

The best others have heard were:

- WireWorld Platinum Starlight 7 USB

- Totaldac USB/Filter 

 

The best I assume if money is no object are:

- Synergestic Research Galelio UEF USB with optional groundblock

- Siltech Golden Universal Crown

 

That is to my humble knowledge 

 

I must admit I had trouble with diamond cables, diamond appears to be a rather poor conductor so I'd be questioning any claims of diamond cables, none of mine ever worked and in the end I just ended up binning a lot of diamonds as they were essentially useless, an expensive lesson learned!

 

Platinum is another metal that is over-rated, the conductivity is a mere 16% of copper, again my reel of platinum had to be retired, silver wire is the best one to go for, although a slightly thicker copper is the practical way to go. Cheaper too.

I did find the platinum wire good in the garden though, it doesn't go rusty so it's good for the runner bean poles, so it's not been a total waste.

 

Synergy is always excellent though, I always try to use synergy when I can, I even use if for filling gaps between door frames and architrave or skirting and walls, you can buy synergy in easy to use cartridges at about £1.50 per go. I've not found it conductive though, especially when it dries out. Maybe synergestic has some copper particles mixed in?

 

If you want to filter your USB eBay sell clip-on ferrite's for around £2-3 which are always useful on mains, speaker and all data cables for removing RF, good idea, etremely cheap to implement in the comfort of your own home.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ferrite-Ring-TDK-ZCAT2035-0930A-Black-Clip-On-8mm-Cable-OM990A-/390425624463

 

Golden universal crown sounds like the best, gold doesn't conduct as well as copper but is suited to ruling, a good combination with crowns and well tested over the centuries, and of course a universal crown would be a far better fit for both ruler and kingdom, so the top marketing award goes to Siltech, which I expect shortly to release the Sauron ring to bind all HiFi products together for greater transparency with only a slight tendency toward a dark sound.

 

Also don't forget the MPingo wood to rest your DAC on!