USB cables, please share your experience

[acalex]

I was referring more to the fact that I am not a simple "believer" but I need hard proof before changing my way of thinking.

Now you've gone and dunnit......that door, once opened, is impossible to shut..

Getting the cables and listening to them is not good enough......it's not until you can pass a barrage of ABX, blind and double blind tests, that your findings will pass muster.

Personally, I believe you, as one Audiofool to another, and also as one who is beyond redemption.

:cheers:

Personally I think everything in this domain is very subjective...for example I swapped now the power chord of my amp for the thicker one Francis gave me whilst waiting for the Siltech and Shunyata...can't spot any remarkable difference...

Also bees cannot fly according to the science...go and tell them (the bees) that :rofl:

 

[CnoEvil]

Personally I think everything in this domain is very subjective...for example I swapped now the power chord of my amp for the thicker one Francis gave me whilst waiting for the Siltech and Shunyata...can't spot any remarkable difference...

Do you know what it is?

Also bees cannot fly according to the science...go and tell them (the bees) that :rofl:

If you wait long enough, science usually catches up......as it has now in this case.

 

[chebby]

Also bees cannot fly according to the science...go and tell them (the bees) that :rofl:

Utter tosh.

Please provide links to any reputable scientific research (or links to any scientific paper containing such research) that has ever concluded that bees shouldn't be able to fly.

According to this piece on the Institute Of Physics website...

"The persistent rumour that bumblebee flight escapes scientific explanation has been traced back by some to an aerodynamics research group in Gottingen, Germany, in the 1930s.

‘Supposedly someone did a back of the envelope calculation, taking the weight of a bumblebee and its wing area into account, and worked out that if it only flies at a couple of metres per seconds, the wings wouldn’t produce enough lift to hold the bee up,’ explains Charlie Ellington, Professor of Animal Mechanics at Cambridge University."

 

[acalex]

Personally I think everything in this domain is very subjective...for example I swapped now the power chord of my amp for the thicker one Francis gave me whilst waiting for the Siltech and Shunyata...can't spot any remarkable difference...

Do you know what it is?

Also bees cannot fly according to the science...go and tell them (the bees) that :rofl:

If you wait long enough, science usually catches up......as it has now in this case.

Exactly!. Regarding the cable is a Kemp Plus power cable.

 

[CnoEvil]

Exactly!. Regarding the cable is a Kemp Plus power cable.

Can't comment, as never heard of it........did Francis say if he thought the other two cables would be better?

 

[acalex]

Exactly!. Regarding the cable is a Kemp Plus power cable.

Can't comment, as never heard of it........did Francis say if he thought the other two cables would be better?

Yes, he gave me this as it couldnt find the other one yesterday night (as it was the wine tasting open door so a lot of people around) and the SIltech was ordered as the one he had in stock was bought by his partner in the wine business who has a stunning all macintosh setup. Need to visit him one day to check it out!

 

[Ben123]

In response to shafesk...

Yeh will do. Will probably have a punt on the kimber after my holiday. The last thing i want is to debate the issue, but the more i read the more i think its a usb power problem than a data-getting-through issue. This is my opinion.

Im gonna play it safe and do as the OP says which is "share my experience". At the moment i dont have a kimber so i cant comment - when i do - i will let you all know.

I have a usb powered dac and a mains powered device so if theres a difference on one and not on the other then we're getting somewhere. If theres no difference on either then we are all where we all knew we were anyway.

 

[csq2]

There is a MAJOR difference between USB cables. I previously used a Monster/HP usb cable I bought from Walmart that gave me excellent results. However, when compared to the Chinese audiophile usb cable that I bought in China for the same price as the Monster, the sound is so much more detailed, clearer, refined, and the bass is significantly tighter. The biggest difference was the BASS. The monster cable, although thicker, produced a bass that was loose and bloated. Also, the treble of the Monster was gritty. I kept switching back and forth, closed my eyes, and always could point out which cable was used. The Chinese audiophile usb cable is beter built with thick teflon sleeve and 6N purity copper is used. Same price as the Monster's and at least 3x better in sound.

 

[cheyworth]

I have my PC connected to a Musical Fidelity V-Ling with a 10m extention and 3m USB cable (13m in total) and I cant tell the difference to a CD.

Chris

 

[cheeseboy]

so even though we can prove scientifically and accurately that there are no differences with usb/hdmi cables, people still believe there are :rofl:

 

[shafesk]

so even though we can prove scientifically and accurately that there are no differences with usb/hdmi cables, people still believe there are :rofl:

"What we can measure are not the things we can hear. Measurements are static and music is dynamic, how can you measure something dynamic by something static?" Ken Ishiwata.

Indeed, that is very true in the hi-fi world. If measurements were the be all and end of all then speaker manufacturers wouldn't need to finalise a crossover or driver by ear. Most of us have experienced upgrades that don't necessarily point towards science but we know that it makes a difference. Like I said, I don't want to start a cable debate and get into the nitty gritty of why/whynot it should/shouldnot make a difference.

 

[shafesk]

There is a MAJOR difference between USB cables. I previously used a Monster/HP usb cable I bought from Walmart that gave me excellent results. However, when compared to the Chinese audiophile usb cable that I bought in China for the same price as the Monster, the sound is so much more detailed, clearer, refined, and the bass is significantly tighter. The biggest difference was the BASS. The monster cable, although thicker, produced a bass that was loose and bloated. Also, the treble of the Monster was gritty. I kept switching back and forth, closed my eyes, and always could point out which cable was used. The Chinese audiophile usb cable is beter built with thick teflon sleeve and 6N purity copper is used. Same price as the Monster's and at least 3x better in sound.

Cheers for the comment, it shouldn't be too hard to locate the usb cable you are talking about...China is a small country after all :wall: I get the gist, maybe I should start off with a chinese audiophile type cable.

 

[The_Lhc]

so even though we can prove scientifically and accurately that there are no differences with usb cables

Source please? I've seen the HDMI arguments but I haven't come across the equivalent for USB yet.

 

[cheeseboy]

so even though we can prove scientifically and accurately that there are no differences with usb cables

Source please? I've seen the HDMI arguments but I haven't come across the equivalent for USB yet.

:rofl: what do you mean source? If the cable didn't pass through the correct information it wouldn't work. End of. We're not talking about analogue tv and grainy pictures here. You can buy a USB cable tester if you want. You can buy testers to see if the USB ports are working properly etc etc... How about you provide a source that scientifically proves that USB cables are different?

 

[shafesk]

so even though we can prove scientifically and accurately that there are no differences with usb cables

Source please? I've seen the HDMI arguments but I haven't come across the equivalent for USB yet.

:rofl: what do you mean source? If the cable didn't pass through the correct information it wouldn't work. End of. We're not talking about analogue tv and grainy pictures here. You can buy a USB cable tester if you want. You can buy testers to see if the USB ports are working properly etc etc... How about you provide a source that scientifically proves that USB cables are different?

I think people forget 2 sides of USB. USB carries power as well as data. If all usb cables are built equal then why do charging times differ between usb cables when using the same charger? Why does a usb powered dac fail to turn on when using some cables while running perfectly on others? Agreed that it will either provide data or not but you are also forgetting that data transfer times vary between usb cables (fact btw), in audio it is not ideal to have data reach late as it leads to timing inconsistencies. Like I said before, I really don't want to start a debate on this matter....most of us have been on the forum long enough to know the arguments for/against. Lets just say whether you have tried an audiophile usb cable and whether it has worked for you

Thanks

 

[spiny norman]

so even though we can prove scientifically and accurately that there are no differences with usb cables

Source please? I've seen the HDMI arguments but I haven't come across the equivalent for USB yet.

:rofl: what do you mean source? If the cable didn't pass through the correct information it wouldn't work. End of.

So 'scientifically and accurately' = 'just because', huh?

As in 'If the Earth wasn't flat, we'd all fall off. End of.', perhaps?

 

[cheeseboy]

so even though we can prove scientifically and accurately that there are no differences with usb cables

Source please? I've seen the HDMI arguments but I haven't come across the equivalent for USB yet.

:rofl: what do you mean source? If the cable didn't pass through the correct information it wouldn't work. End of. We're not talking about analogue tv and grainy pictures here. You can buy a USB cable tester if you want. You can buy testers to see if the USB ports are working properly etc etc... How about you provide a source that scientifically proves that USB cables are different?

I think people forget 2 sides of USB. USB carries power as well as data. If all usb cables are built equal then why do charging times differ between usb cables when using the same charger? Why does a usb powered dac fail to turn on when using some cables while running perfectly on others? Agreed that it will either provide data or not but you are also forgetting that data transfer times vary between usb cables (fact btw), in audio it is not ideal to have data reach late as it leads to timing inconsistencies. Like I said before, I really don't want to start a debate on this matter....most of us have been on the forum long enough to know the arguments for/against. Lets just say whether you have tried an audiophile usb cable and whether it has worked for you

Thanks

Yes, there are different levels of USB (1, 2 and 3), but the data will still be the same. Please can you define the difference between an "audiophile" usb cable and one that isn't "audiophile"?

 

[cheeseboy]

so even though we can prove scientifically and accurately that there are no differences with usb cables

Source please? I've seen the HDMI arguments but I haven't come across the equivalent for USB yet.

:rofl: what do you mean source? If the cable didn't pass through the correct information it wouldn't work. End of.

So 'scientifically and accurately' = 'just because', huh?

As in 'If the Earth wasn't flat, we'd all fall off. End of.', perhaps?

:doh: :rofl: God there's some daft people here.

Take a usb cable and say an external hard drive. Create an MD5 hash on the computer for a selected file. copy the file to the desired device. Create MD5 hash on desired device of the copied file. Compare. They will be the same. Change cable, and repeat. That's the source and evidence that the cables are passing through the same information. Jeeees, people get so defensive when you break their beliefs with a simple bit of evidence don't they?

 

[The_Lhc]

so even though we can prove scientifically and accurately that there are no differences with usb cables

Source please? I've seen the HDMI arguments but I haven't come across the equivalent for USB yet.

:rofl: what do you mean source? If the cable didn't pass through the correct information it wouldn't work. End of. We're not talking about analogue tv and grainy pictures here. You can buy a USB cable tester if you want. You can buy testers to see if the USB ports are working properly etc etc... How about you provide a source that scientifically proves that USB cables are different?

Chill your ******* boots man, I'm not arguing with you, as I said I've read a number of the technical explanations for how HDMI works and they're very interesting, so I'd like to have a look at the equivalent articles for how USB works, out of technical interest, nothing more than that. I have no opinion on whether audio USB cables differ because I don't use them, so I'm taking no side in this debate. I'm looking for information, that's it, your comment implies that you've already read the sort of articles I'm looking for, so I was hoping you could give me a shortcut to them (it's too early to be googling...). I even said "please" ffs...

BTW, just using the word "scientifically" doesn't mean your argument is scientifically sound...

 

[shafesk]

so even though we can prove scientifically and accurately that there are no differences with usb cables

Source please? I've seen the HDMI arguments but I haven't come across the equivalent for USB yet.

:rofl: what do you mean source? If the cable didn't pass through the correct information it wouldn't work. End of. We're not talking about analogue tv and grainy pictures here. You can buy a USB cable tester if you want. You can buy testers to see if the USB ports are working properly etc etc... How about you provide a source that scientifically proves that USB cables are different?

I think people forget 2 sides of USB. USB carries power as well as data. If all usb cables are built equal then why do charging times differ between usb cables when using the same charger? Why does a usb powered dac fail to turn on when using some cables while running perfectly on others? Agreed that it will either provide data or not but you are also forgetting that data transfer times vary between usb cables (fact btw), in audio it is not ideal to have data reach late as it leads to timing inconsistencies. Like I said before, I really don't want to start a debate on this matter....most of us have been on the forum long enough to know the arguments for/against. Lets just say whether you have tried an audiophile usb cable and whether it has worked for you

Thanks

Yes, there are different levels of USB (1, 2 and 3), but the data will still be the same. Please can you define the difference between an "audiophile" usb cable and one that isn't "audiophile"?

I'm sorry I wasn't talking about USB 1,2 or 3 but talking about how transfer rate differs from cables....like I said the data will be the same but the transfer rate will not be. An audiophile usb cable will be one designed to carry an audio signal to a dac.

 

[cheeseboy]

so even though we can prove scientifically and accurately that there are no differences with usb cables

Source please? I've seen the HDMI arguments but I haven't come across the equivalent for USB yet.

:rofl: what do you mean source? If the cable didn't pass through the correct information it wouldn't work. End of. We're not talking about analogue tv and grainy pictures here. You can buy a USB cable tester if you want. You can buy testers to see if the USB ports are working properly etc etc... How about you provide a source that scientifically proves that USB cables are different?

Chill your ******* boots man, I'm not arguing with you, as I said I've read a number of the technical explanations for how HDMI works and they're very interesting, so I'd like to have a look at the equivalent articles for how USB works, out of technical interest, nothing more than that. I have no opinion on whether audio USB cables differ because I don't use them, so I'm taking no side in this debate. I'm looking for information, that's it, your comment implies that you've already read the sort of articles I'm looking for, so I was hoping you could give me a shortcut to them (it's too early to be googling...). I even said "please" ffs...

BTW, just using the word "scientifically" doesn't mean your argument is scientifically sound...

Apologies, it's sometimes hard to read people's intentions on messageboards. Shouldn't have splurted like that.

Either way, see my other blurted post on how to test USB cables yourself. You can get a port tester here http://www.passmark.com/products/usb2test.htm and also usb cable tester will tell you if the cable is connected properly. After that you can test if the data is passing through untouched. I'd personally say that covers any kind of scientific test as you can use controls and blind testing on them and the results will be the same.

Sorry everybody, bad day today. oke:

 

[cheeseboy]

I'm sorry I wasn't talking about USB 1,2 or 3 but talking about how transfer rate differs from cables....like I said the data will be the same but the transfer rate will not be. An audiophile usb cable will be one designed to carry an audio signal to a dac.

the usb level 1,2 and 3 does refer to the transfer rates though and USB does not carry audio, it carries data.

 

[The_Lhc]

Apologies, it's sometimes hard to read people's intentions on messageboards. Shouldn't have splurted like that.

No worries.

 

[spiny norman]

Take a usb cable and say an external hard drive.

Do I have to say that? Or will some other incantation do? :shifty:

Create an MD5 hash on the computer for a selected file. copy the file to the desired device. Create MD5 hash on desired device of the copied file. Compare. They will be the same.

No, you lost me when you started talking about making a hash of it.

That's the source and evidence that the cables are passing through the same information.

And this happens in real-time, too, does it? Like when you're playing music, not doing something and then going back and comparing when it's finished doing what it's sposed to do?

Jeeees, people get so defensive when you break their beliefs with a simple bit of evidence don't they?

Almost as defensive as they do when you dare to challenge their certainties, it seems.

 

[shafesk]

I'm sorry I wasn't talking about USB 1,2 or 3 but talking about how transfer rate differs from cables....like I said the data will be the same but the transfer rate will not be. An audiophile usb cable will be one designed to carry an audio signal to a dac.

the usb level 1,2 and 3 does refer to the transfer rates though and USB does not carry audio, it carries data.

not reading the posts correctly today are you? myself and pretty much everybody knows what usb 1,2 and 3 is.....I'm saying that data transfer times also vary between CABLES (not usb standards) and the amount of power they can supply to a device also varies. Call it audio signal, data or audio data....whatever you want my friend, I'm saying that an audiophile cable would be one which is designed specifically for carrying information from a pc to a dac.

Now can we please just share experiences.....