[jasonl]

Quote:

How is your nuForce IMPULSE USB different from the USB cable that you ship with your uDac-2?  Is the included USB cable "not good"?  Thank you.

A better cable always improve upon three features:
1. Purity and overall thickness of copper wire
2. Shielding - not just the connector but the entire cable
3. Design to reduce RFI/EMI
 
All of the above cost more so obviously we can't include it free of charge. I use uUAC-2 to connect an old laptop to TV in the family room so the standard cheap cable is fine. Family room is always noisy.
On my study room desk, I use uDAC-2 with the Impulse cable for music listening in addition to watching Netflix movie so the sound quality is more important in the quiet environment.

 

[bulmanxxi]

Thank you, Jason.  So the basic USB cable included with the uDac-2 is not shielded?  
 
Any comparison of the impulse to competitors - Audioquest Forest (same price range), Kimber Kable, Wireworld?  Thank you.

 

[.Sup]

Quote:

Thank you, Jason.  So the basic USB cable included with the uDac-2 is not shielded?  
 
Any comparison of the impulse to competitors - Audioquest Forest (same price range), Kimber Kable, Wireworld?  Thank you.

I haven't seen a single USB cable that wasn't shielded. Additional or better shielding on the other hand is something not all USB cables have.

 

[bulmanxxi]

See Jason's response #2 above answering how the Impulse compares to the USB cable they include with the uDac-2:
 
 
Quote:

How is your nuForce IMPULSE USB different from the USB cable that you ship with your uDac-2?  Is the included USB cable "not good"?  Thank you.

A better cable always improve upon three features:

1. Purity and overall thickness of copper wire

2. Shielding - not just the connector but the entire cable

3. Design to reduce RFI/EMI

 

[axw]

 
Is it possible that additional shielding adds more control over the sound but reduces separation and openness?
 
I've just done two blind tests, two persons with uDAC-2 directly feeding a pair of highly resolving active speakers. Impulse usb 1.8 m cable vs stock supermarket usb 2.0 cable, 5.0 m for ~5 euro. In both tests each cable was correctly recognized.

 

[.Sup]

Quote:

See Jason's response #2 above answering how the Impulse compares to the USB cable they include with the uDac-2:
 
 
Quote:

How is your nuForce IMPULSE USB different from the USB cable that you ship with your uDac-2?  Is the included USB cable "not good"?  Thank you.

A better cable always improve upon three features:

1. Purity and overall thickness of copper wire

2. Shielding - not just the connector but the entire cable

3. Design to reduce RFI/EMI

I have only dissected one USB cable, a cheapo one and it was shielded with tin foil. So I believe he did not express himself properly. I believe he meant to say or better yet, write better shielding.
 
 
Hard to say axv. I haven't yet noticed any difference between USB cables but I don't own any "aftermarket" cable. They might sound different, if one sounds better than the other is another matter. You decide ofc. Where my USB cable runs there isn't much interference so I don't need any better shielding. If I do get an interference then its coming from the PC not from outside it and shielding won't help. I would however do a test with a ferrite core and without it.
 
Please warm me if I'm out of line with the debate here. Sorry if so.

 

[rataplan]

i still hear the occasional bit off RF interference when using this usb cable but it's probably coming from my headphone cable. as for the high purity copper, this does matter because over time copper oxidizes with exposure to air (just think of a green penny).
 
this was just one of those purchases where "how could i not?" ...having just spent $500 bucks on the HDP, i didn't want to think that for another $20 i could be missing out on something. plus, the shipping was "free" having ordered the HDP at the same time.

 

[soundive]

Whatever the explanation, testing different USB cable with Dac Destroyer makes audable differences - I went through all of my USB cables I got from printers or whatnot over the years and found two that I liked - and they still sound different from one another.  Today a colleague let me try his NuForce USB cable and damn.. Voices become more distinct and clearer - so whatever the explanation, results speak for itself - at least for my colleague and I, both engineering PhDs and current research lab scientists.
 
My 2cents.

 

[Deerhound]

Hello Jasonl
You claim you have a better USB cable then (most) competitors. Which cost a few times more?? What brands are you referring to?
There are the Audioquests, Chord, Wireworlds, ViaBlue a.o. - There are tests on these items.
Most of them use silver for the best results, so they claim (only the 'cheapest AQ Forest doesn't).
With what cable is your NuForce Impulse USB comparable??
I'm very anxious to know. Cheers Deerhound

 

[ArJuna]

Anyone that tries to tell me they make a digital cable that can transmit a "superior" quality sound is full of Sh_t and loses all credibility in my book. Being an electronics engineer for for 35 years qualifies me to tell you that if a digital signal simply gets to where it is going the signal is perfect. No amount of engineering, gold, or BS will make that cable do it's job any better.
So while "ultra-high bandwidth, superior RF noise rejection, all-encompassing shielding, jitter reducing, and timing error free might be technically true, they are of no consequence to anyone that has a working USB cable of any brand. Yes, jitter can deform digital audio signals on their way down the USB cable, but as long as the 1' and 0's are distinguishable there will be no impact on the resulting analog conversion.
 
This holds true for all "Monster" and other high dollar digital cables, such as HDMI, DVI-D, etc. I've said it a million times, "If your digital signal is getting to where it is going, it is a PERFECT signal. Period"
 
I have used  many high end analog cables on my analog A/V equipment for many years, but I use the cheapest cable that works for all digital needs.