Question Hi-fi usb cable

aversaurus

Well-known member
I'm going to try the usb out on my ifi stream into my DAC .
The question is it worth spending money on a expensive hi-fi usb cable .
Could I tell the difference from a cheap one I may have from a old computer set up from back in the day?
 
Is it going far, and is it near any sources of interference? They’re the main factors for me, unless you’re using multi-£000 DAC.
If more than a metre or two, you may want to be sure it’s a decent cable, and try to avoid wall-warts and other mains related stuff on the route.

Frankly, I doubt that an audiophile cable is necessary, though I admit that using one from a printer may seem incongruous. Some wag will soon be along to say that a high grade usb cable didn’t make his printer spell any better!
 

abacus

Well-known member
Good quality shielded (Sone of the cheap ones don’t have any screening at all) flexible cable with good strain relief on the on the plugs, also gold plating on the plugs can help reduce corrosion.
There are plenty of low price USB cables on Amazon, avoid anything made by Hi-Fi cable manufactures as they just use cheap tat and stick a fancy name on and then add some gobbledegook to con the unwary into forking out a fortune for rubbish.

Bill
 
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Friesiansam

Well-known member
For my Pathos DAC/headphone amp, I bought a bottom of the range QED USB cable, mainly for the gold plated contacts, so I don't have to pull and replace the plugs from time to time, as with most USB cables. If there is any extra noise that a flash cable might allegedly stop, I'm damned if I can hear it.

Don't over-spend.
 

CleanCopperz

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Feb 12, 2022
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I use a clicktronic and it is actually pretty long 1.8m I think. Its the cheapest option with high quality copper I could find.

It is connected to my iFi Purifier3 which is connected to my iFi Diablo.

For my SMSL Sanskrit 10th MK2 I am using this:

If I can afford a little more pure copper than normal like OFC I would go for it without noticing the difference.

It can be very hard to tell the difference, and it is probably not worth it. If you don´t have any clicks and pop and no distortion, don´t upgrade unless you want to just because you can
 

record_spot

Well-known member
Probably best to make sure your PC or laptop is setup to deliver the quality of audio you need than any overspend on a USB cable. They are designed to work to a specific standard in the digital realm. I wouldn't confuse analogue talk with data transfer requirements. Two completely different things. Like horse and marriage.
 

CleanCopperz

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Feb 12, 2022
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Probably best to make sure your PC or laptop is setup to deliver the quality of audio you need than any overspend on a USB cable. They are designed to work to a specific standard in the digital realm. I wouldn't confuse analogue talk with data transfer requirements. Two completely different things. Like horse and marriage.
They are actually not completely different. You need electricity(analog) to carry the data. Data Analag....and electricity. No matter how you turn it it will effect the quality all the way out to the listener. The Data and sound may not interfere with each other but electricity doesn´t wait for an invitation.
 

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