[shaunccxr]

Just got a  TEAC A H01 DAC + Amp and now using a HP printer cable which i think sounds really crap. I scrolled some post regarding this topic and found out it dosen't worth spending loads of money in a usb cable.
 
i have around $60 budget and basically Im finding a cable which can give me deeper and wider sounds stage, also clear overall picture and mid range.
 
Thanks

 

[MrViolin]

And you're correct. Interconnects have minimal impact (1% change in the signal from normal copper to OCC) on sound compared to what you can do with an amp/dac/headphone. Phones are what change the sound the most. Seeing that you have IEM's, you might want to get headphones since IEM's tend to be in-your-face. 
 
But if you want to try, there are a bunch of generic USB a to be cables on amazon. Only a few bucks for them.
 
And later down the road, don't get hung up on cryo-occ silver/or whatever it is unless you have LOTS of cash to burn. Otherwise, save your money for amp/dac/phones. 

 

[shaunccxr]

absolutely but I think this is controversial,someone said it did have a difference but some said not. Btw I'm giving it a try!
any reviews about the Neo/Oyaide d+ Class s USB?

 

[tipo33]

I think that being a digital signal, it wouldn't have that much of an effect.

 

[obobskivich]

I think that being a digital signal, it wouldn't have that much of an effect.

Agreed. I'm not dismissing cables as a "thing" - it's just a quite minor "thing" when it comes down to it, and it's always very scary when you go off spending money because you want "better" (because that's nearly impossible to qualify/quantify). If you have a specific problem or gripe you're trying to fix, work the problem - don't just slap down the plastic and start spending as much money as you can as fast as you can. If you just want "more" then re-evaluate in what way you want "more" and go get it.

 

[MrViolin]

Quote:

Agreed. I'm not dismissing cables as a "thing" - it's just a quite minor "thing" when it comes down to it, and it's always very scary when you go off spending money because you want "better" (because that's nearly impossible to qualify/quantify). If you have a specific problem or gripe you're trying to fix, work the problem - don't just slap down the plastic and start spending as much money as you can as fast as you can. If you just want "more" then re-evaluate in what way you want "more" and go get it.

wise words spoken by o'bobskivich.

 

[[H]ardwareNick]

Thought I'd weigh in here a little.
 
I was comparing a pair of USB cables over the weekend with my Bryston BDA-2 / Bryston BHA-1 / LCD-3 rig - a random cable that came with my Dell monitor and the Wireworld Starlight.
 
I must have swapped it out at least 10 times to try and isolate a clearly audible difference and truth be told, I was struggling. Now, I'm not saying there's no difference as I'm not sure as to whether I heard something or whether it was placebo but one thing was for sure - I couldn't conclusively hear the difference.
 
Interestingly enough, after this comparison, I moved on to compare XLR interconnects. I compared a pair of cheap Audio GD XLR interconnects and Chord Company Cadenza XLR interconnects. Without the least bit of exaggeration, I stopped after half a minute of listening because there was no doubt in my mind about the audible difference in favour of the Cadenza's.
 
After this experience, I'm left with the following thoughts,
1.Perhaps digital cables don't have the same kind of difference analogue cables do
2.Perhaps digital cables under one or two hundred dollars won't provide an audible difference and you'll have to go alot higher to hear something (if it even exists at all that is)
3.Perhaps whether or not a USB cable will be audible will depend on the level of jitter in your source and the quality of USB implementation in your DAC
4.I'd much rather focus my budget on analogue cables (assuming the rest of my rig is downpat) before digital cables

 

[vegan]

In my limited experience, USB cables do make a difference. How much will depend on the digital kit used, me thinks.

I use a Neo d+ class S (Oyaide) USB cable. I was looking or comparisons here. I have only compared it to my friend's cheap red AQ. On his rig going into an Audiophilleo -> HRT DAC, differences were not massive. (We didn't tease out differences long, though.) On my rig going straight into my Burson HA160D, differences were stark - we both agreed his red Audioquest cable sounded harsh and aggressive in comparison to the Neo d+. The old Burson used an adaptive USB to SPDIF converter that seemed very sensitive to USB cable swaps. It also needed the power from the USB cable to be recognised by the computer (my Mac mini).

I haven't tested anything else on the Burson Conductor, but others suggest cables still make a difference. However, it does not need USB power (so I taped over the power (+) leg) and it uses asynchronous USB-SPDIF conversion, so imagined it would be less dependent on a quality cable.

 

[DougofTheAbaci]

In my limited experience, USB cables do make a difference. How much will depend on the digital kit used, me thinks.

USB cables have to conform to a defined specification. There are a number of reasons why this is done but the end result is that one USB cable will function with nearly identical performance to any other. The areas where they will differ, and you should pay attention to when purchasing, are build quality and cable shielding. A well built cable will last longer and fit better than a cheap cable. Likewise, a cable that is well shielded will keep external signals from interfering with the data being transfered.

To that end you do not need to spend $60 on some 'audiophile grade USB cable'. Any good cable will do just fine. I'm a fan of Mediabridge as they make a solid, well-shielded cable that comes with a good warranty. I regularly buy them off Amazon and each time they send me an email afterwards explaining their warranty and how to get in touch with them if it stops working for any reason. They run for about $6 for a 6 foot cable on Amazon.

 

[Moolok]

I just got Audioquest Forest USB 2.0 A-B 0.75m cable for my FiiO E09k amp. It's reasonably priced (about 30 euros) entry-level high-end cable. I bought it just out of curiosity to see if I could detect any difference between a brand cable and a no-name stock cable. Funny thing, but the audio actually sounds a bit (I emphasize the words "a bit") clearer with Audioquest cable. It feels like I could hear a bit more details than before. Could be placebo...
 

 

[FraGGleR]

Discussions about whether or not cables make a difference are better off in the Sound Science forum.  And whether or not they are worth the money is completely dependent on the individual buying them.
 
So to the OP, something like the Wireworld Ultraviolet or Starlight can be found on ebay in your price range from time to time.  They are well made, look cool, and have an innovative take on the geometry.  They are also well reviewed.
 
If you want to go the cheap route, Belkin Pros can be had pretty cheap, have good shielding, and slightly thicker than normal power lines.
 
Or you can have fun and learn to build them yourself!  

 

[Hi Rez]

Quote:

I just got Audioquest Forest USB 2.0 A-B 0.75m cable for my FiiO E09k amp. It's reasonably priced (about 30 euros) entry-level high-end cable. I bought it just out of curiosity to see if I could detect any difference between a brand cable and a no-name stock cable. Funny thing, but the audio actually sounds a bit (I emphasize the words "a bit") clearer with Audioquest cable. It feels like I could hear a bit more details than before. Could be placebo...
 

Interesting to find that a USB cable made a difference on the FiiO, though I am not surprised.  I've tried an AQ Cinnamon with both a Solo -dB and an ODAC - felt there was a modest improvement with the Solo, but really couldn't tell any improvement with the ODAC.  Now if I could just understand why they make the difference they do....
 
Quote:

Discussions about whether or not cables make a difference are better off in the Sound Science forum.  

Or maybe not.  If this were in Sound Science, it would end up as an argument that someone had to win, and probably end up locked.  Here it's an open exchange of ideas and experiences.

 

[Moolok]

Well, I'm not ruling out the possibility that the difference I hear is just in my head. Excitiment over new equipment and all you know...

Sent from my LG-P970 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Happy Camper]

As usual, experiencing has dismissed another "cables make no difference". I was in listening to some of the more expensive 2 channel amps with my HE-6s and while I was listening for some time to a particular amp, the manager brought me in a USB cable. No sales pitch, no commentary at all. Just handed it to me to try. Since I had been listening to this setup for about an hour, I was pretty familiar with the sound. So I popped it in and I was surprised to hear a clearer, more dynamic sound. Sound levels were left alone and it was a quick exchange so no time lapse. I didn't think the digital side would be affected by the cable but was shown otherwise. The change was enough that I walked out with it........$100 lighter.

Wireworld Starlight

I was using a $10 Radio Shack cable at the time.

 

[FraGGleR]

Quote:

As usual, experiencing has dismissed another "cables make no difference". I was in listening to some of the more expensive 2 channel amps with my HE-6s and while I was listening for some time to a particular amp, the manager brought me in a USB cable. No sales pitch, no commentary at all. Just handed it to me to try. Since I had been listening to this setup for about an hour, I was pretty familiar with the sound. So I popped it in and I was surprised to hear a clearer, more dynamic sound. Sound levels were left alone and it was a quick exchange so no time lapse. I didn't think the digital side would be affected by the cable but was shown otherwise. The change was enough that I walked out with it........$100 lighter.

Wireworld Starlight

I was using a $10 Radio Shack cable at the time.

I am quite pleased with the Starlight, as well.  One of the best bang for the buck USB cables.