[zachchen1996]

Sooner or later I'm going to have to build a desktop system with a dedicated Dac and the such. I will be needing a usb cable for the system to connect the computer to a usb to spdif converter. I was planning on ordering some usb cables from monoprice, then I started reading that many people had high end expensive USB cables. I did research, and some people swear that USB cables don't affect sound because its just transferring data and some people are saying they do affect sound and matter just as much as headphone cables do, buying 100$ to even 1000$ usb cables! I know that headphone cables affect sound, with the differences between silver and copper etc. Is there anyone out there that can HONESTLY close their eyes, have someone swap out a monoprice usb and replace it with some audioquest one and tell a difference? 

 

[goodolcheez]

Quote:

Sooner or later I'm going to have to build a desktop system with a dedicated Dac and the such. I will be needing a usb cable for the system to connect the computer to a usb to spdif converter. I was planning on ordering some usb cables from monoprice, then I started reading that many people had high end expensive USB cables. I did research, and some people swear that USB cables don't affect sound because its just transferring data and some people are saying they do affect sound and matter just as much as headphone cables do, buying 100$ to even 1000$ usb cables! I know that headphone cables affect sound, with the differences between silver and copper etc. Is there anyone out there that can HONESTLY close their eyes, have someone swap out a monoprice usb and replace it with some audioquest one and tell a difference? 

Good thread.  I voted for Audioquest.  Doesn't have to be Audioquest btw, as there are quite a few competing manufacturers that have very impressive sounds.
 
What type of DAC are you planning to get?   I have not much say to Asynchronous DAC's but for Sync and Adaptive you will need better cables.  Cheap cables (like monoprice cables) not only cause more distortion but also the music is inaccurate. Transparency is also weak. 
 
If you want body and warmth to the music with great details in the lows, the copper purity USB cables will suit.  If you want to take steps further to higher levels, i.e. extended, cleaner trebles and reflection details the solid silver is the way.  Of course the difference varies depending on the gears (speakers and DAC) too, but whatever you get there is plenty room for improvement in every part of the components.  And with high end cables (anywhere from $150- grand+) they'll give you greater depth / space.  You can "locate" where each instrument is played.  You will also be able to sense how far apart one instrument is placed from another. So it's not just "width" but "depth" also.
 
Monoprice cables are for people that do not care for sound or have numb ears that they can't tell the difference in music tonality / sonic signatures and detail.  All they care about is whether they can "hear" the music, or not. Like 1's and 0's. On and Off.

(lol)..

 

[goodolcheez]

This forum might not be good enough, as majority of the users have no clue with cables and don't have trained ears. Not enough passion in sound.  ComputerAudiophile forum maybe a better suit.  You can get more info there.

 

[Rawrbington]

Start with Monoprice. You have nothing to lose but about 7$ and that includes priority shipping. Ignore people trying to justify their giant waste of money by trying to convince you to waste a giant sum of money

 

[anetode]

http://www.head-fi.org/t/546191/usb-cable-supposedly-improving-dac-sound-quality-how-can-i-take-other-posts-seriously-after-that

They'll make a difference, if you really want them to. Though if you're asking if anyone can tell the difference in a blind test, then no.

This forum might not be good enough, as majority of the users have no clue with cables and don't have trained ears. Not enough passion in sound.  ComputerAudiophile forum maybe a better suit.  You can get more info there.

My sound lacks passion and my ears can't even do a single pushup

 

[sonq]

Quote:

Sooner or later I'm going to have to build a desktop system with a dedicated Dac and the such. I will be needing a usb cable for the system to connect the computer to a usb to spdif converter. I was planning on ordering some usb cables from monoprice, then I started reading that many people had high end expensive USB cables. I did research, and some people swear that USB cables don't affect sound because its just transferring data and some people are saying they do affect sound and matter just as much as headphone cables do, buying 100$ to even 1000$ usb cables! I know that headphone cables affect sound, with the differences between silver and copper etc. Is there anyone out there that can HONESTLY close their eyes, have someone swap out a monoprice usb and replace it with some audioquest one and tell a difference? 

Beware that many people on forums are offering advice base on assumption, they most likely have never tried anything beyond generic USB cable/s. Order a few cables with return policy to try and decide for yourself. Try Moon Audio or Furutech.

 

[Matt head 777]

Quote:

Start with Monoprice. You have nothing to lose but about 7$ and that includes priority shipping. Ignore people trying to justify their giant waste of money by trying to convince you to waste a giant sum of money

LOL

 

[Matt head 777]

what so special about these expensive cables exactly, the interconnect material, the wire material, what? How does it affect sound so much? Their are so many things to spend money on, your claims about being able to locate sounds better etc sound rediculous. I read of a person that claimed a pretty'd up jug chord sounded better too. Their only seems to be one proponent of these expensive cables on these forums and argument sounds weak.

 

[goodolcheez]

Quote:

Beware that many people on forums are offering advice base on assumption, they most likely have never tried anything beyond generic USB cable/s. Order a few cables with return policy to try and decide for yourself. Try Moon Audio or Furutech.

BINGO! DING DING DING DING DING!!!
 
Very good recommendation.  Now we are talking.

 

[zachchen1996]

Quote:

Beware that many people on forums are offering advice base on assumption, they most likely have never tried anything beyond generic USB cable/s. Order a few cables with return policy to try and decide for yourself. Try Moon Audio or Furutech.

So true, other than moon and furutech cables have you compared other usb's such as audioquest and oyaide?

 

[zachchen1996]

Quote:

Good thread.  I voted for Audioquest.  Doesn't have to be Audioquest btw, as there are quite a few competing manufacturers that have very impressive sounds.
 
What type of DAC are you planning to get?   I have not much say to Asynchronous DAC's but for Sync and Adaptive you will need better cables.  Cheap cables (like monoprice cables) not only cause more distortion but also the music is inaccurate. Transparency is also weak. 
 
If you want body and warmth to the music with great details in the lows, the copper purity USB cables will suit.  If you want to take steps further to higher levels, i.e. extended, cleaner trebles and reflection details the solid silver is the way.  Of course the difference varies depending on the gears (speakers and DAC) too, but whatever you get there is plenty room for improvement in every part of the components.  And with high end cables (anywhere from $150- grand+) give you greater depth and you can "locate" where each instrument is played. You will also be able to sense how far apart one instrument is placed from another.
 
Monoprice cables are for people that do not care for sound or have numb ears that they can't tell the difference in music tonality / sonic signatures and detail.  All they care is whether they can "hear" the music, or not. Like 1's and 0's.

"I have not much say to Asynchronous DAC's" What do you mean by this?

 

[proton007]

Quote:

Sooner or later I'm going to have to build a desktop system with a dedicated Dac and the such. I will be needing a usb cable for the system to connect the computer to a usb to spdif converter. I was planning on ordering some usb cables from monoprice, then I started reading that many people had high end expensive USB cables. I did research, and some people swear that USB cables don't affect sound because its just transferring data and some people are saying they do affect sound and matter just as much as headphone cables do, buying 100$ to even 1000$ usb cables! I know that headphone cables affect sound, with the differences between silver and copper etc. Is there anyone out there that can HONESTLY close their eyes, have someone swap out a monoprice usb and replace it with some audioquest one and tell a difference? 

 
Its kinda inconclusive to ask someone, you'll have to try it out on your own. Most of the times you're trusting another person's ears/brain, combined with their interpretation that is influenced by their experiences so far. There's too much subjectivity involved here, you cannot 'see' things for yourself (like you can in video/displays) to align your interpretation/understanding with others.
As a safe option, try something relatively cheap first that doesn't cost a lot, so that you won't regret the purchase.

 

[goodolcheez]

OP, Asynchronous USB uses a clock housed near the dac (usually in the external DAC's casing) and allows it to drive the converter directly, thereby not relying on the instable computer's clock, caused by jitter that is.
 
 
Quote:

Beware that many people on forums are offering advice base on assumption, they most likely have never tried anything beyond generic USB cable/s. Order a few cables with return policy to try and decide for yourself. Try Moon Audio or Furutech.

I read it again.  Really.  That is damn good quote.  Very well written.  That is so true.

 

[anetode]

Seeing that my post was removed because of some perceived personal slight, I decided to vent some steam in a writing exercise, so here's my attempt at the most innocuous reply I could muster to this thread:

Zanchen, I'm going out on a leap and deducing from your username that you were born circa 1996. Upon further deduction I have taken that to mean that you are 16 years old and likely still in high school, with maybe a part-time job to support your audio purchases. You may or may not have taken any courses in psychology, physics or economics, but it is likely that you will become more familiar with these topics as you grow older. Being a member of a young generation you have an uncanny familiarity with the internet flora and fauna, with various forums and with the varied cadences of written communications endemic to these forums. This gives you an unparallelled advantage because it allows you to instantly connect to the common knowledge of any demographic of audio enthusiast and benefit from their advice. However it also saddles you with the disadvantage that you will run across odd factionism that leads to forum members advocating for or against certain products. The choice of who you listen to is an important liberty, but I'd like to make you aware of the following:

Take the hundreds of dollars that you might spend on a USB cable and spend them on music, books and headphones, leaving maybe 10 bucks for a well-made monoprice cable. The music could grant you far more pleasure than staring at the colorful weave of an audioquest's cloth, the books could entertain or educate you on the aforementioned topics of physics, psychology and economics, and the headphones could make the greatest difference in your listening experience even according to steadfast audiophiles who would never pay less than 1,000% markup on a cable.

 

[sonq]

I read it again.  Really.  That is damn good quote.  Very well written.  That is so true.

Thanks and I was guilty of doubting USB cable makes a difference till I tried the furutech formula 2 - improvement is so obvious I didn't even bother to switch back to confirm.