USB Cable Choice for DAC

sm88
sm88 Posts: 353
edited December 2010 in Electronics
I've just snagged my dream DAC the other night, finally a used one came up the moment I was refreshing the page. It is a Wyred 4 Sound DAC2 which features asynchronous USB.

I had previously been using a processor and optical out from my cheap-o sound card, but have come to understand that async USB is among the best ways to connect. I have read conflicting reports everywhere about USB cables and whether or not they matter, so have come up with the solution of seeking a very well constructed cable that is "good enough" without spending over $100.

Looking for one that is 1-2m long.

I have considered the basic Kimber which I like for it's large gauge and silver plating, but the ferrite beads bug me and I wonder if they are removable.

Does anyone have any experience with different USB cables and any suggestions upon which would be worth trying? Thanks!
Current System:
Paradigm Signature S2 v2
Conrad Johnson MF2500
Wyred4Sound DAC2
Audioquest Black Mamba II

For Sale:
3x Wilson Cub's
Conrad Johnson MF2500
Post edited by sm88 on
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  • DMara
    DMara Posts: 1,434
    edited December 2010
    Allow me to ask one question, please: will buying such a USB DAC and connecting it to my HTPC via USB enable me to remove the internal SoundBlaster audio card from my HTPC?
    Gears shared to both living room & bedroom:
    Integra DHC-80.3 / Oppo BDP-105 / DirecTV HR24 DVR /APC S15blk PC-UPS
    Living room:
    LSiM707's / LSiM706c / LSiM702 F/X's / dual JL Audio Fathom F113's / Parasound Halo A51 / Panasonic 65" TC-P65VT50
    Bedroom:
    Usher Dancer Mini 2 Diamond DMD's / Logitech SB Touch / W4S STP-SE / W4S DAC-2 / W4S ST-1000 / Samsung 52" LN52B750
    Other rooms:
    Audioengine AP4's / GLOW Audio Sub One / audio-gd NFB-3 DAC / Audioengine N22
    audio-gd NFB-10.2 / Denon AH-D7000
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  • doctorcilantro
    doctorcilantro Posts: 2,028
    edited December 2010
    DMara wrote: »
    Allow me to ask one question, please: will buying such a USB DAC and connecting it to my HTPC via USB enable me to remove the internal SoundBlaster audio card from my HTPC?

    Yes, sure will. I'd also recommended J. River and their WASAPI [event] mode for playback.

    There are a lot of USB cable options out there; I steered clear of most of them as the prices scared me off. Cardas and Wireworld have lower cost models though I think.

    I picked up a killer custom USB cable from Jason at Virtue Audio for great price shipped. I need a USB mini-b on one end. I'm not affiliated with Virtue, just SL (which takes no cut). i have only compared to the stock one on the Z+ which has a ferrite.
    For Sale 2019:
    Tortuga Audio LDR passive preamp
    Decware EL34 amp
    Allnic H-1201 phono
    Zu Union Cubes
    iFi iDSD DAC, .5m UBS, iFI Gemini cable, Oyaide Tunami XLR 1.3M, Oyaide Tunami Speaker wire 1.5M, Beyerdynamic DT1990 headphones, PS Audio P3 power center

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  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited December 2010
    The Cable Company offers a variety of different USB cables in a range of prices; I may pick one up myself and see if it makes a difference in my USB transport.
    Jake
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  • 98Badger
    98Badger Posts: 317
    edited December 2010
    You can take the ferrite beads off the Kimber (easy to remove and reattach). I recently bought one just to try (also with a Dac2). Only had it for about a week, but I can't say the ferrite beads do anything that I can hear. I had been using a Belkin cable previously. I'm still evaluating the difference between the two. I added some Kimber Hero IC's as well, so it may take me a week or so to determine what if any difference these two USB cables make.

    Depending on which audio program you use, make sure you add the kernel streaming plugin. I noticed a big improvement adding it to Winamp.

    zingo's recommendation of the Cable Company is a good one. Lowest prices for USB cables I've seen and free shipping.
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  • Face
    Face Posts: 14,340
    edited December 2010
    I will be comparing a Monoprice and Belkin Gold soon, I doubt I will be able to hear a difference since the connection is asynchronous, but who knows.
    "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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  • sm88
    sm88 Posts: 353
    edited December 2010
    Thanks for all the suggestions! I'll look into the cable company, and that Kimber looks more enticing knowing I can remove the beads. I am doubtful of a difference existing as well, but would like to cover my bases and get a "decent" one. Let me know if you notice anything Face. And Badger, how do you like the Dac2? I can't wait for mine to get here!
    Current System:
    Paradigm Signature S2 v2
    Conrad Johnson MF2500
    Wyred4Sound DAC2
    Audioquest Black Mamba II

    For Sale:
    3x Wilson Cub's
    Conrad Johnson MF2500
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  • Face
    Face Posts: 14,340
    edited December 2010
    I like mine so much I bought two. :)
    "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited December 2010
    I just (literally hung up the phone with Jason) ordered the Virtue Audio Nirvana USB Cable for my digital transport. I've heard good things about that cable, and it's $49 for 1m hand built by a guy you can talk to on the phone (see above). The other reason I decided on that cable is he will build custom lengths, and since my transport sits right behind my computer, I only wanted .5m which no one offers. I'll have the cable next week, and I'm interested to hear if there is a difference; either way I will have a better quality cable than the .02 one I'm currently using.

    VRTU-USB-NRV-2T.jpg


    The Nirvana USB cable uses a very high-end, 4 conductor, shielded cable. The OFC copper conductors are polypropelyne insulated and the assembly is swathed in a white polyesther braid with clear PVC outer jacket. The Nirvana's are a terrific looking and great sounding package. Customers love this cable; it's awesome upgrade for your USB DAC.
    Jake
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  • falconcry72
    falconcry72 Posts: 3,580
    edited December 2010
    zingo wrote: »
    ...it's $49 ... he will build custom lengths... I'm interested to hear if there is a difference...

    Even if you can't hear a difference, having a better made cable that will last longer, look better, and be more conveniently sized is well worth the $49 in my book.:cool:
    2-Channel: PC > Schiit Eitr > Audio Research DAC-8 > Audio Research LS-26 > Pass Labs X-250.5 > Magnepan 3.7's

    Living Room: PC > Marantz AV-7703 > Emotiva XPA-5 > Sonus Faber Liuto Towers, Sonus Faber Liuto Center, Sonus Faber Liuto Bookshelves > Dual SVS PC12-Pluses

    Office: Phone/Tablet > AudioEngine B1 > McIntosh D100 > Bryston 4B-ST > Polk Audio LSiM-703's
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  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited December 2010
    falconcry72 wrote: »
    Even if you can't hear a difference, having a better made cable that will last longer, look better, and be more conveniently sized is well worth the $49 in my book.:cool:

    $35 shipped for my .5m cable. :biggrin: Plus, since the USB connection powers and provides the signal to my transport, and upgrade will probably help one way or the other.
    Jake
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  • punk-roc
    punk-roc Posts: 1,150
    edited December 2010
    I use a Kimber USB cable (it was $50 for a meter long).. but i remember reading one of the Absolute Sound guys thought the Belkin Gold USB was as good as any other USB he'd used.. I've been meaning to track one of those down.. especially since they are cheap..
    2-Channel - So far...
    Pre: Dodd ELP
    DAC: W4S-Dac2
    Source(s): Computer and Denon 2910
    Amp: Parasound HCA-1200II
    Speakers: LSi9s - Vr3 Fortress Mod
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  • Face
    Face Posts: 14,340
    edited December 2010
    You can find the Belkin Gold on Amazon.
    "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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  • 98Badger
    98Badger Posts: 317
    edited December 2010
    sm88 wrote: »
    Thanks for all the suggestions! I'll look into the cable company, and that Kimber looks more enticing knowing I can remove the beads. I am doubtful of a difference existing as well, but would like to cover my bases and get a "decent" one. Let me know if you notice anything Face. And Badger, how do you like the Dac2? I can't wait for mine to get here!

    I really like the Dac2. Put it toe to toe with the PS Audio Perfect Wave Dac about two weeks ago. The only difference that my buddy and I could pick out was that the Perfect wave spread the instruments out wider in terms of soundstage. I can honestly say if I walked into a room without knowing which one was hooked up, I wouldn't be able to guess reliably.
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,576
    edited December 2010
    Something cost effective and cool.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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  • sm88
    sm88 Posts: 353
    edited December 2010
    Wow. $5 and change with free, quick shipping for 6 ft Belkin Gold. Love amazon! Ordered one and am also going to look into "better" cables some more, perhaps try a few and see if there is a difference. But I can't go wrong at that price, if anything it just becomes a sturdy printer cable for me.
    Current System:
    Paradigm Signature S2 v2
    Conrad Johnson MF2500
    Wyred4Sound DAC2
    Audioquest Black Mamba II

    For Sale:
    3x Wilson Cub's
    Conrad Johnson MF2500
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  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited December 2010
    Just received my custom .5m USB cable from Jason at Virtue Audio. What I didn't realized is that the cable is made from the four conductor, polypropylene insulated and shielded Nirvana interconnect; seems pretty unique for a USB cable. The cable is still like an interconnect, and I'm excited to pop it in the system this evening and see if it makes a difference between the PC and digital transport.

    150712_thumb_a5729514f2f24ee97925bb4972afe134.jpg
    Jake
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  • blueboxer
    blueboxer Posts: 621
    edited December 2010
    sm88 wrote: »
    I've just snagged my dream DAC the other night, finally a used one came up the moment I was refreshing the page. It is a Wyred 4 Sound DAC2 which features asynchronous USB.

    Is that what I am funding by buying all your great stuff?!?! I think the DAC will be my final tweak if I am unhappy with the upsampling of the processor. I was looking at the PS Audio and Cambridge Audio DACS.
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  • punk-roc
    punk-roc Posts: 1,150
    edited December 2010
    zingo wrote: »
    Just received my custom .5m USB cable from Jason at Virtue Audio. What I didn't realized is that the cable is made from the four conductor, polypropylene insulated and shielded Nirvana interconnect; seems pretty unique for a USB cable. The cable is still like an interconnect, and I'm excited to pop it in the system this evening and see if it makes a difference between the PC and digital transport.

    I'll be interested to hear about what you hear =)

    Jason
    2-Channel - So far...
    Pre: Dodd ELP
    DAC: W4S-Dac2
    Source(s): Computer and Denon 2910
    Amp: Parasound HCA-1200II
    Speakers: LSi9s - Vr3 Fortress Mod
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  • doctorcilantro
    doctorcilantro Posts: 2,028
    edited December 2010
    They are very well made. Apparently the mini-B termination is a major PITA, but Jason whipped one out in a day to me. Top notch!

    I'm going to be doing some more listening tonight, now that I have my speakers set up.
    For Sale 2019:
    Tortuga Audio LDR passive preamp
    Decware EL34 amp
    Allnic H-1201 phono
    Zu Union Cubes
    iFi iDSD DAC, .5m UBS, iFI Gemini cable, Oyaide Tunami XLR 1.3M, Oyaide Tunami Speaker wire 1.5M, Beyerdynamic DT1990 headphones, PS Audio P3 power center

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  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited December 2010
    After doing some initial listening, I have a few thoughts. The over-all sound quality seem to be a little more defined. Better is the right word, and the bass response MAY be a little improved, but it is hard to tell. I am not a believer that digital cables have as much of an effect on circuits than analog cables do. However, I think the Virtue Audio USB cable may have improved things for a few reasons.

    First, since USB carries signal and power (my digital transport is the Musiland 01USD which is solely USB powered), improving the size and quality of the conductors would cause an improvement just as any after market power cord would. I would also assume the the upgrade to the signal size of the USB cable may cause an increase in SQ as the micro conductors used in the stock USB cable are not idea for something as sensitive as audio in terms of errors, reflections, jitter, etc.

    For the money, I think that the Virtue Audio USB cable made from the four conductor Nirvana IC cable is a good buy and an improvement over the stock, Chinese USB cable. It secures one more piece of my rig, and gives me one less weaker link. However, I could not justify upgrading the USB cable from here as the rate of return was already low with this low cost option.
    Jake
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  • punk-roc
    punk-roc Posts: 1,150
    edited December 2010
    glad to read your thoughts, I ordered the belkin gold cable to compare to my kimber usb cord I have now..

    I'm just using it as a bridge from my netbook to my peachtree nova DAC, so no powering issues with mine.. i'm curious if they'll be a different between them..

    I liked the Kimber compared to the stock cord the peachtree came with overall, but that was a year-ish ago and can't remember specifics

    Jason
    2-Channel - So far...
    Pre: Dodd ELP
    DAC: W4S-Dac2
    Source(s): Computer and Denon 2910
    Amp: Parasound HCA-1200II
    Speakers: LSi9s - Vr3 Fortress Mod
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  • sm88
    sm88 Posts: 353
    edited December 2010
    blueboxer wrote: »
    Is that what I am funding by buying all your great stuff?!?! I think the DAC will be my final tweak if I am unhappy with the upsampling of the processor. I was looking at the PS Audio and Cambridge Audio DACS.

    I looked into the PS Audio and Cambridge for quite a while, and was just about to buy one when I refreshed the DAC page and a W4S DAC2 came up for just over a grand.

    The built in preamp section made it a no brainer for me, rather than spend $600 on a PS DLIII and then have to fork out at least $500-1000 or much more for a decent preamp. It sounds fantastic, but I am having trouble with the drivers, I have emailed them about it. I'm assuming it is the drivers at least, audio has been hitting an error every 4-5 hours and it also crashes my internet until I reboot. Sometimes blue screens me. But don't be discouraged by that, i'm sure it's something simple
    Current System:
    Paradigm Signature S2 v2
    Conrad Johnson MF2500
    Wyred4Sound DAC2
    Audioquest Black Mamba II

    For Sale:
    3x Wilson Cub's
    Conrad Johnson MF2500
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  • Face
    Face Posts: 14,340
    edited December 2010
    I couldn't hear the difference between a Belkin Gold and Monoprice USB. :confused:
    "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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  • punk-roc
    punk-roc Posts: 1,150
    edited December 2010
    Face wrote: »
    I couldn't hear the difference between a Belkin Gold and Monoprice USB. :confused:

    That might make sense to me.. I don't know if there's any magic to the USB outside of getting rid of a super-cheap one you get with your printer or whatever.. I'm assuming now that the Belkin will be the same as my Kimber
    2-Channel - So far...
    Pre: Dodd ELP
    DAC: W4S-Dac2
    Source(s): Computer and Denon 2910
    Amp: Parasound HCA-1200II
    Speakers: LSi9s - Vr3 Fortress Mod
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  • BluBitRates
    BluBitRates Posts: 68
    edited December 2010
    My printer prints really well with a belkin
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