[Canadian411]

agreed. i build cables for myself b/c i like shorter cables and i like my cables to look a certain way. oh, i forgot - i'm not paying someone $200 for a freakin' cable.

After I found out how much really it cost to make cables I make my own with better look and feel.

 

[kugino]

After I found out how much really it cost to make cables I make my own with better look and feel.

Yep. The only cable I've made that was relatively pricey was my HD800 cable. And that's because the freakin' connectors cost $45-50!

 

[YoengJyh]

For me, cable does make different in sound. Not huge but it does. It will make the sound fuller, warmer, thicker, deeper extension... dynamic, better separation... not many different, maybe about 15%.
 
I can hear the different, answered deeply from my heart. It was not placebo effect. If not all the after market cable companies go to bankruptcy long time already...

 

[Mike F]

Yes, sorry James, cables DO make a difference, even digital ones. DAC's sound different from one another as well.
 
You don't have to believe it in theory - just listen and believe your ears - they're better than you think..............

 

[Zoom25]

For interconnects, I use Mogami and they do make a difference compared to off the shelf cables. Although for USB, I honestly haven't found any difference, no matter how minute, to date.

 

[James-uk]

I know I sound like all the jerks I hated till I heard what they did. My first experience was with a AES cable . What I difference when I found a good one. Another is a spidif coax. If you think it's not worth is try a good . Not a 500 one either , but one from empirical audio . The same for HDMI or USB. I know it's digital and just bites. The thing is audio timing is every thing as well any noise . So yes all the bites do get the but with noise or very small delays that we hear .
Now speakers is different here the sounds all seem the same but with changing the wires it effects the tone . Some make it Brite some make it thin. I know I am ass ,,,, but it is true. It is not dramatic but it does become apparent inc a short time .
Al

The dac clock takes care of the timing . Go and educate yourself on how digital audio works. Expensive Digital cables are one of the biggest scams I've ever seen and it makes me really angry that it's apparently working on you nice, hard working people. Seriously I could post links but the facts are not hard to find I IF YOU want to know the truth.

 

[James-uk]

http://archimago.blogspot.ca/2014/01/demo-measurements-what-does-bad-usb-or.html?m=1

As it says, a bad digital cable will have obvious flaws ie audible pops and clicks and drop out. He tests the cheapest usb you can imagine and what a surprise it works. I'm not saying get the cheapest crap but any standard digital cable from a reputable store will work the same as the most expensive one .

 

[James-uk]

http://archimago.blogspot.ca/2013/12/measurements-usb-cable-extension-with.html?m=1

 

[James-uk]

http://archimago.blogspot.ca/2013/05/measurements-power-cables-for-low-power.html?m=1

http://archimago.blogspot.ca/2013/04/measurements-usb-cables-for-dacs.html?m=1

http://archimago.blogspot.ca/2013/04/guest-review-measurements-dr-franks.html?m=1

 

[jsgraha]

Cable debate will most likely lead into invaluable debate (particularly in headphone appreciation thread).
If someone can't hear the difference, would that be great?
I just wish that I can't hear the difference as well, actually.
 
But I do agree that the difference will be minimal compare to changing gear, tubes or headphone.
 
Anyway, regarding tubes, could someone kindly provide a reliable tube store (supplier)?
 
Thanks

 

[Mortalcoil]

http://archimago.blogspot.ca/2014/01/demo-measurements-what-does-bad-usb-or.html?m=1

As it says, a bad digital cable will have obvious flaws ie audible pops and clicks and drop out. He tests the cheapest usb you can imagine and what a surprise it works. I'm not saying get the cheapest crap but any standard digital cable from a reputable store will work the same as the most expensive one .

 
While I don't totally disagree with you,  keep in mind that for every article or blog denouncing mega $ cables there are just as many that support it.

 

[62ohm]

  Cable debate will most likely lead into invaluable debate (particularly in headphone appreciation thread).
If someone can't hear the difference, would that be great?
I just wish that I can't hear the difference as well, actually.
 
But I do agree that the difference will be minimal compare to changing gear, tubes or headphone.
 
Anyway, regarding tubes, could someone kindly provide a reliable tube store (supplier)?
 
Thanks

 
http://www.upscaleaudio.com/
 
http://www.tubemonger.com/

 

[TwoEars]

Digital USB is in a sense just like HDMI, if the signal gets through the signal gets through.
 
There are however some quite reputable manufactures of USB cables that say that the shorter you can make a USB cable the better, and the less risk of "smearing" there is in the peak's and valleys that form the "1" and "0" in the cable. The signal is digital, but inside the cable it's still made up of minute rises and falls in the voltage. And the longer the cable gets the less pronounced these rises and falls in voltage gets.
 
This is similar to HDMI having a max length that you can run it.Theoretically the higher the data rate and the longer the USB cable the bigger the risk of data loss in a USB cable.
 
So - say you have a 4 feet cable and use 44100 24-bit. Don't worry, you're not going to lose anything. Not possible.
 
But, say you want to do ultra high res 192kHz, 24-bit over a 20 feet usb cable. Ok... now maybe you should start to worry. You might actually get some smearing and data loss there.
 
So the single biggest thing you can do to improve the quality of a USB connection is to move your gear around and get the shortest USB cable possible. A good standard USB of good quality will do, but it's the distance more than anything the kills the signal.
 
The other thing with USB is the grounding issue, if you have ground rippling noise in a computer that you use as a source for all your media files there is a very high risk of that noise getting into the DAC and actually into the dac-chip itself. This is of course bad and something we want to avoid.
 
To this end there are products that isolates or filters the ground noise going through the USB cable. Such as this one:
 
http://bmc-audio.de/index.php/usb-audio-interconnect.html
 
These products can definitely make a difference, both practical and theoretical. But you might only be able to notice it if you have a noisy source and a high-end rig.
 
So in my opinion there is A LOT of snake oil in the cable business, but there is also some science behind it.

 

[ALRAINBOW]

Cable debate will most likely lead into invaluable debate (particularly in headphone appreciation thread).
If someone can't hear the difference, would that be great?
I just wish that I can't hear the difference as well, actually.

But I do agree that the difference will be minimal compare to changing gear, tubes or headphone.

Anyway, regarding tubes, could someone kindly provide a reliable tube store (supplier)?


http://www.emissionlabs.com
It's who I use
Thanks
Al

 

[ALRAINBOW]

The dac clock takes care of the timing . Go and educate yourself on how digital audio works. Expensive Digital cables are one of the biggest scams I've ever seen and it makes me really angry that it's apparently working on you nice, hard working people. Seriously I could post links but the facts are not hard to find I IF YOU want to know the truth.

Try a PPA red USB it's not that expensive but does make a difference you can hear
As soon as you try it. Don't be so anger at me.
I am just a user like you and felt just like you did
It's not all snake oil but many are. There is also changes in SS HARDdrives
Ciao marred to mech spin drives. Also sata cables
I know all the data gets there. It dies of course that's how CPU s work. But here're us timing issues that we here
Same with dacs I know they are asynconus
But it's the same here there are small varienses in the timing
There is a good answers on the web read them. And stop being so agree at me
If I have offended you I am sorry for it.
If it's just what I am saying relax it's just my opinion
Not yours
Happy al