Your system certainly warrants a cable like the DH Labs Mirage.
USB cable recommendations
I recently purchased the Bricasti M3 for my system & am looking to upgrade my A-B USB cable. I currently have 2 USB cables that I used with my prior DAC (Qutest), a Cardas Clear that I preferred with my Qutest & an XLO ultra plus that I far prefer with my M3. It is OCC copper & actually sounds very good, but wondering if I can do better.
My target price is around $500 used, certainly willing to do less & willing to do more for the ’right’ cable. I am looking for a cable that is absolutely neutral.
I actually tried to buy an AQ diamond used yesterday, but was 2 hours late. Not sure if it was the right choice, but it was a great price & could resell if not right.
My virtual system is available, but my digital side is: Aurender N150 > XLO ultra+ > Bricasti M3 > Zavfino Arcadia > PSAudio BHK w/tele medical NOS tubes > Zavfino Fusion mk2 > SimAudio Moon 330A > Transparent + gen 5 > KEF Reference 3’s.
Please let me know your thoughts and/or recommendations. Thanks!
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Neotech. Ihave both their USB and Ethernet cables (Silver). Have used the DH Labs and Zavfino USB in the past, marked improvement with the Neotech and priced fairly. https://www.hificollective.co.uk/catalog/accessories/usb-cables.html
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Congrats on your M3. Recommendation-type threads often reminds me how subjective standards can be; what one person considers a high benchmark or ideal, another may view as average, unimpressive, or nothing special, as is clearly evident from the first two posts. I’ve been through my share of USB cables. If you’re patient and willing to hunt for a used bargain, look for Final Touch Audio’s Callisto USB cable—it’s likely the last one you’ll ever buy, even if you later choose to upgrade your streamer. |
I’ve used the following USB cables with M3 and Aurender N200: Stealth USB - amazing sound: very smooth, musically engaging, great texture of instruments. Problem - not reliable and may not work depending on how it was built and components it’s connected to. I had two of these - one on loan from cable co that was trouble free, and one I purchased based on the audition that did not work Stealth USB T Select - more expensive than regular version, does not sound as good, susceptible to the same issues DH Labs Mirage - decent. An OK cable if that’s all you can spend. Does not approach sonics of others I listed. AudioQuest Diamond - Really good. I sold it to get Stealth but ended up with a non-working Stealth cable. Audience FrontRow - a bit too analytical for my tastes Audience StudioOne - excellent cable. This is the one I ended up using until I sold my N200. Natural and fatigue-free sound, great tone. The two I would recommend are the AQ Diamond and the Audience StudioOne. AQ Diamond - buy new only due to tremendous quantities of counterfeit AQ cables on the market. The AQ is actually made in China which was a bummer for me but the sound is great. Audience is awesome sound, made in the USA and backed by amazing customer support folks at Audience provide. |
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