Best USB cable upgrade for around $1000

Sounds like the OP already landed a cable, but out of all the USB cables I’ve ever tried (and I’ve tried a lot), the only two I found myself being able to live with are the Synergistic Research SRX USB (very expensive) and the FTA Sinope, which pops up under $1K on the used market. Both are incredibly natural sounding and do not sound digital at all.

@classicrockfan You’re absolutely right about me. With audio, the sky is the limit. I absolutely love audio and am heavily invested.

Looking at your posts, you have been overly negative about other people’s investments into high end cabling, so why even contribute to this thread?

Even the OP requested suggestions near $1K. Yes, the SRX falls way north of that, but the fact that I am also advocating for the FTA Sinope for less than $1K when I am not a dealer for FTA cables should say something about my intent.

It’s too bad you’ve had enough of me, because I will be posting on here often and trying to add value where I can.

+1 @jerrybj

I happen to be fortunate to be able to have the SRX in possession. If my post was “pushing” this cable, I don’t think it’d be too effective. I don’t know of many people who would swing the cost on the cable just because I say it’s one of two cables I could live with. Even as a dealer for the cable, I still had to shell out more than most people would ever pay for a USB cable in order to have it on demo. I do this because I’m invested in the hobby, not because I’m trying to sell the SRX cable through a single post on this thread.

Those that know me know the value I provide. There are even threads on this forum from established members that advocate for my services and knowledge. The fact that you come off insulting everything and everyone is a waste of others’ time and energy and generally ruin an otherwise positive morale on this thread. 

Perhaps it would be helpful for @lads to confirm whether he/she has an affiliation with Wywires, but judging from the OP’s posts on other threads, I see him/her as a loyal customer who is trying to up their game, and not just around WyWires cables. The fact that you are accusing someone of this affiliation is offensive, in my opinion. But hey, I could be wrong and he/she may have some sort of affiliation. I just tend to give others the benefit of the doubt and try to help where I can. 

For everyone else, despite my experiences with many USB cables, the reason I have such a high standard for them is because I have been a long-time advocate of using AES cables as I am a strong advocate of having high-performing digital sources with quality clocks. AES takes advantage of these features, where USB is an asynchronous interface and only relies on the DAC’s clock. In my experience, USB and AES (and SPDIF as a whole) present very differently, and it’s been very hard for me to find USB cables that perform as well as the SPDIF interface does. But YMMV and depends on the components in your system and your own personal sonic preferences. 

@audphile1 Now I’m sad. I drive an Audi, not a fancy one, and I love it. My wife’s Hyundai Santa Fe cost more than it because it’s bigger, but my Audi is quieter and more comfortable. Now I best go to a Hyundai forum and bash the heck out of their cars.

That said, we’ll probably get one of the all new Santa Fe later this year or next. It looks darn good and we need a three row for the kids and their friends. 

@agisthos Thanks for the kind words, those types of comments make my day. I’ve of course been an audiophile much longer than being a dealer (I just started dealing just over two years ago), and when I became a dealer, I swore I would only take on brands that truly move me and that I am passionate about. I’ve since found that there are a handful of audio products that are exceptional, but it doesn’t mean that everything that brand / manufacturer makes is of the same caliber, and so I don’t necessarily want to be a dealer for that product. And then there are some brands that make excellent products, and it just doesn’t make sense for me to be a dealer for them, perhaps because they are too similar to what I already carry, too great of a financial investment without a large enough market for me to be successful, or because they already have a dealer in my territory. But it doesn’t stop me from talking about those brands or products because they deserve to be mentioned!

I havent heard the Intona Ultimate, though I concur that impedance matching is incredibly important. It looks like a 1.5M is close to $4K? A new USB cable is not on my priority list, but I’ll definitely keep my eyes open for opportunities to evaluate it!