Will a quality USB cable make a difference....

Ok, I set up the Dell Windows 7 laptop as the server for the Tranquility SE DAC using iTunes as the playback software, and it was as though the oxygen was sucked out of the soul of the system. Yeah, I tried different USB cords, but I couldn't hear a difference. The whole system just went flat, no depth, no point sourcing, no ghostly instrumentation: just flat, dry and soul-less.

I hooked the Tranquility back on to the MacMini 2010 and returned to bliss.

I can truly understand how the difference between USB cords cannot be perceived when using a laptop.

Thanks for the opportunity. I would have never tried this otherwise. It was ugly but worth knowing what I have.

:) listening,

Ed

To my ears a usb cable is a usb cable. 1's and zero's.

I switched from iTunes to foobar and I still can't hear the difference between the Belden Gold and Nordost USB cable.

If you were using itunes on a PC, its no wonder. You will never achieve good SQ this way. You should do more reading on the forums.

Are you now using Kernel Streaming plug-in with Foobar2K on XP or Wasapi on Vista/Win7?

If not, then the same, you will never get it.

What device are you using to get S/PDIF output? Is it a USB DAC? Async USB interface?

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

Again this my system:

Computer > WinXP > lossless > iTunes/foobar > USB > Belden/Nordost > Cary Xciter DAC (Jellyfish PC) > Nordost Blue Heaven RCA/Blue Jeans RCA/DIY RCA > three channel beta22 amp with sigma22 power supply/Woo WA6SE (Nordost Blue Heaven PC) > Senn HD800

I have been to meets and friends' home and compared my system to other top tier rigs. With several different sources and DACs. I will say it rivals or surpasses others without issue. I've had more than a couple listen to it. A headphone rig is more than capable of hearing subtle system changes. What I can say is that between the Belden and Nordost USB cables I can't discern any significant difference.