The USB cable mega thread. Walking off the plank

Apologies as this may not be directly relevant to USB cables but here goes.
Recently, after moving to a new place, I was calibrating my 2-channel system with pink noise in my new living room. During the process, I happened to swap my Redco XLR interconnects between DAC and powered speakers with those from Monoprice. After firing up the pink noise again, I found there was a 0.4 dB reduction in overall sound output at my listening position. Is that weird?
If not, could this explain why people hear differences between cables?

 

I'm a fan of the Archimago C.

Somebody mentioned Blue Jeans? Do they make USB cables now? They are one of the few companies that I would trust to make cables that leave nothing to argue about.

 

Corning Optical USB explained:

 

A couple months ago, I asked Blue Jeans whether they make the USB cables they sell. They replied that they source their USB cables from China, like everyone else, and that they are USB 2.0 rated. While they test their network cables, they do not individually test every USB cable. At the extremely low prices they're charging, their USB cables are perfectly good and work as well as any other properly-constructed USB cable.

 

Dude, you saying my cat screwed with my multi thousand dollar setup.

 

You mean "smelly cat"?

 

Problem is the USB org allows manufacturers of USB cables to self comply, to the spec. Often usb cables do not meet the spec based on construction quality. And when this happens emi and rfi can and will affect digital circuits. Perhaps this is why we hear some differences.

Spend some time with this paper from USB.org and while it focuses on USB 3, the concepts regarding emi, rfi, crosstalk, impedance, and noise etc apply to USB 2 as well. I particularly like the pic of the wire termination of the two cables.

http://www.usb.org/developers/docs/whitepapers/USB_SuperSpeed_CabCon_Whitepaper.pdf

As for being in an extremely noisy environment with all sorts of emi and rfi. Yes, I think a lot of us are. I know I can see at least 25 multi gigahertz networks pouring receivable radiation into my house here in the burbs. And that is just freaking wifi. Add in digital ota tv, radio, microwaves, electrical wiring, switching power supplies, etc.

So yes, I do live in a an extremely noisy environment and I do believe RFI and emi do manifest themselves as sonic polluters in our audio systems.

Ever wonder why your system sound so much better at 3 am than at 7pm?

Or do you just keep the cotton balls in all the time

 

Like Ethernet cables.

Speaking from the deepest pit of cable scepticism, I think you are right. I'm certainly happy to spend a dollar or five with Blue Jeans to get a certified cable. That's one dollar or five, and no, I didn't forget any zeroes. It is nice to be able to take one possibility off the list, especially when it is cheap to do so.

My cynicism is not impenetrable: I do have doubts about USB, and especially about USB powered DACs. I had some stuff explained to me in the context of mobile-phone charging, recently, about different gauges of wire used , how the power cables should be larger than the data cables, how some companies skimp on that, and that the reason my new phone was snail-charging in the car, could have been as much to do with the cable as the charger. Leaving aside clean or dirty, is a DAC even getting the power it needs?

That cynicism does, however, extending to wanting to see audio-company data cables tested to see if they match the specifications. I bet they'd do as badly as Blue Jeans' commercial internet cables did, which was not very well.

Customary disclosure: I love what appears to me to be the truthful and bullshit-free presentation of Blue Jeans. Their articles have been a wonderful source for me. I did, eventually, put my (small) amount of money where my mouth had been, and my desktop system has been (mostly) re-cabled with their products. That one order is our only relationship, and I don't get anything for going on and on and on and on about them. Not even a lousy free cable sleeve. I also admit that there are other companies that sell cables without bullshit.

 

In Asia, a 550 dollars usb cable is standard. And, they cut off the power in Hilo and make a 500 dollars linear power supply...

 

I'm sorry but which part of Asia are you talking about where a $550 USB cable is a standard?

 

Hello, eastern Asia, Wireworld Platinum Starlight 7.

 

USB 2.0 male A to male B plug, 1m. Nylon sleeve, gold plated. Price: 16.00$
Plugged into a Gigabyte Z170 motherboard with dedicated DAC USB outs whose power lines have been disabled in the BIOS. 0 ground noise, 0 power fluctuations. Only data transmission straight into a BMC Audio PureDac.

Just as good as any kilobuck vodoo cable (or any 2$ el cheapo cable for that matter). But it looks and feels nice.

 

Dude, your cables are dusty. Didn't you know dusty cables are bad for high-res audio!!!

 

I forgot the icon to go with my post.......

 

I think we should expirement with different amounts of dust in order to find the optimum dust level that makes the USB cable work better. I've heard it can eliminate the 6k peak on the HD800s!

 

Damn! Can you recommend any audiophile approved duster? Preferably something that is built from a rare japanese tree, has been cryotreated and is in tune with the resonance frequency of the universe so as not to disturb my finely tuned loudspeakers? Also I would like that duster to have been proberly burned in at the factory while stereo-priests chant incantations at 192-thousand hertz. Oh and I obviously need a manual for that duster, informing me of the direction of wiping. Directionality is very important when dealing with audio, you know..