I wrote this up at another forum but figured it might be worth reposting here. This crowd seems to be more interested in the highest end, cream of the crop options. These are probably what you all might consider more mid range or affordable choices, but even so it might be useful to somebody to read a comparison between five quality USB cables.
For reference, my system is as follows:
Aries G2.2 streamer, Lampizator Golden Gate 2 DAC, Primaluna EVO 300 hybrid integrated, and Dynaudio Confidence 20 speakers, power treatment by a Puritan PSM156
The story picks up in progress but you don't really need the prior context to make sense of it:
So far I continue to love the Pink Faun USB although I'm now confused about the name. The original owner calls it the "Ultra" but Pink Faun's website only shows the "Interlink" USB cable. It appears identical but with different text on the label showing that name. Maybe the same product but they changed the name? I don't know. But it is very musically engaging, rich, really open and spacious sounding. For around $1,000 new this is a great cable, for the second hand price I paid it is a steal.
The Audience Frontrow USB is a close second place. Also really enjoyable, a bit more focused and energetic at the expense of not feeling quite as open. It makes the Pink Faun seem a little smooth and relaxed in comparison which is good or bad depending on your system or preferences. I prefer the Pink Faun but with different gear I could see the Audience taking the win. At around $1500 for the 1.5 meter version I have here, this one is also a great cable if not as good of a value as Pink Faun.
The Clarus Crimson was somewhat annoying because it only comes in 1 or 2 meter versions, not 1.5 meters. So I ended up with a 2 meter cable which was longer than necessary and cost around $1,000. It did end up sounding fairly nice in isolation but didn't really do anything better than either the Pink Faun or the Audience. Still a good cable and maybe if you only needed the 1 meter version it would be a good value, but I'd personally go with either of the other two.
The Crystal Cable Diamond is the entry level USB for the brand, selling around $1000 (seems like a theme here). It was the only one of this comparison that I didn't really enjoy in my system. Very lit up, fast, and clean, but missing out in richness and texture that the other cables had. "Thin" is probably the best word I can think of. Too bad, as this is a beautiful cable, possibly the best looking of the bunch. Might work great in another system but for me this was a poor match.
The above represents my initial comparison. But I had a last minute addition with the Veritas Cables Audax USB. Veritas is a new brand I stumbled upon and have been really impressed with the several cables I've tried so far. Audax is only $400 for a 1.5 meter version and it gives up nothing to the others in looks or build quality. In fact it might be up there with the Crystal Cable and Pink Faun as far as being the nicest built. In sonics the Audax is also very competitive with the best in this bunch, sounding a little like a mix between the insightful Audience and the more musical Pink Faun. It doesn't do quite as well as either of them in their areas of strength, but sort of combines both into a really well rounded and coherent presentation. There's a trade off involved (as with all audio) but I might just like the Veritas sound the best when all is said and done. Factor in the price being less than half the others and it seems almost unfair.
In summary, the Pink Faun, Audience, and Veritas USB cables are all exceptional sounding and very well built. I could be happy with any of them but the value aspect goes overwhelmingly to the Veritas Audax. I guess I would say the Veritas Audax and Pink Faun Ultra (or whatever it is called) are sort of tied for first place, then Audience Frontrow, then the Clarus Crimson, and the Crystal Cable Diamond in last place. I'll be returning or selling several of these but the Veritas and Pink Faun are keepers.
