I noticed it too. There's also a noticeable difference plugging the external hard drive into a conditioner as was the case with a Hydra-6 that I own. Enough to where it tips the balance too much in the upper frequencies and I avoid it. I picked up a USB mini to USB B adaptor and tried several different cables, they do impart different sonic impact. Likely due to what Al refers to in his preceding post.
It's not imagination at all (I literally can't tolerate some of the cable switches/combos), but it also doesn't impact sound to the degree that a cable from the computer to DAC does (be it for better or worse).
It's not imagination at all (I literally can't tolerate some of the cable switches/combos), but it also doesn't impact sound to the degree that a cable from the computer to DAC does (be it for better or worse).