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

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.

The original poster's question was

>>Will a higher quality USB cable make a difference when being used between a storage device (bus-powered mobile drive) and a music server (w/o DAC), as opposed to those used between a source (iMac) and USB converter/DAC? Can anyone confirm an audible improvement?<<

and I can't say because I'm using a Ridge Street Audio firewire connection for that between my 2010 MacMini and my Oyen MiniPro 1TB storage HD... but...

I can say that the USB cable between the MacMini and the DAC is an important link.

I just upgraded from a Ridge Street Audio Alethias USB cable to a Ridge Street Audio Enopias, and after about 150 hours of settling in, the change is simply astonishing. The Alethias is a superb USB cable, and the Enopias is all of that and so much more in musicality and detail... all of the good stuff in music and music reproduction.

It's hard to believe that I'm listening to the same system that I had 150 hours ago, with one change: the USB cable. The "wow factor" is huge.

Just my experience,

:) listening,

Ed

Istanbulu,

OK. I have $1150. to buy a meter of the Enopias!! USB cable.

Other than the “wow factor,” which can be quantified in emotional/psychological terms—sort of like “Hallelujah!” “It’s A Miracle!” “The Cucumber is Scared With A Religious Symbol!”): what electrical/physical/scientific data can you provide to those of us who may want to consider becoming owners of this USB cable?