Best budget USB
Apologies, I know this has been asked before, and perhaps this question should be on the Cables forum. However, I thought I'd refresh the question, as some of the previous instances are quite old, and it has struck me that the digital thread generally has a better insight into USB cables.
I've bought a 2nd-hand Innuos Phoenix USB to fit between my Zenith Mk3 and Hegel H390. I also have an FTA Sinope, which I intend to fit between Phoenix and Hegel.
Unfortunately, the Phoenix didn't turn up with the original USB. And assuming the USB before the Phoenix is hugely less significant than the USB after, and given I'm now WAYYY over budget I'm looking for something less extravagant than the Sinope.
In the UK, the go-to outlet for choice is Futureshop, and if I limit myself to approx £100 ($120),the selection is:
Any preferences?
Thanks,
Mark
The slight irony here, given the fact I kicked off this thread, is that the Phoenix arrived three days ago and to get it up and running I plugged in the only USB I had to hand:. an Amazon Basics. And it sounds fantastic! Compared to the Zenith alone, it's a wonderfully sound. Just perfect almost. It has lost all the glare, and forceful forwardness. The icy shards have melted. It might be that the Phoenix has made every digital component upstream of it redundant. Then again, maybe not.
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This thread caused me to try a, better than stock, USB cable. It hooks between the portable HDD and Oppo BD105. I hadn’t tried any aftermarket USB cables before for various reasons. 1. Afraid to invest too much because my next HDD might use a different connector. 2. Not sure which reasonably priced cable to try. 3. There was always something else to buy. After reading all the Supra recommendations, I went with their entry level cable. The idea of separately shielded signal and power made sense. Amazingly, the US distributor got the cable here in 3 days. The 1m Supra is an amazing improvement over the ~8" cable supplied with the drive. Problems, I thought were speaker and room related, vanished. Anyone considering a 1st time high quality USB cable should try one. Thanks, aldnorab |
@vthokie83 I'm very happy with the entry level Supra. There's no glaring weakness on my personal sonic wish list. Cable changes often involve trade offs. The Supra are very even handed and sound natural. I may regret asking, how does the Excalibur compare? Might have to order one from Zendada. Thanks, aldnorab |
Aldnorab, My sound comparison is from my previous configuration (Node 130 to Denafrips Pontuss II DAC), and prior to adding a Denafrips Iris DDC in between the two units.....and as you know I think highly of the 2.0 USB Slight improvements from Supra 2.0 USB to Excalibur USB: (1) Darker background/quieter (2) Improved vocal detail and quality especially on female vocals in general but more specifically when Auto-Tuned (3) More and better detail in highs, most noticeable on cimbles, harmonica, acoustic guitar....greater clarity, without being sibilant (4) Sounded just a touch "faster" if that's a correct term? Just sounded a little more purposeful in presentation (5) Didnt' do a lot for sound stage, where I thought the standard USB was really good |
