What are the top 3 USB cables being used today in reference systems?

i have used (over last 6 months and in this order chronologically):
- curious evolved
- fta callisto
- shunyata alpha
- shunyata sigma

The USB cable links the Antipodes EX to a DAVE.

The Curious Evolved might be for classical lovers?  it was pretty neutral but not ultra high resolution i think.  being slightly cold i do not think it mixed well with my system at that time.  i have a noisy system and i don't think it coped with that at the time perhaps.  in any case i think to be accurate i'd have to say i never warmed to it.

I put the FTA Callisto into my system and suddenly it was like the lounge room went from morgue to fairy garden!  lovely dazzling/dappling frequencies and sparkle.  bountiful musicality and bloominess in the best way.  loved it from the get go.  but of course i am mentally ill and could never let the idea of less noise and more information go.

so i bought a sigma and whilst it was on the way they sent me the alpha.

it was instantly so different because the fta sort of shimmers and in doing so everything melds and smoothes and is beautiful.  it adds artifact in order to obscure banality and low resolution.  

the alpha seemed to just take noise away and leave a neutral but quite dynamic and lovely sound but also a tad boring?  tone wise i sort of wanted the fta callisto back.  plus it took a while for the alpha to settle i guess.

anyway by around about the time it had settled nicely (and it was all getting a bit sublime and i had no regrets (except why bother with sigma for twice the money?) - i receive the sigma.

so this goes in and once it settles down and burns in a bit (it sounds actually obnoxious at times during the burn in (yes i know KPIP)) you just get totally noiseless everything on the record and you've never heard so much information and it is so quiet now that you're well into this rarefied ultra high resolution landscape but without or with less smearing.  biggest immediate difference was 100 shades of bass and high pitched melody lines from piano or guitar or whatever seemed to be more coherent, more continuous.

the risk of Sigma is that presentation without distortion can be duller and perhaps less suited to pop music (in that it in unforgiving).  putting one potentially on another upgrade tear as now you can hear the difference!  for example i now have a new amp for highs on my bi-amp system because sigma made me realise what i was using was a tad cold and unresolving.  

scoring them ala the spinal tap approved system i reckon
curious evolved - 6
fta callisto - 8
alpha - 9
sigma - 11 

Thanks for sharing @mr_gray. This is an incredibly informative post. I truly hope the anti-audiophiles in these forums ala AtDavid (now posting under a Robert fake account) and Dow Jones don’t catch up with this thread. Although that is almost impossible as they specifically target cable threads

USB cables do make a difference. Even into my $3500 DAC. I have 5 cables here now and some are NIGHT AND DAY, it's not even funny how much difference can be made with a USB cable in a well set up and resolving system. I use an AudioQuest Diamond and have for 4 years. I keep testing others to see if one can best it for the same or a little more money but none have been able to up to $1000. I also have a $60 Audioquest Forest USB here and when that goes in? EEK. Sound shrinks, treble gets a tad more annoying, bass is less prevalent and the soundstage is not nearly as wide or deep. That is in comparison to the Diamond. I have a Nordost Blue Heaven and Heimdall USB here as well. Both of those can not get close to the Diamond. They lose air, extension and that cohesive sound that the diamond brings. The Nordost are thicker sounding. I also have a $20 cable here which sounds decent but you lose all of the magic that is so prevalent with the Diamond. I tried a Venom USB...warmer, thicker, more meaty mids but again, lose the ethereal character of the Diamond. I will probably keep my Diamond for life unless Audioquest betters it (unlikely). 

@stevehuff   Great comparisons. I've been playing with pricier USB cables lately but haven't got to the Diamond yet. Recently using the Audio Sensibilities Signature Silver, very neutral. I have an Alpha coming soon. But I'm interested in hearing whatever more the Diamond sounds like, or doesn't, whatever is appropriate, if you wouldn't mind. Or whatever makes you want to keep it forever.

Anyone tried the Tellurium Q Silver Diamond USB cable?