USB Cable popularity check

I bought a Pangea USB-AG (the silver one) and it is truly excellent. I have been listening to a few lately, some very expenive, since I got my Burson Conductor and LCD2's, and so I am trying to optimize them.  The Pangea is the best I have heard.  I know there are some Pangea fanboys out there on their power cables, and I am really not one of them.  But the silver USB cable really is great, and cheap!  Audio Advisor has them for $100 for 1 meter.  The 1/2 meter is only $69 or so.  

So how does it sound?  Quite detailed, but still very full bodied and not thin at all.  Instruments clearly separated, but still playing together, if that makes sense.  Very wide, deep soundstage, and just the right perspective on vocals.  You are looking in the singer's mouth, but they are pretty direct and present.  

I just ordered a second one for my Hex in my main system.  I needed a 1.5 meter for that, so had to shell out the big bucks, $129, lol.  I feel my USB hunt is over.

I like the Wireworld cables.  I do think there is an improvement if one moves the power portion of the cable away from the signal portion.  Most of the "flat" USB cables do this, some do away with the power portion altogether.

I use the lower end version "Starlight"

http://soundapproach.com/wireworld-starlight-digital-audio-cable-p-1494.html

or something similar, my cable is red, so it probably is that one.

I like USB printer cables I find in my basement or closet, they just seem to give that extra something to the music since because, well....they're free....

Monoprice:

  http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10303

those who cant hear a diff will knock this thread.. :P

they will appear sooner or later..

wireworld starlight for me ..the red cable :)

I am not knocking anything just stating the fact that $2 printer cables work the same. If you want a $250 red printer cable, be my guest, it's not my wallet thankfully.

Strictly my opinion but I have yet to find any form of science that can make a USB cable alter the sound in ANY way.  You may have a cheap crappy cable that is damaged but other than that its transporting a digital signal.  The data either arrives or it doesn't, so having a "uber" cable is not giving you anything other than a lower chance of a damaged transition of data.  you lose a 1 or a 0 in the data flow its more likely to be an inaudible distortion by the time its been through the DAC.  I have researched this extensively, and have yet to come up with any evidence that a high end USB cable can make any difference.  I can be persuaded that cables AFTER the DAC can make some impact but that's a completely different thing.

I am always open minded and would love to see some evidence that backs up these "snakeoil" cables.

This may have better luck in the cable forum
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by meat01 

This may have better luck in the cable forum

Or the Sound Science forum. Cable discussions are endless and often unproductive.

The thing about this is that cable sound differences are subjective. It's futile to try to guess if your subjective response will be the same or not as somebody else's.

So you either have to just try the cable to see if the magic works for you or not. 

Otherwise just buy the monoprice cable.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ehlarson 

The thing about this is that cable sound differences are subjective. It's futile to try to guess if your subjective response will be the same or not as somebody else's.

 

So you either have to just try the cable to see if the magic works for you or not. 

 

Otherwise just buy the monoprice cable.

Hi

The human hearing is hugely susceptible to auto-suggestion. In fact this auto-suggestion is essential to how human hearing works. That is for another thread.

The differences reported by people concerning the various audio cables are most likely auto-suggestion.

The only way to combat auto-suggestion is with well conducted double blind listening tests.

Technically speaking there is very little chance of there being benefits in these expensive USB cables over normal competently designed USB cables.

You write that "you have to try the cable to see if the magic works for you or not". Well your use of the word "magic" is absolutely spot on. The "magic" is most likely auto-suggestion. To see if the cable brings benefits you need to try it in double blind listening tests.

That auto-suggestion will cost you a very great amount of money which would be much better spent on CDs or in just about any other way :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lorspeaker 

those who cant hear a diff will knock this thread.. :P

they will appear sooner or later..

 

wireworld starlight for me ..the red cable :)

You probably know the excellent story by Hans Christian Andersen The Emperors New Clothes. If you do not know this very wise tale then you should acquaint yourself with it. It might be that you will save an awful lot of money!

When you listen to music played using these cables it is most likely you are simply experiencing auto-suggestion.

Like the public in in Andersen's tale, you will be delighted that you are one of the clever ones, that can hear the differences, you won't want to be one of those stupid ones who "cant hear a diff".

The human hearing is very susceptible to auto-suggestion, in particular, it is what the human "makes" of the audio that it is presented with that is so susceptible to auto-suggestion.

What is happening when you use your red cable is that it triggers auto-suggestion and so you will then "hear" those great benefits you have associated with it.

The way to combat auto-suggestion is with double blind listening tests. All these tests do is remove the visual clues that give rise to the auto-suggestion.

You can if you wish remain like the public in Anderson's tale, telling yourself that those who "can't hear a diff" are in some way deficient, but it will end up costing you a great deal of money.