high quality usb cable for e-mu 0404 usb?

I can't relate EXACTLY to this, but I can say that USB cables can make a difference.

I have a MisterX HPDac, USB-powered and signal, with Non-OS DAC and Pint-class amp built in.

When I used it with mid-to-high impedance phones, I got distortion galore. MisterX said he had them working with Senn 650's, but I had no luck. I tried my second MisterX HPDac (used at work), same thing.

I had in hand a Staples-brand gold-plated and better-shielded USB cables. Plugged it in instead of the standard stock one, and beautiful music, no distortion. Haven't looked back since.

I don;t have any experience with the EMU, so can't answer the question directly, but maybe my experience will help.

Good luck.

I spent some time two weeks ago looking for a high quality USB 2.0 A-B cable to connect a Meier Cantate to my laptop dock. Found what I was looking for at Calumet Photographic: Digital Cameras, Camcorders, Photography Equipment - CALUMET. Great assortment, fast service, and fair prices (and you may live near a brick and mortar store).

These seemed to me to offer some things the Staples/BestBuy/generic/etc. cables lacked. USB cables are very overpriced generally, and there are quite expensive "audiophile" USB cables from Kimber (see the Headroom site, for example). While whatever is sold as "USB 2.0" will comply with the required 2.0 specs, these are somewhat different; I got them because of the shielding and construction, because I have many cables (power, signal, network, etc.) going to and from my docking station and grouped in a bundled run under my desk. The site gives this information about the USB cables (Firewire available too):

• 24-gauge, high-performance, power wires ensure maximum USB performance
• High-speed data transfer up to 480Mbps
• Gold-plated copper contacts provide maximum conductivity, minimal data loss and prevent corrosion
• Foil and braid quad-shield construction exceeds USB standards
• Outer braid and ferrite shield reduces radio frequency and electromagnetic interference (RFI/EMI
• Hot swappable
• Signal-twists technology minimizes cross talk and transmission error
• Works with all USB 2.0 devices.
• Lifetime Calumet warranty

I have opened some USB cables before and the wires inside them were probably 28-32AWG. Having 24AWG wires will be very nice here.

The wire gauge varies by length for most USB 2.0 cables. The Belkin Pro Series extension cable is 20G, for example, but when I tried to find specs for the shorter Belkins and other cables, I found very little wire gauge information is available (what I could find referred to thinner gauge wires). The Calumet were all 24G (and are all black, if that matters to you -- it did to me). I have the longest available run of Belkin Pro USB 2.0 cable for my printer, and the jacket diameter is the same as that of the much shorter Calumet.

The thickness of the cable jacket is not a reliable guide for determining gauge, however, because many cable makers "cheat" and use very thick jackets on very thin wire to make you think you're getting something good. The USB specs have limited cable length runs, because of propagation delays and signal loss that comes with long cable runs, and that's why you can find repeaters and amplifiers for long runs of cable for USB 2.0 peripherals. And unless your cable's jacket is labeled USB 2.0, you have no way of knowing whether the cable was built to USB 2.0 or USB 1.0 specs, because the connectors are identical and there's no requirement of labeling the newer cables to differentiate from the older ones! (And you should know there's a USB 3.0 on the horizon.)

Any half-way honest computer- or big-box-store salesman will tell you that USB cables are an incredibly profitable item, and that the manufacturers and retailers know this and mark up cable because they can make more on the cable than what's attached to it!

Kimber's "audiophile" USB cable is more than twice the price of any other cable I could find (gee, why am I not surprised?). Below are the bullet points from the apparently Kimber-released press info on these cables (they're not yet listed on the Kimber website, though). You can see they refer to silver plating on the Kimber (vs. gold plating on the Calumet and others). I wonder why silver on the connectors, because that will tarnish if exposed to air. There are two ferrite beads on the Kimber (vs. one on the Calumet, and none on virtually any other USB cable I could find). Kimber provides no info about the twist or shielding, however.

• Silver plated (6.1%) signal conductors
• Maximum gauge signal and power conductors
• Nitrogen infused polyethylene signal conductor dielectric
• Ferrite noise reduction beads
• Type A to Type B or Type MINI B
• The new cables, B-Bus™ and Mini-Bus™, use large copper conductors – the largest possible under USB specifications, and the signal conductors are plated with an unusually thick (6.1%) silver plating to enhance conductivity and signal support. The ferrite noise reduction beads help the cable to preserve the delicate data stream, even at longer lengths.

The USB cable included with the 0404 USB has a ferrite choke on one end, so presumably it's better than the typical USB cable.

I looked into the USB 2.0 cable stuff some more. Pretty confusing specs and even more misleading ads!

There are two different wire types in USB cables: one kind is for signal and the other for power. Some cable makers advertise or list one gauge, and most don't specify whether or not the listed gauge is the power or signal wire size. Few makers specify different gauges for the wires up to the 16 foot limit, while others go to heavy gauge power wire for extensions.

There are cables with 20G power wire; one such claim comes from Monster. Belkin's cables seem to be listed as 24 or 20G, but it's not clear what they mean all the time. I didn't see anyone list 22G for anything. Some makers give full specs for gauge of the wire used on the power and signal wires, but that's pretty rare. Some list "shielded," some have "dual shields," some list "three shields," and one says "quad shielded." Few specify twist or braid. It's rare to find a ferrite bead included. Some have gold plating, some do not. What a confusing mess!

Monster sells A/V USB cables, with lights to indicate that there's signal passing through (I guess that sound or data isn't proof enough) and what looks like TechFlex over the cable. Along with very high prices, too. The Monster product seems to have pretty big connector overmolding and a long stress relief. And they're in color, such as purple. As far as the Belkin products go, the "Gold" and "Pro" are the better lines, but what you see on the web is not always what's stocked in big box stores. Neither Belkin nor Monster have ferrite beads on their cables. The Calumet and Kimber are rare in having the ferrite beads.

Another source, particularly for unusual configurations, including right-angle cable connectors, is USB Gear: USBGear USB Enclosure USB Adapter USB SERIAL USB Cable USB Hub USB SATA.

Yeah, it's an untapped market for sure, even though the benefits of having higher-quality USB cables can be debated.

Don't forget about Kimber's Mini BUS series. Those have ferrite chokes on both ends. Expensive, but probably a better value than Monster.

Another well-known audiophile accessory site says that most USB 2.0 cables have "26 Ga cables for the power side and two 32Ga cables for the data." And it then says Kimber uses "larger 22awg and 28awg." Kimber has A to B cable, and A to MiniB cable. The Monster line currently shows two levels of USB cable; connectors are A to B, and A to MiniB. The older superthick and inflexible Monster Powerflow, with the blinking LED, are now apparently on closeout. The current lineup's gauge isn't stated on the Monster site.

Hi

I'm bumping this up because my Pico and Predator have arrived and I'm now thinking of buying some good quality USB cable to go with it.

I've been looking online and noticed there are huge price differences amongst USB cables, and going by the tried and tested method of more expensive = better quality, are these cables worth their money?

Belkin PRO Series USB A To 5-Pin Mini B Cable 1.8m - Ebuyer

Belkin Signature Series 4 PIN USB Type A (M) - mini-USB Type B (M) Cable 1.8m - Ebuyer

Belkin Pure AV USB A To Mini-B Cable 3.6m - Ebuyer

Belkin Pure AV Silver Series USB A to Mini-B Cable 3.6m - Ebuyer

Notice the cable in the last link cost nearly x4 to the one in the first link. Anyone here have experience of it or is it purely marketing speak!!!

It's probably not worth the extra money for a few tiny blobs of silver solder and some silver plating. On the other hand, the ferrite chokes might be worthwhile.

Take a look at NewEgg's USB cables (I have no idea about UK sources or shipping). They have the Belkin Gold for incredibly low prices compared to other dealers (probably what these things ought to cost). The cable is black, with a dark purple plug cover. No ferrite loops, but the claimed power wire gauge is 20G.