High End Cables Thread (digital, analog, power)

[Roasty]

Thank you for this comparison. I bought the Triode Wire Labs "Passion" USB cable to connect an Aurender N200 and Ayre Codex DAC. Cable is amazing. It sounds so natural.
Thanks,
barondla

nice choice man! glad u like it. it's bang for buck and also trumps a lot of other usb cables imo.

 

[ron-zone]

I'm set on USB cables, but thought I'd copy and paste a review of a very high performing, inexpensive USB cable, in case someone is in the market. The review is from a non-professional user, but someone that is exceptionally knowledgeable and has a true, state-of-the-art, cost no object system, that I trust.

"Reading the forum in last several weeks/months it seems to me that USB type of connection is somewhat becoming or it already is a second tier connection type where more and more users are choosing good old spdif or eas/ebu (me also using spdif often) while other with the units capable of i2s are pushing for the crystal clear signal via this one. I won't even mention XDMI of the Taiko/Lampi latest developments. Still some still use good old USB hence its worth to explore viable options in this domain.
After living for years with FTA Callisto and Sinope I've sized the opportunity when I was receiving back my units from Edisoncreation to order his reference USB cable. Not to write about the spec I'll just do copy/paste of the specification and basic info from the website which is located here: https://ediscreation.com/product/reference-silver-usb-cable/
Specifications:
- Perfectly Polished 5N Sterling Silver Cores: The cable features impeccably polished 5N sterling silver cores, offering superior conductivity and signal purity.
- Independent Insulation: The cable is designed with independent insulation material that effectively reduces crosstalk, ensuring clear and uninterrupted sound.
- Special Spinning Shield Construction: This advanced design feature further enhances signal clarity and reduces interference.
- Special Isolated 5V Shield Construction: This feature effectively isolates the voltage, reducing any possible interference and enhancing audio quality.
- Carbon Isolation Technology: This advanced technology further minimizes interference, ensuring a flawless signal path for your audio.
- Custom-Made EMI Block: A specially designed EMI Block reduces electromagnetic interference, ensuring pristine and uninterrupted audio transmission.

Look and feel:
Cable is packed in a very very neat box which gives immediate feel of the premium product. Cable as such is as well looking impeccable and you can see attention to details in the production. It is very flexible which in my book is a huge plus.

Sonics:
Break in with the standard ups and downs lasted for good 100+ hours which I expected and was advised by Edison about it I did not pay too much attention to overall presentation but the cable sounded good/great from the get to.
Now as I've been using it for the last good two months I can with confidence say that this particular cable is ticking my USB cable boxes by any means and definitely is a keeper. It is extremely fast, reveling and detailed but not on the fatiguing side but rather in a pleasant and musically engaging way. Nothing is popping out of the picture where it should not, vocals & mids are seductive and in the "room" somehow. I always like to mention "extensions" and this cable is excelling in this regard. Bass is deep and firm while high frequencies and super nicely extended while tonally it is also spot on.
Actually if I roll back the film a bit in my head - it brought me back to the beginning of my story - I'm again daily using USB connection which i scrapped for the slight superiority of the spdif one.

Price:
I'm ashamed to mention it, as someone or even many, will say that this price point has nothing to do with "reference" product, being used to pay in numbers with close to, or with minimum three zeros after the first number.
Well this particular one starts for a change with zero followed by dot and number 4 and k (0.4k). Yes - its a real deal in this insane audio price matrix we live in. If you have a need for this type of connecting cable make sure you give it a try!
King is dead long live the king! Pure bingo by Edison"

 

[ron-zone]

Interesting, I haven't heard of the company Ediscreation. After using the Platinum Starlight 8 USB for a long time (I think it's a pleasant all-round cable and I liked it more than the Curious cable), I now have the Tellurium Q Silver Diamond USB. It's super resolving, but I miss the musical flow. That's what happened to me also with the CAD USB cable. Now I'm thinking about buying a Final Touch Audio Sinope (because of the rave reviews). And further, does anyone have experience with the Tellurium Q Statement II USB? Maybe it's worth spending a lot more?

 

[Spawn300Z]

I don’t but I was looking into Both. I ended up getting the FTA Sinope and couldn’t be happier.

 

[BlakeT]

Interesting, I haven't heard of the company Ediscreation.

I haven't heard the Ediscreation, I just posted as it seemed to be a possible bang for the buck USB.

I ended up purchasing the QSA Lanedri Gamma Infinity USB, which beat my previous favorites, the Stealth Audio T-Select, and Sablon EVO, in head-to-head comparisons.

The QSA Lanedri USB is exceptional.

 

[Roasty]

Interesting, I haven't heard of the company Ediscreation. After using the Platinum Starlight 8 USB for a long time (I think it's a pleasant all-round cable and I liked it more than the Curious cable), I now have the Tellurium Q Silver Diamond USB. It's super resolving, but I miss the musical flow. That's what happened to me also with the CAD USB cable. Now I'm thinking about buying a Final Touch Audio Sinope (because of the rave reviews). And further, does anyone have experience with the Tellurium Q Statement II USB? Maybe it's worth spending a lot more?

we share somewhat similar sentiments. I had Curious Evolved and didn't like it much; felt it had too much top end energy and not enough low end. bought Platinum Starlight and sold it soon after. agree, the TQ silver diamond usb is very resolving and after using it for quite a while, felt it was just a bit too sterile for my tastes. I had a whole slew of diamond level TQ cables (xlr, usb, rca etc) but sold them all. only ended up keeping the black diamond speaker cables (these are great). the TQ statement prices are really up there and I didn't wanna enter that realm..

have only read good things about the Sinope.. I like FTA cables a lot and wish I had kept my Callisto.

 

[Spawn300Z]

Yeah I’m really enjoying the FTA cables. I so far have the Sinope USB, Ganymede XLR Interconnects and a couple Elara Power Cables. They are very high quality and sound amazing. I’m considering adding the Ganymede RCA Interconnects and possibly the Ganymede Speaker cables to have a full loom.

Has anyone tried the FTA Speaker Cables.

 

[o-MJ-o]

If anyone wants an FTA Callisto I’m selling mine because moved to Sinope

https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/fta-callisto-usb-cable.78305/

 

[ron-zone]

XLR 4pin male to 4.4mm female balanced adapter?​

Has anyone tried one and found it good enough to use it in a high quality setup?
(Advice for exactly the opposite (XLR F-> 4.4mm M) I found in this forum.)

I think a XLR 4pin male is enough sturdy to keep off a cable in-between.
There is one labeled NEUTRIK. But I cannot find it on the homepage of Neutrik, so I am afraid of buying this one:

https://deu.grandado.com/products/d...U3MV7IH8TntNqtXH1GEO0svMzOByQpehoCZBIQAvD_BwE
Can this one be an adapter of high quality?
https://www.ddhifi.com/en/product/xlr44b-2022
or this one:
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256803249451553.html?src=google&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa
There are now many out there, but I want to avoid unnecessary bad purchases.

Many thanks for kind advice!

 

[ron-zone]

y

 

[ron-zone]

Yes, in the case of TQ cables, I only have experience with power and analog interconnects and I find that the more inexpensive ones transport the music quite well. The (more) expensive ones are very detailed, but for me they lack a little body and emotion. I just like a little drama in music. As in photography, the sharpest lens is not always the best choice.
I replaced the power and interconnects with cables from Crayon (nearly half the price of TQ) and I think I'll also go with the FTA Sinope USB.

I'm interested in the Tellurium Q Statement II USB because of this report:
https://www.pursuitperfectsystem.co...ii-usb-cable-review-who-knew-it-was-possible/

But I have now read further reports from Terry Ellis, and he likes a lot to use the superlative “best”.

 

[xtr4]

XLR 4pin male to 4.4mm female balanced adapter?​

Has anyone tried one and found it good enough to use it in a high quality setup?
(Advice for exactly the opposite (XLR F-> 4.4mm M) I found in this forum.)

I think a XLR 4pin male is enough sturdy to keep off a cable in-between.
There is one labeled NEUTRIK. But I cannot find it on the homepage of Neutrik, so I am afraid of buying this one:

https://deu.grandado.com/products/d...U3MV7IH8TntNqtXH1GEO0svMzOByQpehoCZBIQAvD_BwE
Can this one be an adapter of high quality?
https://www.ddhifi.com/en/product/xlr44b-2022
or this one:
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256803249451553.html?src=google&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa
There are now many out there, but I want to avoid unnecessary bad purchases.

Many thanks for kind advice!

I have one from Venture Electronics (the guys who make those $5 Monk earbuds). They make decent quality no frills gear which I also occasionally collect because they punch way above their price points. But I digress. Here's the link below.

https://www.veclan.com/engappliance_sel_one?eng_ApplianceVo.eac_id=41

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/329...pList.new_all_items_2007585829841.32963167200

Unfortunately, they don't have the 4.4 to XLR in stock at their official store but they do on their Aliexpress page.

 

[ewppl]

XLR 4pin male to 4.4mm female balanced adapter?

try looking into Double Helix Cables ultrashort adapters. they don’t have internal wiring, instead soldered directly at connectors. if you’re looking for no compromise SQ, might worth your attention.

 

[ron-zone]

try looking into Double Helix Cables ultrashort adapters. they don’t have internal wiring, instead soldered directly at connectors. if you’re looking for no compromise SQ, might worth your attention.

This is EXACTLY what I was looking for!
I would like to enjoy a bottle of Barolo with you. First, thank you very much!

 

[tjkohli]

Just got an Effect Code 23 for my Meze Elite and it actually transformed the sound of the Elite compared to the silver upgrade cable. Mids are a lot richer and fuller, bass is deep and rumbly, and yet it retains the same amount of detail. Soundstage is also perceivably larger — so much so that when I first heard the cable with my Elite, I thought I accidentally played music on my speakers and double-checked my output.