USB cables

I use the Acoustic Revive cable that has the separate power line and it sounds pretty damn good. I did not do much of a trial before deciding on it other than the Nordost Blue Heaven and a generic cord which it sounded much better than both. The Nordost is good, very detailed like all their stuff but also very thin. I am using it between a PC server and Berkeley Alpha USB converter. I did not expect much of a benefit from the AR cable but sure enough, there it was.

Turns out the SotM USB card allows you to switch of 5v USB power, which should solve a lot of perceived or real problems.

Nickjn,
Sorry, I've been traveling and just checked this thread. I certainly noticed a difference with the Cinnamon across the board. A tad tighter in bass, better image placement and smoother top end. All were minor improvements, but improvements in all area's add up. I would suggest that you ask Steve (Audioengr) about cables with Asyn vs adaptive. I am understanding that the cable makes more difference on one over the other. Not sure which way, but the short answer is yes, the Cinnamon was a clear improvement. I have an Asyc USB.

I recently purchased a new USB DAC (North Star USB DAC32) and initially tried the Audioquest Cinnamon USB cable. It sounded OK but the connection was not good and the cable would come unplugged causing kernel panic in my MacBook Pro. I upgraded to the Wireworld Silver Starlight USB ($250) and it was a world of difference better in sound and connectivity. No kernel panic and much better highs and lows. I was amazed.

I am at a loss as to how could the USB cable make any difference in sync USB. In adaptive I see, the good old jitter, but in asynchronous mode? If the data transfer is accurate, and even the cheaper ones achieve this, what's left to be improved by the cable?
I'm not saying that there's no difference, for I haven't tried. I'm just looking for some technical explanation from the ones who know.