Best way to hook up Denafrips


I have ordered a Gaia and a Terminator Plus and want to know the best way to hook up. I feel a little confused. On USB A to B is the B I2S and what cable would you suggest? Audioquest has several grades of cable but one dealer said it might not be money well spent by buying closer to the top of the line as opposed to getting a good power cord.  Thanks in advance.
128x12826mo18pts
I'm not a member of the Science! police, but have seen no compelling evidence whatsoever supporting the claim that an expensive USB cable can be superior to a solid, low cost version.
I found that my Gaia and T+ sounded excellent with modest priced cables, but there were subtle improvements from higher-end cables. I am currently using an AQ Diamond USB to the Gaia and a Tubulus Argentus i2S cable between the Gaia and T+, with DH Labs D75 coax cables for the clock connections. 

But I would agree with the dealer that recommended spending the money on the power cables if your budget is limited. Even a $12 HDMI cable used for the i2s connection sounded very good. 

I've been very impressed with the DH Labs digital cables. For a fairly modest price, you could use their cables for all three (HDMI, USB, Coax) and I suspect you'd be very satisfied.
I just reread your post. The USB cables used for audio connections are USB 2.0 A/B cables. This means that have a type A connector (wide rectangular) that plugs into the source (where the signal is coming from) and a type B connector (square shape) that plugs into the device you are connecting to. 

With the Gaia and Terminator+, I got much better results using the i2s connection over an HDMI cable. Even a $12 HDMI cable sounded better than using the USB connection with my AQ Diamond USB (AQ's top of the line USB).

The Gaia and T+ support i2s over either HDMI or RJ45 (standard Ethernet cable). Most user feedback I've read indicates that using HDMI is preferred. 

I am using the USB cable to connect my server to the Gaia. 
I'm a skeptic as well about cables generally, but 100% believe that some cables sound better than others. The key is to listen to the cables in your own system and see if you hear a difference. I tested out 5 USB cables recently as I'm sorting out my digital front end and one of the cables was a free USB cable from an HP inkjet printer. Because, if "bits-are-bits", ALL cables should sound exactly the same. The other cables were:

  • Generic HP printer cable: Free with printer
  • Belkin Gold: $15
  • Pangea Audio Premier SE: $50
  • Shunyata Venom: $100-200
  • Phasure Lush: $253
Well, that free HP printer cable sounded like crap. 

  • Sound feels shut-in and veiled. Trailing edge of notes have an overhang.
  • Treble is a bit harsh
  • Bass sounds tubby
And I'm very happily running the Phasure Lush cable. None of the cable sounded the same as another.