USB Cable Comparison

[Scrith]

From a comparison of USB cables (between my computer and M-Audio Audiophile USB) made on another forum:

Honestly, I was not expecting there to be any difference between my current USB cable (a nice 7' Belkin gold, or something like that) and the new 7' Monster Ultimate USB cable that arrived today. But, just to be safe, I set up everything for my patented TRIPLE-BLIND AUDIO TEST with my wife (the idea being that not only does my wife not know which cable she is listening to at the various parts of the comparison, she really doesn't care).

She listened to two of her current favorites, K.T. Tunstall's "Silient Sea", and Jack Johnson's "Upside Down" using cable A. Then I switched to cable B and she listened to the two songs again, very carefully. She said cable B sounded very slightly better, a little bit more focused and natural. I asked her to try again, so I switched back to cable A. She listened again and said that cable A was pretty good too, but seemed a bit too crisp. I switched back to cable B and after just 45 seconds or so she said it just sounded a little better than cable A. I said if she liked cable B and rated it a 10 out of 10, what would cable A be...she said about 8.5 out of 10.

Cable A was the Belkin, Cable B was the Monster.

In my non-blind subjective tests, I do, much to my surprise, seem to hear a more precise, yet slightly warmer sound from the Monster.

I still have trouble believing there can really be even a slight difference, so unless you have money to burn I don't think I can recommend bothering with the Monster cable.

 

[Konig]

opticis usb cables are produced for a reason........

 

[Scrith]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Konig opticis usb cables are produced for a reason........

Yes, as a way of providing an extension to USB cables. I've never seen an advertisement for optical USB cables that describes any other benefit than providing long (30, 60, 90 feet) extensions (whereas normally the cables are limited to 12-15 feet, I believe).

 

[cmirza]

Kind of interesting that the upgraded cables had so much effect on the M-Audio Audiophile USB, seeing as the device is not bus powered. I'm interested in trying the Monster Ultimate USB cable on my Alien USB DAC since it is bus powered. A nice, heavier gauge cable should keep the data and power signals cleaner.

 

[gevorg]

If it really makes a difference, attaching a ferrite core to any cheap usb cable should make a difference too.

 

[ObiHuang]

...so THIS is how Monster stays in business...

 

[necropimp]

something tells me any difference would be purely psychological

it's 1s and 0s people...

 

[wjat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by necropimp something tells me any difference would be purely psychological it's 1s and 0s people...

but he said he tested on his wife who didnt know which was which...

 

[mrarroyo]

I do not know if this is true or if I was taken for a ride but I was told that the USB cable can be bought in both 1.1 and 2.0 versions. To that effect the salesperson showed me that some have 4 wires and the 2.0 have 5 wires.

I bought it and tested it. Perhaps I was biased and felt the newer 2. 0 USB sounded better with less clicks. Oh well if it is not true I only spent like $15

 

[Skrying]

Its a 1 and its a 0. Its not going to make a difference at all. What you hear is your brain making up a difference between the cables, you know they're being changed so your mind reacts.

I think it would be interesting to trick the persons braind. Tell them you switched the cable but you really didnt, I honestly wouldnt be surprised if they "magically" heard a difference between the same cable.

 

[wjat]

cmon, this forum has discussions over which lossless forms sound best, and usb cables cant sound different?

 

[cmirza]

It is 1 and 0, but a USB cable also supplies power. A better power cable can provide better SQ.

 

[Kwisatz]

If I'm following the progression, it simply went back and forth. She might not have been aware which was the most expensive, but it seems she had an idea that the "switches" were indeed switches. Thus it is entirely possible to favor one over the other with nothing more than placebo as the reason. That it turned out to be the more expensive would have been simply a matter of chance. Some of the switches should have been false switches to through off the predictable pattern.

 

[Scrith]

Holy cow guys, did you not make it to the bottom of my post? I said I was skeptical of the results myself and I wouldn't recommend buying the Monster cable unless you had money to burn. I can't really make my skepticism any clearer than that.

That being said, she says she heard something, and we repeated the test just to be sure (because I was skeptical that maybe she was just picking the second one she heard because it was the most recent).

I think I am one of the leading skeptics of digital cable differences (read my other posts) but in this case, for reasons I don't entirely understand myself, there seems to have been a difference. I have no idea why, but I know the Audiophile USB is self-powered, so I'm not sure it has anything to do with power.

I guess I posted this because I was curious if anyone had an explanation. The only thing I can think of it the extra shielding, or perhaps the part of the wire that is carrying the digital signal is better isolated from the part of the wire that is carrying the power. Or maybe there really is no difference, and my wife, who had no idea what she was listening to, imagined the differences.

By the way, trust me when I say I know a thing or two about 1's and 0's.

 

[Scrith]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kwisatz Some of the switches should have been false switches to through off the predictable pattern.

Yeah, maybe I'll try that next time. But she isn't exactly enthusiastic about lengthy comparisons like this (and 20 or 30 minutes to listen for slight differences in cables is definitely testing her patience).