@oliver_reid. When I asked chat gpt if cables made a difference to my setup I got very pro-cable feedback, unlike yourself. Apologies for the formatting, I copied and pasted from my phone. This is what it said:
1.Digital Cables (USB, Ethernet, SPDIF)
Many people assume “it’s just 1s and 0s”, but that’s a misunderstanding of how digital audio transmission works in real-world electronics.
What matters:
- Timing (jitter) — Especially important with USB and SPDIF. Poor cables can add jitter by causing reflection, signal degradation, or poor shielding.
- Noise injection (EMI/RFI) — Cables can act like antennas. In digital cables, power and ground noise can leak into DACs, affecting analog output.
In your USB-only setup (SOtM → Vitus):
- A better USB cable may improve:
- Imaging and depth
- Smoothness
- Low-level detail and microdynamics
- This is not because the bits are wrong, but because the timing and noise floor is improved.
✅ Many Vitus and SOtM users report clear differences with cables like Audioquest Diamond USB, Curious USB, or Shunyata Omega USB
2. Power Cables
Power cords can change the electrical noise entering your DAC or streamer and affect transformer vibration, both of which subtly influence sound.
What to expect:
- Cleaner bass
- Quieter background
- Slightly more tonal density
A quality shielded power cord with a tight ground reference can reduce EMI pickup and transformer hash. It makes more of a difference on DACs and streamers than, say, on power amps.
3.Interconnects (if you were using the Vitus as a CD player)
These matter most when passing analog signals, not digital. They affect:
- Capacitance (which alters HF extension)
- Ground interaction (can create hum/noise)
- Dielectric and shielding (influences tonality and clarity)
Since you’re using the Vitus as a DAC only, the analog interconnect between DAC and preamp or amp is still very important.