I agree that high end speaker cables can make a HUGE difference, but does a high end USB cable really affect sound quality? Isn't it all 0s and 1s anyway?
High End USB Cable?
- Thread starter pwfletcher
- Start date
That's what I thought. I didn't hear any difference between lesser cables, but when I inserted the Light Harmonic, the quality changed. I didn't want it to.
How much time do you have on it? I read a review on it that said it sounds better with break in.
Does it sound different in a good way or bad way?
How much time do you have on it? I read a review on it that said it sounds better with break in.
I didn't hear it much during break-in. I just let it play for about a month or so until I got around to doing a write-up about it.
I think I commented on it in THIS thread.
Got it. I guess I missed that thread or just did not have as much interest in USB cables then as I do now. Thanks.
When are you going to let me borrow it?
A few weeks ago, a Wireworld Platinum Starlight USB cable replaced an Oyaide NEO Firewire cable (the Mytek DAC has both FW and USB inputs). I'm still stunned by how big of an improvement I got from this. The NEO had been doing much harm.
The improvement is most obvious in my rips from CD. These have become much more natural sounding. I find it remarkable that a digital cable could have made such a difference.
Just wondering are you sure it wasn't the firewire connection that was degraded and not the cable. If you would have replaced a firewire with another firewire and it made a difference, maybe...
Yes the FW interface could certainly be part of it. But an awful lot of folks have reported preferring FW to USB when comparing with equivalent or nearly-equivalent cables. Most folks who have posted to that very long thread at Computer Audiophile seem to have stated a preference for FW for example. So FW likely has an advantage sonically, making the gains from the Wireworld USB more impressive.
I went with USB instead as I was planning to upgrade DACs next year, and the two leading candidates don't have FW. But thanks to the cable swap, I am less inclined at this point to swap DACs. The Mytek is far better than previously considered.
All, My dealer has given me an Audioquest Diamond 3m USB cable to try with the MSB stack. I've been using a 2m Belkin Gold USB. Initial impressions: BIG IMPROVEMENT. The resulting sound is much more relaxed, you know, high frequencies sound more natural. I am detecting greater stage width/depth and space surrounding instruments too. USB input now much closer to hearing the disc play from the transport. I'm not convinced yet. Need to evaluate further but initial impressions are positive. I would love to try the Light Harmonic that Bruce B. recommended but can't seem to get it for evaluation.
One additional note. My dealer also gave me an Audioquest Diamond Ethernet to evaluate. The suggestion was to install it as the replacement for the stock ethernet cat 5 cable that connects the MSB UMT Plus to the Diamond DAC. This is the Pro I2S interface cable. You don't want to know. I've been reading the thread related to high performance ethernet cables here and I suspect there wont be "a lot of love" from y'all when I tell you that it has improved the MSB stack sound. Not as much as the USB but my initial thoughts are that there is an improvement.
I should add that MSB is a relatively new product for me and my dealer. Neither of us are convinced yet of the ethernet improvement but the USB is easy to hear. I can't figure out why either should make ANY difference but they seem to improve the presentation. Ugh. Film at 11.
One additional note. My dealer also gave me an Audioquest Diamond Ethernet to evaluate. The suggestion was to install it as the replacement for the stock ethernet cat 5 cable that connects the MSB UMT Plus to the Diamond DAC. This is the Pro I2S interface cable. You don't want to know. I've been reading the thread related to high performance ethernet cables here and I suspect there wont be "a lot of love" from y'all when I tell you that it has improved the MSB stack sound. Not as much as the USB but my initial thoughts are that there is an improvement.
I should add that MSB is a relatively new product for me and my dealer. Neither of us are convinced yet of the ethernet improvement but the USB is easy to hear. I can't figure out why either should make ANY difference but they seem to improve the presentation. Ugh. Film at 11.
A USB cable is a digital cable.
Digital data is binary, it is a bit or bits that are either transmitted or not transmitted using the cable.
What is the technical characteristic that provides variability in a digital cable that affects the quality of the music? If a cable has good connectors and is manufactured properly from good material then how much better can any other cable be than one that meets the standards for USB cable?
Digital data is binary, it is a bit or bits that are either transmitted or not transmitted using the cable.
What is the technical characteristic that provides variability in a digital cable that affects the quality of the music? If a cable has good connectors and is manufactured properly from good material then how much better can any other cable be than one that meets the standards for USB cable?
Yes, the "bits is bits" argument. I understand and agree with that view. However, I'm thinking that any differences are not caused by data transmission errors; bits dropped, transposed, etc. I'm thinking that the differences might be related to differences in noise. I'm thinking that noise present in the standard cable and not present in the more expensive cable, makes it's way to the USB interface chip and then somehow adversely affects the clocking of the DAC ? Perhaps noise gets to to the analog output stages through common ground? Don't know. If there is a difference, and initial listening tests suggests there is, it sure would be nice to have technical reasoning support what I am hearing.
Do you really envision nice clean bits perfectly flowing through a cable?
These provided some good insight into what's really happening in the real world:
http://www.audiostream.com/content/qa-john-swenson-part-1-what-digital
http://www.audiostream.com/content/qa-john-swenson-part-2-are-bits-just-bits
Much more complexity here than what meets the eye.
Yes, I do envision nice clean bits perfectly flowing through a cable.
And if this is not occurring then there should be some analytic methodology that would measure the variables from cable to cable but we are not seeing this measurement except in the MSRP of USB cables.
How is it that we send spacecrafts to outer space, build supercomputers that suck up everyone's email, create digital images for movies that are absolutely convincing but we never hear about the critical nature of cables used in these high technology endeavors yet our ears "hear" the differences between different USB cables?
Kennyb123, thanks so much for the reference. I had not seen either article. As you may have guessed, I have an EE/CS degree and have an understanding of electronic circuit design. I had a feeling that the differences in resulting sound were related to noise and these articles really helped me understand how noise can affect the result. Also, the USB interface has a power signal from the computer being sent to the DAC USB input which further complicates the issue. This is a great feature when connecting a credit card sized 1TB USB external drive (no other power required) but probably not great for reproducing music as the articles suggest. Again, thanks. Back to listening but there is a noticeable difference between my Belkin Gold cable and the Audioquest Diamond USB cables.
Why would you expect to hear about them? You have absolutely no idea of the complexity of cables and connectors that are used in critical applications if you think there is nothing special going on in those fields because you don't hear anything about the cables used. Just because you don't hear about it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
I did read the links. What I am asking is "What equipment and methodology can be used to statistically determine the differences between USB cables?."
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