[Poetik]

Hey guys,
 
I was wondering if anyone of you could chime in on these cables? I know there are a few different versions of it.  They have a the regular Starlight, the Starlight 7, and the Starlight usb 3.0.  Can anyone comment on the sound of these? I found a good deal on the starlight but would it be worth it to upgrade to the starlight 7 from it? What about the usb 3.0 starlight?
 
I'm so confused on this and was hoping someone would help me out.  I'm currently using a monoprice usb cable right now and wanted to upgrade a bit.  Please lend me your thoughts and impressions if you've ever used any of these cables.

 

[24bitbob]

An interesting question.
 
I've often wondered whether USB 3.0 would offer any advantages over USB 2.  This hobby, or passion of ours, is chock full of discussions of improvements to sound quality based on the  most meagre of differences in technical specification.  I have to imagine that it is only a question of time before the advantages of USB 3.0 get touted.
 
On USB cables, I bought my first audiophile USB cable nearly 3 years ago (from a specialist hifi shop in Singapore).  I am unconvinced about the subjective qualities of USB cables.  My attempts at evaluating the differences flounder after I have my first glass of wine.  Now I can recommend a fine Merlot that makes nearly all cables sound great....

 

[StudioSound]

USB3 cables have larger connectors than USB2 cables. They also don't seem very well designed compared to Thunderbolt and Lightning connectors, but I suppose that's what happens when you have to keep legacy support.
 
A USB3 port will accept a USB2 cable and operate at lower speeds, but you cannot connect a USB3 cable to a USB2 device.
And there should not be any difference between a monoprice cable and a more expensive one.

 

[Poetik]

  USB3 cables have larger connectors than USB2 cables. They also don't seem very well designed compared to Thunderbolt and Lightning connectors, but I suppose that's what happens when you have to keep legacy support.
 
A USB3 port will accept a USB2 cable and operate at lower speeds, but you cannot connect a USB3 cable to a USB2 device.
And there should not be any difference between a monoprice cable and a more expensive one.

 
Interesting, so you won't be able to connect a usb 3.0 cable to a dac that isn't designed for usb 3.0.  I guess that totally rules out the usb 3.0 then. 
 
I guess the main question now is the difference between the starlight and the starlight 7?  Anyone have any thoughts on that?

 

[FraGGleR]

   
Interesting, so you won't be able to connect a usb 3.0 cable to a dac that isn't designed for usb 3.0.  I guess that totally rules out the usb 3.0 then. 
 
I guess the main question now is the difference between the starlight and the starlight 7?  Anyone have any thoughts on that?

 
The structure is the same, but the 7 series uses the second generation of Composilex dialectric instead of the first in the 6 series.  No clue how much a difference it makes.  Might be difficult to ascertain since few will have bought and compared the exact same cable from each series to try.  Wireworld will definitely tell you series 7 is better

 

[cel4145]

I'm so confused on this and was hoping someone would help me out.  I'm currently using a monoprice usb cable right now and wanted to upgrade a bit.  Please lend me your thoughts and impressions if you've ever used any of these cables.

Upgrading your USB cable may make no difference at all.

 

[Poetik]

Thanks for the opinions guys and keep them coming!

 

[scottosan]

I just responded to a different thread regarding digital interconnects. People often invest unnecessary money on digital interconnects. Unlike analog connects, they do not sound different from one another, as the analog audio signal does not pass through the cable.  They are used to transmit a binary stream of 1's and 0's.  As long as all of the 1's and 0's are transmitted on $30 cable A, then it will not sound any different than the $200 cable B that is also transmitting all of the 1's and 0's.  Even the cheaper cables rarely experience data loss.

 

[24bitbob]

Hi,
 
I agree with you, USB cables like HDMI cables, are transmitting a digital signal, and provided the integrity of the cable is fine, then one cable should do exactly the same as any other.  However, it hasn't stopped the spawning of a minor industry in selling a wide range of USB cables, at prices in to the $'000's.
 
Check out the blog post 'Archimago's Musings'  ( http://archimago.blogspot.com.au/ ) for a series of objective, and subjective reviews of this sort of stuff.  If you go back through the last few months of articles there's some good stuff in there. ( I loved his review of power chords, where amongst others, he compared a 25ft length of old outdoor cable - the cable that he used, literally to feed his Christmas lights over the last few years).
 
I respect those who do find benefit in a 'good' USB cable, and I do not challenge them, nor ridicule them.  If that choice is based on an informed decision even better, and if someone can afford it, then a $50 USB cable, or even a $200 USB cable might buy peace of mind, if not that last piece in the jigsaw that they're looking for.  I've bought a couple of $60 ish USB cables - peace of mind, rather than a 'sparkling top end' or whatever, if truth be told.  I'm comfortable with that.
 
Overwhelmingly, and by an enormous margin, the quality of what I listen to is affected by the source, i.e. the recording I am listening too.  I have around 100 music cassette tapes I have recorded into 16/44 FLAC - no USB cable will give me what doesn't exist in those recordings (and they're crap for the most part).  With 24/96 recordings, I've yet to discern any difference using any reasonable quality USB cable.
 
Regards,
 
Bob

 

[Poetik]

I understand and respect that everyone has their own opinions at the subject. However, can I please get some opinions from people that actually believe in them?

 

[scottosan]

Although much of what you read on this forum is opinion, some things are as simple as science and can be proved with science. I am not trying to talk anyone out of anything. I just need to respond first as an Engineer, then as an audiophile. I'm just trying to save you some money. I suggest researching digitial data transmission rather than taking my word for it. If we were talking analog cables I would be on te other side of the isle.

 

[cel4145]

I understand and respect that everyone has their own opinions at the subject. However, can I please get some opinions from people that actually believe in them?

Well, science and engineering says that you should not expect any benefit. It's a digital transmission. If you start losing bits in that transmission, you'll probably know. A working $10 cable is just as good as a working $200 cable. The opposing "opinion," well there's plenty of scientific theory to support the lack of reliability of subjective opinion when it comes to comparing minute differences in audio equipment. I personally think that anyone that wants to spend a lot of money on expensive USB cables has a better chance of getting a return on their money from buying Powerball tickets.

 

[FraGGleR]

Unfortunately, Poetik, just about all USB or digital threads end up like this, where folks are more interested in "saving you money" despite your interest in hearing from actual owners about actual experiences.

Two be quite frank with you, what I did notice with the Wireworld cable is a slightly blacker background, which gave me a little bit more resolution. I will also say that it could have been imagined, as it was subtle, and it is very difficult to properly A/B USB cables. What Wireworld offers beyond some other USB cables is the separation of power from data lines, in theory reducing the likelihood of harmful interactions.

What would be nice, but not likely would be for the engineering folks to respect the thread instead of stubbornly, and at this point rudely forcing their opinions on you.

 

[scottosan]

What was rude about giving my honest and technical evaluation of his question?

 

[FraGGleR]

What was rude about giving my honest and technical evaluation of his question?

I wrote "at this point" meaning going forward anyone who continues to go down that path is being rude because the OP has confirmed that he now wants user experiences.