[Caution]

Ok so I have had enough time with the Snotora cable Limdongfi sent. Thanks to limdongfi!
 
When I first installed this cable I immediately noticed a difference to the Furutech GT2. Everything cleaned up which I was excited about, but the more I listened the more I realized I was missing out on something.
The Snotora cable is clinical sounding. bass is noticeably recessed, and there is a spike in the treble. If I had to pick a headphone that reminded me of this cable, it would be the K701. 
Bass guitar on a lot of tracks seems to disappear or become hard to track in the mix. I can hear the initial pluck of a bass, but nothing much after that. there's a lack of decay, and not enough body to the instrument. I hear the same thing when an acoustic guitar is strummed. Cymbals also have a tendency to sound too bright and at times unnatural. 
On the other hand I think the GT2 has a bit of bloat going on when compared to the Snotora, and doesn't have as much detail retrieval. Both aren't perfect cables.
 
Who would have thought a usb cable would make this much difference? 

 

[limdongfi]

Thanks Caution.
Your review showed many details about the characteristics of the cable that I waited to see. I would test it again in the point of view you described when I get the cable next time. You are truly right, there is no perfect cable in the world! This cable seems to sound somewhat differently on different systems. I can see the two sets of systems in your signature but not about the source gear.
 
Would you explain what your source gear is and its two ports in which the data/power cables are inserted? These are very important factors when we test USB cables.
 
I really appreciate your thorough test and review.
 
Dongho.

 

[panhead]

Dongho
 
 
Ive let the Snotora USB settle in a bit streaming media for part of 2 days.   My first impressions were spot on.   I dont think its changed much if any in this period.    It leans to being bright and that helps with mp3 radio stations on   the internet.     Next I switched to my external OWC firewire drive and listened to some ripped flacs of Joni Mitchell and some jazz.  This is a relatively fast sounding cable as I notice excellent detail and transient response.
 
I cant wait to do some more improvements to my streaming server  (Seasonic 400W,   Silverstone SATA,   sOTM fan filter and one of the new 3220T processors) to see where this goes.  Ive started searching for a 5v supply to use with this cable.    I assume the lead with the choke is the 5v?
 
 
No not perfect as stated by the previous poster, but I will NOT be putting my Wireworld back in  (I still have the 1.5M Starlight) as I do prefer the sound of this one.     You have a very interesting product at this price point and your friend should sell a boat load of them.   Maybe put an ad on the gon.
Most other dual cable USBs sell for several hundred dollars. 
 
 
My wife mailed you the .5M Wireworld Starlight this morning.   Now hopefully you will have something to compare with as several people have indicated they like the Starlight over others in it's price range.....
 
 
 
 
 
Thanks again!

 

[limdongfi]

Thanks panhead for the additional review and comment on its business. I will tell it to the cable guy though he is no friend with me.

Yes the voltage of USB is 5V but the lead with the choke is the data bus not the power bus as I remembered.
 
Hope you got more improvement with the cable and your new gear parts. One more tip I have is improving in the power part of your DAC if it is possible in the DAC. In my case there was huge improvement with changing power of my DAC. You can see the detail of the idea on my blog though it is written in Korean/English mixed page.
 
Thanks for sending me your cable!
 
Dongho.

 

[Caution]

Quote:

Thanks Caution.
Your review showed many details about the characteristics of the cable that I waited to see. I would test it again in the point of view you described when I get the cable next time. You are truly right, there is no perfect cable in the world! This cable seems to sound somewhat differently on different systems. I can see the two sets of systems in your signature but not about the source gear.
 
Would you explain what your source gear is and its two ports in which the data/power cables are inserted? These are very important factors when we test USB cables.
 
I really appreciate your thorough test and review.
 
Dongho.

 
Hi Dongho, this was tested on my main STAX system which is very revealing when I change components in my system. I've plugged both ports into my Desktop and initially my laptop, with similar results. the cable is feeding an Audiophilleo 2 off J river Wasapi Event Mode playing off memory instead of disk (Not sure if this makes a difference). 
 
I can see people liking this cable if they would like to remove some bass bloom and add some additional highs (That's you tube guys). But on my system the cable doesn't work too well. I'd be very interested to see a detailed review between the starlight and the Snotora as that is another cable I'm interested in buying.

 

[panhead]

Dongho
 
Thanks for the info about which cable has the choke.
 
I am hoping to do the improvements to the streaming server next month.    (all at one time)  The Silverstone case I am using has limited space and is a PAIN to work on (with the internal brace etc).   That's why I will do all of the mods at the same time.
 
 I agree that upgrading the power cord to my main server did help.  I was using the ILJ on the main server and changed to a DIY with cryoparts cord and Furutech IEC connectors.  
 
 Ive went thru 5 iterations for the main server and the power supply also make a difference.  My first choice (and presently used in main server)  is the fanless 400w Seasonic: very quiet,  has low ripple and is more efficient.   Background noise is lower and the sound is more refined.  
 
Also on my main server I follow the CICS guidelines for minimizing the XP footprint.  This is a critical part of great server sound.   Getting rid of unnecessary services, devices and especially the network is a big step forward in sound.  You need the network to stream radio so that requires a different approach.   (hence the use of Fidelizer and much more conservative optimizations)
 
I've touched on several topics here and don't wish to hijack this thread.    There are many forums that help guide users and there are several commercial products for those that are not technically inclined.
 
If anyone has questions just pm me.

 

[limdongfi]

Quote:

 
Hi Dongho, this was tested on my main STAX system which is very revealing when I change components in my system. I've plugged both ports into my Desktop and initially my laptop, with similar results. the cable is feeding an Audiophilleo 2 off J river Wasapi Event Mode playing off memory instead of disk (Not sure if this makes a difference). 
 
I can see people liking this cable if they would like to remove some bass bloom and add some additional highs (That's you tube guys). But on my system the cable doesn't work too well. I'd be very interested to see a detailed review between the starlight and the Snotora as that is another cable I'm interested in buying.

Thanks Caution for your adding more explanation. Could you explain what STAX system is for my more understanding the situation? If it is a normal desktop PC then you could have sonic improvement by trying other mainboard or power source like dc2dc.
 
I think your explanation of the matching tube and the cable is very reasonable to me. I would focus on that matters in the test later.
 
Thank you for the kind response in busy life.
 
Dongho.

 

[Caution]

The STAX System includes: PC or Laptop -> USB Cable (Snotora or Furutech) -> Audiophilleo 2 -> Wyred 4 Sound DAC-1 or Audio GD Reference 7.1 with Aftermarket power cable -> Eichman Express XLR -> Transistor AMP V3 -> STAX SR-007 MK1
 
I can't say I can hear a difference between the laptop or PC...

 

[limdongfi]

Quote:

The STAX System includes: PC or Laptop -> USB Cable (Snotora or Furutech) -> Audiophilleo 2 -> Wyred 4 Sound DAC-1 or Audio GD Reference 7.1 with Aftermarket power cable -> Eichman Express XLR -> Transistor AMP V3 -> STAX SR-007 MK1
 
I can't say I can hear a difference between the laptop or PC...

Ok, so you mean by "STAX System" is your computer audio system as a whole. What I wanted to know was how your PC was made. In computer audio PC is the most important source of the sonic quality of the whole computer audio system. I was very surprised you don't hear much difference by changing PCs or laptops. For example my Mac mini makes 10db louder sound than my PC(how I made it is described on my blog). They make quite different sonic quality when I adjust pre amp volume as the same sound pressure level with them. It seems not easy for normal computers to make the sonic improvement much without  any custom treatment when we play it through ASIO, WASAPI or DSD.
 
Hope you find and try a better source(computer) if you have a chance later.
 
Dongho.

 

[limdongfi]

Quote:

Ok, so you mean by "STAX System" is your computer audio system as a whole. What I wanted to know was how your PC was made. In computer audio PC is the most important source of the sonic quality of the whole computer audio system. I was very surprised you don't hear much difference by changing PCs or laptops. For example my Mac mini makes 10db louder sound than my PC(how I made it is described on my blog). They make quite different sonic quality when I adjust pre amp volume as the same sound pressure level with them. It seems not easy for normal computers to make the sonic improvement much without  any custom treatment when we play it through ASIO, WASAPI or DSD.
 
Hope you find and try a better source(computer) if you have a chance later.
 
Dongho.

What a common mistake I did!
Now I am testing my mac mini I just bought and comparing with my AP(audio PC). In foobar I didn't play it in ASIO/DSD but in DS mode when I compared it with my AP played in ASIO/DSD. So mac mini got so big sound volume applied by foobar itself. What a shame! Now I settled the test again. The volume of both is almost same now at the same pre level. But they have still different sonic quality. Mac mini sounds similar detail but a strange stereo image and stage, so it is confusing me. But my AP sounds better stereo image and stage, so it is very easy to listen. Now I'm playing free DSD samples from Blue Coast in foobar. They are really cool in native DSD play.
 
Anyway this thread is not proper place to discuss audio computer detail more. I will start another thread if I got more issue in this test with mac mini later.

 

[panhead]

I have continued to break in this usb cable by streaming music from the internet.    For about 2 days it was really bright and I couldnt listen to it.    After 5 days the sound has filled in and the cable continues to improve.   I suggest the others give this cable some time before you dismiss it as not very good.  I stand by my first impressions that this cable betters the Wireworld Starlight by a substantial margin.

 

[Caution]

I will try to run this cable in for a couple of days on a different dac (Ref 7.1). I'm also picking up a Wireworld starlight this week and will see how it compares.

 

[limdongfi]

Cool! It would be exciting to see your another pleasure of test with Ref7.1 DAC and my cable!
 
I can't wait it.

 

[panhead]

Do take the choke off this cable.   A substantial improvement will be yours!

 

[limdongfi]

Yes, it was one of my finding in the test with the cable recently as described in my blog. http://limdongfi.blogspot.kr/2012/10/usb-could-be-better-usb-port-and-power.html
 
I am happy to hear the same response. My ears are not alone! 

 
Thanks panhead for the update.