USB Cable type AB recommendation

[venkatcr]

This is an area where you really cannot conclude one way or the other, as of now.

I use external drives to store all my Blu-Ray movies. At home these are connected to my HTPC using the ordinary USB cables that came with the drives. Till today, not even once have I seen any sputtering or anything in any movie. Once when I tried the same trick in another place, the screen colours were screwed. I had, just the previous day, played the same movie from the same HDD at home without any issues. A few repeated attempts did not change the situation. On a lark, I changed the USB cable, and the issues disappeared. When I compared the two cables, the only difference I could see was a EMI suppressing ferrite core on both ends of the cable that worked. Since then I have ensured that all USB cables have the ferrite cores on both ends and I have not seen any issues.

Though I have an audio PC as mainstay, I have never used an USB cable for audio.

Before blowing up 1000s of rupees on an USB cable, it may be worthwhile to try this. Get a decent USB cable, fix an EMI/RFI suppressor at both ends (for all of 260/-) and see what happens. I have a feeling that may be all that is needed. RFI/EMI suppressors are available from MX. (MDR Electronics - MX Electronics - Home Theater Cables & Connectors - Computers & Laptop Accessories - Pro Audio / Studio Audio Cables & Connectors - Audio Video Components & Accessories - Fiber Optic Component & Accessories - Cable TV Component & Ac).

By the way, I have tried Wireworld and Audioquest USB cables for video, and I have not seen any appreciable difference.

Cheers

 

[sidvee]

i have found the Belkin Pro 2.0 USB cable to be the most optimal in terms of build quality, performance and price!

Thanks Malvai - Can I buy this at Croma or other outlets? What is the price?
Cheers
Sid

 

[manoj.p]

this thread is the epitome of what's wrong at this forum. No offence, OP. I am glad its brought up.
every time, I see the cable discussions, I cringe. Somehow, its made out that cables are everything and we need to spend thousands on simple RCA cables. The fact is - its not at all. Sometimes, I wish these people can take a look at a recording studio and see what they use. There is lot of make-believe going on here. But we all forget one thing, there is no magic.

as for USB cable, just get the cheapest one. It won't make any difference at all.

 

[sidvee]

So far the overwhelming majority of the users seem to prefer relatively inexpensive USB cables which is a good thing for my wallethyeah:. So I will plan to stick to the Rs. 500 - 2k designs for now.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[sidvee]

this thread is the epitome of what's wrong at this forum.

You must mean all audio forums around the world - I have seen so many cable discussions, some of them quite hostile, on almost all the forums including the ones that the native language is not english. So HFV alone, IMO cannot claim this distinction.
Cheers
Sid

 

[manoj.p]

agreed.
but it seems more here, all we need to see how much the term 'audiophile' or 'audiophile grade' gets tossed around here.

good decision on cable. This thread got the right attention and hopefully it will help many others in future. ;-)

 

[santhosh]

as for USB cable, just get the cheapest one. It won't make any difference at all.

Hi Manoj,
You might get agreement on USB and other cables that are fully in the digital domain like HDMI, USB etc. But not on analog cables like RCA, digital coaxial, speaker cables etc where the materials, arrangement of atoms, inductance, capacitance, other properties etc have the ability to make or break a system. Having said this, I do not believe that cables have to be expensive for them to sound good. However, well made cables with published specs will be expensive mostly because of the R&D, Materials involved.

Here is an informative article that I had read a while ago. This is by an audio brand audioquest, but IMO found more truth in this than marketing lies.
http://www.audioquest.com/pdfs/aq_cable_theory.pdf

 

[stereorules]

Just posting my small experience with USB cables -- not necessarily in PC Audio . I have a sansa clip+. It came with a smallish USB cable. Since the cable length was very small, I wanted used a USB extender....Lo behold ...it wouldnt work ...connected using the same small cable and voila ..so as long as the cable works, there should be no difference ..either it works or doesnt .
I also have a bunch of USB cables which i hv accumulated with a variety of devices that I have ...I use them interchangeably ..
So go ahead and buy any cable which is slightly above the el cheapo ( 50 buck ) types and you should be OK.

 

[sidvee]

You might get agreement on USB and other cables that are fully in the digital domain like HDMI, USB etc. But not on analog cables like RCA, digital coaxial, speaker cables etc where the materials, arrangement of atoms, inductance, capacitance, other properties etc have the ability to make or break a system.

Quite right Santhosh - I myself subscribe and have heard significant differences in analog cable designs - of-course price is not always consistent to SQ - and have acted on them accordingly, but this is the first time I am facing digital, specifically USB.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[malvai]

Thanks Malvai - Can I buy this at Croma or other outlets? What is the price?
Cheers
Sid

sid, i have not seen this at croma, but i have seen this being sold online. i will be ordering one for myself soon... i have seen this being used in my brother's recording studio and it works quite fine! (he bought i along with his pro audio Dac in singapore.)

 

[jls001]

You must mean all audio forums around the world - I have seen so many cable discussions, some of them quite hostile, on almost all the forums including the ones that the native language is not english. So HFV alone, IMO cannot claim this distinction.
Cheers
Sid

Human beings are the same everywhere! HFV is, therefore, no exception In sum, nothing wrong with this forum. Or others.

Though cable discussions on forums can take on the tone and tenor of internecine or religious wars, it eventually benefits forumers.

My take is that there is a certain amount of snake skin oil and a certain amount of science. And perhaps a third component of pixie dust (to help explain not yet understood factors).

Identifying the proportion of this mix is where the trouble lies.

Cable wars will continue. Confucius would say, "The wise forumer listens to both sides of the story, and picks out the truth."

 

[gobble]

+1 Joshua - that seems to be the primary concern with cheap cables and also a key advertising point with the more expensive versions. Not sure if the amount has been scientifically measured or not, but never-the-less it is a point that is harped on and jitter per se is detrimental to SQ.
Also another factor is the material used. Obviously with the market price of silver, a high purity silver design is going to cost more, but then again has there been any comparison objective or subjective - not too sure.
To my ears, in analog cables, I try to steer away from silver especially for a solid state setup and tend to prefer high purity copper.
Cheers
Sid

I thought the major issue with digital cables for audiophile use was time smear in a sufficiently resolving system i.e.

--G0bble

 

[sidvee]

Cable wars will continue.

Me thinks so far this thread has been fairly civilized at most a "Pg13" rating (i am proud of our esteemed members for keeping it that way) and more importantly informative - what say!.
Cheers
Sid

 

[theironhorse]

you can try at reliance digital at banjara and croma madhapur..

reliance got few good cables as soon as you enter near the phone display rack. else this weekend i will be going to metro i can check there and let you know over phone what all is available. i can pick up one if we get something good there. do lemme know.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Some of those ethernet cables I threw out worked on some machines, but failed on the one under diagnosis. Most frustrating kind of fault to find out! I don't doubt that it could happen with any digital cable --- just, it was cat-5 leads that I had the biggest box of. Partly because of the absurdly badly designed and fragile clip mechanism on the RJ45 connector, but there were plenty that just simply stopped working. There's also the stastical thing. Simply, every PC in the office had a network connection, and every PC in the office had a VGA monitor with cable, etc etc, whereas USB devices were relatively rare. Of course, swapping the cable is one of the things to do when stuff doesn't work.

In principle, a digital cable either works or it doesn't. In practice, it can work intermittently, or work connected to one machine, but fail connected to another. Any cable that exhibits such behaviour should be cut up and thrown away. Let us hope it is not hard-wired at one end!

As it happens, I don't have any USB audio equipment. I'm currently working with an external Firewire interface.

I don't have doubts about there being differences in analogue cables, even though I haven't experimented much.

 

[sidvee]

you can try at reliance digital at banjara and croma madhapur..

reliance got few good cables as soon as you enter near the phone display rack. else this weekend i will be going to metro i can check there and let you know over phone what all is available. i can pick up one if we get something good there. do lemme know.

Thanks a lot ironhorse for the kind gesture. I will check out reliance digital at banjara as I will be there tmrw. I already have 2 or 3 cables of no name brands lying around that I plan to use. Down the road I will get an audioquest cinnamon or something similar that is not too expensive.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[stereorules]

Thanks a lot ironhorse for the kind gesture. I will check out reliance digital at banjara as I will be there tmrw. I already have 2 or 3 cables of no name brands lying around that I plan to use. Down the road I will get an audioquest cinnamon or something similar that is not too expensive.
Cheers,
Sid

Sid,
Once you get all the cables, maybe you can do a comparison and give a small review ?

 

[sidvee]

Sid,
Once you get all the cables, maybe you can do a comparison and give a small review ?

Sure thing Stereorules - will do.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[Hassan Khani]

I am using Wireworld Ultraviolet USB cable (USB Type A -> Type B 1m) to connect HTCP (running Linux) to Arcam DAC. (Reference: Wireworld Ultraviolet 5 USB review from the experts at whathifi.com & Cables | What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision Awards 2011). I have got it from Audio Excellence, Mumbai (contact: Anil Srivastava) for Rs.2500/-

Looks good and work fine as well as decent pricing (better than international pricing).

Complete contact details:
India
Audio Excellence
B-64, Orchid Tower,
Near Yamuna Nagar,
Off Link Road,
Andheri (W),
Mumbai 400053
India
Tel : +91-22-65010877
Fax : +91-22-66925007
Cell : +91-9820186108
[email protected]

 

[santhosh]

Thanks Hassan.

Could you please share if your views are similar to the nice reviews here?
Ultraviolet 5 USB user reviews | whathifi.com