Thread: Do USB cables make a difference?

http://positive-feedback.com/audio-d...-a-difference/


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Originally Posted by Mike

http://positive-feedback.com/audio-d...-a-difference/


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Mike,

Thanks for posting. Interesting comments from the various designers. I personally can't even describe how much different my Totaldac D1 USB cable sounds from my Wireworld Platinum 7 USB cable. In this case, the differences are driven by very different designs with one cable using filtration and the other using pure silver wiring for everything except the power. The first cable achieves an extremely organic sound while the second a very transparent sound. There's a USB cable out there for everyone's taste these days.

Ken

Nice article but it might have benefited from a proof read. For example Joe Reynolds is from Nordost, not Nodost....

Interesting how each designer has a different reading on solving the many challenges. Had to smile had Rod Woodlands comment:

"What is happening inside a USB cable that could impact the sound or information being transmitted? This is the big question. And the answer is "everything". Computer Audio is a warzone—starting with the hostile environment of a computer/server—nd ending with a bombardment of EMI/RFI during USB transmission. Noise and more noise!"

A simple answer to the threads title. YES!!

Mike.......I found it interesting to note the common ground that many cable manufacturers share with respect to the issues impacting USB signal transmission. The basic fundamentals seem to be embraced by all. How they each go about solving the inherent USB irregularities makes for the plethora of choices on the market. What's obscene in the cable industry are the price points of these brainchild's.

Originally Posted by Double-D

Mike.......I found it interesting to note the common ground that many cable manufacturers share with respect to the issues impacting USB signal transmission. The basic fundamentals seem to be embrace by all. How they each go about solving the inherent USB irregularities makes for the plethora of choices on the market. What's obscene in the cable industry are the price points of these brainchild's.

So true and they are all great Marketers

Dan this is so true. There are some good sounding reasonably priced options for us out there.

Originally Posted by Double-D

Mike.......I found it interesting to note the common ground that many cable manufacturers share with respect to the issues impacting USB signal transmission. The basic fundamentals seem to be embrace by all. How they each go about solving the inherent USB irregularities makes for the plethora of choices on the market. What's obscene in the cable industry are the price points of these brainchild's.

Curious USB Cable? Not cheap, but I hear its good. Yes?

Originally Posted by Mike

Curious USB Cable? Not cheap, but I hear its good. Yes?

Mike,

Le Roy has the Curious USB Cable and the WW Platinum 7 USB Cable, so maybe he will chime in on their performance.

Ken

Has anyone tried the WireWorld Platinum Starlight 7 or the Nordost Heimdall 2?

Originally Posted by Mike

Curious USB Cable? Not cheap, but I hear its good. Yes?

That's the cable I like to try after the wonderful experiment with my Audioquest Diamond USB cable. like to do AB comparison.


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Originally Posted by Golucid

I have a WW Platinum USB I purchased from Ivan. Do I hear a difference between that and XLR, COAX and Optical? Nope. But heck - the cable is sure pretty and feels well made. Feels does not make it true but my WW cables are sure darn pretty!

Hi David,

As crazy as this sounds, what you describe makes sense to me. The WW Platinum 7 USB cable is extremely transparent and imposes very little sonic signature through USB transmission. The other connections you describe are less susceptible to cable variations than USB. So it stands to reason, there would be little difference between USB and the other connections you tested. So why use USB for a connection? Asynchronous transmission, 192 kHz and 384 kHz sampling rates for starters. Of course, this is just my theory!

Best,
Ken

Originally Posted by Golucid

Hey Ken,

Those higher bits, I can't hear the improvement. Its a waste for me. I will still buy pretty cables, though.

I like XLR mostly becsuse of they way they lock-in.

David

In that case, consider the WW Platinum 7 as the Cartier of USB cables.

Ken

So what is the Patek of USB cables?

Originally Posted by nc42acc

So what is the Patek of USB cables?

Siltech.

Bingo.....winner winner chicken dinner.

Originally Posted by Alpinist

Siltech.

Originally Posted by Golucid

Breguet is also exquisite

That's my wife's favorite.

Ken

Too dressy for me. I like my USB cables very utilitarian.

Originally Posted by Golucid

Breguet is also exquisite

I thought I would give you guys a laugh regarding this $12,000 USB cable.

It's outa this world!

Indeed I cannot believe coconut and cheez are still around. It seems they have recently found Jesus.


http://coconut-audio.com/holynightusb.html

And don't forget to read the disclaimer!

Steve please tell me that isn't for real.

Originally Posted by nc42acc

Steve please tell me that isn't for real.

He's outrageously crazy real. Been around for quite some years now.
Tends to blacklist those who mock him.

The disclaimer is beyond bizarre.

Ken

Originally Posted by Alpinist

Siltech.

I was wondering if anyone was going to mention Siltech. Has anyone used, tested or owns one? If so care to post impressions?

^^^^ Yes Siltech. I heard the construction of this cable is based on the same core geometry of chord used in their 110ohm digital cable.

Rod - that's on my list this year - it will complete my full Siltech loom.

I've heard my customers Siltech USB. It spanked his Transparent.


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Originally Posted by Mike

Rod - that's on my list this year - it will complete my full Siltech loom.

I've heard my customers Siltech USB. It spanked his Transparent.


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Hi Mike,

Do you know anything about the Siltech USB's design? Does it use silver, copper or silver/copper hybrid wiring? Also, which model are you considering? I believe there are several.

Best,
Ken

Originally Posted by Alpinist

Hi Mike,

Do you know anything about the Siltech USB's design? Does it use silver, copper or silver/copper hybrid wiring? Also, which model are you considering? I believe there are several.

Best,
Ken

Ken - I'm between the Golden Universal II and the Golden Universal Crown. Siltech cables in general are comprised of a unique portion of silver and gold. People are quick to squawk at the price of Siltech cables, well, they haven't heard them. NOTHING sounds like Siltech. Well, nothing except maybe their sister company, Crystal. I've had a lot of other brands in my system and Siltech is on another level. Truth be told, I hate that it is so good - because it's not cheap!

As for the USB cable, I will find out the specifics and let you know.

I'm not a dealer but I have had excellent results with the Audioquest Diamond USB cables. And I hate that silly battery thing but it does really sound good.

Looking forward to trying out some of the latest offerings from Nordost. And I bet the Siltech's are great as Mike said, hopefully I get a chance to hear them soon too.

Originally Posted by Steve

^^^^ Yes Siltech. I heard the construction of this cable is based on the same core geometry of chord used in their 110ohm digital cable.

Originally Posted by Mike

Rod - that's on my list this year - it will complete my full Siltech loom.

I've heard my customers Siltech USB. It spanked his Transparent.


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Cool. I certainly have no complaints from my 110ohm Golden Ridge II so then it doesn't surprise me that the USB cable is very good.

Mike, any idea what model of Transparent the Siltech was being compared to?

I'd love to try Siltech cables but they are a little beyond my reach. I am using a WireWorld Starlight 7 USB cable between my Bryston BDP-2 and Calyx Femto DAC. I had tried a Black Cat Silverstar 75 coax cable before and I don't think I hear much difference. Perhaps the two cables are similar in that they both are neutral sounding cables. I use another Black Cat Silverstar 75 between my Oppo BDP-95 and Calyx DAC.

I haven't tried any other USB cables to compare but in my limited experience the digital coax and USB I tried sounded the same in my system.

Bryston and Calyx, nice combo.

Thanks! It really has been a step up from the Oppo BDP-95. Though for all the things the Oppo does, it is still a good player and maybe not the fairest comparison at 1/10 the cost.

My initial exposure to USB cables for audio purposes was a Belkin printer cable from Office Max that I used between my laptop and DAC when I first stuck my toe into the high-res digital download quagmire. Like many, I thought USB was USB, 1's and 0's over wire. Man was I wet behind the ears. What I quickly discovered was an issue with intermittent signal drops. The playback software would lock and require the USB cable to be unplugged and reinserted into the laptop and/or a reboot of the software to get the music playing again. This was a persistent issue that plagued my digital playback experience to the point where I considered giving up on high-res playback from a computer. I wasn't having fun. Fortunately there were people with more experience than me offering good advice and explaining the basic fundamentals of USB playback. It became immediately apparent the Belkin USB cable was not going to be able to carry the load, so to speak. I ordered a three meter Wireworld Silver Starlight USB cable to replace the Belkin and my dropout issues vanished. Not only that but the music gained a clarity and texture I had not heard with the cheap printer cable. This told me I was on the right path.

Since I have two systems, I decided to order a second USB cable, this time a three meter Wireworld Platinum Starlight USB cable. To be perfectly honest, I wasn't expecting to actually hear a difference between the Silver Starlight USB cable and the Platinum Starlight USB cable, but everyone who owned the Platinum cable swore it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Once the Wireworld Platinum Starlight USB cable arrived and I had a dozen hours on it I made a direct A/B comparison with the Silver Starlight USB cable. Both cables performed admirably with only a slight difference in seemingly greater air around instruments with the Platinum Starlight. If I were not doing a direct comparison, I don't believe I would have been able to pinpoint any differences. I am happy to own both the Silver Starlight and the Platinum Starlight USB cables. I have the Platinum in the studio system and the Silver in the living room system. Both perform well.

Since I have no other experience with any other manufacturer's line of USB cables, I am in no position to say one manufacturer's cables are better than the next but I can say the Wireworld USB cables represent a good value to me. The Platinum Starlight USB cable in particular seems to magically disappear as though there is no wire at all between the computer and the DAC. I am convinced the solid silver wire and 6 conductor DNA Helix cable design of the Platinum Starlight cable makes it the default USB cable for digital enthusiasts looking for premium performance at a price that doesn't require a second mortgage on your home to own. I am very pleased and can highly recommend the Wireworld Platinum Starlight USB cable.

Nice review, I am going to have save up for the platinum WireWorld Starlight 7. It sounds like it would work well in my set-up as I am liking the WW Starlight 7 right now.

I really like this AudioQuest Diamond USB Cable as well. Anyone owns it ?

I have WW Platinum Starlight USB 3m length also. It's great reliable wire.

So is the WW Platinum Starlight HDMI.

I would expect the Siltech Golden Universal II to be a step up from the Wireworld Platinum though.

Welcome to the forum ptcl99! Thank you for joining.

We did a USB cable shoot out a few months ago at my home with 3 other audio guys. We used a $600 light speed, WW Platinum, WW Starlight Red and a Pangea silver. The Platinum sounded neutral with a bit of warm overtones. It was detailed and sounded the best. The WW Red sounded veiled in comparison. The Lightspeed was the most detail but unbearably bright. The Pangea was the worst sounding. It was bright and thin sounding, almost tinny.

Interesting, my friend who owns the Lightspeed and WW Platinum uses the LS in his system as it does not sound bright at all. He prefers it over the Platinum.

We tried all the cables with and without a Regen. With the Regen, interestingly, all the cables sounded very similar, except for the Pangea which sounded better but it still had a thin and bright sound.


I recently bought a pair of AQ Colombia 72v DBS XLR's from music direct for 1/2 off and there was a very nice improvement in sound. There is a blacker background and a decrease in vocal sibilants along with more transparency. Bass is tighter but just a little less prominent. I tried it between my pre and amp and the decrease in bass was noticeable. I moved it my dac and pre and it still had all the benefits without the decrease in bass.

Hi Mike | Fellas,

While it has been awhile since my last visit, as I've become more and more content with the other all performance of my system and feel as if I've come to a point in life, where I've more or less learned pretty much all I can, so there are times where I simply prefer to listen to music and have found it more and more difficult to want to write about said components on any of the forums in which I once enjoyed trying to share ideals on said matters.

Yet I'm curious ( pun intended ) to know if in fact the Curiuos USB cable still can be seen as a worthwhile purchase?, and have anyone taken the time to compare theirs along side say USB cables like the JCAT Reference | PI Audio Group USB | Acoustic Revive types?, and what their outcomes might've been?

As this is the final chapter in my quest for system building, as I'm looking at adding either an Aurender N100H or Lumin D1 after the new year, I'm still concerned about spending upwards of $700 on any given brand of USB cable, so would then ask as to which one offers a greater sense of musicality as well as purity of note, to where I'd be able to enjoy it for time to come?.

And being the out the box thinking that I'm, I'm open-minded to what each feels is their own truth on said matters of this topic, please share your insight on this one even further.........., and while I'm late to the party, I'm still interested in each of your findings.

Good to hear from you. The curious cable is a full, meaty, warm sounding cable. In some systems, that's a good thing. In other system, they may wish for more resolution and detail.


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Originally Posted by Mike

Good to hear from you. The curious cable is a full, meaty, warm sounding cable. In some systems, that's a good thing. In other system, they may wish for more resolution and detail.


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Thanks Mike,

It's nice to hear from you as well........., and I hope that all is well with you after hearing how you guys suffered to a hurricane in your neck of the woods.

After having just read through a few articles here, it seems as if the TotalDac D1 or CAD USB cables might actually be the two brands I should be looking into, so let's see where this goes?, as it stands I'd much prefer a cable that's in the warmer | richer side as opposed to something which might come across as unnatural overtime, and while $380 isn't much on my end, if a $500 - $700 USB cable is going to prove better over the long haul........., then I'm all for it.

Thanks for responding to my post, as I've always found your " truths " most insightful.

I have the WW Platinum 7 and TotalDac D1 USB cables.

The Platinum 7 is the resolution and transparency champ. Every bit of detail and nuance is brought out. Bass is very tight. Imaging is precise and the soundstage is set back somewhat. The treble and upper midrange can be edgy on certain music to the point that it caused me to go shopping again.

The TotalDac D1 is very organic and musical. The treble and upper midrange are very smooth on most music. The bass is more rounded but is still enjoyable. The imaging is less precise than the Platinum 7 but there is more air around vocals and instruments. The soundstage is more forward than the Platinum 7 and considerably wider. There is noticeably less transparency and detail than the Platinum 7. Initially, I was enjoying this cable more than the Platinum 7 but over time I began to miss the Platinum 7's greater transparency. Consequently, I switched back to the Platinum 7.

To sum it up, both USB cables have their strengths and weaknesses. Neither one is my USB destination cable. I am still currently using the WW Platinum 7.

Ken

Originally Posted by Alpinist

I have the WW Platinum 7 and TotalDac D1 USB cables.

The Platinum 7 is the resolution and transparency champ. Every bit of detail and nuance is brought out. Bass is very tight. Imaging is precise and the soundstage is set back somewhat. The treble and upper midrange can be edgy on certain music to the point that it caused me to go shopping again.

The TotalDac D1 is very organic and musical. The treble and upper midrange are very smooth on most music. The bass is more rounded but is still enjoyable. The imaging is less precise than the Platinum 7 but there is more air around vocals and instruments. The soundstage is more forward than the Platinum 7 and considerably wider. There is noticeably less transparency and detail than the Platinum 7. Initially, I was enjoying this cable more than the Platinum 7 but over time I began to miss the Platinum 7's greater transparency. Consequently, I switched back to the Platinum 7.

To sum it up, both USB cables have their strengths and weaknesses. Neither one is my USB destination cable. I am still currently using the WW Platinum 7.

Ken

Hello Ken,

Thank you for taking the time to respond to this as well, as it was because I read through your postings on the TotalDac D1, that caught my attention........., as I recalled a Korean buddy of mine uses one, along side the CAD USB cable as I believe he's fond of copper based USB cables and cabling in general as he uses the Shun Mook versions of the vintage WE cabling throughout his entire system.

And being that I've borrowed the AudioQuest Diamond | WW Platinum Starlight 7 | Synergistic Research Active USB cables, which all seemingly get great ink, yet to my ears each seemed unnatural and forced if you will........., as if they were trying their best to capture ones attention in a more Hi-Fi'sh manner at the expense of overall textural richest | purity | tonal shadings of the actual notes themselves.

And seeming that I'm now in a place where, I'd much rather have cabling which offer me a more emotional means of being drawn into the notes themselves, as opposed to having them forced upon me so brutally.........., I believe the warmer type of presentation would serve me better, as I've found that by using pure silver or silver plated aerospace type ICs and USB cabling on the source ( MAC Mini | PS Audio NuWave DSD DAC ) into either of my three different flavors of Integrated's, followed by the use of UP-OCC-A 7-8N graded copper in the AC Cords | LS Cables ( while used as tone controls........, oh no ) have counterbalanced the sound of each to then create a very fine balance between resolution | refinement | transparency where to much of a good thing can in fact throw the sonics out of whack.

So, I'm then to assume I'm more inclined to pursue the USB cables like said TotalDac D1 | Acoustic Revive Dual-Head and CAD versions after all.

Once again, I view the server side of things as my final additional to my system which has been carefully voiced over the course of the last seven years to please my senses.........., and in the end, I'm to believe that each of us has their own flavoring in mind from the start?, lest why bother chasing after component, with no clear direction for an endgame in mind?.

Grown isn't a given, but commonsense goes a longways over the years of soul searching in this shared hobby.

Thanks again, my path has just become that much more clearer.