I can't give you enough props for being one of the few (if not the only) headphone KZfaqr(s) consistently tackling this topic. I appreciate your presence in our community as someone who isn't afraid to normalize a topic that doesn't need to be stigmatized or met with hostility. Also, thanks for touching on system synergy. Very underrated factor to consider.

Cannot express my appreciation of your mature approach to this topic. With your help, the polarized audiophile landscape will change for the better. Also, it's nice to come by videos like yours, that are just nice to tune in to, without triggering that itch to buy. Big fan of your work.

Thank you for the review and we are very happy you liked the cable so much. Greetings from Sweden!

The finely detailed and objective analysis of uncommon components is THE reason I found this channels ages ago when I discovered your op-amp reviews. Keep it up.

Thanks for another great review Lachlan. I'm in high voltage engineering where the larger cross section of a cable (irrespective of material) provides better performance as it reduces resistance which in most cases is the enemy, however in low power applications such as those often found in audio, I don't know whether this info is of any significance. I however feel you should not apologize as much as you do, people who are honest and with genuine interest understand your reviews and your stance on these things. Do not concern yourself much with those who intend to troll instead of inform.

This is not a Toyota Supra. How did I get here.

Thanks for the review Lachlan. I bought an Excalibur on sale or return on the strength of it as I have kit in my system which you have reviewed and I have agreed with your conclusions as to sound quality. I agree with your conclusions on the Excalibur and it has now replaced my original stock Supra cable. Thanks again. Have a safe and happy New Year.

thx enjoyed the video. I like how you described cable matching based on different device synergy. I never thought about that aspect for USB cables, until you described your experience. Thanks for sharing your experience, I am sure it will help me in a future USB upgrade

Thanks for the review 👍🏻👍🏻 planning on getting this for my PMA-1600NE and ND8006 DAC

I really value your declaration in the beginning of your video. Keep it up!

Thanks for the amazing insight as always Lachlan. Such a fascinating topic!

Used the old supra for years, decided to try this new one. And I keeping it. The old supra 2.0 emphasis on midrange and Bass and it's sounds fun, but the small details in instruments drowns a bit. But the Excalibur brings out less base and flatter sound and more details. I know my system real good and can hear changes I do. But usb cables was verry easy to tell the difference. My Setup is. Raspberry pi4 Volumio, ifi power X 5v, ifi purifier 3. Topping D90 MQA + Tidal Bushardt s300mk ll speakers Musical Fidelity M6si

Thank you! I have been following along with your "inverted" samples comparisons. This review is timely since I just ordered a Bifrost2 and was concerned that it might be overly warm, even for me being more into EDM than Classical. It sounds like the Excalibur cable might be able to add back a little more edge and definition to the presentation!

I bought a Supra Excalibur USB cable back in September, and I wasn't expecting to hear any difference compared to my old regular Supra USB cable. I got it just for the improved build quality and theoretical signal integrity advantage. But even with those modest expectations I heard the same difference you did, which is a sharper sound with more attack. This was surprising to me given I usually don't hear any difference between headphone cables for example. But in this case the difference was blindingly obvious, and appreciated. I'm guessing there will eventually be a measurement that shows the difference we're hearing. But until that time the more objectively focused people will have to cringe as they read/listen to our unexplainable accounts lol.

thanks so much for the review. I bought this cable after watching some of your videos. I been used oyaide d+, a very expensive oyaide Continental 5s and low and med price range wireworld usb cable for very long time. My system used to have a very high pitch and shape sound when using oyaide d+ usb. The supra cable definitely made the sound more focused on the med range and made the sound softer and smoother. And the rhythm is noticeably slower a little bit？This usb cable can let me enjoy music much longer. When I was using oyaide d+ and wireworld Ultraviolet, I got tried after half an hour. The supra cable maynot have the crazy separation and details like oyaide and wireworld but it sounds much like the "music". It has the same tend like the continental 5s which is made the sound smoother but I have to say supra still has the gap to those high end cable. Considering its price, mind blowing. To those who think the usb cable cannot make difference, I recommend dont have your mind set before you really try them. It is usually the first cable in the system kind of important. And thanks for the videos, it is kind of hard to pass your idea and feeling to audience when u make video hifi related but your are doing the good job!

Love your honesty and ability to reevaluate past thoughts.

Thanks for the review, really interesting. I’ve never been able to differentiate sound quality in cables whether they be expensive, mid range or really cheap. They all sound the same to me so to my mind I’ve saved a ton of money. However if you can make out a difference it provides another upgrade path to your system. To my mind it’s win-win, I save money and you get your upgrade.

With high end equipment, cables can give you that extra 5-10% people usually go crazy trying to get. I've seen many in this hobby spend alot switching out different DACs/Amps, when a simple interconnect or hp cable upgrade would've probably done the trick. At least for my system, upgrading to silver opened up the soundstage a bit and provided a little more detail.

Awesome review, just ordered one for my RME ADI-2 Pro FS BE!

I will write this for the benefit of others. I purchased an 8 metre Supra USB 2.0 cable, the more economical light blue model, connected from iPad to amps DAC. It performs perfectly with no technical issues and to my ears sounds absolutely fantastic.

Excellent review. You hit on the nuances of the issue and my experience was exactly the same after trying both Curious and Supra Ex. My preferred music is jazz, which requires a lot of pop, zing, punch, and micro-dynamics to satisfy. With that music and with my Dac, I preferred the Supra for just the reasons you mentioned. While granting that the Curious does give a bit richer presentation and better soundstage. I also feel that the Supra allows bass to shine through a little more. PS: it does take both cables quite a long burn-in time.

Hey good on you mate to get content out like this. I believe and hear the difference between each cables. You are correct in conclusion that the synergy each cable brings will be dependent on the preference of the listener. I'm currently using a Phasure lush^ 3 USB in the original config. At the end of the day just enjoy the music I say.

I have got today Excalibur and I can confirm this is a fantastic usb cable. It’s connected between bluesound and RME dac and my more expensive Onkyo 6170 connected to RME via Van den Hul The First Ultimate MK2 coaxial it’s not sounding much better, but before bluesound with different usb cables was always clearly losing to Onkyo with this setup. Thanks for great review Passion for Sound🙂

Very good review! Based on this review in particular, I bought the Excalibur in the hope that I would hear a little improvement over the basic but still very good supra I have. Last night I exchanged the old supra for the new excalibur and...... shocking!! This cable is not a little better, this cable is much better. Immediately I heard much more sparkling and detailed highs. But especially the pressure and dynamics in the low frequencies made me very happy. Overall, this excalibur is much more musical than the basic version, well worth the money!

Thx for taking the time to do these kinds of review. Well i only have an micro degree in elektronics, but have worked many years with sensetive mil grade sytems like radio`s, radars, optics, satcom equipments , ecm´s and so on, and in my experiance if there is a way to reduce elektronic noice, like shielding, grounding and so on especially before the noice hits an AMP, you should do it, ofc if its within an resonble price :) and i find this logic usefull anywhere even when you talk about computer network`s. reducing the noice floor can fix alot of random and periodic problems and should allways be on you mind when trouble shooting. only this year have audio taken my interest, havent had the time b4 :) and i find it that i can hear a differnce when i use like double shielded rca cables compared to non shielded and ofc in my openionen/experiance, and i allso hear the differnce between double shielded usb cables compared to non shielded, this allso makes sence, if not why would on but an optic cable ? Well this was my input and some of my experiance on this matter :) thx again for the video cheers

Dude, man, I’m glad all I have are low end systems or I would be ticking off the Mrs. “You spent how much on a USB cable? I don’t care how much metal it contains.” Thanks for being so succinct in breaking things down. While your experiences are anecdotal, they do appear to repeat the results. The journey is always the most interesting part as the destination is sometimes anticlimactic. You seem to be getting the best of both worlds.

I picked up a supra USB cable for my RME ADI-2 DAC and it made a definite difference!

Found this vid because I went out and picked up an Audioquest carbon usb and forget about the sound, it’s connection with my Node is so weak that comes out much to easily. Anyhow cables shmables, just wanted to thank you for the Beth Hart / Joe Bonamassa recommendation. This whole album is so good👍🏻

Thanks for the video. I love how calm and composed you are, even during the introductory disclaimer as you expect backlash. I have a SKW brand printer / "audio" cable from Amazon and am rather tempted to upgrade to the Excalibur. I find the SKW to be extremely stiff and hard to manage at the back of my computer. I also happened to purchase a needlessly long cable, and I am afraid those bends are not helping audio quality. Just wondering if the Excalibur is flexible enough for cable management or if it requires a straight run. Thanks

Love the disclaimer

Thanks for the review, that brought me to my own comparison between the Excalibur (130 euro)and the Cardas Audio Clear (180 euro) USB. In combination Audio PC /Buckheed/Infinity Blade - Denon PMA A110 - Supra Excalibur Speakercabels - Magnepan LRS. The Cardas was the clear winner and definetly worth the extra 50 euros, both had 50 hours runtime. tonally quiet the same , but the micro room informations, the more of "iam sitting in the concert or in the recording room" was presented by the Cardas. Just as an example DSD file from : Lightnin`Hopkins ...going away. Cardas just let you feel , these guys performing infront of you. To my ears, an easy audible difference (on this level of highend kit).

I would love to see a comparison between USB cables and toslink for clarity and presentation of the music. Ive watched a couple of your USB videos and it always leaves me wondering about USB vs toslink. I know toslink cannot go say above 24/192 but i really like using it as my main transport because it separates one part of my system from the other in terms of noise

Thanks Lachlan for the very informative review. Just wondering where in Australia we can buy Supra cables.

I want to echo Jurumal. Thank you for talking openly. Most KZfaq audio reviewers are afraid to talk about cables. I am old audiophile but new to audiophile related social media like youtube. I am surprised by the enmity that the people that don't hear or believe in a difference between cables express. I feel they are the lucky ones! I came upon my experience with cable's various sound signatures quite by accident 30+ years ago. Since then, I have spent more for cables than I ever imagined I would. I also don't believe you have to spend outrageous money on cables. There MUST be less costly cables with similar sound signatures. It's just that they are often too hard to find unless you are willing to buy a lot of cables. Then you are better off shelling out the big bucks for the one you find that does just the right thing to your system. You are also right in that what sounds good to you in a cable depends on the sound signature of your system. I have the Ares 2 DAC and tube pre-amp and amp. I found I need cables that can deliver clear, detailed and airy highs while not losing the bass or mid. Thanks for the tips about the Supras. I've seen their videos on youtube and have been curious. I also appreciate the comment on the Audioquest diamond. I have the AQ carbon USB between my computer and the DAC and I'm concerned about it's sonic deficits (Decent but a tad edgy, no obvious bass/mid strengths.) I will keep your ideas in mind!

I just bought the Excalibur coming from a cheap printer cable, running from my iPad via Apple Camera Connector to a Rega DAC. So far seems like a perfect match with Rega’s well known warm sound, and the Rega DAC’s very analogue sound with lots of oompf. I used to connect a Squeezebox Touch to the DAC with a Wireworld coaxial cable, and the difference in sound is there. The coax has a more forward sound, but as the coax input uses a different chip than the USB input, I’m not sure what causes the difference.

Hi P4S. Thanks for a useful discussion.Would be interested to hear your take on USB choice when it comes to mScaler + DAVE when you get round to it. Source in my case is Auralic Aries G2.1. Thanks for your professionalism and care. Greetings to you and yours.

I own the supra excalibur cable as well as much more expensive usb cables by Intona, Curious and Sablon, and yes they all sound different enough that any good ear listening through a resolving system (including my 93 year old mother, who in her youth trained as a singer) could identify the difference in a blind A B X test. Based on my listening in various systems the supra is a great value cable and well worth the cost.

Thanks for your review. I completely agree on your findings on system matching. Having never spend more then 150 Eur on USB cables I'd like to give Supra Cables a try. From your findings I would assume that the cheaper Supra might be a better match for the amazingly neutral ADI 2 DAC. What are your impressions as someone being familiar with the ADI?

Hi Lachlan🙂, I would like to buy some usb A to usb micro cable to improve also my dongle dac, and it seems that AQ is the only option for me, also I would like to achieve what Supra 2.0 does. Where the supra 2.0 would be placed performance-wise between the AQ pearl, forrest, cinnamon and carbon? If you can compare it just from the memory, even broad estimation would help 😃 thanks.

Cool content! glad you're willing to tackle this topic as the headphone, usb, interconnect cable camps are quite passionate about their opinions. Do you ever use DDCs like the Singxer SU6 or Matrix x-spdif 2? Just wondering if the USB cables make a noticeable difference from a streamer to DDC then I2S into the Dac rather than just the source to Dac.

Very useful video.

This was highly informative. I appreciate your insights and focus on how you experienced the differences. You have a new subscriber! These higher-end cable manufacturers seem to focus on USB A to B connectors. In connecting my iPad to a Raspberry Pi, I need a C to A connection. I realize adapters are available, but I suspect they will degrade the sound quality. Are you aware of warmer, open-soundstage cables in the C to A configuration? Are my concerns about B to A adapters unjustified? Many thanks!

I am returning the iFi Zen dac, but to do that I had to put their included USB cable back in the box with the dac. I replaced it with a generic USB cable, and it has affected the soundstage. So now I went out and got two Supras. The "cheap" ones. I needed two because I have an iFi galvanic isolator. This passion (for sound) is going to ruin me. But I'm taking my time on my ride.

Forget theory, Do you hear a difference in cables over repeated trials in your system? If it makes a difference that you want, your only choice left is whether the change is worth the asking price.

Something I don’t understand about the standard Supra cable is the package says 480 megabits a second yet I have read somewhere that it can handle up to 1,200 megabits a second. I think cd quality is about 1,400 megabits a second. So one would presume that if using this cable to connect the iPad to the amp I’m not actually getting all the bits from the lossless files on Apple Music, let alone the high res tracks. I’m using a 2 metre length and it sounds very nice, I’m planning on trying a 7 or 8 metre length so I can control it from my comfy chair. Supposedly you can go to 15 metres with this cable so hopefully 7 or 8 metres will work, but the megabit thing is still a mystery to me.

With USB-C becoming more standardized, it would great to see a roundup comparison reviewing the different USB C cables. There aren’t as many C type audiophile cables compared the B type.

I have the original Curious cable and I can confirm that these USB cables makes a difference in sound. More open and clean sound. Of course the difference is not near changing your amplifier or dac but it is there. The biggest change I have heard was changing a pair of low key interconnects between a CD player and amp with DH Labs Revelation interconnects.. wow what a difference. Powercables on the other hand I have had no succes with.

Never like it when a company reaches out to a reviewer. Got this cable to try, and was not disappointed. It was sent back !

great review, i want to buy this usb cable, what is the synergy between SMSL DO200

I use this cable between my PC and My Audiolab DAC. I chose it because it looked as if the money might have been spent on the cable rather than its presentation. I use a 6m length, works fine despite sharing its route with many other cables, no interference of any kind.

Hi there, Very informative video , i have a Schiit bifrost 2 OG and 2/64 card dac, i am thinking of getting audioquest carbon usb and rca cable …. do you think its a good combo ?? i am looking more for a smoother sound signature that you find with curious cable and coffee cable hence the question… your inputs will be helpful for my purchase

Thank you definitely the cable to pair with my Gustard X18. My question is if I’d loose anything in having to use an us-b to us-c converter? This is needed between my source (Apple pro book M1) which only supports us-c. Unfortunately Supra don’t make us-c to us-a. Thanks in advance for any reply. Find your channel super informative as I introduce digital to analogue music into my mostly vinyl collection.

im buying this thank you sire

I watched your video and while you referenced testing the Excalibur with the HugoTT2/M Scaler, I am unclear if you felt it was a good match. I am currently considering this cable for connection from an Innuos Zenith MK3 to a Innuos Phoenix USB Reclocker to the HugoTT2/MScaler.

Hi :) I saw your earlier video about USB cables so I bought the supra 2.0 and heard a difference. Do I need to worry about this Supra excalibur 😁? Sorry I propably dont have time to see whole video but u have my view and like 😃😄👍and sub from long time ago

Hi Passion For Sound. Would you recommend the Excalibur USB in a Eversolo A6 - Hifiman EF600 setup or would you recommend a Audioquest Carbon (I own this myself) or maybe something else. Do you prefer to use the USB in my setup or the spdif Coax input on the EF600 ? Looking forward to your answer. Keep on making great reviews :)

They can make a change in sound. But this is due to RF-noise going in to the DAC. Some cables (especially audiophile cables) are more susceptible to RF-noise.

Lachlan (hope I got that right) another USB 2.0 cable to check out - Oyaide Neo D+ series. There are 3 models - entry level Class B. mid range Class A and the high end Class S. They are available at Store DJ Downunder, and are priced at $39, $59 and $99 respectively for a 1 metre length.. Can't comment on theirn performance coz I don't use USB as an interconnct. But I do use their Class S RCA stereo interconnects and it is pretty amazing. Was trying to get hold of their SP/DIF coax AS-808R, but it's no longer stocked.

I using it. Great value

USB cables do make a difference. I use AQ Coffee cables and one Excalibur cable in my system. However I once tried the AQ cinnamon micro usb cable with my Schiit Hel and 560S setup I use for work and it actually sounded worse to my ears than the stock micro usb cable the Hel came with. The difference was immediately noticeable. The sound lost its warmth/bass with the 560s and sounded much brighter to the point of being harsh and when going back to the stock cable it sounded warm again. So I had every reason to favor the more expensive fancier cinnamon cable but ended up returning it. This proved to me that USB cables do make a difference. Whether that difference is favorable or worth it is entirely dependent on the synergy of your setup and your personal tastes.

It would be interesting to compare the Excalibur to the QED Reference USB cable, which is a bit cheaper and seems popular with the people who have bought one.

Whats the most smoothest, most detailed and has most bass USB you have tried? Thanks for making great videos.

Do you know if these cables are a viable alternative for Astro gear connection on telescopes that are on remote sites?

I liked the cheaper Supra, but as my front end changed, the Surpa vocals felt too recessed. Purchased an Acoustic BBQ Full Rack 1m and i find it is very spacious and open and detailed, but too far on the energetic side and slightly sibilant. With Horns and solid state Accuphase, i'm looking for a cable on the warmer side, and it seems the Excalibur wouldn't be a fit for me. Recommendations?

High Speed or Excalibur for a pretty neutral system? Going from a ifi Zen Stream to a Aune X8

usb does make a sound difference. i have the chord tuned array usb cable £ 1000 and that makes a huge difference on a cheaper usb cables i own

I think the concept of “better” in a cable is not always easy to define. The fact that cables sound different still baffles me… Especially in the digital domain. I’ve been a fan of Supra cables for many years, and all my cables are Supra today, I think they simply price their cables properly, aligned with their true cost of R&D and production. And I trust their engineering, I believe they are truly passionate about music and do have the know how to built professional cables that are optimized for RMI/RF rejection, low capacitance, etc… All that said, I’m looking forward to have the Excalibur in my system and see if I can perceive a difference compared to my existing Supra USB. I’m not holding my breath though as I’ve not been able to hear clear differences with modern asynchronous USB DACs…

Yup, I definitely agree these things DO make a difference, but just because these products make a difference doesn't mean it makes sense for your specific setup. This is why I think most audio reviews should include a system synergy section because imo it's more useful looking at the system as a whole and not in individual parts (especially when reviewing higher-end gear). What's the point in buying a hi-end headphone you want if you're not going to build a system around it to get the most out of it? Anyway, thanks for the review! I have both supras and, in general, the basic one I find to have relaxed highs, a bit intimate, and a bit of a mid-bass boost while being warm and fatigue-free overall. The Excalibur I find to be a bit brighter but with a delicate touch, along with a nice stage, detail, and a slight sub-bass boost (at least compared to the basic one). Cheers!

I’d love to see some blind testing of these and see how those come out. I wonder how much is real and how much is placebo.

If you have a VALID link to purchase these cables in the U.S. plz let me know. I am looking for a USB cable from a Schiit WYRD (USB-A) to a Hugo2 (USB-micro). The generic Amazon cable and the Audioquest forest cable sound a little rough

I wouldn't shoot down the idea that a high end USB cable could make a difference in sound. I say this as someone who had an interesting experience with higher quality cables. My partner needed a 3.5mm to 3.5mm audio cable for connecting their phone to her car. I was already putting in an order with Hart Audio for cables to connect my DAC to my headphone amplifier, so I ordered one of those cables as well. In the wait to receive the cable, I found I already had a 3.5mm cable from Anker. I connected it to her car and didn't think anything of it. When the new cable came in, I switched it out with the Anker cable and tested to make sure it worked. I noticed right away the new audio cable made the sound stronger and more forward. I was surprised by this and decided to test the cables on my headphones and noticed the same thing. Well, I put the cable back into the car and later in the day my partner and I went out to grab some food. When she played some music she noticed right away the improvement in sound. She asked if I messed with the sound settings at all and I said no, I just traded out the cables and she was surprised she noticed a difference as she doesn't consider herself an audiophile.

So at the start of your video I was thinking that I get bit perfect data copies across USB all the time so how can a cable make a difference. As an IT person with an electrical background I stopped your vid a few times and did some quick googling and here's some initial thoughts on why the cable may be helping. Lots of data transfer to and from computers is stateful in that the sending end sends checksums with the data and the receiving end then checks the received data against those embedded checksums and if the received data isn't a correct then the receiving end asks for that section of data to be resent. This way any issues in the transmission between the two devices get corrected. Seems that music over USB doesn't utilize stateful protocols (probably due to timing needing to be correct to match with video) and sends stateless data in that there is no checking at the receiving end. So now we are in position where noise and other interference can cause the receiving end to interpret the signal as something different to what was actually sent and that's the answer to why a cable can make a difference. Now there are a lot of other issues to consider, mostly around noise from the computer due to how well it's USB circuits are designed and how the DAC end handles that noise, once again design. Then you throw a different high end cable in there and there is now an interaction between both ends and the cable and the environments around them and my gut feeling is that different cables will be different on different systems for highly complex reasons that most wouldn't be able to work out and so this leads to the only way to know what USB cable is right for you system is to have a handful of good cables and try them out. This is mostly consistent with what you've posted in this vid. I'd suggest you can't categorize a USB cable's sonic performances the way you normally would with other cable interconnects, you can really only say on setup X I notice Y difference as you could have many different problems occurring with data rates, frequency, noise, timing etc etc that a different cable may or may not help with. So if you can hear the difference between the USB cables then I think the best advise is that which many high end audio folk recommend which is avoid USB due to it inherent noise problems if possible (though I'd say avoid it if practical to do so). There also seems to be a rabbit hole of who controls the clock timing and how that causes jitter that I was too lazy to read which somehow comes into the quality on USB also. This reading up on USB noise has led me to an interest in the PI2AES device but unfortunately they don't have any in stock :-(

Not related to cables... But I am curious about DDC's to clean up PC USB Audio, bridging between a PC to a DAC, and if you can tell a difference between the I2S, AES/EBU, SPDIF & TOSLINK OUTPUTS that a DDC typically provides. Perhaps a shoot out between the newish Topping U90, Denafrips Iris, Gustard U18, and Singxer SU6? Something like this might be handy for a reviewer like yourself. Take the U90, it has 2x each of AES, SPDIF & TOSLINK, all running simultaneously. How easy would it be to A/B test between 2 or more DACs with that in the chain?

Very helpful videos on USB. Where to buy in Oz ? Look to upgrade my Belkin Would postage raise the cost a lot? How does it compare to AQ carbon more easily available ? Thanks

I just had my Supra Excalibur USB cable arrive this morning and spend the morning and most of the afternoon listening to music and playing games with it. I use a Clear MG on a Jotunheim 2 plugged in to a Bifrost 2/64 and the cable the DAC was using was just a PYST Straight Wire cable, so nothing terrible, but it wasn't a premium cable. The difference immediately was the volume was lower, or at least perceived lower maybe because of the fact the soundstage was wider with more separation of instruments from the vocals and such. It also could maybe be cleaner and more detailed, I'm not 100% sure. Point is, it definitely made a difference, and this is coming from a sceptic who is fairly new to the audio game. Cables were one thing I really wanted to have a look at, on what is otherwise probably my end game setup.

Supra Cables 🇸🇪 are highly recommended based on our experience over many years 👍 Regards, Babak, Hi-Reality Project

Ever tried the Monoprice Monolith USB Digital Audio Cable USB A to USB B? It costs next to nothing. But hard to beat at any price point. Would appreciate a review on the Monoliths. Thanks.

Thanks for the review. Can’t believe people get angry for hobby related subjects. Anyway, do you have any theory why you have been hearing a difference?

Everything matters. Most everything has a flavour. I like my MIT Matrix USB cable, it's the most relaxed, texturally resolving USB I've tried.

I cant seem to find Supra in a USB3 ...A to C...did I miss it somewhere ?

I'd love to see a double blind A/B test if someone can systematically tell the difference between a decent USB/HDMI/other digital cable and the fanciest one on the market. It's outside my imagination, but that exactly would make is so interesting if it was proven. Technically all I can think of is noise being passed through the cable, but that would just be bad design on both ends and not really about the cable, but maybe there will be other possibilities mentioned here.

I tried a same cable type (good quality) in 0,5m and 5m. The 5m sounded significantly less clear, more muffled. That proved to me that USB cable do matter

Thought I had found my next cable went on line price here in Oz $249! Shame. I liked yr price better ha ha any ways great review I enjoyed it and going back over bye dac reviews I have a BF2

Ive never had a USB DAC cable work well that was over 2 M long. If you could show me this cable, or any cable, 3 M or longer work without ANY problem in ANY. DAC, then I'll be a believer.

Hello Lachlan, Have you tried Mad Scientist Black Magic cables? USB, IC, power types? In terms of USB there's BM USB & BM Ultra USB. Would love to have the Ultra, but also Nitro Nano power cord and Carbon/Graphene Digital Interconnects tested (sonically mostly). Heard about them recently on Steve Huff's 'Controversial HiFi Things I Should Not Talk About' vid (at 5:42), where he claims their speaker cables are noticeably better than Nordost, which he thinks are better than Cardas, which he thought were better than all his previous ones. While he seems to be quite clueless on the topic of headphones (recommends Verum Audio, saying they're "better than Mark Levinson and Bose"), this seems to be largely due to himself not using them, but just speakers and otherwise seems to be a trustworthy guy. There's also a mention of BM USB cable specifically in the 'My Own Devices Audio Channel' channel vid 'I Learned To Respect USB Cables Made For Audio' (at 9:32), where it seems to perform best, though testing done on some relatively low-end HP setup. They're expensive, but with a 30-day return policy. And from NZ, which is kind of close to you :D Closer than to PL, that's for sure. They sure have unique on global scale technology claims (on their website), which makes me willing to believe they might potentially work better and who knows, maybe could be the single best out there. They also have reviews of their products linked on the website and those seem cautiously convincing. So I think it might be great to have one of the cable-believing audio channels like yours test them out. Maybe you'd be able to get in touch with them?

Please review Cardas cables when possible.

Just a suggestion: the data carrying integrity of any cable can be tested. NRZ signals in the USB cable can be viewed on a scope or other specialized test equipment (XY Plot or Eye Diagram) this is done at the highest specified speeds and the better cable can be identified with the most “open” eye pattern. That still does not mean it makes a difference in the audible sound. EMI coming from the power lines in the cable or the outside environment have the “potential” for corrupting the differential data, and this interference has to first overcome the error correction capability of the system before it “can” become audible, because some errors may not be audible to the user. EMI susceptibility is also very testable, and the shorter the cable the less impact it has. Then we have build quality, very important to guitar cables as they get plugged and unplugged thousands of times and trampled on stage, but how critical is it to a USB cable that you plug in and forget? If you are building a million dollar sound system and money is no object, have at it.

I am considering buying this new USB cable from Supra as I have the 2.0 version and have been pleased with it. Trouble is I am in Thailand -They want 85000 Baht for the cable here ! Thats AUS$3500 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ebay in Oz $269 Grotesque profiteering

you should of tested if its 90 ohm on the dot 🙁

In my experience, usb cables are DAC dependent. What sounds good with one DAC may not sound good with another DAC. I have done many usb cable shootouts with my audio friends with many different DACs.

I think what might ease my skepticism of high end cables - particularly digital and mains power - would be if there were reviewers going out on a limb, doing double-blind listening tests of such cables compared to the cheap/free ones. If someone would stake their reputation on being able to reliably hear the difference between a power cable that came in the box with their PC and a £4500 Audioquest Dragon power lead (with or without the £2400 fuse upgrade), or a standard printer USB cable and a £1400 Nordost one, then I might accept there might be more to it than just an Emperor's-new-clothes con designed to separate the gullible from their cash. With interconnects and speaker cables, I am more inclined to believe there might be subtle differences, but there are still few if any tests where someone else changes the cables and the listener picks the expensive one based on the sonic differences. Ultimately though, cables can't add detail that isn't present in the recording. They can only reduce losses caused by interference or poor electrical properties and even modestly priced cables do a fairly good job of that, meaning expensive cables are the epitome of diminishing returns.

Cable and antenna theory is not easy science to understand, when considering audio I feel that cables and the quality of the conductors and connectors can make a difference, I have in the past preferred silver cables for a slightly extended treble that seems more natural to me. It is important and generally a good idea to keep an open mind about complex ideas that can not be easily distilled into just a few words.

Blue Jeans Cable USB pls!

Does anyone know a retailer in Australia who sells this cable?

Two things, Curious Evolved in America for 1 meter is $589.95, .8 meter is $549.95. Just so you know. I’m interested now in the interconnects for TT2 to the M Scaler from Supra. Oh, I have 108 hours of burn in time now. The wait is grueling. lol

BEST CHANNEL EVER!!!

Like yourself, I find disturbing that usb are influencing the tones on music , I feel when I listen to music I’m looking for a true representation of how that track was recorded. I don’t use equalizer or other tone controls , I want to hear it how it was recorded. I feel the curious evolved replicates this compared to some of my other cables , yes they add sharpness clarity sounds attenuated, they have this sort of out of phase openness, and I mean that in a good way.

Foil wrap or aluminum wrap is cheaper. Ground it too.

To add to my earlier comment, on a higher end system where you've already spent a hefty amount of money, getting a cable with higher quality terminations will also help in terms of longevity in terms of delaying rusting/corrosion that leads to poor connections in the long run. So even if one cannot discern a difference in sonics, the upgrade can be worth it.

It's insane how much of a difference this cable makes. Just bought a second one.