Higher End USB Cables


Anyone tried/compared the newer high-end USB Cables (i.e. Locus Design Polestar or Ridgestreet model)? Curious if they're worth the $300+ price tag, particularly since Locus doesn't offer demo or return policy (can't speak to Ridgestreet). I do know there's differences in the cheap throw-away ones, much like different USB ports on the same computer.
mb9061

Showing 4 responses by istanbulu

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I agree with Rstan... the Ridge Street Audio USB Poeima is outstanding. Once it is well-broken in (over 100 hours of constant use at the minimum), you can A-B it with all the others, and imho you will end up preferring the RSA Poeima. The differences are not small by any means.

:) listening,

Ed

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Things have gone in various directions in this thread (which is fine), but I would like to refocus back to USB cabling.

All cables including USB cables are system dependent and user dependent and some combination of the two.

My best receommendation is that if you are looking for inexpensive USB cabling (in other words, if cost is the most important criterion) then an abundance of cables are available that are under $100. In that category you will find some much better than others, and many a whole lot worse than others.

But in order to find that out, you can't listen to people like me make referrals for you to make your decisions: you will have to break each of them in (sometimes 100s of hours running the computer into the DAC), listening to what you hear, and makign comparisons based upon adequately broken-in USB cables... that's the due diligence of cabling comparisons.

If you choose the inexpensive route, I suggest the cryoparts line of options:

http://www.cryo-parts.com/usb_cable.html

Many careful users of USB cables have been highly impressed by their performance to price ratio. (These same users have been highly impressed by the Ridge Street Audio Poeima USB line.

:) listening,

Ed

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Mb9061

Good to hear that you're trying this cable out.

My experience with it is that it gets much better the longer hours are put on it. I have several hundred hours on it, and it is much better now than when I first received it.

This cable works very well for me on a low-res integrated tube amp (updated McIntosh MA230) with a MacMini and iRoc DAC. But on my other better systems it still sounds a bit bright to my bright-sensitive ears.

A typical way to get lots of hours on the cable is to play Rhapsody or your music library into your DAC. No need to have the preamp on, but the DAC does need to be on. Give the cable a break (off-time, a rest) for an hour every twelve hours or so.

Let me know how things go for you.

:) listening,

Ed

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Pardales and Mb9061... the RSA USB Poiema is a really good cable, and another 'gonner who probably might read this thread just traded up to the RSA Alethias USB cable... which is quite a statement because of his and other's initial skepticism. If he choses to "testify" (and I hope he does) his insights have been valuable to me as well.

As George Z says, "you'll like what you hear."

:) listening,

Ed