Sablon USB cable - 2020 model

sbenyo

Well-Known Member
Jun 24, 2017
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After a few hours of listening, there is no difference using the PC regular USB vs PPA v2 USB. There may be a very slight additional warms on the highs with the PPA but nothing that is significant or conclusive.

I think it means a lot about the Sablon quality.
 
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bodhifile

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Nov 9, 2018
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Thanks for the report, encouraging indeed. I've tried a number of purifiers and the better your system is, there's a point where they start degrading. Particularly if your clock is already high quality. The Mutec USB 3+ is the only isolator that improved SQ for the better in my system (also being externally 10M clocked). I assume the noise isolation built into the cable contributes to the imperviousness of additional purifiers etc.
 

Sablon Audio

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May 22, 2015
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....and the better your system is, there's a point where they start degrading. .....

This is an insightful comment Charles and was already evident with the SGM2015, where the likes of regen type devices would be detrimental to overall sound quality. I wouldn’t however attribute the reason solely to the underlying clock quality as the data signal is also being disrupted with additional connectors / cables etc. I even have a customer with an Extreme who replaced a $5k cable / isolator / bespoke psu ensemble with my cable.
 

Sablon Audio

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I’ve recently come across another device which accepts an unpowered / no voltage line usb cable - the Matrix X-spdif2 - so that joins Lampizator / Nagra / SOTM tx ultra / T&A. This type of cable is worth using if you can as it innately sounds better and is a bit cheaper.
 

matthias

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Mar 14, 2019
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Sablon Audio

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I know how to work around it Matt by splicing a usb c plug from another cable however it isn’t worth the hassle for the one or two requests I get a year for this termination.
 

sbenyo

Well-Known Member
Jun 24, 2017
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After about a week of burn-in, I noticed yesterday a big change. I don't know if this is related to the burn-in time or to anything else (disconnecting and reconnecting everything), but it does not matter.

The sound has cleared and is now at another level of balance between bass, mid and treble. At the beginning the bass and treble were more dominant. Now everything just sits in place perfectly creating a kind of 3D sound.
Only now I fully understand the potential of this cable and I am able to enjoy the sound and music from my setup like never before :).
 
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sbenyo

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Jun 24, 2017
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Another short update. Additional improvement in the past days. Again, I don't know if it's burn-in or anything else but not I now get the best sound I ever heard from my system. Everything is so clear accurate and especially balanced. Amazing sound! I think that anyone that does not feel enough of the magic on first use should give it enough time. Believe me, a bit more patience and the magic will happen!
 
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MJD Michigan

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Jun 24, 2018
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I've been viewing this site forever and feel like I should start earning my place by posting a note or two.

Something "sbenyo" said regarding burn in of the UBS cable mirrored my experience. I replaced the 2017 cable with the 2020 (unpowered). Straight away I heard more clarity, more resolution along with more extension in the top end. The bass was clearly more articulate. However, from cold, the sound seemed a bit hot on the top end, which caused me to keep the 2017 cable close by. The one thing I adored about the 2017 cable (which replace WW PS7) was the timbral color it revealed in recordings along with the ability for me to look down the 'throat' of say, a trumpet, or look into the body of a guitar, etc. Initially, the 2020 cable didn't seem to reveal that characteristic and I wasn't necessarily willing to trade that for the added clarity.

After a week or so of burn in the top end became very refined. For instance, the added top end extension and clarity made it easier to discern the pillow of air that a cymbal rides on and it seemed like I could count each vibration of the cymbal. The cable also managed increased articulation without sounding etched or bright. The bass somehow improved in articulation (fingers plucking strings) and body (feeling of a big wooden instrument resonating). AND, the timbral color not only returned, but had even better delineation than with the 2017 cable.

Hands down a fantastic cable.

Recently I've been focused on addressing potential sources of noise in various parts of my system. This USB cable has a very low noise floor, which seems responsible for the added clarity. It's not a trick of sharpening the transients. It's a reduction in noise allowing the details to be better resolved and discerned. I have the Sablon ethernet cable, which I will soon replace with Mark's new ethernet cable. For me it's a no brainer!

Martin

(System: Aurender X100L w/external LPS - Nagra Classic DAC & MPS - Pass XP-10 & XA 60.8 - Magico S3 w/SPODs)
 
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sbenyo

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Jun 24, 2017
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I have to add that to my feeling it keeps improving even two weeks plus after I got it. At first it was not balanced enough but now it's perfect. Today for example I can enjoy the best sound I had so far. It really is a fantastic cable. For me there was a "magic" moment after about a week and even now I still feel it keeps refining. It exceeds my expectations. My advice is to give it time and not judge it immediately. It will pay off. Kudos Mark!
 
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MJD Michigan

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Jun 24, 2018
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Agree. I too have noticed continued improvement throughout the time the cable has been in my system. It’s pretty special.
 
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VoicesInMyHead

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Apr 7, 2018
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I can only agree with the praise and what everyone else is already saying about this cable, but here's my story...

Some years ago I tested quite a few different USB cables and various USB tweaks came and went, and in the end I settled with the original Phasure Lush cable which I thought was the best I had found by quite a margin. During a period I was then using a streamer with built-in DAC so no USB cable was needed, only ethernet. A few months ago I bought an external DAC again and I was pretty convinced that I wanted the Lush^2 cable which had been launched while I was using ethernet only. I still think it's a great cable to be honest, and compared to the Sablon it's a bit cheaper as well making it very price worthy. However, at the time the Sablon 2020 model was not even available, but when it was launched I felt that I wanted to try it.

Together with a few other changes in my system for the last couple of months things has really improved on a large scale, going from the internal DAC back to external, replacing the internal SMPS in my Lumin to a Paul Hynes LPS, and then adding the new Sablon 2020 USB as icing on the cake to that has really made quite a difference. I think that I'm on a level with things that each change upstream is really reflected all the way in the chain, every upgrade is enabling the component next to it to perform even better.

Describing sound and difference in sound is easier said than done and I'm no expert at this, but to me the Sablon is like an open window to the music without ever getting bright or digital, I think it allows my DAC to portrait things in layers, it brings out every little detail in there and the music just flows in a very effortless way. To re-use a classic phrase it's the cable I don't hear anymore and it just gets out of the way, I actually think that sums it up quite well.

I'm very impressed by its performance and actually glad that I fell for the temptation to try it out, even though I was pretty happy with my current USB cable. And speaking about temptations, guess who is currently very happy with his ethernet cable? And guess who is looking forward to production of the new Sablon 2020 ethernet cables kicking off soon? :) Yup, after having spent a few weeks together with the USB cable I just have to try that one, but if it betters my current ethernet cable then it swings quite high above it's price range, so we'll see about that.
 
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Javaman

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Apr 9, 2019
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Reposting here after mistakenly posting in the 2020 ethernet cable thread...

Greetings everyone

I'm new to the What's Best Forum and to the world of Sablon cables, but I wanted to share my first experience with one of Mark's products, the new 2020 USB cable. Colour me impressed. Replacing an Audioquest Coffee USB cable, the Sablon USB cable made a FAR bigger difference to the sound quality of my system than I could have predicted.

Everything just sounds better, but if I could highlight a few traits in particular they would be;
  • Increased dynamics: The quiet is quieter and the loud is louder. There is a sense of increased dynamic range - musical crescendos have more heft and impact without the music hardening or the soundstage constricting. Equally, quieter passages of music are notable for the sense of instruments emerging from a noise free background - there's nothing there but the music, which leads me to...

  • Increased transparency: There is an uncanny ability to be able to follow the lines of individual elements within a busy mix, while at the same time the tonal qualities of instruments has been enhanced. The clever trick here is that this is never at the expense of musical flow, which leads me to...

  • Increased coherence: There is a stronger sense of being immersed in the music and the ebb and flow of the performance. The ability to pinpoint individual elements of a performance without losing sight of the musical whole is impressive, which leads me to...

  • Less digital 'glare': There is an organic quality to music produced via the Sablon USB cable. I hear fewer digital artefacts, sweeter highs and less sibilance, with increased treble extension and air. Cymbals shimmer and ring like cymbals should, rather than being a generic 'splash', while a fine layer of hardness has been removed from the mid-range.
Truly a stunning achievement and it's now got me very curious about the rest of the Sablon cable range, which is probably all part of Mark's cunning plan. :)

For those interested, the USB cable connects an Antipodes Audio DX server to a Kinki Studio DAC-1. Amplification duties are provided by a pre-production sample of the JAVA Hi-Fi Single Shot integrated amplifier, with sound waves generated by Totem Acoustic Mani-2 Signature speakers.
 

Sablon Audio

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May 22, 2015
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Thanks to Ray-Dude for his wonderful coverage of my usb cable as part of his thesis on Extreme!

When Sablon Audio released their 2020 update to their USB cable, it received rave reviews from many ears that I trust so I ordered one unheard. As I have mentioned earlier in this review, 10 seconds into my first listen with the Sablon, I was done experimenting with USB cables and shielding and put all that stuff away. The naturalness and transparency and relaxed presentation of the Sablon 2020 USB cable was perfect (no compromise) for me.

It’s taken several weeks of listening tests with the Extreme to finally get here, but I was very eager to finally hear how the Sablon 2020 USB cable sounded with the Extreme. Dropping it in, I had that same “first 10 seconds” reaction all over again. Just a wonderfully engaging and welcoming natural presentation, incredibly detailed, but effortless and without any stress. This is the most invisible and transparent USB cable I’ve ever heard, and I’m hearing it all over again. Such a delight, and in the world of audio nervosa, such a gift to completely trust a component like this and know it is just right (I’d missed this cable more than I knew).


https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/revi...the-taiko-audio-sgm-extreme-part-4-of-5-r910/
 
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nuway

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Jun 26, 2019
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Having received the new Sablon USB cables a few weeks back, This weekend I've played some Qobuz albums after left the cables burned in for over a week. I'd like the musical presentation of these cables better than the Intonas ultimate. The high response is more sweet and pleasant. It is much better sounding than the lending cable I tested, probably due to the longer time settle in my system.

Also the noise suppressor was a nice surprise with an improved resolution and clarity, but for me It works better in the last switch (Melco S100)
 
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dwhistance

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Feb 15, 2019
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I've had the Sablon USB cable in my system for a little over a week replacing a Phasure Lush between my Fidelizer Nimitra server and a Lampizator Atlantic TRP. I suspect it still has a bit of "burning in" to go however I must say I'm really impressed. It has all of the body of the Lush whilst giving many more details, quite a trick as my experience with cables so far is that you have to take either one or the other. Previous comments about the bass are also very true, it does seem to extend deeper with more control than previous USB cables I have tried. Net result is a much more satisfying musical experience. I would definitely recommend anyone looking for a new USB cable to try the 2020 Sablon, I will be adding Mark's ethernet cables after my finances recover from our family holiday.

David Whistance
 

Sablon Audio

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May 22, 2015
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Thanks for sharing David and it is well worth Lampi owners taking advantage of my cheaper and better sounding iteration without the voltage cable, like you did. Is good to know you already have the JL Sounds usb card fitted - am told that it is quite a step up from the Amanero.
 

DeadWax

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Apr 11, 2020
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Thought I should add my positive experience with the Sablon USB cable now that I've had it for just about a week. It's connected between my Lumin U1 and Atlantic TRP. It's amazing how similar my listening and break-in impressions mirror many others. When I first connected it I was a bit concerned as it sounded a bit constrained and carried a bright edge. Within 48 hrs the cable opened up tremendously with perfect balance across the range and amazing liquidity. I have never heard a cable change character as much as the Sablon and now after a week it truly is making a sonic difference akin to a significant component upgrade. Couldn't be happier! Well done Mark.............
 
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