usb cables?

[musicguy]

its 2019.

 

current top performing usb cables?

 

musicguy

[mansr]

All that meet the spec. That's basically anything costing between $0.50 and $50 for an ordinary length. Some pricier ones might also be compliant, but the situation is a bit spotty. Cheaper ones are prone to falling apart when looked at sternly.

[musicguy]

@ Mansr,

 

I understand usb requirements.   Im talking about best usb audio sound.   I hear a different between 4 of my cables.   I think the industry is finally accepting usb cables sound different.

 

musicguy

[mansr]

I suppose they could sound different if pulled tight and plucked. If the differences bother you, I recommend not doing that.

[mansr]

Seriously though, there is no known mechanism by which USB cables could "sound" different. There is also no compelling evidence that they actually do. Reports of perceived differences are far more likely to be rooted in psychology than the cables themselves. In other words, the "best sounding" cable is whichever one makes you happier.

[BigAlMc]

Lush^2 for me.

 

The Sablon reserva is really good too but the Lush^2 is half the price and sounds better in my opinion at least.

[manisandher]

31 minutes ago, mansr said:

Seriously though, there is no known mechanism by which USB cables could "sound" different.

 

That you know of.

 

31 minutes ago, mansr said:

Reports of perceived differences are far more likely to be rooted in psychology than the cables themselves.

 

Uh, no.

[manisandher]

@musicguy has asked a serious question. If you don't have anything to contribute, why don't you just move along?

 

This constant "it's all in your head" business from the usual suspects is ridiculous. You don't hear things, fine. Let those of us who do discuss and try to get to the bottom of things.

[marce]

23 minutes ago, manisandher said:

 

That you know of.

 

 

Uh, no.

A little thought on this, to alter the sound consistently the cable would have to either alter the bit pattern of the music buried in the transported data, or inject a certain amount of noise that interacts with the analogue output creating either a euphoric or disconsolate sound field. Totally ignoring the emotion I often find in music how large of an effect is this? 

[manisandher]

10 minutes ago, marce said:

...or inject a certain amount of noise that interacts with the analogue output...

 

This gets my vote.

[manisandher]

12 minutes ago, marce said:

...how large of an effect is this? 

 

Enough to be clearly audible.

 

And can I just say that IME, there is zero correlation between the cost and SQ of a USB cable.

[mansr]

17 minutes ago, marce said:

inject a certain amount of noise that interacts with the analogue output

And miraculously adapts said noise to have exactly the same effect regardless of which components are connected.

[manisandher]

1 minute ago, mansr said:

And miraculously adapts said noise to have exactly the same effect regardless of which components are connected.

 

No. It'll be physics.

[RickyV]

2 hours ago, musicguy said:

@ Mansr,

 

I understand usb requirements.   Im talking about best usb audio sound.   I hear a different between 4 of my cables.   I think the industry is finally accepting usb cables sound different.

 

musicguy

 

If you have heard differences in USB cables you have already gone to the dark side, well according those who don’t hear. 

 

Read the “Lush^2 - Share your configuration experiences” thread.

 

good luck

[fas42]

There will be never such a thing as a best USB cable - cables are just one of the areas where flaws in the reproduction chain integrity find it easiest to manifest; and the usual measurements of "performance" will never reveal themselves ... quick, give me a list of 10 things to measure which guarantees that a particular aircraft is safe to fly in ... .

 

Unfortunately, measurists are mesmerised by the beauty of being able to read off some numbers - their confidence that all is right in the world has been confirmed. Back in the real world, people just want their audio to sound better; and so experiment, experiment, experiment ...

 

Best cable? Will depend on the weaknesses in the particular rig - something like the Lush item makes it easy to vary the characteristics of the connecting link, and hence reveals the sensitivity of the connected components to the analogue qualities of the transmitted signal, and robustness in being able to reject interference and noise resulting from the nature of the link.

 

Truth is, best cable is no cable - a direct, high integrity, fully shielded connection from source to DAC will always be best - every floppy, plug in link only introduces more complications, more potential for degrading factors to play a part.

[PeterSt]

2 hours ago, marce said:

Totally ignoring the emotion I often find in music how large of an effect is this? 

 

Zero.

 

2 hours ago, marce said:

alter the bit pattern of the music buried in the transported data

 

Since you seem to be serious, would you care to give an example of how this would alter sound as such ?

[PeterSt]

4 minutes ago, fas42 said:

something like the Lush item makes it easy to vary the characteristics of the connecting link

 

But Frank, what characteristic would you be referring to then ?

[PeterSt]

@musicguy, apologies to you. But this will be turning out badly. Your thread was derailed at post #2.

#1 actually. How dare you to ask the question. This is digital, man (with a twist so our century ago "this is TV man" commercial, someone selling a best tooth paste by means of a former radio commercial which would work, without sight).

[fas42]

The Lush makes it easy to alter how shielding of the signal is configured, which alters the qualities of the noise and other interference seen by the receiving circuitry - I've done primitive experiments playing with shielding with some of the rigs over the years, and everything you do to alter the arrangement of this changes the sound. The goal should be to make the system completely impervious to doing this sort of mucking around; otherwise, it's just a form of DSP, tone controls.

[PeterSt]

3 minutes ago, fas42 said:

The goal should be to make the system completely impervious to doing this sort of mucking around;

 

yea yea yea - hear hear

 

4 minutes ago, fas42 said:

The Lush makes it easy to alter how shielding of the signal is configured, which alters the qualities of the noise and other interference seen by the receiving circuitry

 

prove it !

 

5 minutes ago, fas42 said:

otherwise, it's just a form of DSP, tone controls.

 

That can't be so because I am all NOT in for that.

[PeterSt]

@The Computer Audiophile, could there be some kind of rule that stops this non-sense in advance ? I mean:

 

- Someone puts a fairly normal question in audio realm;

- Not only he, but the community is bashed at because the question isn't even supposed to be legit;

- The remainder is known and history (on-going).

 

I have fun with it all right, but the OP really isn't helped with it, nor is the hobby. he asked a normal question, and a 100 people may have - for them - valid answers. All different answers, but that is part of this hobby.

 

Meanwhile I will try to continue with sarcasm with possibly buried truth. That too is a way, but I feel sorry for the OP. But hint:

 

4 hours ago, mansr said:

All that meet the spec.

 

Any Clairixa owners around ? If so, how does it compare to an other cable of your choice ? The Clairixa possibly is the best USB 2 compliant cable around.

(I don't expect many answers because most were sold in "some" context of the Phasure community and the intent is negative (as an opposite of an advertisement).

 

 

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

2 minutes ago, PeterSt said:

@The Computer Audiophile, could there be some kind of rule that stops this non-sense in advance ? I mean:

 

- Someone puts a fairly normal question in audio realm;

- Not only he, but the community is bashed at because the question isn't even supposed to be legit;

- The remainder is known and history (on-going).

 

I have fun with it all right, but the OP really isn't helped with it, nor is the hobby. he asked a normal question, and a 100 people may have - for them - valid answers. All different answers, but that is part of this hobby.

 

Meanwhile I will try to continue with sarcasm with possibly buried truth. That too is a way, but I feel sorry for the OP. But hint:

 

 

Any Clairixa owners around ? If so, how does it compare to an other cable of your choice ? The Clairixa possibly is the best USB 2 compliant cable around.

(I don't expect many answers because most were sold in "some" context of the Phasure community and the intent is negative (as an opposite of an advertisement).

 

 

 

We have always let the OP moderate his own thread. He knows the context of all posts and is in a good position to remove unwanted commentary. 

[PeterSt]

5 hours ago, musicguy said:

current top performing usb cables?

 

A serious response for a twist ?

 

That does not exist. Literally mansr could be right. The top performing cable should be a compliant one. But what is top performing ? zero data error in one month of time ?

I suppose so.

[PeterSt]

2 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

and is in a good position to remove unwanted commentary. 

 

Ah OK. Then now I know where my first post went to.  

[PeterSt]

5 hours ago, musicguy said:

current top performing usb cables?

 

An other answer:

USB for audio never should have been invented; In the good old S/PDIF days we could at least blame all to jitter. With USB this is 100x more difficult (it is still the same, but it requires this thread to be 2000+ posts first with numerous people banned and a closed down thread in the end with still no clear consensus).

 

So top performing USB cables exist, but I myself would have no clue about how such a cable would emerge. This is different from "having" one (as in: producing one). Believe it or not.

Maybe one day ...