Comparisons between USB cables - what have you tried and in what systems?

[Stormfriend]

As the last thread on USB cables turned into a debate on real vs imagined differences I want to keep this one simple.  Which USB cables have you tried, in which systems, and what were the differences between them?  I don't mind whether your perceptions are real or imagined, so long as you genuinely heard them.  Hopefully with enough feedback some patterns might start to emerge that can give us an indication of a cables sound.  I also realise that a number of people will consider any patterns to be self reinforcing, but that's just as true of any other piece of hi-fi equipment.  I've never had to put a disclaimer in before, but I don't want the thread derailed...
 
I appreciate that freebie/generic cables all vary (by which I mean they're not the same brand/model), so any comparison to those may be of less use, but it's still interesting to know.
 
I'll start.  I compared the Audioquest Carbon vs my freebie cable, both 0.75m.  The Carbon was run for about 140 hours and changed significantly after 24 and 80 hours, or thereabouts.  It may have changed later still but I didn't keep it that long.  It was rich and creamy, but with a slight emphasis on the mid bass.  The treble was much smoother and easier to listen to than the freebie cable, but overall I found the Carbon lacked presence and bite.  The Carbon timed well though, keeping my attention during slower tracks, whether Klaus Schulze or Stravinsky.  The freebie cable, thanks to its bite, was more exciting and timed well in more obviously rhythmic music, but it felt like the conductor was having a bad day on the slower sections and my attention wandered.  The Carbon can best be described as a polite sound, whilst the freebie cable was rather aggressive.
 
I used a PC running Foobar2000, hooked up to an M2Tech EVO.  That then fed either a Micromega T-DAC or a Musical Fidelity M1 DAC.  I noticed the same differences with both DACs, but the MF has a thinner sound than the Micromega so the Carbon worked best with the M1 and the freebie cable worked best with the T-DAC.  Indeed, the freebie cable with the M1 is so difficult to listen to that I've reverted to the T-DAC for the time being.  Overall I preferred the sound of the T-DAC/freebie as it had more presence and three dimensionality, but it's so rough I need to keep looking for a replacement.

 

[skamp]

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[liamstrain]

Monoprice Premium
Audioquest Cinnamon
Audioquest Carbon
Pangea Audio Silver
ADL/Furutech GT2
Nordost Blue Heaven
 
All .5 meter, MacBook pro going to Yulong D100 and Gamma 1(via plug adapter)  - various amps and headphone combinations from there including Senn HD600, Beyer DT880/600, AKG 702 - on Bottlehead Crack, D100, Dynalo, and on my full stereo - I even swapped a few in on my mixing station at work and listened through the Motu/Adam monitors. 
 
Tried each cable for about a week - with some direct A/B as well as longer listening sessions. 
 
I found no audible differences at all between them. This jives with the measured data as well - so I have pretty high confidence. If there was a discrepancy, I'd commission an ABX.
 
Returned the loaners, returned the ones I purchased and kept the monoprice.

 

[Stormfriend]

Cool.  I'm not going to comment on future posts unless I have a question, but this is the sort of feedback I'm looking for; difference or no difference it's all good stuff.  Keep 'em coming!  

 

[sonq]

I tried the Furutech Formula2 against a fairly well made generic cable with built in ferrite core that streams without any issue. My system consists of Vaio Z > HRT MSII+ > Anti-IC > WA6 (P Sophia + PDPS) > HD800
 
I usually A/B new components a few times especially if the differences are too subtle or the differences is obvious but I'm not sure if it's actually making it better or worst. In this case, the improvement is so obvious across the board that I didn't even bother to switch back for an A/B comparison.
 
Most obvious is the increased harmonic details that make acoustic instruments sound more realistic and engaging. Plucked double bass is not just deeper but has more details. There are still some treble hardness on bright recordings but it's less harsh and fatiquing than with the generic cable.
 
I used to feel the HD800 sounds spacious but diffused, now images is more specifically placed and has a little more "body".
 
The improvement is more than what I had expected but be aware that cables are quite system dependent, so the result may differ with different setup, so try to audition before buying.

 

[GoSUV]

At first I didn't believe USB cables would make any difference in the sound, after all, digital is digital and if I could use it to transfer a file from my USB card reader to my computer without it corrupting my data, all digital cables are made the same, right?
 
WRONG.
 
First my audio system. A 2012-vintage 11" MacBook Air, thru the USB cable under consideration, connecting to a Headamp Pico USB DAC, output to a Meier Corda JAZZ headphone amplifier. The headphone is a Beyerdynamic T5p. Except the headphone which might be considered "audiophile" grade (whatever that means), all the rest of the system is not expensive stuff at all.
 
I compared 3 different USB cables from various sources. One is a generic cable of the variety you would find in a dollar store. It is flimsy, thin and cheap.
The second cable is the kind that came bundled with a USB hard disk. It is thicker and better built.
The third cable is the Audioquest Cinnamon.
 
I would not say my experiment is scientific, but at least I kept everything the same except the USB cable under consideration.
 
When I used the 1st cable of the dollar-store variety, I hate the sound so much that I thought there was something wrong with my system. It was completely devoid of bass and the top end was very harsh. Once the cable was swapped to the 2nd one, things improved so much that it was too obvious to be any placebo effect. I mean, anyone who has the slightest sense of music would be able to hear the difference. When I swapped it with the 3rd cable, once again, there was further improvement but it was not as dramatic as before. I got further extension into the high frequency and deeper bass as well, but the effect can only be described as subtle.
 
So does USB cable make a difference? In my experience it does.

 

[sonq]

Quote:

At first I didn't believe USB cables would make any difference in the sound, after all, digital is digital and if I could use it to transfer a file from my USB card reader to my computer without it corrupting my data, all digital cables are made the same, right?
 
WRONG.
 
First my audio system. A 2012-vintage 11" MacBook Air, thru the USB cable under consideration, connecting to a Headamp Pico USB DAC, output to a Meier Corda JAZZ headphone amplifier. The headphone is a Beyerdynamic T5p. Except the headphone which might be considered "audiophile" grade (whatever that means), all the rest of the system is not expensive stuff at all.
 
I compared 3 different USB cables from various sources. One is a generic cable of the variety you would find in a dollar store. It is flimsy, thin and cheap.
The second cable is the kind that came bundled with a USB hard disk. It is thicker and better built.
The third cable is the Audioquest Cinnamon.
 
I would not say my experiment is scientific, but at least I kept everything the same except the USB cable under consideration.
 
When I used the 1st cable of the dollar-store variety, I hate the sound so much that I thought there was something wrong with my system. It was completely devoid of bass and the top end was very harsh. Once the cable was swapped to the 2nd one, things improved so much that it was too obvious to be any placebo effect. I mean, anyone who has the slightest sense of music would be able to hear the difference. When I swapped it with the 3rd cable, once again, there was further improvement but it was not as dramatic as before. I got further extension into the high frequency and deeper bass as well, but the effect can only be described as subtle.
 
So does USB cable make a difference? In my experience it does.

I had the Pico driving my DT880 using the stock USB provided. It was listenable but pretty sterile and listening fatique sets in quickly. I should have tried a better USB cable before I selling it.
 
I did used a Sony MDR-EX90LP on the Pico to better effect.
 
 

 

[mrcircle]

I'll play. My desktop audio chain is a 2012 iMac > Audioengine D1 DAC  > Wireworld Equinox III ICs > Audioengine A2 powered speakers, with 3' of Anti-Cable speaker wire connecting the powered speaker to its passive mate. To me, cables are important components in the overall synergy of a system. Despite the claims of many that cables don't matter, I rarely fail to hear differences from cable to cable. The Anti-Cable wire, for instance, is a night-and-day improvement over the 16awg cord Audioengine supplied, even though its only connecting one speaker to the other's built-in amp (half the total equation). The sound went from somewhat confused and smeared (with the stock speaker cable) to coherent and clear, the soundstage coming into sharp focus.
 
I've noticed a similar improvement upgrading from the USB cable that came with the DAC to a Wireworld Ultraviolet USB cable. The stock cable seems nicely built with gold-plated connectors, but sounds thin and two-dimensional compared to the Wireworld. With the UV, it's much easier to identify where individual instruments and voices are located in the soundstage, with much greater sense of "air" around them. Vocals seem fuller with greater impact and individual instruments have more weight and texture. The difference is not subtle. With the stock cable, music is much less engaging, while with the Wireworld I get lots more of the music's emotional impact, which is what it's all about for me. For an investment of only $35 (used), it's a no-brainer - the difference between merely observing a performance and getting completely wrapped up in it.