USB Cable Comparison Audience / Cardas / Purist / Stealth / Wireworld


I've been meaning to share my findings and impressions from a recent six cable comparison of USB cables.

What follows is a 'work in progress draft' that I will be finalizing and posting on a blogging site.

Getting this posted is a way of lighting a fire under myself so I get the write-up finalized. And to keep my promise to share my findings with a number of Audiogoners.

What is posted is the first phase of the 'shoot-out' involving four cables.

Please note:

- This is not finalized and I will be making edits, and adding information, etc.

- This is the first phase of the comparison.

- The second phase will be posted soon.
david_ten
I agree about the big CAVEAT. The Yggdrasil has a less than optimal digital implementation. So your findings may be entirely related to digital problems of the DAC which are influencing your cable preference. If your components worked robustly then digital cables would not have an effect.

With such a long list of exhorbitantly expensive USB cables, you might consider upgrading components as a first step towards eliminating how digital cables affect your component performance.

According to Stereophile:

"Tested for its rejection of word-clock jitter with a 16-bit J-Test signal, the Schiit Yggdrasil had some problems"

Read more at https://www.stereophile.com/content/schiit-audio-yggdrasil-da-processor-measurements#LlqYiPu8IobviLI...

and

"While the processor’s analog circuitry is superbly well designed, its digital circuitry appears to have problems with high-level, high-frequency tones, and with the LSBs of 24-bit data"

Read more at https://www.stereophile.com/content/schiit-audio-yggdrasil-da-processor-measurements#LlqYiPu8IobviLI...
Hi David,

Nice writeup. Looking forward to part II.

I agree with Shadorne that USB cable preference can change according to the DAC it is paired with. The Yggdrasil is reported to be relatively laid back sonically so the more aggressive sounding USB cables (WW Platinum Starlight 7) will indeed provide a nice synergy if that is true. The rest of his post is closed-minded nonsense reflecting a lack of actual experience with different USB cables.

Dave
Interesting, I know someone who had the Purist and likes the new soon-to-be released SOtM USB cable the best.  He also preferred the Uptone USPCB to the Phasure Lush.
I'm not a USB cable type (preferring to deal with problems in better ways) 

but if you try anything, try the Lush cable