This is what a perfectly made USB cable sounds like...

[@aa-audio-my]

Thank you Lachlan for the review. We ship internationally using UPS Express Saver. Shipping cost will be shown after a valid address has been entered.

[@PassionforSound]

Thank you for the update, Anwar!

[@MaZEEZaM]

@@PassionforSound hello, your international store link has no AA Audio products that i can find. I'm trying to find the best link for purchase in Australia.

[@PassionforSound]

According to Anwar's post above, just go to his site (link in description) and select the product in the shop. You'll get international shipping options once you enter your address.

[@grahampearce2405]

Hi, given that USB is a data cable and the USB standard has built in error correction, how on earth can the cable make any difference? It's only carrying a data stream, not an audio signal. Given that how on earth does apple manage to stream hi-res music across the planet over a network of thousands of miles or various cables and equipment. Yet it arrives perfectly. A test for you, if you copy a file down a USB cable over and over again, is the file identical at the other end? because if it had any errors the file would not even play let alone sound different. I'd stick to analog cables where better quality cable does matter.

[@PassionforSound]

@grahampearce2405 the USB Audio protocol isn't the same as the data transfer protocol

[@1337wafflezz]

If you can’t explain it and you can’t measure it, the only logical conclusion is to do a double blind AXB test to see if you or anyone else can conclusively hear it.

[@yourtubisfilled7164]

This.

[@hartyewh1]

Knowing the difference in price, brand or anything else ruins the impression and ABX is the only way. One is free to enjoy placebo effects, but that has no place in public at least without pointing out that placebo might be all it is. I've heard the clear differences between speaker cables until I ABX'd and suddenly they were all the same😅

[@Pete.across.the.street]

It is substrate noise coupling and you can measure it. Although you cant measure everything in audio.

[@Thund3rstone]

@@Pete.across.the.street Digital transactions have protocols that send and check each packet several times so this should be mitigated?

[@Xerxesro1]

@@Pete.across.the.street The DAC used the 0s and 1s to convert into analogue. The coupling noise, if any, is just that. You won't hear better bass or larger soundstage because the data that goes inside the DAC is the same. If a usb or any other digital cable would make a difference in sound, it would also make a difference in video. But you don't hear people discussing how a different hdmi cable makes Brad Pitt look even better. Because it doesn't.

[@artureff3046]

As USB is a digital signal, no, interference will not cause the audio to change. But USB audio is normally delivered via isochronous data transfer (think UDP), a best effort non-error correction protocol. USB uses Manchester encoding on differential twisted paired data lines to reduce the effect of any interference, as well as the shielding. USB does have error checking (CRC) for transmissions, but as the audio is real time transfers, any corrupted packet is simply dropped/ignored. You would hear audio drops if enough interference happens on the line, but no static or similar analog noise. Normal interference shouldn't affect it much if at all. .... Even if you have lets say isolation barrier between USB procesor and DAC chip (inside the "DAC box"), EMI modulated on USB data transfer (and thus heavilly corolated) will get thru and onto I2S data lines to the DAC modulating his silicon substrate with jitter and affecting the audio quality. This is true for each UAC standart transfer (asynchronnous, isynchronnous and adaptive). On the other hand...USB audio cable is the last thing you want to mess about and its a "voodoo" in lot of senses. There is technical (measurable) as well as hearable difference (both of them are very small), but you are better saving those USD500 for better DAC, then spending it on a cable. Double shielding isn't really going to help you much. It has some technical backround, but doesnt solve the problem and its mostly to sell cables for ridiculous prices. electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/246488/does-usb-cable-quality-matters-affects-in-someway-the-signal-on-audio-interfac

[@PassionforSound]

My understanding is that everything about USB audio comes back to noise and it's influence on the clock and the analog circuit in the DAC. There might be more to it still, but that's the part that makes the most sense and that I have seen meaningful demonstration of (i.e. measurements by Alpha Audio).

[@hartyewh1]

A bold opening move after the previous video😅👍

[@MaZEEZaM]

Very true, especially considering the reaction in the comments.

[@hartyewh1]

@@MaZEEZaM People are a bit friskier than necessary certainly, but also it feels like Lachlan set himself up with this one.

[@PassionforSound]

Not a setup, just leaning into the stupidity of the situation. It's just a cable and it's just a KZbin video...

[@Kenny-Somafunk]

As you swapped the cables yourself all you have proved is that confirmation bias is alive and well, at 9.40 you mention different frequencies are affected differently - if so then this could be measured very easily by a high school physics student with an oscilloscope. Talk yourself into belief if you like but some of us want verifiable measurements. good luck with the paid promotions on the site

[@slon74]

Best intro for snake oil ever, even old good Mr. Einstein is there.

[@scotteaton963]

Whatever one might think of the subject, I really like your new approach to the channel and videos. Great job!

[@PassionforSound]

Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it. 🙂♥️

[@rossheard9446]

And that's the hobby in a nutshell. Spending a lot to get that one inch of perceived improvement.

[@shipsahoy1793]

Truth: perception is not necessarily reality, friend, but the frail human ego will dictate that it IS ...👨🏻

[@Pete.across.the.street]

@@shipsahoy1793 perception is your reality.

[@Thund3rstone]

I understand this in the analog domain. But this is digital to digital (before transforming into analog). Our world here is very 0/1. Every packet is checked and send again. So unless your setup is not complete bonkers plus your cable not the least shielded, you are fine with a 10 bucks cable.

[@Pete.across.the.street]

@@Thund3rstone USB is an analog cable. If you used tos link you would be correct.

[@MattZildjian]

@@Pete.across.the.street USB is digital

[@Berkanann]

Brave move. :)

[@PassionforSound]

😉

[@johnpajestka5022]

This guy definitely would have been a "magical elixir" salesman in the 1800s.

[@SimonP2]

But have you tried better quality cables for yourself? It's easy to mock the more esoteric end of things but my, and many others', experience is that cables do affect the sound. If you don't believe or your equipment is not revealing enough to let you hear the difference then fine, you have one less thing to worry about, but once you reach a certain level in hi-fi (say, over $1000 per device with separate amp and DAC) you realise that they certainly do change the sound.

[@johnpajestka5022]

@@SimonP2 Take it easy Skippy. It was just a joke. I have a good system and yes, I've tried various USB cables of differing prices. No discernable difference. If you are serious into Hi-Fi and you want to spend $600 on a USB cable, go for it. Live it up. People will laugh at you but don't concern yourself with that. Most have enough respect to wait till you walk away.

[@justadad2304]

I love historic comparisons, they're so good at helping us reveal how people are not as smart as they think. Here's the one that describes you: you definitely would have been "shoveling manure" in the 1800s

[@particularlynothing]

@@johnpajestka5022 Well that's interesting. You just admitted to buying some of the "magical elixir" at some point, but think it's ok to shit on other people trying to improve their own systems because it didn't work out for you. SMH.

[@johnpajestka5022]

@@particularlynothing What a stupid comment. Researching, borrowing and figuring out if a USB cable actually makes a difference is what everyone should be doing. Also, try to be a lil' less sensitive in the future. People will not only laugh at you for owning a $600 USB but not want to associate with you at all due to you getting butt-hurt all the time. You'll be all alone with your overpriced cable.

[@ronmiller6344]

The sound delivered by different USB cables is all over the place. I've found the only way to see which is preferred is to try it in my own system. Thanks for this video!

[@particularlynothing]

SOMEONE WHO GETS IT!

[@PassionforSound]

My pleasure! Thanks for watching and commenting, folks!

[@octavlicanescu3707]

Imagine all the cables going from KZbin servers to you....If we could fix all that cable, how CLEAR would the sound be!!!

[@taidee]

At US$590 per meter of USB cable, it’s a matter of just because you can, you shouldn’t. I don’t think even the makers of the cable can reasonably explain where they’ve spent so much that they have to charge that much.

[@mikeg2491]

Everyone is too focused on measurements to determine if something is snake oil or not. I want to see what the profit margin is, that is the true tell-tale sign.

[@hartyewh1]

Products are usually priced relative to sales amounts so they might be expecting a profit after selling three units😅

[@PassionforSound]

Most products are priced to a combination of performance (i.e. how much is the equivalent competition) and R&D costs. Knowing how long Anwar put into the development of this cable and the fact that it's performing better than equivalently priced cables suggests that it's actually well priced. On top of that, it's using Mundorf gold and silver wires so that's going to be very expensive.

[@johnkom2339]

It's more a matter of "there are plenty of people in the audiophile community who can afford to pay, so why not". The other aspect of pricing that bothers me is when a product comes out and is touted by reviewers, then it becomes the new hot product. "Everyone has to have it" and then is when the manufacturer jacks up his price. I noticed that Chinese audio companies do that a lot. A red flag for me. I just recently found the Oyaide Neo Class A USB cable which really did make a nice improvement, for $45 dollars. Always try the cheaper stuff first, you might be pleasantly surprised.

[@PassionforSound]

That's an overly sceptical view without evidence to support it, John. I'm definitely not a fan of the reviewer hype train and do my best to always discuss pros AND cons as well as tempering the hype where possible. However, I can't think of a single product I've reviewed where the price has risen beyond the inflationary amounts that other products have also risen by. In fact, most products have gotten cheaper over time as new models are released (Plus, Ultra, Mk3 versus, etc.)

[@m4rkb0y]

Digital data transfer between two usb interfaces is a negotiated process. Where received digital data is not identical (corrupted) to that which was transmitted, the receiver negotiates a resend. If the resend is fast enough to replace the corrupt data before being requested for playback then all is well, if not then the process simply stops with an error message passed to any visible interface to report a fault. There's no inbetween state whereby music data (or any other) will be accepted, in turn altering it from it's original state. Assuming both a cheap cable and an expensive cable allow the negotiated process of digital data transfer to succeed then there is no difference at the point of playback... none. Successful digital data transfer is just that, regardless of the cable.

[@PassionforSound]

There is no resending of data in the USB Audio protocol, but I also don't believe that it's about dropped data. It seems to be about the noise transmitted through the cable along with the data.

[@MaZEEZaM]

So many negative comments, i bet none of you have had the opportunity to compare these cables on a similar system. It's a bit rich that we trust that he can hear the intricate differences between high end audio components and yet you don't trust his ears and brain when comparing high quality cables. I would point out that both are made up of tiny electrical wires and electrical components.

[@PassionforSound]

Exactly! I'm ok with people not believing it or questioning it - I know I did, but the rage... 🤷

[@Panslapper]

Quite happy with my DH Labs Mirage usb that I bought on a random eBay search from a disposed project on the sellers behalf for a relatively again price. Any differences…yes, transparency allowing far more accurate detail. Cables are getting even better these days. I use better power cords than stock that come with most audio products and it’s always a notable upgrade in sonic quality.

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks for sharing your experiences!

[@Panslapper]

@@PassionforSound ..and yourself sir! Very helpful and informative reviews imo.

[@s.daniel9224]

Thanks for hitting us with Prince. Some of his music can be busy and complicated, but damn, it’s all good!

[@PassionforSound]

I was so sad when he passed. 😥

[@bladeraptor73]

i had a similar experience moving from Chord Company Epic BNC cables between my MScaler / Hugo TT2 to the those offered by Network Acoustics in their ENO range - had to swap them in an and out a couple of times to really believe the difference was that stark. It was like someone wiped a pair of smudged glasses scrupulously clean while also expanding the size of the glasses to encompass a greater field of view. Instrument placement and depth of soundstage improved markedly as well as the music feeling like it just breathed better. And this wasn't just noticed sat in front of the music in active listening mode. Every time I came into the room half paying attention to the music I was quickly grabbed by how old familiar tracks now sounded and wound up stopping whatever else I was doing to just listen track after track. If you are looking for a USB cable to try I would look at the Network Acoustics ENO USB IV cable - i have one arriving this week and suspect it will be a similar change when I swap out the Epic USB between my HoloAudio Red and the MScaler

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks for sharing your experiences. This sounds very similar to what I've noticed many times both casually in my personal setups and when reviewing.

[@deputy3690]

Spending $265 on a cable will never happen for me.

[@PassionforSound]

That's fair enough. I'm definitely not suggesting everybody SHOULD but these, just providing info for those who might want to.

[@Rockruio]

Good DACs are pricier this cable seems a good option for enhancing your sound without spending too much.

[@sirblew]

​@@Rockruioany amount spent above what is necessary to produce an audible improvement is a waste of money.

[@invisiblekid99]

@@sirblew And how much are you going to assign to be "necessary"? What about someone with more money than you to spend on HiFi? You think spending $500K on speakers people are then going to get Amazon Basics speaker cable?

[@xOogieBoogie3x]

It doesn't enhance sound. ​@@Rockruio

[@blue6point62]

My brother is an electrical engineer for one of the largest power companies in the world and fellow HiFi enthusiast like me. His conclusion is when it comes to how we hear and how our brains interpret audio, somethings cannot yet be explained with the science and equipment we have today.

[@Xerxesro1]

It's called placebo.

[@blue6point62]

@@Xerxesro1 Placebo only works if you are absolutely sure something is going to be a benefit, often with your mind made up in advance. Works the other way too, if you are positive it will not work, your mind will already be made and you may not able to comprehend a difference. I have high end speaker cable and I really really wanted it to sound better, but nope, no difference. But my interconnect upgrade did make a positive difference to my surprise. Wouldn't the placebo have worked with both cables?

[@Thund3rstone]

I do not believe in mumbo jumbo but I accept your brothers point of view! I would rather see as reasoning for special digital cables "it speaks to me" or "things between heaven and earth" as " it has less noise". I respect people who believe in something not explainable (religion), but I detest flat earthers.

[@PassionforSound]

There is definitely a lot at don't understand yet and auditory perception and also some areas where we know things are important, but perhaps not how important. For example, for a long time we thought timing accuracy in the brain was about 4 micro seconds (hopefully I'm remembering that right) so anything accurate to that degree was sufficient. We've since learned that our brains are infinitely sensitive to timing errors in sound. This relates to the topic of USB audio because incoming noise can alter accuracy of the clock in the DAC which then skews the timing of the signal and our brains can detect that.

[@ScottoGrotto]

Thanks for tredding where few dare to, Lachlan :) For me it’s easier to suss out differences in a revealing 2 channel set up. Kudos for differentiating so precisely with headphones! Jitter is more or less the primary culprit in coherence in my understanding .. Can be source, cable, dac or anything else in between that can mess with the digital square wave shape or timing ( shape messes with timing, as the bit is read differently as a rounded off wave vs more defined wave ) More focused listening/listeners will find things sounding not right or as natural or satisfying. It was fascinating for me to play around with different usb cables, starting with a printer cable not knowing if there would be a difference :) ✅ Compared to an audio usb cable. I’ve gone through several over the years. My current preference is a Pangea XL. It has a veteran engineer as it’s chief designer. I can’t recommend all Pangea products, but this is a good one especially for the price✨ It’s a divorced cable which avoids interaction of power and data electron fields. Made from Cardas Copper, with good connectors and shielding. The other thing I’ve found useful for regenerating these important waves are iFi iPurifiers whether usb iii or spidf/coax ii. And these iPurifiers benefit from iFi’s better power supplies like iPower X or better. These are worth a demo or a video :) Cheers

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks for sharing your experiences! I'd love to play with the iFi gear, but the local distributor refuses to play ball ☹️

[@ScottoGrotto]

@@PassionforSound Maybe contact iFi UK? I’ve found these little iFi devices to be extraordinary. They cleaned up my iMac out put, WiiM pro output to the point where i stopped thinking i needed a better dac, because I just needed a more refined signal for the dac input. Helped make the iMac and WiiM much closer to an audiophile sounding source! Much cheaper than a significant dac upgrade :) Good luck with the UK peeps :) Recently I played with putting the iFi on the input of my chord mojo og, and that was rewarding too :)

[@PassionforSound]

@ScottoGrotto I actually had both iFi UK and iFi USA try to send me gear and both were blocked by the local distributor. ☹️

[@ScottoGrotto]

@@PassionforSound Wow, that’s so odd! Sorry! I wrote a lengthy review on a US resale site, and iFi emailed me their appreciation. I think iFi does better with more reviews and exposure especially in today’s markets. I think iFi deserves more good press and reviews. Sounds a bit over controlling. Amazon?

[@redstang5150]

Digital cables don't have a "sound". Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

[@bradstone2603]

My wife can hear a difference between these two cables, through an android tablet. kzbin.info/www/bejne/faTIZZqXft9_h5Isi=cPC-6pfADFRgnp41

[@Hetsu..]

The problem with audio products is the diminishing returns after $20. I cannot in good faith chase a 'perfect' system in anyway, when cables and drives change the sound. Its such a pipe dream when every single part of the signal chain has an impact, doubly so when theres no set either no set standard for design in high end audio, or because most audio companies/consumers are too deaf to even hear a difference in sources.

[@michaelsegel8758]

I agree but I don't know that I could put a price tag like that... more of a range. The issue is that even on the lower end of price... there is a variety of cables. You can get really good quality, but if you're making ~20ft speaker cables... you'll end up spending more on decent wire and connectors. But spending ~$100 - $150 for a set of speaker cables that are ~10 ? (That's $5.00 a foot of cable plus connectors...) Its a more realistic price range if not more. Still cheaper than buying some of the insane speaker cables that are out there and good enough for most installations. Just my $0.02.

[@PassionforSound]

I think a more optimistic view of this is that there is great sound to be had at any price and you don't NEED to worry about cables if you don't want to.

[@michaelrossmaessler200]

Real acoustic music sounds nothing like recordings, recordings are a glimpse of the event. Getting better equipment is like getting a better lens for a camera to maximize what you're getting. It's always been about nuance.

[@Hetsu..]

@@michaelrossmaessler200 recordings are mixed to 'perfection', so its a pick your poison.

[@PassionforSound]

@Hetsu.. whose version of perfection? 😉

[@chrisflynn2735]

I've noticed noticed a difference with a higher quality USB cable in my system especially when using the longer ones. Thanks for the review as I know it can be divisive to express such impressions.

[@PassionforSound]

My pleasure and thanks for sharing your experiences. That's an interesting point about the influence of cable length alongside cable quality. I haven't explored that!

[@tubefreeeasy]

If I go silver core, I really never look back.

[@OlaJustin]

Did you just bring up really important sientists in the bloom of the sientific era to make up some context to an expensive USB-cable? "Unless you are compairing them like I have"... You havent done anything since bias is a huuuuuuge factor in anything. If your brain decides that one of the cables are "weightier" then its game over and you will hear just that. Atleast cut them up to comment on the quality. Because content like this was stupid 30 years ago and still is. Just that you had no comment section in papers. Anyway, good luck. 👍

[@warrensnook]

I am no scientist and don't have a strong opinion either way regarding the sonic differences if any exist between USB cables. However, I experienced an unusual phenomenon recently. With no music playing between my streamer and headphone amplifier with internal DAC the right digital VU meter would flicker. It did this with 3 different USB cables which were a Supra, Oyaide and a generic cable. When I then swapped to a Lavricables Master Line USB which has an unusual design by separating the power and data into 2 separate cables the VU meter stopped flickering. I repeated the experiment of swapping cables several times with the same result. My only conclusion is some noise from my streamer was getting into the amplifier and was being visually recognised and the Lavricables USB fixed the issue? Any explanations why this happened would be very welcome 🙏

[@savagej4y241]

Any USB cable with shielding is basically immune to noise. This is different from analog cables that can pick up noise. My guess what happened is your VU meter picked up some crosstalk between the power and data wiring of your cables that don't isolate the two. Now, would that affect audio quality? Probably not unless the cable were broken, since any USB cable ensures signal integrity. But there's no harm in preventing crosstalk, either.

[@PassionforSound]

My experiences would suggest that the cables which most effectivity separate the power wires from the signal wires tend to sound the best so the crosstalk idea makes some sense, especially with noisier source devices like PCs (as opposed to streamers)

[@warrensnook]

​@@PassionforSoundThis is an interesting topic for sure. My streamer is an Eversolo A6ME and with some USB cables, noise is being transferred into my amplifier/DAC. It would be interesting to know how people scientifically measure USB cables and if they are able to introduce noise into them from the source side and how that effects the measurements?

[@PassionforSound]

Alpha Audio did a video a little while back about network switches. Even though it's a different device and cable, what they showed with measurements was that noise entering the device via the cables was creating jitter at the clock which will skew the timing of the signals. There are scientific studies showing that the brain is infinitely sensitive to timing accuracy/inaccuracy (i.e. our ability to detect timing errors is beyond what they've been able to measure) so there's plenty of evidence for how this could all work. I just haven't yet seen specific data of what is going on in the USB cables themselves - that would be super helpful!

[@grahampearce2405]

A small point..... If data can get from Apples hi-res music servers the other side of the Atlantic across all sorts of connections and cable types, god knows how much interference, and yet they work perfectly. So, pray tell why the local short length has anything to do with it. So, why does it work, error correction protocols, and that USB controller also has error correction protocols.

[@s.daniel9224]

Same. I find myself measuring new equipment more than the music. On occasion, I find a great combo that gives me the synergy or special sauce and I start enjoying the music again. But, I get bored easily. Same with cars, boats, houses, women….

[@MaZEEZaM]

People don't question or call headphone cables snake oil. USB cables, headphone cables, they are both simply a series of wires and insulating material, yet Many people are calling high-end USB cables snake oil, without hearing them in person. Sceptical people should consider this.

[@michaelsegel8758]

Sorry, but explain to me how if a cable is at spec... carrying a digital signal... the sound would be audibly different? You have a binary signal where any difference in the impedance would be minimal (its to spec... remember). Sorry, but it would be weird if your DAC interpreted the signal that differently if there's just a small difference in timing of the signal. I don't see it. So what am I missing?

[@Thund3rstone]

You are not missing anything, most people do not really know how digital tech really works, 99% are users, who project what they know about their vinyl record player onto digital chains. This is not supposed to be degrading, it is just a fact you need to take into account in discussions like this.

[@PassionforSound]

The key differences in USB cables seems to be the way they keep noise from various sources from affecting the downstream DAC circuit. I'm yet to find a full explanation of exactly how different variables in the cables alter the sound, but it all seems to be about noise. Alpha Audio demonstrated recently in a video how noise entering a digital device can alter the timing of the clock so that's definitely one influence that's been measured and demonstrated, but I think there's still more based on what I've heard across many cables and devices.

[@sirblew]

@@PassionforSound noise is filtered by the DAC. Ground loops are easily circumvented by using balanced signal paths.

[@PassionforSound]

I think you need to look into that statement a bit. If it were so easy to filter out noise, there would be no need for different quality levels of DACs. It's a little like water filters - some filter out chlorine, but not fluoride, some can't filter out all bacterial and pathogens while others can. Filtering isn't an all or nothing process. Ground loops have nothing to do with this either.

[@michaelsegel8758]

@@PassionforSound Ok, this is weird. You have a binary signal on your USB cable. 1's and 0's the only 'noise' would be 'smearing' due to clock signals and timing. You could get some other noise issues, due to the signal strength or something but if the cable is in 'spec' then it wouldn't be an issue. That said... not sure why DACs aren't using USB-C for connection which is rated up to 10Gb/s which is more than enough to xfer music streams Honestly you'd be better off spending the money on a better DAC, AMP, or speakers. Speaker cables (Analog) would be a different story...

[@TheRealMcShady]

You must treat these videos just as 'entertainment'. Take no real value from it. I watch it, shake my head, read the comments and it entertains me for 10 minutes. I like Batman movies too, but I know that Batman isn't real.

[@RaoulVanDePetrucci]

😄 👏👏 "I like Batman movies too, but I know that Batman isn't real".

[@garymalone547]

Must have struck it lucky with the short, dirt cheap cable from the Node N130 to the DAC.

[@PassionforSound]

To be clear, any USB cable that works will sound good so this isn't to suggest that people HAVE to go out and spend $100s on a USB cable. 🙂

[@WillieBloom]

Ah cables. The best way to pick a fight in the audiophile community (besides fuses 😜). Some people will argue that moving electrons (or signal or information) from A to B works just as well regardless of if you're using a wire hanger or a gold-plated silver cable, at least beyond the fact that silver is more efficient moving electricity than copper and other metals. Data is a bit different otherwise there would be no difference between I2S, AES, USB, SPDIF, RCA etc. There are internal component factors involved but you probably get my meaning. I look at it this way. Quality materials must make a difference. When we put technology into space, be it a communications satellite or the JWST, only the most premium components are used. Sure there are environmental issues like the vacuum of space, solar and cosmic radiation etc to contend with and you can't just go and fix it if it fails (we miss you STS!). Premium components seem to matter. It doesn't make any sense to me if better materials does not lead to better results. The Bloom family lives by the adage "you get what you pay for". The question is where you find your point of diminishing returns. When does your bang-for-the-buck begin to taper off? When does the increased cost begin to exceed the increased gain? I'm gonna plug Supra Cables which is a brand I know has found its way down under and into the heart of Passion for Sound. While I am an American I am also a naturalized Swedish citizen as I have been living in Stockholm, Sweden for the past 30+ years. Jenving, or Supra Cables, is a Swedish brand. As such you can find Supra Cables in retail shoppes which wouldn't otherwise carry a hifi brand like Supra. The high end audio retailers carry Supra as well. For me and in the Swedish retail market Supra is definitely the biggest bang for your buck to be had. I use Supra Cables for everything in both my home theater and head-fi setups. Surge protection power strips, power cables (I replace every out-of the box power cable if not physically attached or a power brick), speaker cables, subwoofer cables, HDMI, RCA, optical, XLR interconnects and of course USB. There is nary a cable around here that isn't baby blue if it can't be replaced. While I would have preferred black cables ("black like my soul" as I usually say) it's not like I really see the cables very often. Did I notice any difference between a generic cable and a Supra Cable? I didn't care to bother performing any A-B testing. All that matters to me is that on the Swedish hifi cable market, Supra Cables are the option to have because the next step up is usually quite a bit more expensive. For anyone outside of Sweden, the Swedish krona has been depressed for a few years now, meaning that Supra Cables are probably a bargain for you in your country if your currency is stronger. If you're interested there are videos of Supra's manufacturing on KZbin though some of them may be in Swedish. Supra makes their cables in Sweden, not China. I did test one thing though. The Supra power cables and power strips are most definitely shielded. I have one of those handy "pen" devices, might even be from Supra, that can detect electromagnetic fields aka a charge aka electricity. It works. And so do the shielded cables. The pen rings like a bell if I put it to a regular power cable or power strip. In summary, I believe that quality will always make a difference but I'm not the guy to ask if you want that quantified either objectively or subjectively. I will pay for quality but I stay well within the realm of bang for the buck and before the point of diminishing returns. Should you? Dunno. It depends on if you believe there is something to be said for quality or if everything is snake oil and if buying Amazon Basics cables is already too much unnecessary money to spend. I didn't mean to write this much but it happens quite often. I have writers diarrhea. Once I start writing it snowballs. The text above is me keeping it short. I had more to say. Passion for Sound is under no obligation to reply or to reply with equal volume. (See what I did there?) Okay I'll stop now. Stay stoic out there.

[@PassionforSound]

Thank you for sharing your experiences and very well reasoned logic! Happy listening 🙂🙂

[@nickburklow5212]

just wait till you learn about cable risers! Huge added clarity and less smearing of the micro details once the cables are suspended off the desk or floor. Just make sure they are not metal / ferrous. Also, putting all your electronics on isolation feet really does clean up the sound and brings out the subtle nuances of the music.

[@nickburklow5212]

@@meutubedou woof, I thought my sarcasm was clear here - but you are all of the serious. Your flat earth video has me dying - I love the total distrust in science.

[@meutubedou]

@@nickburklow5212 , science? Where have you seen water curving on top? In a pool, tub, sink, toilet, tub, pail, pothole, pond, lake, ocean, in your hand or cup, etc.etc.? You haven’t so it’s you that needs to learn science.. You are decades behind in knowledge on reality if you don’t trust your very own eyes.. How foolish you are.. Where have you seen or filmed earth rotating? From a plane, did you film or see the earth rotating? Did you see it under any watercraft you’ve been on or do you just live in a dream state beLIEving your own LIEs to yourself? What Navy Admiral do you know who’ll say he takes his armada down over imaginary waterfalls & back up over imaginary waterfalls A.K.A. your fantasy curvature into a shipping port? Are you in diapers? Where have you seen or filmed a curved shipping port, docking station or train terminal? Where have you seen or filmed a moving runway? Do need to seriously take stock in yourself and realize everything you beLIEved is a LIE because you didn’t ask questions but excepted on a beLIEf never doing any due diligence and researched further to KNOW our true Reality.. Earth does not have any 360° curvature drop anywhere which is scientifically required to be a sphere! Now do you get it? Are you smart enough to know this science fact? No measurable curvature, no rotating on axis filmed or seen means no impossiBALL Globe earth✅ Observable, testable and repeatable is REAL Science, get it? LEARN something and stop regurgitating nonsense! You embarrass yourself in public and sound like an uneducated fool who doesn’t trust your own 5 senses!.

[@meutubedou]

@@nickburklow5212 , So you THINK you know REAL Science🤣 🤣 Where have you seen water curving on top? In a pool, tub, sink, toilet, tub, pail, pothole, pond, lake, ocean, in your hand or cup, etc.etc.? You haven’t so it’s you that needs to learn science.. You are decades behind in knowledge on reality if you don’t trust your very own eyes.. How foolish you are.. Where have you seen or filmed earth rotating? From a plane, did you film or see the earth rotating? Did you see it under any watercraft you’ve been on or do you just live in a dream state beLIEving your own LIEs to yourself? What Navy Admiral do you know who’ll say he takes his armada down over imaginary waterfalls & back up over imaginary waterfalls A.K.A. your fantasy curvature into a shipping port? Are you in diapers? Where have you seen or filmed a curved shipping port, docking station or train terminal? Where have you seen or filmed a moving runway? Do need to seriously take stock in yourself and realize everything you beLIEved is a LIE because you didn’t ask questions but excepted on a beLIEf never doing any due diligence and researched further to KNOW our true Reality.. Earth does not have any 360° curvature drop anywhere which is scientifically required to be a sphere! Now do you get it? Are you smart enough to know this science fact? No measurable curvature, no rotating on axis filmed or seen means no impossiBALL Globe earth✅ Observable, testable and repeatable is REAL Science, get it? LEARN something and stop regurgitating nonsense! You embarrass yourself in public and sound like an uneducated fool who doesn’t trust your own 5 senses!

[@meutubedou]

@@nickburklow5212 , So you THINK you know REAL science? Where have you seen water curving on top? In a pool, tub, sink, toilet, tub, pail, pothole, pond, lake, ocean, in your hand or cup, etc.etc.? You haven’t so it’s you that needs to learn science.. You are decades behind in knowledge on reality if you don’t trust your very own eyes.. How foolish you are.. Where have you seen or filmed earth rotating? From a plane, did you film or see the earth rotating? Did you see it under any watercraft you’ve been on or do you just live in a dream state beLIEving your own LIEs to yourself? What Navy Admiral do you know who’ll say he takes his armada down over imaginary waterfalls & back up over imaginary waterfalls A.K.A. your fantasy curvature into a shipping port? Are you in diapers? Where have you seen or filmed a curved shipping port, docking station or train terminal? Where have you seen or filmed a moving runway? Do need to seriously take stock in yourself and realize everything you beLIEved is a LIE because you didn’t ask questions but excepted on a beLIEf never doing any due diligence and researched further to KNOW our true Reality.. Earth does not have any 360° curvature drop anywhere which is scientifically required to be a sphere! Now do you get it? Are you smart enough to know this science fact? No measurable curvature, no rotating on axis filmed or seen means no impossiBALL Globe earth✅ Observable, testable and repeatable is REAL Science, get it? LEARN something and stop regurgitating nonsense! You embarrass yourself in public and sound like an uneducated fool who doesn’t trust your own 5 senses!

[@NexusS4GIceJelly]

Love the new format!

[@PassionforSound]

I'm so glad you're enjoying it!

[@albeklik8055]

I will promise you if you make this a blind test between the cables. You cannot tell which is which😊

[@michaellichnovsky8397]

What makes you think a blind test is relevant?

[@MattZildjian]

the crazy thing is, he already did that on this channel with some other audio youtubers, and to nobodies surprise, none of them could tell and the results were no different to random guessing. Yet here we are, praising the expensive cable. Very odd.

[@brianc4326]

I will promise you if you make this a blind test between the cables, you can tell which is which. Even the nuance is so pronounced. This guy definitely can hear the difference with his years of training his ears. How much and how different, the weight and every tiny bit. A lot of my friends do. It is a joy yet a curse. Once you hear it, you can't go back. Of course, experience and experimenting different gears would help you develop the hear. Much like tasting wine. I can't tell but my friends do. I personally don't recommend you go down the rabbit hole. Just enjoy whatever earpieces you enjoy.😊

[@justadad2304]

​@@MattZildjian sorry, that's not how those stats work. It's never too late to study this though I realize - unless you're in school right now and take an elective on it - it would be hard to motivate yourself. In that video 1 out of the 4 subjects was an outlier and must be thrown out. The others found a difference about 50% of the time which is actually a massive result for this kind of human observation. Think about people blind testing different types of dairy milk, if you had people comparing skim to 1% to 2% to whole cow milk, you'd probably have a fair proportion who confuse themselves between 0 and 1% and some also who confuse 1% and 2%. Some would even make mistakes with whole milk because of the pressure of these tests. All those people getting all those answers wrong wouldn't disprove the differences in milk fat, the fact that some people some of the time will actually get it right truly suggests that humans can taste the differences in milk fat. Similarly with the endless number of testimonials that cables do matter, even if you some like it when we tell you we heard something, the cable deniers who through placebo can't hear a difference don't disprove the difference, but the fact that so many different people from so many independent situations do hear a difference suggests there is in fact a difference and also that humans can detect it. Statistically speaking - but then again the cable deniers are going to deny statistics as well

[@MattZildjian]

@@justadad2304 no, just because they claim to hear a difference doesnt make the result significant. First off, subjective experience is pretty useless, we all have biases, and presuppositions. Those who believe the cable will sound different are more likely to hear a difference to those who do not believe there will be a difference. The biggest tell factor of the blind test was that they believed there were differences when the cable was not changed at all. As for the milk tasting analogy, an expert would be able to tell which milk is which consistently, or at the very least far more consistently than random chance. I'd like to see a usb blind test where they never switch cable and do the same cable over and over while the subjects believe it is being switched, what do you think the result of that will be? If they believe to hear a difference and are able to describe those differences, can we agree at that point that this is placebo?

[@xOogieBoogie3x]

Advertising more snakeoil?

[@MattZildjian]

Placebo is one hell of a drug

[@Pete.across.the.street]

not a placebo. You can use a binaural mic to record a song from both USB cables in a DAW. You can flip the phase on one of the recordings and hear the difference. The difference is there.

[@MattZildjian]

@@Pete.across.the.street Please share your data on this.

[@Xerxesro1]

@@Pete.across.the.street I can use simple software to check the data you receive is ALWAYS the same regardless of the cable you use. If you don't, the cable is broken.

[@Pete.across.the.street]

@@Xerxesro1 your mother must be proud. Does it check for Substrate noise as well?

[@Xerxesro1]

@@Pete.across.the.street No. If you have grounding issues, fix them. My mother is very proud, thank you.

[@BloOdYJo17]

haaaa snake oil bath !

[@guillermobrito4987]

sorry i missed it....but what are the usb cables going in? is that a dac/amp? follow up: can't that element change or level up all cables? for example a dac that upscales everything or something like those integrated amps (cant remeber the names) that go analog-digital-analog?

[@PassionforSound]

Yes, that's a little DAC/amp. In my experience, better DACs can lessen the impact of cables, but I'm yet to find one that completely negates them (other than maybe a high quality DDC (digital to digital converter) which changes the incoming USB signal to a different output.

[@guillermobrito4987]

@@PassionforSound thanks a lot for the follow up. im just getting started in the hobby...but love to get input from those who know and care to share. keep the good work.

[@PassionforSound]

♥️

[@sirblew]

@@guillermobrito4987 you'll find the audiophile hobby is rife with countless snake oil salesmen who are eager to part fools from their money. The gold standard for verifying grandiose claims of audio wizardry is a double blind test. You might think it reasonable that anyone confident in their product would be enthusiastic about engaging in such testing, but this is curiously rare. It therefore says a lot when purveyors of audio magic do everything they can to avoid such verification. It is advisable to question their motives in that regard.

[@JamesBrownHeh]

Ok, let's think about this: we're transferring digital data, the same as if I wanted to write data to an external hard drive. In the case of audio data, let's go easy and say it's 16-bit 44KHz audio. That means I send a number between 0 and 65535 every 1/44,000th of a second. Now, if a cable changes any of those 16-bits for any of those samples, then I would see errors in the data recorded to my hard drive. Since that would be rather obvious, we have to imagine that most cables transfer data perfectly, or so near to perfectly that it's very rare to see an error. That leaves the timing, sure, the timing may not be perfect, we may see 1/44001th seconds between bits, or 1/39999th seconds between bits, but the cable should only introduce a delay (since electricity flows a little slower than the speed of light). We shouldn't see a 16-bit number arriving at widely varying times at the destination. If things are too far out of spec, we'll get drop outs or bad data, which again would corrupt our data. But we shouldn't see a cable speeding up or slowing things down over time, but only delaying the transfer of the data, just due to physical constraints. A really bad or lossy cable may corrupt the data in transit, resulting in retransmission or error correction, which could introduce delays or jitter. That could result in distorted sound if it takes too long. However, with USB 3.0, we're talking a transfer rate of 5Gbps, meaning that we can transmit 113,636 seconds of 44Khz audio in one second. It seems likely that that would be well below the threshold of human detection. The DAC takes those 16-bit numbers and translates them into voltages, which can then be amplified into the sound we hear. It's a real mystery how data gets stored to hard drives through the exact same cable every day without errors, and yet our human hearing can discern an error in a value from 0-65535 sent 44,000 times a second. I suspect this has more to do with our tendency to bias than any real and measurable effect. AXB blind testing seems warranted here.

[@PassionforSound]

What's not considered here is that noise can be transferred and/or picked up by the USB cable and that noise can affect the accuracy of the clock in the DAC and also the analog output stage of the DAC

[@joshchacko7729]

Thanks man.

[@PassionforSound]

My pleasure

[@Rockapotamus91]

Have you stopped doing blind tests after finding out you couldn’t hear any difference when you did it before?

[@PassionforSound]

Nope

[@Rockruio]

These usb DAC sound enhancing cables made with advanced science, must be seen in order to work properly, otherwise the psycho holography vivid sound stage technology won't work properly. So no blind tests with these cables.

[@GoldenEagle0007]

What is the make of the perfect 90ohm usb cable?

[@PassionforSound]

It was a bundled cable with some test equipment that Anwar purchased.

[@Stephenwongdirectimaging]

I will spend money on DDC device use a good i2S hmdi cable to get higher quality sound .i wish u can do a compare USB cable vs DDC + i2S cable

[@PassionforSound]

I've actually discussed this in my Singxer SU-6 and Topping U90 video (that's a single video about both products). In short, a DDC is a better improvement than any USB cable. What then matters is the quality of the cable that comes AFTER the DDC - whatever type of cable that might be.

[@MaZEEZaM]

Personally, I would never consider giving an opinion on high-end IEM's simply because I cannot hear them myself. So Why would I offer an opinion either way on this cable? I wouldn't, especially because I am aware that the likely only way I could possibly hear a difference between usb cables, would be by using a very high-end system where the fine nuances between components can be heard.

[@Daryl42]

If the digital signal is exactly the same, and you hear a difference, then there must be something going on with the electrical signal. It could be noise, or it could be signal strength, maybe? So, then it’s an analog difference, since the digital recipe is intact. The same recipes do make different cookies, but what part of a USB cable is affecting the signal? Is this similar to how DACs with higher output voltage might sound different?

[@PassionforSound]

I believe it's all about noise and how effectively the cables are preventing that noise from affecting the signal. Less noise entering the DAC equates to better sound, etc.

[@Daryl42]

@@PassionforSound Shouldn’t that noise be measurable? I’m curious if the USB cable designers have tried to measure that.

[@PassionforSound]

It's 100% measurable. Alpha Audio showed (with measurements) exactly how it works in the case of network switches and streamers. The same mechanisms apply to USB cables and DACs.

[@Daryl42]

@@PassionforSound Wouldn’t it be good to do a video on this? It would provide some objective evidence. (I’m using a $17 (1 meter), sturdy looking USB cable.)

[@PassionforSound]

As I said above, Alpha Audio have done a great job of showing it already.

[@silence5232]

is this better than audioquest usb diamond cable ?

[@PassionforSound]

I wasn't a huge fan of the diamond cable when I tried it years ago so I'd possibly choose this, but more likely the higher spec SiG cable that I'll be reviewing soon...

[@SomeHandleIGuess]

I understand the intro. But someone could just do the opposite talking about how scientists had beliefs that they could not measure that eventually were found to be totally bogus. I understand what you want to say and I also understand that these types of videos have generated plenty of heat and that’s no fun but I think that’s just something that’s gonna happen with something this controversial. I have little faith in companies making stuff like this with good intentions. They’ll be perfectly happy to sell you anything

[@PassionforSound]

I think there are definitely examples of dodgy companies out there like JPS Labs who got caught doing some very shonky stuff, but there are at least as many (probably more) companies busting their gut to make products that they truly believe in and have taken care and time to develop. As for the intro, my point was that people should be free to explore and encouraged to explore because that's what brings about learning and discovery.

[@Stephenwongdirectimaging]

I owned one 1 meter sound is good , but prefer 2 meter flexible usb cable to my ipad supra Excalibur my choice

[@markolivan224]

You have to consider adding an ifi idefender ( 2 week break in) when comparing both cables to hear the difference more. I have not yet found a situation where i dont need tbe idefender in my usb chain. Big improvements also feeding hq 5v psu to the idefender.

[@Buddythunder1]

Ooof. The comments are going to be brutal!

[@PassionforSound]

🍿

[@TalSteadyKill]

Interesting findings. I appreciate your honesty here, in such a controversial field. I prefer smoothness over airyness, which seems preferable for my bank balance. Plus, if you find it hard to differentiate through ultra revealing IEMs, then i don't stand a chance through vintage gear. Keep up the good work 😊👍

[@hushpuppykl]

I’m not into cables. Not a cable fan boy. Used to use USB cable that only cost AUD5. But I have compared USB cables costing from AUD5 to AUD2,500. Yes, there is a difference. It’s not day and night for sure. Yet, it can be subtle or obvious. Love the intro! It puts things in perspective. Some say it’s digital, it cannot make a difference. If it’s just mere 1s and 0s then why do different CD or streaming TRANSPORTS sound different? 😈

[@PassionforSound]

Well said! I definitely don't suggest that people should all buy expensive USB cables, but it's fun to explore.

[@brendanmccarthy4218]

I use the curious cable in a very high resolving system. In blind A/B tests with other cables with the price range covered. My sound shrinks when the Curious is taken out. System dependencies are crucial for any objective evaluation.

[@PassionforSound]

I agree!

[@user-xr1zg7nk7u]

Why isn’t zhulinniao’s qingluanz4 available? It’s also a great headset.

[@Rockruio]

These usb DAC sound enhancing ultra scientific cables that can bend reality are awesome! 🤑 "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" A. Clarke

[@iikatinggangsengii2471]

most logical would be some data loss on the way from pc to the dac, idk if it can reduce sq but stutters and jitters or random sound artifact should occur

[@iikatinggangsengii2471]

very important if youre watching/doing lives for example, or online tests etc

[@PassionforSound]

As far as I can tell, it's actually all about noise affecting the circuitry in the DAC (the clock and the analog output stage) so it's not about dropped bits I think.

[@WoodstockG54]

Had the same experience with a Nordost cable vs an audioquest USB cable. I definitely hear a difference. I had been listening to of one cable for over two years until one day I became curious after stumbling on to the other, stashed and forgotten, in my closet. The real question we should be asking, is it worth $350, or would the money be better spent feeding a lonely elder citizen or anyone else in need?

[@Rsalmond83]

It’s worth listening to music while feeding a lonely elderly citizen and helping others in need.

[@greenbeginner3353]

Your question, “… would the money be better spent…” is an excellent one. True, four or five hundred dollars spent on a pair of budget loudspeakers would likely produce an audible difference. But, even if that difference was a desirable improvement, wouldn’t the money had been better spent by keeping one’s current speakers and giving this expendable money to an individual who is truly in need?

[@PassionforSound]

I'm definitely a fan of giving in whatever way people can, but the two aren't mutually exclusive. People can give to charities AND spend on themselves too.

[@WoodstockG54]

@@PassionforSoundNever said they couldn’t. I love this hobby but it has a sneaky habit of keeping me insulted from the rest of the world.

[@PassionforSound]

Wasn't saying you were necessarily being exclusive with your original post. It just seemed that that's where the thread of comments was leading. 🙂

[@s.daniel9224]

Do you think our mood or mental health makes a bigger or equal difference then the components? Some days my main system sounds thin, other days, it’s rocking. Same with my second and third systems. Maybe I’m crazy.

[@PassionforSound]

No, you're not crazy. Mood, the specific music you're listening to (and it's influence on your mood), the humidity and temperature can all influence the performance of your system.

[@Wyd4]

My favourite USB cable is the one that sends the most people into irrational rage.

[@particularlynothing]

LOL

[@PassionforSound]

😂 hence my hoody/t-shirt merch 😁

[@BillyKueekSG]

I am currently looking for a “better” USB-A to B cable but can’t decide which to get. I have a few using Canare, Mogami, stock cables that came with DACs and bought a QED Performance Graphite which I use more of. I am not going to spend thousand$ but I won’t know where is the point of diminishing return until I’m past that, which usually means I’d wasted money. I am still undecided 😢

[@justadad2304]

I think the Curious cables are universally respected (by those who can accept cable differences, anyways). I am enticed by Lachlans findings with these Aaudio cables and eager to hear his thoughts on the more premium one when he publishes that. If you're not sure of what one cable to pick for a specific job, I'm a believer in having whole looms from the same brand, pick the house sound that sounds like what you're going for and buy the matching set that fits your budget

[@BillyKueekSG]

@@justadad2304 thank you for replying and suggesting. I can’t hear “house sound” of cables, got it from a variety of DACs and amps. I’ll continue to keep an eye on the cable to get. If it helps, my setups are Chord M-Scaler, Hugo TT2, Gustard R26, 2 x iFi with BB chips and an AK4493-chipped amp, GoldenWave/HFM Prelude, iFi Pro iCAN Signature and a simple tube amp which I am waiting for the new Cayin 170HA. Headphones are Arya Stealth, Susvara, Atrium, HD800S and a few more. Hopefully, this can give reader the context to give me your recommendations please

[@PassionforSound]

I've only tried up to the level of the Tubulus Concentus, Curious Evolved and Tellurium Q Black II so far and they're all similarly excellent with the Tubulus being my favourite. I think it's one of those things where you kind of need to check some reviews, see which one most closely suits your preferences and then dive in.

[@Prxyshj]

There can’t be a difference in digital cables. The way they work is to detect changes in the signal between high and low. The data is encoded into the changes in signal. The data is not the signal itself like with analog. So the signal being a bit off shouldn’t affect the actual data.

[@hartyewh1]

Yup. Unless the device on one end of the cable is very much out of spec and let's noise though to the analog stage, but that should be considered broken to begin with. It's like saying someones hand-writing changes the word.

[@Pete.across.the.street]

There can and is a difference. It doesn't affect the actual data. The substrate noise carried along with the cable changes the sound.

[@2madamimadam290]

I can't comment on USB cables but I can on streamers. It's all digital to the DAC and the ARCE vs Wiim was night and day. My wife actually preferred the Wiim at 1/5 the price. It's there and a matter of taste.

[@sirblew]

​@@Pete.across.the.streetThe noise is filtered by the DAC.

[@Pete.across.the.street]

@@sirblew possibly. It would have to be a pretty pricey dac

[@jonnyberggren4598]

Ive said it before. I love ure aproach about hifi audio. Your way about explaining what you hear or/and description of differences. Yes this is nerdery in the absolute best way. Some dont like audiofile stuff. And they may claim no one hears the difference etc. But in the end we are some that claims we do. And this is a very loved hobby of ours. And you are one of the best in my opinion. To talk about youre experiences with new hifi stuff. And in a very good explaining way that I appreciate very much. All the best from Stockholm Sweden/ J

[@PassionforSound]

I'm so glad you're enjoying my approach and the opportunity to discuss these topics that are triggering for some people. Thanks for watching and commenting. Happy listening! ♥️

[@bacon_fat]

I haven't delved into the cable realm of audio aside from making sure they're built well enough to stay together. I usually get Mogami cables, as that's what I use for my guitars; even then, I'm spending more for the quality and name instead of building them myself. With regards to USB, if I don't hear anything wrong, there's no need to change it. I just have a 1.8 meter JSAUX USB cable I got from amazon for around $10 and I haven't found a reason to upgrade. Who am I to tell people they shouldn't spend $50,000 on a watch since they all tell the time relative to themselves? Hmm, I'll try it: Time is an illusion, so you shouldn't spend that much on any time pieces. Meh, I don't care. You do you. I'll be me. Even if there were definite evidence that USB cables matter, I'd still buy the cheaper one, because of budget.

[@goodvibes_and_music]

Any well built $20 cable is excellent for me

[@PassionforSound]

Nothing wrong with that approach at all. Happy listening! 🙂

[@bacon_fat]

@@PassionforSound Regardless of your beliefs, I watch your content because of your passion for sound ❤️

[@deydododontdedoh.5672]

I think this shows it's a physiological thing, mentioning watches etc, if the cheap and expensive do the same thing but the expensive one just feels better to you that's a perception, say to someone it took a skilled craftsman hours and coat it in gold then of course it's going to have an instant physiological garvitas associated with it. Many exclusive brand companies play into that association and price many things more expensive than it cost to make to give that air of exclusivity, some people just won't be into cheap even if it is just as good quality. Brand association is a big thing for companies. I personally believe it's snake oil and the emperor's new clothes, it's psuedo science, yet you can't deny the power of the placebo and at the end of the day if it makes people feel better to part with their hard earned to feel good about themselves then good for you. 🙂

[@Shifterfire]

I believe/think/understand that there's a difference between a crappy cable and a good cable, i.e. reduced impurities in the wire, proper shielding, no breakages, properly soldered connector, etc. Especially, when also providing power. However... With the amount of snake oil in the audio community, especially regarding cables, let alone digital ones... You need to remove bias and do proper blind testing to be able to claim any differences. The lack of this makes the tests just not useful.

[@Scrufboy]

Didn't you also get he chance to listen to the Tellurium Q offering in USB too?

[@PassionforSound]

Yes. That review was a couple of months ago. 🙂

[@netnakul]

Don't digital signal get stored in cache before the DAC converts it to analogue? Why does the DAC not see the exact information? This dude is hearing clear differences which is amazing. Does any have an easy technical explanation?

[@mattygraham]

Post purchase rationalisation, the placebo effect, and a bias towards pleasing people/companies who send you things.

[@PassionforSound]

There is no buffer in USB audio and therefore no error correction either. The biggest issue though is likely not data integrity, but noise coming via the cables and affecting the clock and the analog circuit in the DAC.

[@netnakul]

@@PassionforSound means the engineers just leaves their DAC sensitive to noise from USB data transmission , that's sad. 😢

[@PassionforSound]

DAC designers so everything they can to minimise this, but it's very tricky to relive completely when everything has to be connected to work.

[@netnakul]

@@PassionforSoundwith my non-technical knowledge, I'm thinikg that if you copy/paste a music file thru a "noisy" usb cable, you still get a perfect file you pasted at the other end right? No noise or degradation added to that file? So that means any stupid cable or computer knows what PCM/DSD information are the real music regardless of how noisy the cable is. It's weird how this is beyond 2024's technology for all engineers. That's just my primitive brain thinking 😆

[@ZeroofAgrathalm]

I like your channel Lachlan, but this is definitely snake oil.

The idea that a USB cable could influence sound quality of music is patently absurd on so many levels that it breaks my brain to think about it. The bits either get there or they don't, and if they don't you get drop-outs, so sound or not, not subtle changes in sound. Since it's an electrical connection noise for a bad output can get into a poorly filtered input, and a cable can make a difference here - there may be less noise, but not a change in soundstage, bass tigthness or like. For subtle changes in the sound, as described in this video, the cable would somehow have to actively extract the audio data from the USB data stream, decode it (from mp3, FLAC, AAC, ogg and hundreds of other codecs and codec settings), change the sound (e.g with filters), re-encode it in the original codec and then replace it in the original data stream. That can clearly not be happening What clearly is happening is various biases shaping what is heard in a sighted comparison test.

[@davedangerous2012]

Let's all be adults together and order ourselvs a 20K USB cable and a gold plated cigar. I don't know how the cigar changes the sound... but neither did [big names here] know [super important discoveries they did describe in detail later]. However, I heard it. So everyone basically knows its real now though. Suck on that.

[@MrKeech666]

100%! It’s surprising how much of an improvement a quality USB cable can make. I discovered this on my own. Started with observation, then multiple testing, and low and behold there was a difference! I was always one who believed 1s and 0s are just that, so why would a cable make a difference. Well, it sure does! If you can’t hear a difference, that’s great as it means you don’t have to worry about paying the dragon chasing tax this hobby brings.

[@Pete.across.the.street]

You hear differences because of substrate noise coupling or the lack of it. Since USB is an analog cable you will get this noise in the signal. You would need to use a fiber optic cable to avoid this noise.

[@Thund3rstone]

The digital receiver does not give fuck about substrate noise. He receives either 0 or 1 and the communciation protocols make sure that the receiver will understand the right one.

[@Pete.across.the.street]

@@Thund3rstone that is also true. But it does nothing to negate the added noise.

[@Thund3rstone]

@@Pete.across.the.street Dude, when it is digital there is no noise. It either 0 or 1. Noise would mean it will be wrongly understood as 1 instead of 0, buit the protocols make sure this will not happen. The cable noise is irrelevant. The earliest noise will be relevant is within the DAC.

[@Pete.across.the.street]

@@Thund3rstone not true, google NOISE COUPLING ANALYSIS FOR MIXED SIGNAL SYSTEMS or Substrate Noise coupling in integrated circuits. The noise can flip the 1 and 0. Noise, for audio and video applications, is relevant as soon as you go to ethernet from either the source or from a fiber converter. If you can feed your streamer an optical connection, you can do away with much of the problem.

[@SimonP2]

@@Thund3rstone My theory is that if the signal is cleaner, i.e. less noisy, and the cable is good quality then there is less error correction to be done and the signal passes through more easily, allowing more of a buffer.

[@dingbat19]

Thanks for being brave - I have also noted audible impact of switching USB cables. Plus I have trialled two different USB filters (ifi versus Wyred4sound) and those impact the sound audibly as well

[@PassionforSound]

My pleasure. Thanks for sharing your experiences!

[@krisrudecki9477]

Nice vid 💪

[@PassionforSound]

Thank you!

[@SeanMaisonneuve]

Dital signals either work or it's obvious. There is no quality difference. If it works then you hear perfection. If it doesn't, it's ovcious as you will have cutouts. All that matters is throughout and nothing more. Buy a $5 cable and be done with it.

[@dennism1919]

Oh lord, here we go again. I will just say that Cables do sound different from one another and can do so for any number of reasons. Build quality (how that cable was built) can be as important as the materials and so on. I didn't want to believe it, but I have heard it so I know it's true. That said, I am NOT spending a thousand bucks on a cable. To me that has crossed over into stupid. I wish just once someone would hand me some thousand dollar each USB and/or interconnects and say "here, put these in your system and see what you think". Just so I could see for myself and understand it. But that will never happen so I will do the best I can with a reasonable cap on the spend. Common sense and all that...

[@Starch1b2c3d4a]

Nice intro. Good point

[@PassionforSound]

Glad you liked it! I think the point was missed by certain people...

[@Rugg-qk4pl]

Take a sugar pill before putting your headphones on bud

[@matthelm4666]

The level of equipment you have isn't indicitive of what you're trying to differentiate between. LOL

[@keyserxx]

I'd rather go optical than worry about usb cables.

[@TheJediJoker]

I'll believe there are differences when you can demonstrate the ability to hear them in blind ABX testing. Otherwise, it's just sighted bias and placebo.

[@Dimitris_Pappas]

Thanks!

[@PassionforSound]

You're welcome!

[@showdieehekobwatts832]

Can you compare AQ CARBON & AQ COFFEE please …

[@PassionforSound]

I don't have them anymore, but I did a write-up on them years ago here: www.passionforsound.net/massive-usb-comparison-test/

[@_Chev_Chelios]

If a digital cable loses even a single 0 or 1, it is a sign of a defect. Claiming a digital cable sounds different is to claim it is altering the data….which is a gross failure. Buh bye.

[@JeffMudrick-os5go]

I understand it perfectly , when you're trying to hear a difference you do . Blind testing, look it up.

[@grahampearce2405]

a USB cable is a data cable, much like all those cheap cables that go from apple's hi-res music servers the other side of the ocean to your home. Yet that data seems to get across all those wires intact. reason, error correction protocols. FYI error correction protocols also work on that local USB data cable. So, in short, spending money on that little local cable is pointless, utterly pointless. Now of course a good DAC and good analog cables matter, but digital cables do not.

[@wazuo8354]

USB isn't really a great transport, there's a checksum per frame but no standard way to retry bad data for a audio class device, there's no way to easily find out what data rate is active, USB has many speeds. So yeah I can easily believe different USB cables making a difference, personally I always splice USB cables and feed in a linear PSU voltage instead of the noisy 5V from my audio server, it's odd that you can't buy a adapter / cable that allows that.

[@PassionforSound]

Great points. Thank you

[@Snook_]

This video is honestly completely pointless without proper ABX comparison. Placebo via ANY knowledge of what cable is what totally changes your perception and expectations. This video is just silly without proper ABX come on…

[@tomislavpopinjac8232]

Your mind tricks you. Let someone swap cables for you without seeing which one is plugged or if it is changed at all, then try to tell if there is a difference in sound. Consider delete this video, it is harmful for your channel.

[@Pete.across.the.street]

Your mind can still trick you if someone else switches the cable

[@OblivionIce]

Ugh.

[@ianwilliams7740]

It goes to show imo that this hobby is all in your head and largely about perceptions. But that’s ok..

[@johntan7405]

I hear differences in Ethernet cables as well. So there.

[@PassionforSound]

I'm not surprised. It all seems to matter

[@evldice]

Comparing individuals who's research changed the world of science, to snake oil cables, is just, well, it's just par for the course.

[@Pete.across.the.street]

not snake oil though

[@evldice]

@@Pete.across.the.street okay, let's assume your correct, then at best it's a significant placebo effect, which effectively can still be called snake oil.

[@Pete.across.the.street]

@@evldice Not at all, do a Null test. Get a binaural mic, feed it into your favorite DAW, record the same song in room once with each cable, flip the phase on one of the recordings and you WILL hear only the differences Given you have a decent system that is set up correctly.

[@particularlynothing]

@evldice So....why are you here?

[@evldice]

@@particularlynothing I was honestly intrigued by the video where he explained the criticism. Mainly though because I can be.

[@Xerxesro1]

I run a 5K monitor over a USB cable. The image is ALWAYS perfect even though the amount of data is many, many times higher than with music, even with HD music. That's because with digital cables, the data you send is the data you receive on the other end. Any student can demonstrate that within a couple of hours of codding. If there would be differences between USB cables, you would look as having slightly different skin tone with a different cable, thinner or fatter, the image would be blurier or cleaner etc. However, it's always THE SAME regardless of the cable. When you say that you hear differences in sound you really mean the data you receive is different with different cables. That is nonsense and easily debunkable. Entire industries rely of the fact this never happens. I am aware people have strong opinions about cables, but with digital cables this is more like flat Earth vs globe Earth. You can argue as much as you want but it's scientifically proven the Earth is a globe and a USB cable transmits digital data intact.

[@PassionforSound]

No. It's all about the impact of noise on the DAC. That may or may not have an impact on picture quality too - I don't know. With audio, the timing is extremely important and noise from the cable can alter the accuracy of the clock in the DAC (this has been measured and demonstrated over at Alpha Audio). I don't know if there's any such influence on image quality.

[@rothgartheviking858]

Algorithm

[@Gary_J]

Promoting snake oil = lost credibility = instant unsubscribe.... bye

[@sagi_tech_n_stuff]

Too bad the dislike button don't work, im sure it would improve my sound. Can't Explain it though...

[@particularlynothing]

It blows my mind that the cable deniers even watch these videos (did they even watch?). Do they think they're saving us from "snake oil"? You have your mind made up before you even press play. Nothing will change it. I'd bet the majority have never even done their own experimentation. Do they believe there are differences in tubes? Capacitors? They are functionally identical with the same specifications. How do you explain that I have cables I've paid good money for that I don't use because they don't sound good to me? If it was the placebo effect, then my hundreds of dollars spent would certainly sound better, no? Yet they sit in a drawer. If you don't hear it, fine, but the idea you think you can tell everyone what they do/don't hear is arrogant at best.