I Learned To Respect USB Cables Made For Audio and No Longer Such a Skeptic!

[@timpit164]

I myself am guilty of seeing this title for awhile ignoring it. I am so glad I watched it ! Informative and well done! Thank you for taking the time to suggest watching it. I liked it.

[@MODAC]

Comment of the week! ❤️👍👏💯

[@marcusm5127]

If we had a problem getting transmitting the data we would introduce a check sum. High speed communication is a things we know how it works. High speed signal wires are tested sweeping over all frequenceis it's intended to be used for. For jitter (timing error) just resample it, usually called asynchronous usb dacs. For noise from interference add a insulation transformer to get galvanic isolation. Bad cheap cables are bad but there is no magic hifi cable just decent cables and bad cables.

[@MrAlb3rtazzo]

true! the author of this video is just promoting a scam (expensive audio USB cable )...maybe he is not in bad faith, he is just a victim of the placebo effect.

[@ScottGrammer]

45-year veteran of audio engineering and service here. I like your videos and your channel, and I believe you when you say you hear differences. But they were not caused by USB cables. It's not possible. It really is just ones and zeroes, and so long as they get there in time, the audio will sound the same. What happens if they don't get there in time? The sound stops. All DAC's use RAM (memory) internally, which stores the data coming from the source (i.e., the USB cable, optical cable, coaxial cable, etc.) and then the DAC's internal clock times the movement of data from memory to the converter proper. This means that as long as ones and zeroes come along swiftly enough to keep the memory from running dry, all will be well. That's why digital cables have no "sound." I'm sure you heard differences, but I'm also sure they did not come from the USB cables. EDIT: I want to add that for stereo listening, even the speed rating of the USB cable is unimportant. CD-quality audio only needs a bandwidth of a tad over 1.4 megabits per second. USB 2 can handle that easily, with its bandwidth of 480 megabits per second. Even USB 1.1 (from 1998) can handle it easily, as it has a bandwidth of 12 Mb/s. I have a four-channel audio interface that is far beyond CD quality, running at 24 bits/192 kHz. It can play or record all four channels at that bit rate simultaneously over USB 2 (about 18Mb/s), with tons of room to spare. I use a USB cable that was connected to my printer for years. USB 3, which in some incarnations can do 20Gb/s, is totally overkill for audio, which is why it usually is not used on DAC's or multichannel audio interfaces. "I'm trying to free your mind, Neo. But I can only show you the door. You're the one that has to walk through it." --Morpheus.

[@wickie2222]

LOL, Not possible. What other explanation for the Heard differences. He went through each cable 3 times in rotation. The difference in the sound was because of the different cables.

[@ScottGrammer]

@@wickie2222 You may believe what you like, but we all have inbuilt biases, and even when we don't realize it, we will hear "better" sound from "better" products so long as we know when we're listening to the "better" product. ABX testing is the only way to avoid this. That is, unless you can explain what a cable can do to a PCM datastream sent in packets and surrounded by cyclical redundancy checks that ensure that the data that goes in is the data that comes out, that can result in "more audible detail."

[@seejayfrujay]

@@ScottGrammer I can, if you will permit me. On most budget DACs, jitter (and sometimes gross latency) is introduced into the data stream when the CRC fails and the packet is re-sent. This occurs more frequently with cheap USB 2.0 cables since they wind the +5 VDC and the D+- leads together. Any noise on the +5 VDC USB power is going to pollute the data signal. Good DACs deal with all this quite well, and ideally, there should be no perceived differences in sound quality. A good USB audio cable would have separate shields for the data and power pairs soldered to good solid connectors. Limited experience, but I have only seen this shielding arrangement on good USB 3.0/3.1 aftermarket cables, but the connectors were so-so.

[@ScottGrammer]

@@seejayfrujay Thank you for the excellent answer. Would you agree that the degraded packet is resent quickly enough that the ram in a good DAC does not run dry, and therefore the datastream sent to the converter proper is entirely correct?

[@seejayfrujay]

@@ScottGrammer Yes. That's the magic in high-end DACs mostly. Meitner was the first designer to do this, I think. There is some tricky business about the jitter IIRC. I always thought the root of this debate was the fact that freebie USB cables are incredibly cheaply made and that some digital audio products do a poor job of signal conditioning.

[@llucrescu9058]

Please, make one more test: ask Nicky to help you by switching USB cables and see if you can recognize witch is witch.

[@BoomerUKEngland]

Higher quality USB cables use higher quality copper cable, are better shielded and have better plugs. Although the devices are communicating in binary, interference can sometimes cause data to be received incorrectly. The second thing that occurs is all cables are aerials, and a poorly shielded USB cable can pick up interference that is eventually carried into analogue electronics, such as the analogue side of a DAC.

[@islamsuperchannel]

yes Agree !

[@grahampearce2405]

You seem to be unaware that USB protocol includes error correction. Just like the TCP/IP protocol used when you digital audio crosses the internet from Apples servers. This fancy cable crap is bovine scat.

[@MrAlb3rtazzo]

no this is impossible, usb 3.0 is a very complex and efficient protocol, and errors cannot be recovered " incorrectly" please be aware of these scams..

[@zzezzobike]

omg😮 you have one of my favourite speakers I loved in 1988-90

[@Dovndyr13]

Great video. Normally using a 10$ usb and the other day got a WireWorld Chroma 8 cable for free (retail price approx 30$). I was blown away how big the differences are in that price range

[@johnh539]

I have a high end sound system and my new Yyaudio USB Silver plated cable with RF suppression has made it better. What the ones and zeros brigade fail to understand is that the signal does not travel as 1 or 0 it is a square wave analogue signal the the information is dependant on a change from one state to another; no change =0 a change =1, regardless of if the last wave was up or down previously . As a square wave timing is dependant on how cleanly the change is made so how cleanly the cable transports the square wave is relevant. My streamer and DAC are working at 32 768 witch is a fast as you can get, I doubt that if you are using a poor sender e.g. strait from your computer you would notice a difference. Finally people with more experience than me say that Copper or Gold plated or Silver plated cables have different sounds, while I can believe that I am only interested in Silver plated ones as Silver is the best conductant and all I care about from a cable is that it do its job perfectly.(Nearly?). Separate question? My laptop's daily sound comes from external bose speakers , any advice on cheep Dragonfly type Dac's welcome?

[@pungvarlarsson6451]

For anyone who wants to dig deeper into why USB cables can sound and perform differently I recommend the Hans Beekhuyzen channel, he has a very interesting video about digital signal transmission and why it can go wrong. Digital signals are NOT "ones and zeros", it is actually an analog signal in your USB cable.

[@AudriusN]

better not watch that channel.

[@grahampearce2405]

No, they are close to one or close to 0, but the system manages this, also the system has error correcting protocols. How is it that a digital signal can get from Apples servers to your home? Does the music arrive corrupted? The whole benefit of digital is that interference is a non issue because of error correction protocols, protocols that involve retransmission if an error is detected. Just like TCP/IP packets, USB uses packets. Those packets are retransmitted if an error is found. All this happens so fast that you never notice it. This is also why systems buffer data, so that errors have time to be corrected, and packets resent. result perfect digital quality. Without fancy snake oil cables.

[@pungvarlarsson6451]

@@grahampearce2405 1 and 0 is the protocol, not the signal itself. Like, if a ships signalist uses say a green and a red flag to transmit a message ashore, the flag and the material it is made of is the signal. The meaning attributed to it is the communication protocol, say for example that green is starboard and red is port (left and right in ships language), like 1 or 0 in the digital world. If the flag is very dirty it can be misinterpreted, like the analog signal in a cable, yes an analog square wave. If the signal is corrupted, like a dirty green flag, for example that rise and fall time is not quick enough, the receiver will not interpret it correctly. So a signal in a digital cable is actually an analog signal, an electrical pulse. The value given to these signals is 0 or 1, or it could be anything you give it.

[@pungvarlarsson6451]

@@grahampearce2405 Now that you modified your answer, I comment again. Interference is certainly an issue in digital data transmission! The higher the speeds the more the issue. Error correction protocols is not the only solution, although it can take care of most problems, other aspects will certainly be considered, like cable characteristics, no matter how much you dislike it, and interference. Saying that you don't need to think about signal degrading in digital transmission is like saying that the ships signalists don't need to care about keeping their flags clean or consider light conditions, because they can send the message again if unclear. For those working with ultra high speed transmissions, these factors are well known. Correction is essential, but care must be taken to eliminate errors and the correction is the last protection, not a compensation for sloppy circuit and cable design.

[@MrAlb3rtazzo]

It looks like you found that " scam" KZbin video claiming that! That guy was sponsored by Audioquest.

[@dungysphincter7974]

As a professional computer technician for over 30yrs, and being a senior technician for Plextor till 2010. The issue generally is not the usb cable. The issue most likely is with noise coming off the usb port itself, or noise at the receiving port itself due to poor manufacturing. Schiit audio uses an in house created unison usb port for this very reason. It is good to use a shielded usb cable made with good materials, sufficient enough. Not all usb cables are manufactured with quality materials. Would be nice for future manufactures to license the unison usb technology from Schiit audio, or use a similar technology strictly made for audio....that would be nice!

[@NYAudioGuru]

Hik Dungy. I have been an IT pro for 30 years. I didn't expect to hear any difference among USB cables in audio applications either. Then I tried comparing different cables when a friend expressed an interest. Using a fairly high end system, the differences were easily discerned and repeatable.

[@agentviktor3297]

Sounds good, but where is the proof?

[@davetester100]

@@agentviktor3297 what proof would you like?

[@NYAudioGuru]

@@agentviktor3297 In the listening. Try it.

[@ChrisMag100]

Today I compared an affordable (sub $100) branded cable against a short generic USB cable (non descript except for gold plated connectors) in between a Roon Nucleus and Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC. There did seem to be a difference, albeit a small one. I own a DH Labs SPDIF (coax) cable. For the money, it’s very good. I have compared it to several others. It wasn’t the best but was by far the best value.

[@ivolol]

Get a friend to blind test with you. They can switch (or not) the cables 20 times, you can answer which cable is being used.

[@stevethetoolman2435]

I recently got back into hifi after a 5 year hiatus. Remodeling the house. So…. I found some space and bought a new kit. Just discovered that my bluesound n130 node had USB. I pulled out an old Belkin computer A-B worth 10 bucks and plugged it in. Totally loved the sound. Just ordered a Origional Curious USB. Should sound good. Love this hobby. Fun. Thanks for the great video!

[@jagkahlon]

With all due respect if you did not do a blind test with someone else switching the cables without you noting it is always possible that your mind is playing tricks on you.

[@laika25]

On previous comment... Yes I could use adapter/s, but you'll agree with me on reducing steps between source and final output.

[@vincedebart]

Nice job Dave ..thanks

[@MODAC]

Glad to see someone enjoyed it!

[@vincedebart]

I think you do a great job. Your videos are informative and you have a great sense of humor.

[@CarlosPerez-eb5er]

Keeping it honest, good for you!

[@davidbee8178]

No B.S. here and I enjoyed your video! :-) - Funny thing: I got the DH Labs cable shipped along "free" with my Burson Conductor headphone amp/DAC (made in Australia) and actually preferred the Bellkin cable over the DH Labs . . . does YOUR Belkin have the gold plated connectors ? That was the cable that had a favourable review in an Audio mag for great value. In all fairness I did not give the DH Labs the same run in time as the Belkin . . . then I just recently acquired the Audioquest Cinnamon USB cable and with a bit of run in time, it bettered the above cables but not by any significant margin . . . I'm looking at much more expensive fare but as with all audio, we MIGHT be getting into diminishing return territory : One is the Curious USB cable from Australia and the other is the British Computer Audio Design USB - the Curious is in the 3 to 5 hundred U.S. dollar range and the British CAD USB is in the $1400.00 range YIKES! Both those cables DO share very sensible technology in that they put a priority on keeping the signal wires separate from the power/groun wire for ultimate noise rejection. 6 Moons did a review of the Curious entry cable a couple of years ago - happy listening !! And thanks for your entertaining video.

[@billd9667]

I don’t get it. USB cables don’t carry audio signals - they carry bits and bytes. A decent quality, well shielded cable should be more than fine. All I can say is that we are all human and subject to fault. I can say that I’m in the wrong business. I should cobble cables together in my kitchen and charge $400 for them.

[@burntable]

Having a background in computer science and hardware design I can say I was surprised to come across this video (in this channel, at least). There is no such thing as a USB audio cable. Again, go look behind any computer at the greatest mastering studios in the world and show me anything more than a "decent" quality USB cable. Anything audible would need to be evaluated under very closely controlled ABX texting as, at this level, the human ear would only be able to detect slight changes when compared back to back.

[@johntrott9513]

Has any one tried connecting one of these expensive usb cables to a printer? Would it improve the print quality?

[@NYAudioGuru]

You don't understand the difference between printing and streaming audio? Perhaps you're in the wrong place.

[@johntrott9513]

@@NYAudioGuru I was curious, I merely asked a question. Perhaps you should be less condescending.

[@pjmt29]

@@johntrott9513 I thought it was funny.

[@ScottGrammer]

For that you need a "printophile" USB cable. They start around $300. When connected to a golden-eye laser printer, they can improve textual clarity and give added context and improved phrasing to paragraphs. And you should see the colors! Such imaging! 🤣🤣🤣🤣Yes, I liked your comment as well.

[@HansProbs]

aw man definitely more of a “black background” as they say when printing just like the benefits in audio!

[@thevinylattack]

Best of luck sorting through the worms in the can that you've opened ;-)

[@MODAC]

I posted a link to the video in a FB group, and members are going nuts arguing among themselves. Such a sad state of affairs. Like I’ve said…This is supposed to be fun. SMH.

[@alexseaford4029]

Hi Dave, thanks for the video, it got me thinking and for the first time I've splashed out on a quality QED cable between my music streamer and my Dac...and.......it makes a difference 😀 👍cheers Big Ears! Keep 'em coming.

[@grahampearce2405]

Let's get this straight, you bought an amazing cable to connect from streamer to DAC. A digital cable, that uses an error correction protocol to fix any transmission errors. You mention streaming, I assume you are using one of those streaming services, the kind that stream high quality audio across the internet, and trust me the cable they use is basic stuff nothing fancy. Served right to that $50 router provided by the ISP, it then travels to your streamer. ....and you think that the signal is being degraded by the 1 metre cable (the USB protocol has builtin error correction). from the streamer to the DAC.

[@swinde]

I have a hard time understanding why the USB cables could make a difference. The only things that I can think of are that some poorly made one would require more error correction and if excessive could muddy the sound, or of course the length and conductor size my provide inadequate power to the peripheral device. (This is why USB portable hard drives have such short cables). Also maybe the digital signals are possibly distorted by poor conductance in some cables. I would like some engineers to quantify what is happening because, it seems that there must be something occurring here.

[@erics.4113]

You're intuitively making a false equivocation between analog and digitally encoded (bits) of audio data. The usb isn't carrying an analog audio signal that can be distorted through such interference. Generally speaking in audio, if you suffer dropped packets or any data loss, you won't get subtle degradation in signal quality, you'll get full drops of data, completely missing passages or pops and clicks where the missing bits should be. The most scientifically reasonable explanation for perceived improvement of sound quality of digital audio over different cables is described by psychological conditions in the human brain. It's a sighted bias, that when you plug in a rare material exotic usb cable and hope for an improvement, you can usually find one. The short answer as it's more commonly known is placebo.

[@swinde]

@@erics.4113 Actually that is what I was thinking to begin with. I was just trying to see if there is some way to quantify these (improvements) rather than just be told it sounds better or different. I do not think "different" is necessarily better. I know that the power issue is real if the cable is to long and the USB port does not deliver enough current to properly power the peripheral but this of course leads to total malfunction. I am also very skeptical about exotic speaker cables since ordinary 18 to 14 gauge ZIP cord should be adequate for almost any home audio installation. Special power cords and power conditioners seem useless as well unless you have extremely poor power service. The power supply in your power amplifiers should take care of any line conditions. There seem to be a lot of people that swear these things matter and if they do there should be some way to measure it.

[@erics.4113]

@@swinde it gets a little more complicated when you bring in analog signals, as they carry signal and current and can be altered by interference or capacitance, inductance and impedance as you mentioned. Those are measurable, objective realities in electrical engineering and you should be aware of the equipment pairing and those values when considering a high end cable. Unfortunately, not many of the cable manufacturers bother to tell you these precise values for any given length. Instead they choose to use descriptive colorful audio language about perceived sonic improvements. That's a bold assertion to state when they don't even have the complete picture of the system or devices that will interconnect with these cables. As you said, it's possible in this realm that cables will sound different. But you mentioned the more important, is different better? Did the cables high capacitance effectively EQ parts of your system or impede the performance of your amp? And why would you want to do this in this manner, when you have little control of the result? Best to EQ with ... EQ. Or DSP if you prefer to season the sound, and interconnect your components with quality enough wires that are built solidly, have good conductors and are well constructed. As far as digital bits... Thinking you're going to somehow massage sound quality out of 001101101001101 is maddening as a computer engineer. If you have a noisy USB port, get a better device that eliminates that problem. If you're worried that the bits on one end aren't reaching the other end in tact, you're completely unaware of simply how much data is transmitted without any kind of loss over these cheap cables day in and day out. A simple file copy will show you that you're not missing anything on the other end. If you were missing a single packet, the file wouldn't be identical and wouldn't work. Same with Ethernet and internet. Its a technology that just works. It isn't a problem and doesn't require a solution. You're way better upgrading your other components and just getting a decent cable that works.

[@agentviktor3297]

The only thing I can't understand, that people who spend 400 dollars on USB cable why can't get a calibration microphone for 30 bucks and capture some sweeps with different cable to see if there's something magical hocus pocus to them or not. I admit, that up to a certain point "you get what you have paid for", and for more money, you'll get something with better live expectancy than 3 weeks. But 400 dollars. There's no justification to that.

[@jabezhane]

It's called "the wallet effect". Basically "I paid $200 for this cable so it better sound better!" Amazingly that has more affect on the 'sound' than the cable.

[@joewhip9303]

My experience has been that USB cables make a difference. However, not often a positive difference. The best I have used is the DH Labs C to B. I find that too many audiophile cables are too bright. I was given a C to C cable by a big audiophile brand but it sounded worse than the cable that came with my external hard drive when hooked right to my computer.

[@Curious-z4s]

Enjoyed watching

[@amanieux]

I thought USB protocol had error detection and correction embedded in the lowest layers of the USB stack , otherwise it means when you write your taxes files on your external hard drive the numbers could change without being detected ( which is not the case)

[@TheWorldTeacher]

The speaker cables for my main monitor speakers are made in New Zealand.

[@eaustin2006]

It's the white stripe. That's the secret. Works with my divining rod too!

[@laika25]

I really needed to hear this. Thanks!

[@danielc5191]

Great video. The day I decided to switch to a USB cable half the cost of my DAC was one of the greatest days in audio for me. What about Optical cables VS USB ones? I just realised one of my PCs has an optical out jack.

[@rainbowbunchie8237]

So long as it's a decent little cable, it would be the same as a USB cable.

[@MrKeech666]

Cables absolutely matter, whether it be USB, interconnects, or speaker/headphone leads. However they will not improve "the sound", rather they will improve "your sound". The biggest culprits that degrades the quality of the signal is EMI/RFI that bombards our equipment from multiple sources, most not being your own. It's inescapable, but it can be tamed. Good quality cables will reject virtually all outside interference and greatly improve your sound. The other culprit would be the quality of your device, and the only fix for that is buying something better as no cable can fix problems stemming from the source. It matters not if it's analogue or digital, quality in cables matters! Just take for example HDMI or CAT cables. The only difference between HDMI 2.0 vs 2.1, or CAT 5 vs CAT 6 is quality of construction and materials; Using the wrong cable may give the illusion of "working properly", however your experience will be greatly diminished i.e. frame drops, stuttering, and colour banding. Modern (quality) devices have error correction so using drop-outs as a baseline is not suggested while judging cables. There is always somebody who pushes up their nerd glasses and starts the post with " Well actually... " or " I'm an electrical engineer..." in all of these types of videos, no matter the creator. Use your eyes and ears and reject judgements based on numbers on a page! If someone has no real-world practical experience in the matter, don't listen to them! As I always say, when it comes to grain, you never hear it until you don't! 🤘😎

[@jeepo500]

It's really hard to measure a psychoacoustic placebo. Maybe that's why the numbers don't show an improvement?

[@Temperature980]

When using a DDC does the type of usb cable matter?

[@kennethoransky4881]

I have noticed a difference among various usb cables, but the cables I use are no more than $25. Just to complicate things I added an iFi iSilencer+ to the chain and heard a futher difference. The bass was better defined (less thick), the sound stage widened, and imaging improved.

[@aworminmybook8234]

I usually go for ok cables around $10 from monoprice but i'm starting to think there is something to all this hype. Jitter and rf interference are hard to diagnose. Maybe high end cables mitigate those issues.

[@kennethoransky4881]

@@aworminmybook8234 I use many Monoprice cables for my rca interconnects. That was the first time I heard a difference in interconnects.

[@grahampearce2405]

Better bass, the signal is digital when it enters your DAC, you are hearing things.

[@kennethoransky4881]

@@grahampearce2405 If you've never tried the configuration to verify your findings you are not qualified to comment.

[@oswaldsdeadhand7648]

All this cable talk, I'm wondering about getting a daq to get to a Denon Receiver from my computer. The way it is now, an HDMI cable (12 ft long. Amazon select, it's very thick) from the hdmi output on the cmptr to the hdmi input on the receiver. If my TV which I did have has HDMI arc, the video from the cmptr would also be playing acting as a monitor of the cmptr screen. Is the audio "quality" of this sufficient. Is it at least comparable to using an USB to DAQ, then daq to receiver using RCA or toslink. I thought hdmi was of a higher delivery quality than using the RCA inputs on the receiver or even toslink. I do know the hdmi is better than bluetooth using the cmptr and receiver's bluetooth capabilities. Any comments on this will be appreciated. The music is flacced, 320'ed, or ripped CD.

[@NintenPizza]

USB 2.0 Audio > Toslink/Optical, even for 2 channel/Headphone audio based on my experience. Just curious though. It says that the max length a USB 2.0 cable can do is 16.5 feet before the audio degrades. Yet i've heard some people say it's 10 feet. Which is it?

[@laika25]

I wonder if they make a micro usb on one end to usb c on the other end cable, since that's the 1 i need. (SMSL M3 dac/amp to Android cell)

[@medroastt9888]

Your assessment makes sense... Btw, could you provide link where to buy the usb/spdif coverter as shown at 3:39 ? Thank you.

[@FUSEDFORCE]

after testing so many usb c cables for my mojo2 im now 100% that cables matter , some cables made the sound tinny and added a grainy echo , some killed the sound stage , some made the sound flat and it lost dynamics , after narrowing it down from 30 cables ,i narrowed it down to 2 the AudioQuest Forest / and wireworld chroma both fantastic and give me the full spectrum of sound the dac wants to deliver , i tested this on 3 other people swaping cables and all noticed the difference , all are audio fans and we no you improve your listing skills with age and obsession

[@TheWorldTeacher]

Do you have USB cables without the black and red (electrical) wires?

[@Asphodellife]

Well I'm one of those that was gullible enough to splash out for a boutique USB cable as my FOMO often overrides my rational thinking when it comes to audio (An Audioquest Cinnamon replacing an AQ Forest USB A to B). My Cognitive Dissonance being that at least it's a more sturdy and shielded cable. There was a difference, not even that subtle. Now, a placebo effect can be quite strong and magical at times, funny thing was it was more of a NOCEBO effect of sorts (or more like an inverted placebo) as the cable sounded different but not the way I wanted (less punch in the low, and lighter in high it seems) so I actually put back the forest. Only thing I can come up with is that one cable is faulty somehow, but then you'd expect drop-outs or similar. I'll stay with the theory of it being a placebo for now though. still, it's quite the effect; strange..

[@PBsnacker]

How do those Rogers and Celestion speakers sound?

[@grahampearce2405]

Note, USB is not carrying an audio signal, it is carrying a digital signal. You of course realise that there is an error correction protocol, it fixes any errors. A test..... copy a Gb of data down a cable, check that what you get at the other end is a perfect copy. If you do, then your cable is perfect. It really is as simple as that. Analog cables are different, they are susceptible to interference, and they do not have any method of correction, hence good cables matter.

[@DistroUser]

I like your laid back and sometimes funny presentation, you also bring up some good subjects to talk about. Yes, to me USB cables are audible as I have tried various types through the years with various components. A better value might be a Schiit USB cable made by Straight Wire, it's a bit hidden under their accessories category called PSYT cables. Also another value in my opinion is using an iFi iPurifier3 to use with any USB cable...cleans up the audio a bit more like a cleaner window. Cheers!

[@elijahmant2855]

Mmmmmmmm, Interesting.

[@grahampearce2405]

OK, if there are issues in the 1mtr of cable between you digital source and you DAC, such that you need an expensive cable, rather than just one costing $10. Then prey tell why you can listen to High Quality Audio from an Apple server that is possibly located hundreds if not thousands of miles away. It works because error correcting protocols 'fix' any errors. The USB protocol also includes error correction. So, in short, do not waste you money on expensive USB cables.

[@burntable]

It wouldn't actually be the cable, here. It's, rather, the USB interface on each end, its chip set, oscillator, etc. Please, please do not spend more than $20 on a USB cable. There is no such thing as a USB audio cable. Ask a mastering engineer or anyone with decades in computer science and/or hardware design. Great channel, though.

[@zzezzobike]

now you listen to many of us, if you are deaf or incapable of hearing nuances stop bothering others with your handicap 😡

[@EspenStabforsmo]

"...to carry that audio signal to the DAC, that it should be of decent quality..." It is NOT a audio signal until it LEAVES the DAC, until then it is a regular digital signal, consisting of 1s and 0s (or high's and low's) and subject of continuous and rigorous error checking and correction. That is, it is either correct and valid, or will be retransmitted until it is. There are no nuances - it is either 100% correct or invalid. A given sequence of 1s and 0s doesn't produce a tighter base out of the speaker when transmitted to the DAC on a particular brand or type of USB cable compared to another type or brand - they deliver the exact same sequence of data and the DAC receiving this data will produce the exact same analog signal on its output. It is like believing that a given text, encoded as Morse code, would carry different info and different amounts of detail when tapping (transmitting) the code sequence on the tabletop using your finger, compared to the exact same text (and, hence, exact same Morse code sequence) transmitted by tapping on a glass with a spoon..? How hard can it be?!

[@CarlVanDoren61]

High End Audio ForThe Passionate (Facebook) for all your other questions

[@ParoxyDM]

Wait wait wait! So the the cheap USB cable delivers perfect bit-for-bit copies of your files to your external hard drive for years... but the same cable can't deliver perfect bit-for-bit copies of your digital audio? 😂

[@SianaGearz]

False analogy. The external hard disk runs in USB bulk packets with checksum and retransmission, it actually has several layers of data integrity protection that rely on retransmission if data is damaged. Audio uses isochronous USB transfers that have a checksum that can correct a single bit error per millisecond. If the data is damaged, beyond that, it will just be used as-is. However if every link between hubs etc uses spec compliant cables (such as the inexpensive Belkin) that haven't been tortured to death like bent violently or plugged in and out a million times and you only have up to about 1.5m of wire between endpoints or hubs, your actual audio error rate will be in single events in months or years, it will not manifest as continuously audible difference. Something else that helps data integrity is that your storage devices run in HighSpeed or SuperSpeed USB modes so extensive error correction is doing some heavy lifting with regular transmission faults while audio is usually FullSpeed which is much slower and less error prone. The most error prone class of devices are webcams and some video capture devices, they run isochronous transfers but HighSpeed. You can tell when a cable is starting to go bad. There is something to be said also about common mode noise and ground offsets which will have no effect on the digital portion of a device and will not affect bit recovery but can upset the analogue part of the device; that's why you may find ferrite cores installed on some cables (not on this "audio" one) or have a single side connected shield, but really it shouldn't matter with adequately designed audio devices.

[@joshuamitchell1733]

Bullshit, the cables do nothing, no cable ever has done anything.

[@Thevikingcam]

The only way to sure is to make blind AB testing. Also there are variables on USB outputs. Must be used as ASIO or WASAPI (bitperfect), USB audio 2.0 (some older systems rely on USB audio 1.0) Also no audio enhancers can be on in windows driver settings (it can differ between USB ports.) Iw tested 4000€ Nordost USB cable in 3.000.000€ genelec studio, no difference at all. 100% same and it cant be. Basically if you claim, you managed to break laws of physic's. BUT there is also the noise problems. IF you computer is noisy/got hummings, fixing the cable is the last thing you should do. Fix the source of the noises, computer and electric delivery on it.

[@bunnyhopbunnyflop7148]

This is just guerrilla marketing for the cable manufactures and audio companies. You build an audience with a new channel that appears independent, but it is actually a marketing arm for companies.

[@MODAC]

New channel? Guerrilla marketing? You are clueless.

[@gene8933]

you should of asked your wife swap them out to do blind test.Maybe you have to bribe her and buy her dinner.But I am sorry to assume you have the money since you spend it all on audio ........................... Only kidding

[@NT-LTS]

Trust your ears 👍

[@shining31]

Ok. You know that theses improvements can't be real. Just to admit that the USB câble can't affect the analog part, and that's it :) Also, seem's to me that sponsorized content should display a disclaimer at the begining of the video

[@MODAC]

Sponsored??? I received no payment.

[@kobush18]

Sorry that you spread this nonsense, USB cable has no sound . as a technical engineer in electronics I know it and proved it to my friend that have fency expensive cable, Human Brain can be easy fooled when biased thinking take place (both on hearing and vision) and no substitute to technical measurements. If you want to hear improvement and pre biased to it you will hear it,but it's only illusion of brain. Make experiment, close your eyes with something that you can't see and ask someone to switch cables randomly 20 times. If you Guess correctly 18 times most probably it's true and you can hear the difference,but you won't, I tried it with my friend and he had less than 50 percent correct,like tossing a coin. Recently I saw on KZbin channel called "audio science review" making measurements and prove my thought that there is no difference between cheap and expansive cables. Do help to spread this lie,many cables manufacturers promoting their cables thru reviewers without any measurements. The same goes for power main conditioners, Wich is another topic that I don't want to get into write now. Make the experiment yourself

[@MichelLinschoten]

You're correct also nobody here did a blind test .....it's hardly proof. David is losing the plot here, he should atleast do blind tests !

[@kobush18]

If information (frames,bits) will not get to their destination exactly as they should your computer Will not work planes will fall from the sky and your Internet will not work and so on,imagine if you surf on internet and you requested page that address located on server thousands of kilometers sway,your page that you requested will come to you likely back thru several servers,if something get wrong you will not receive your page correctly or not at all . There is error correction mechanism (overhead)(typically 3bit) for error correction, if any. The same apply for USB (unless the cable too long and the loss of bits is even beyond the error correction limitation) But who am I to tell you what to do with your money. In the end of the day it's your money. I would invest it elsewhere in the audio chain for better value.

[@MichelLinschoten]

@@DistroUser your emotional bias does not outweigh facts. Facts do not care about your feelings. If it doesn't measure as such ,your ears for sure will not do it . It's the most inferior and easy to trick of all the human brain. Also do explain why nobody thusfar being subjected to blind testing ever has been able to pick out their golden standard cables. No need to answer, it's rhetorical.. Anyways like he said it's your money your ears that need to be pleased. Enjoy regardless

[@DistroUser]

@@MichelLinschoten Don't tell me what I hear or don't hear, you don't know it all and you are not me. It is possible that people can hear things that you don't. And there are people that may be sensitive in ways that you are not. Yes there are facts and data but that is only part of the story.

[@MichelLinschoten]

@@DistroUser I do know you dabble with step in model Phil Jones speakers. Want one? I got one dusting up the place the top model Boston acoustics 500l he build MSRP 5k . I have a pretty good idea what you're "used too " don't even open that can of worms. Also do explain, why all you special blessed golden eared wunder kinds. Never ever ,passed a blind test before. Or even done one ,what's the matter?! Scared of being wrong ?! Imagine if you actually had access to cables upwards 4k Plus price tags,I don't surf I actually conducted blind tests well over 20 years of doing what I do. I even put money on it if anyone could pass a test. Been 10 years ago I offered that openenly I gladly been proven wrong...guess what .. None of the golden eared boys made it (was $500 so it did drew some attention) you think you can. Open invitation, we can do the tests on any system planar , cone , horn won't matter I gladly accommodate. If my equipment isn't good enough ? Bring whatever you wish. And TO be clear ,if I hear it ?! Dude I'll apologize and give you all props where due ! Because if anything?! If there is a difference with standard industry cables?! I gladly buy them !

[@seejayfrujay]

The "ones and zeros" and "can it be measured?" folks almost, with exception, have limited background in science and engineering. So, the endless arguments, not understanding that it is step 1 in science. The USB cables for peripherals are very cheaply made, very much like the cheap analog RCA cables one got with audio gear 40 years ago. If one were to sweep test a lot of them, you would find big differences between each one and between lots. Digital signals are noisy and the equipment that processes it must tolerate noise. I remember the team I was on testing high speed external storage for servers had to reject SAS (serial attached SCSI) cabling from a supplier because it did not measure to spec, nor did it work to spec. So what's happening? An easy test is full gain with no stream--it should be dead silent. On budget DACs, insufficient signal conditioning on the input is the culprit. Ideally, you should hear no differences at all between cables. With high-end DACs, the input signal is completely decoupled from the outside world and is essentially re-clocked. My desktop's Modi 3+, on the other hand, has virtually no signal conditioning and is unusable without an expensive USB cable, and even then there was noise. I used its Toslink input instead. With the same cable and port, my iFi Nano is dead black at full gain.

[@MODAC]

Very interesting point. Thanks.

[@jackturtle131]

G'day mate I think you must have the hearing of an 18 year old female. Bugger if I can hear it. I'm nearly 70 years old

[@jonsays3762]

6ga optical or bust.

[@DBravo29er]

I've heard the differences in some systems. Absolutely it can be a real thing. And before anybody says "blind AB or you got nothing!".... ABX testing is used to discern very minor differences. For large differences, it's literally not necessary.

[@zulumax1]

I would have to say the difference is minor. I am using the Audioquest Cinnamon USB cable, not a slouch.

[@DBravo29er]

@@zulumax1 The difference becomes more stark as system quality and resolution increases. I went from Cinnamon to Supra standard USB and heard obvious differences in my system. Kinda wanna try Supra Excalibur but am just so happy with the regular Supra that I don't think I'll bother.

[@ScottGrammer]

ABX testing is for eliminating bias. If you don't know what you're listening to, and neither does the person doing the switching (if that's not you), then there will be no bias. Then you can really find out what sounds different.

[@DBravo29er]

@@ScottGrammer Incorrect. ABX testing purports to eliminate bias, but introduces biases of its own. And, again, is only necessary to aid the swift discovery of very fine nuance changes. I can't think of a worse way to evaluate something as complex and layered as music (or the speakers with which it is produced) than to force people to listen to repeatedly listen to short clips of songs with which they are not familiar. False positives AND negatives abound! Imagine an eye doctor using an eye chart with unknown characters.... lol. One must understand what they are evaluating in order to properly evaluate it. There has been extensive scholarly literature on this topic, btw. ABX is absolutely not a panacea in terms of being used as a proxy to evaluate speakers. It must be conducted correctly in order to have statistical confidence and reproducibility. Lastly, if people aren't permitted to make their own observations using their own 5 senses, then they've effectively been locked out of science.

[@williamzame3708]

@@DBravo29er In fact, a big problem with eye charts that use letters is *precisely* that the characters are known. Better eye charts just use non-letter-symbols in different orientations.

[@revamp777]

Rubbish, you saying your ones and zeros sound better through different USB cables? If there is a difference in sound which there is not then take it back and get a refund.

[@MODAC]

If you think it’s just about “ones and zeroes” then you need to look into it further. Thanks

[@MichelLinschoten]

You should do a double blind test,see if you really can hear the difference. Your conclusions are relatively useless yes .

[@skip1835]

Thanks David - - as I'm sure you expected, sure, it's easy enough to second guess your tests and the results but even so, I don't really get why those that are suggesting blind testing don't understand that in this particular video you're simply not doing a blind test, by choice - - fee country, go do you're own blind test and post your own video, I'd love to watch it, would be my general response to that - - so, thanks again, imho, there's no doubt that you were hearing differences which is the overall answer that I was looking for.

[@grahampearce2405]

I am going to cry this is so bad, the signal going down the cable is DIGITAL, it is not analogue. Talks about frequencies.....? What - It's a digital signal. it's all just 1's and 0's. Apple send high quality audio from servers around the world, down your ISP's connection to that cheap $50 router. ....and you get what, the exact same signal they sent. Your conclusions are meaningless, and misleading. Short answer, buy the Belkin.

[@colt45lmer]

im sorry straight up this is snake oil. Just using a good quality usb cable is fine. all other stuff is bs junk. Their is no way you can hear a diff. Having some interference is fine cause usb has error correcting built in to double check the data getting sent. The cable that maters much more is the cable going from your dac to your amp and from amp to your headphones. Interference here could change the sound. But the usb cables are a joke. do a proper blind test with multiple people and a break out box guarantee no one will be able to properly pick out the belkin vs $200 cable. Placebo effect on steroids here. when you know the real technical behind how the usb protocol works this just makes no sense. in the bottom line this is so wrong its crazy. even silver vs copper headphone cables make no diff as long a st he quality and the shielding of the cables are proper.

[@len9518]

Can't happen. No way to improve USB cable sound. Yes, you can build them better, more reliable and make them prettier, and LOTS more expensive. Any one who says otherwise, is either lying, or in your case, a victim of confirmation bias. I'm convinced you actually believe you hear a difference, but i's an illusion.

[@florin604]

Imagine some people believe USB is a "sound" cable... they have no idea what information is and how it works