USB Cable

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Anonymous

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Not saying it's not a valid question, but on here, you may get a few crucifying responses for even asking the question.

DUM DUM DUM!!!!
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Any USB 2.0 cable will do.

But if you want something better (better plugs, shorter lenght, etc) you can try this one: http://www.whathifi.com/review/audioquest-forest-usb-15

I have one. It´s well made, better than "normal" cables, however it won´t change sound quality... ;)
 

SteveR750

Well-known member
Phew. I am coming to the same conclusion that apart from better shielding to minimise interference there is no benefit (either the data gets through or it doesn't), but there is a difference between adaptive (depends on clocking of the source) and asynchronous (where the DAC clock is controlling timing). Whether the difference makes different demands on the data stream stream that a cabel can influence is something I am not sure about, especially in adaptive mode, after all an optical cable can induce jitter.

An analogy I cam across; imaging reading a book to a friend

adaptive: I read the book to you word by word, Once you have all the words my job is done

async: I send the entire book in the post, and you read it at your leisure.

So far, I have only compared the freebie lead with the dacmagic to a more substantial belkin one that I use between my pc and HDD and I can't hear a difference. I can hear a difference between optical and USB, and can't decide which is better!
 
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Anonymous

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All the same, but it's a good idea to have one with a built in ferrite ring.
 

hammill

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chebby said:
The_Lhc said:
They're selling a 3m cat5e ethernet cable for £36...

I got my two 5m Belkin cat5e ethernet cables (for Sony BDP S370 and M-CR603) for £9.99 each at Argos. (Just above the cash tills, with the batteries, so no need to queue at the collection point.)

£36 for 3m is ridiculous.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Belkin-Cat5e-Snagless-Patch-Cable/dp/B00009VGUZ/ref=sr_1_5?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1325691495&sr=1-5

£2.30 on Amazon for 5m Belkin cat5e including free delivery. I find Argos a useful shop (and my local shop has very polite staff) but they are very expensive for this sort of thing.

I found a relative an official nokia <-> pc cable for 92 pence (free delivery, works perfectly) at Amazon to replace a non functioning (unofficial) cable from car phone warehouse for which he had paid £9.99. I generally check Amazon first for this sort of thing.
 

hammill

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chebby said:
I rarely use 3rd party traders on Amazon. See so many warnings about 'hooky' gear.
Each to their own, I have bought a huge amount of stuff 3rd party and only had one problem and that was quickly resolved by Amazon. Now Ebay is a different matter....
 

hammill

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chebby said:
I rarely use 3rd party traders on Amazon. See so many warnings about 'hooky' gear.
Each to their own, I have bought a huge amount of stuff 3rd party and only had one problem and that was quickly resolved by Amazon. Now Ebay is a different matter....
 

hammill

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Unless you intend to make up a lot of cables, I imagine the tools more than make up for any saving. Fair enough if you are wiring a house.
 

The_Lhc

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hammill said:
Unless you intend to make up a lot of cables, I imagine the tools more than make up for any saving. Fair enough if you are wiring a house.

A very quick search gives a crimp tool, 100 crimps and 100 boots for £18, but really it was just an illustration of how much companies like Belkin are putting on as margin when they sells cables for "only" £9.99. Just found a 305m reel of Cat6 for £95+VAT, which works out at less than 38p/m.
 
A

Anonymous

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We sell CAT7 for less than that: CAT7 is good stuff.

With USB leads, the only way to negotiate the minefield of claim and counter-claim is to listen for yourself. Several dealers offer free trials.
 

hammill

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The_Lhc said:
hammill said:
Unless you intend to make up a lot of cables, I imagine the tools more than make up for any saving. Fair enough if you are wiring a house.

A very quick search gives a crimp tool, 100 crimps and 100 boots for £18, but really it was just an illustration of how much companies like Belkin are putting on as margin when they sells cables for "only" £9.99. Just found a 305m reel of Cat6 for £95+VAT, which works out at less than 38p/m.
But as I pointed out, Belkin do not sell it for £9.99 that was Argos making a huge mark up. It is possible to get the cable for £2.30 and I would guess £1.00 is postage. The margin is with the retailer, not the manafacturer.
 

chebby

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The_Lhc said:
A very quick search gives a crimp tool, 100 crimps and 100 boots for £18, but really it was just an illustration of how much companies like Belkin are putting on as margin when they sells cables for "only" £9.99. Just found a 305m reel of Cat6 for £95+VAT, which works out at less than 38p/m.

On the first occasion I was about to pop a Sony BDP S370 in my Tesco trolley and Argos was just a couple of minutes walk away.

I had zero interest in constructing my own ethernet cables (or buying 305m of the stuff!) and Currys/PC World were charging about £28 for an ethernet cable that was 2 metres too short. I had already saved about £50 on the S370 and the £9.99 cable from Argos was convenient. (I wanted iPlayer when I got home and not a few days later when a cheaper cable arrived in the post.)

On the second occasion a different Argos was on my route to the hifi shop where I was picking up my M-CR603.

So yes, for the sake of convenience (and not wanting to make my own cables), I have 'lost' - in total - about £15 in the last two years on two 5m ethernet cables.

If I were buying these things every week then i'd take up your suggestions, but I have averaged two 5m ethernet cable purchases in a lifetime so far. I can live with that little bit of reckless profligacy :)
 
A

Anonymous

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You'll probably find that dealers and suppliers are making more margain on cables than any other product they sell. So, you are always going to be paying more than they are worth. Nature of the business I'm afraid.....
 
A

Anonymous

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My local independent PC dealer has often knocked me up custom length ethernet cables for nothing more than a fiver. Independent dealers are not always the most expensive., Bought most of my Hi Fi from an independent and actually saved against online purchase as he did me a deal.
 

The_Lhc

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hammill said:
The_Lhc said:
hammill said:
Unless you intend to make up a lot of cables, I imagine the tools more than make up for any saving. Fair enough if you are wiring a house.

A very quick search gives a crimp tool, 100 crimps and 100 boots for £18, but really it was just an illustration of how much companies like Belkin are putting on as margin when they sells cables for "only" £9.99. Just found a 305m reel of Cat6 for £95+VAT, which works out at less than 38p/m.
But as I pointed out, Belkin do not sell it for £9.99 that was Argos making a huge mark up.

I know (and PC World) but I was too lazy to bother being that accurate. The point is you pay way over the odds for what they actually cost.

It is possible to get the cable for £2.30 and I would guess £1.00 is postage. The margin is with the retailer, not the manafacturer.

But like I said, even £2.30 is expensive, comparitively.
 

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