USB cable shootout: 8 cables tested

[flkin]

Two more to add to the list, the Pink Faun Ultra USB and the QSALandri Gamma Infinity USB.

The PF has more body and the GI resolves well. Both top of their game.

 

[FT251]

Can't find much information on the performance of the Audience frontRow Reserve USB anywhere.

 

[highstream]

Can't find much information on the performance of the Audience frontRow Reserve USB anywhere.

They’ve only recently been released, I think over the summer. The frontRow uses high quality copper, while the Reserve uses OCC silver. I would expect the latter to be more detailed, resolving, more dynamic. Copper tends to be warmer, speaking generally, and to me more involving. But I’ve never tried an Audience cable, only their aR2p conditioner, which was ok for a start. To each their own taste.

 

[ReformedNiceGuy]

For what it's worth, I had the Sinope for around a year, and yes it's very good. I have also tried the Network Acoustics Muon2, which is significantly better than the Sinope, and the CAD II-R.

The Muon2, even out of the box, revealed significantly more detail than the Sinope - but after burn-in I found it a little fatiguing for extended sessions.

The CAD however was the goldilocks cable. Beautifully detailed and highly musical. Melodies, chord changes, key changes - they all seemed more obvious and natural with the CAD.

Obviously this is system dependent, but I'm 95% sure the CAD is the one I'll be happier with over the coming years.

 

[Anyoldears]

For what it's worth, I had the Sinope for around a year, and yes it's very good. I have also tried the Network Acoustics Muon2, which is significantly better than the Sinope, and the CAD II-R.

The Muon2, even out of the box, revealed significantly more detail than the Sinope - but after burn-in I found it a little fatiguing for extended sessions.

Yep, thats what I heard too. I am currently evaluating the AA Audio sigref cable, and its very good! https://aa-audio.com.my/product/aa-sig-ref-usb-audio-cable/

 

[flkin]

Two more to add to the list, the Pink Faun Ultra USB and the QSALandri Gamma Infinity USB.

The PF has more body and the GI resolves well. Both top of their game.

It’s 3 weeks now since the QSALandri USB cable has been in the system with probably around 200 hours of playback. Started off being a touch lean and forward but it’s settled into an extraordinarily good wire. Details without any hint of harness. Full bodied but focused. Wide and deep soundstage. My new reference USB.

 

[chbreton]

Yep, thats what I heard too. I am currently evaluating the AA Audio sigref cable, and its very good! https://aa-audio.com.my/product/aa-sig-ref-usb-audio-cable/

What is your feedback to AA audio USB cables? I’ m looking on the USB XT from them !

 

[highstream]

For what it's worth, I had the Sinope for around a year, and yes it's very good. I have also tried the Network Acoustics Muon2, which is significantly better than the Sinope, and the CAD II-R.

The Muon2, even out of the box, revealed significantly more detail than the Sinope - but after burn-in I found it a little fatiguing for extended sessions.

The CAD however was the goldilocks cable. Beautifully detailed and highly musical. Melodies, chord changes, key changes - they all seemed more obvious and natural with the CAD.

Obviously this is system dependent, but I'm 95% sure the CAD is the one I'll be happier with over the coming years.

I agree about the CAD, with one caveat. On a run from an SSD in a case to a power supply modified Oppo 203, digital only, it sounds best with the Audioquest Jitterbug FMJ inline. However, the USB 2 relative slowness in drive recognition and file loading is greatly exaggerated with the AQ, as compared to without the AQ or with a WyWires Diamond with the AQ. I don’t know if the separate ground wire is causing that or why it would.

 

[Hear Here]

Overall assessment:
First off, all of these cables are good. For the majority, I had a hard time distinguishing them and finding differences, only maybe 3 stood out to me, the rest were very close.

I've just spotted this thread and am bewildered by some of the comments - not that I've read many of them.

The cables under test were between £500 - 6000 - the latter is more than the cost of all my audio electronics - streamer, DAC, amp and all! Why wasn't a £5 or maybe £15 cable included in the test - I suspect it would still have been covered by the Overall Assessment conclusion above!

 

[highstream]

I've just spotted this thread and am bewildered by the comments - not that I've read many of them.

The cables under test were between £500 - 6000 - the latter is more than the cost of all my audio electronics - streamer, DAC, amp and all! Why wasn't a £5 cable included in the test - I suspect it would have been covered by the Overall Assessment conclusion above!

Probably because it would heve been a waste of time. There are numerous published and user reviews, and just privately done tests, where an OEM cable has been compared to a specialized audiophile level cable and found lacking. Without knowing your ears, your post suggests that you haven’t made such comparisons and/or your equipment is not at a level where it would make much of a difference. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be bewildered. I encourage you to recognize that there are some things you might not know or haven’t experienced that others of us do or have, and experiment for yourself. You’ll likely be amazed at the differences. But please don’t hold the sound quality of your entry level system (or budget) against us.

 

[Anyoldears]

What is your feedback to AA audio USB cables? I’ m looking on the USB XT from them !

I should be getting the top of the range one in the New Year to review. As I said before, impressed with the Sig Ref

 

[Anyoldears]

I've just spotted this thread and am bewildered by some of the comments - not that I've read many of them.

The cables under test were between £500 - 6000 - the latter is more than the cost of all my audio electronics - streamer, DAC, amp and all! Why wasn't a £5 or maybe £15 cable included in the test - I suspect it would still have been covered by the Overall Assessment conclusion above!

Do you think a £5 cable would be any good? Quick answer, no theyre not. We moved on from that sort of thing decades ago, not because we are snobs, but because they are crap and not worth our time. Get a David Laboga Emerald2 on loan and find out for yourself

 

[highstream]

I should be getting the top of the range one in the New Year to review. As I said before, impressed with the Sig Ref

In USD, a 1m top of the line AA costs around $950 at the current exchange rate. Quite a bargain…depending on how it sounds (I’m not a fan of silver sound, but one never knows).

 

[Hear Here]

Probably because it would heve been a waste of time. There are numerous published and user reviews, and just privately done tests, where an OEM cable has been compared to a specialized audiophile level cable and found lacking. Without knowing your ears, your post suggests that you haven’t made such comparisons and/or your equipment is not at a level where it would make much of a difference. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be bewildered. I encourage you to recognize that there are some things you might not know or haven’t experienced that others of us do or have, and experiment for yourself. You’ll likely be amazed at the differences. But please don’t hold the sound quality of your entry level system (or budget) against us.

You may consider my system as "entry level" but I'd disagree (it's actually very good), and on most other forums, I'm accused to splashing out far too much on kit that other members consider could be matched with their sub £1K systems! Incidentally, I'd put my speakers up against yours any day - I used to own Active 50s.

In fact I don't use and would avoid using USB cables for audio, so I shouldn't really comment other than to question how much of a difference a £6K cable makes over a £15 one. We will never know!!

I try to avoid cables altogether wherever possible, as the cable that IMPROVES a signal has yet to be invented. It's just how little they spoil the signal that is relevant, so eliminating them as far as possible seems to me to be a good thing.

 

[highstream]

You may consider my system as "entry level" but I'd disagree (it's actually very good), and on most other forums, I'm accused to splashing out far too much on kit that other members consider could be matched with their sub £1K systems! Incidentally, I'd put my speakers up against yours any day - I used to own Active 50s.

In fact I don't use and would avoid using USB cables for audio, so I shouldn't really comment other than to question how much of a difference a £6K cable makes over a £15 one. We will never know!!

I try to avoid cables altogether wherever possible, as the cable that IMPROVES a signal has yet to be invented. It's just how little they spoil the signal that is relevant, so eliminating them as far as possible seems to me to be a good thing.

Your perceptive point is that you shouldn’t have commented. Your least is that “We” will never know. Big ego.

 

[chbreton]

I should be getting the top of the range one in the New Year to review. As I said before, impressed with the Sig Ref

Great Thanks , waiting for the review ..... can you tell me more about Sig Ref ?

 

[Anyoldears]

Great Thanks , waiting for the review ..... can you tell me more about Sig Ref ?

Well I've also got a USB cable from Z axis audio I'm about to listen too as well, and was going to do an update to this thread or maybe a new one now with the the three back to back. However, as a bit of a teaser I'll give you some of my notes on the Sig ref (compared to the Tara Master):-

- Bass full, lots of lower tones, not quite bloated
-great stereo picture/timing v good/left-right sep good
-Listenable/musical quality, pushes image out more

In comparison, the Tara has :-

-slightly more detail
-fractionally pacier
-not as good stereo
-kick drum/deep bass punches harder
-more upper highs

Anwar, my contact at AA tells me that his local customers found that the Sig Ref was a bit weak on bass, and so he has tuned the Extreme to be more bassy!! Didnt think it was a problem personally, but lets see what happens

 

[Anyoldears]

In USD, a 1m top of the line AA costs around $950 at the current exchange rate. Quite a bargain…depending on how it sounds (I’m not a fan of silver sound, but one never knows).

I agree on silver, but I'll be able to tell you within a month or so as Im being sent one to test

 

[Kingrex]

I find USB cable to be one of the least vocal cables in the chain. Speaker and power cables are sonically much more pronounced. Single ended interconnects are far behind those two. USB cable is more close to single ended interconnects. If someone were to say their USB cable had a profound impact, I would wonder what was wrong?

A slight adjustment in the speaker positioning can improve clarity far more than a USB cable. I could hear small differences between the 4 USB cables I had on hand. I kept the Intona that cost about $1200. That was a big swallow for me. It was just a tad more smooth than the FTA I let go. Either of them were only slightly different than a AQ cable I had that in the $300 range. Even a stock $15 cable was not bad. It took a concentrated listen to really hear what was changing. It was small. At the time I was flush with money and in a spending phase, so I bought the Intona. I did not purchase the Intona that was 1 or 2 levels higher in price. I did not hear a difference between the one, one level up, and the most expensive I did not like as much as the one I bought.

If I were to change my amp or speaker, I may prefer the FTA. I gave up some top end accentuation for smooth. You really need to think about the gear you have to select the correct cables. It's a system.

 

[highstream]

I find USB cable to be one of the least vocal cables in the chain. Speaker and power cables are sonically much more pronounced. Single ended interconnects are far behind those two. USB cable is more close to single ended interconnects. If someone were to say their USB cable had a profound impact, I would wonder what was wrong?

A slight adjustment in the speaker positioning can improve clarity far more than a USB cable. I could hear small differences between the 4 USB cables I had on hand. I kept the Intona that cost about $1200. That was a big swallow for me. It was just a tad more smooth than the FTA I let go. Either of them were only slightly different than a AQ cable I had that in the $300 range. Even a stock $15 cable was not bad. It took a concentrated listen to really hear what was changing. It was small. At the time I was flush with money and in a spending phase, so I bought the Intona. I did not purchase the Intona that was 1 or 2 levels higher in price. I did not hear a difference between the one, one level up, and the most expensive I did not like as much as the one I bought.

If I were to change my amp or speaker, I may prefer the FTA. I gave up some top end accentuation for smooth. You really need to think about the gear you have to select the correct cables. It's a system.

Tonal balance is what's stood out to me first, comparing my WyWires Diamond to the (burned in) CAD II-R. Clarity second.