Higher End USB Cables

Satfrat's advice is about the best I could give to anyone thinking about trying higher end USB cables..."If you're not willing to spend, don't try these cables out". If you buy one of them, you'll likely keep it.

The Poiema is a great cable and the improvement is on par with changing a source component like a DAC (in comparison to the Cryoparts or Belkin cables). They definitely do take a long, long time to settle down though, and the frequency emphasis shifts around during break-in/settling. That's been the case with every USB cable I've tried.

I give Robert at RSAD a hearty reccomendation as he's a fair guy to deal with and customer service was well above average. Can't comment on Locus other than the Cryoparts cable, which was great in it's own right. I do like the Poiema for it's laid back attributes, it's definitely more polite while giving you plenty of detail and dimension.

Received my Axis usb cable from Locus Design today. Right out of the box, it's impressive. It reminds me of when I went from generic speaker cable to Cardas Golden Cross, a lot more detail & presence. The sound is substantial, if that makes any sense to anyone. It's been through Locus'"proprietary conditioning cycle" and is still supposed to settle in for another 100-150 hrs. So I'll put off any critical listening until then, but it's quite good now. My previous usb cable was just a generic from Best Buy, which is my only point of comparison.
Thanks Lee!

Heymikey,

Thank you! Enjoy!

Peace,

Lee

would like to reactivate this thread in order to find out where all of you are at regarding USB cables.
Thanks a lot in advance and RIP Lee

I only have limited experience with USB cables for computer audio but here it is: I first tried an Audioquest Cinnamon USB cable but was surprised and alarmed at all the drop-outs I was getting connecting my MacBook Pro to my Northstar USB 32 DAC, using Pure Music as the player. I ended up returning the Cinnamon to Audio Advisor and just using a generic computer USB cable which at least stayed plugged in sufficiently to not cause sound drop-outs. Recently, when I bought my BAT monoblocks and preamp from Perotta Consulting, he suggested trying a Wireworld USB cable, the Silver Starlight. I was wary of using a silver cable since I do NOT like bright etchy sound. However, the Silver Starlight allayed my fears. It is of very high quality construction, seals tightly to both DAC and computer, and I have not experienced one drop-out. Also, the sound is superb. It was definitely a step up from the generic computer USB cable. Whether you need to go as far as Wireworld I don't know, but I am glad I did. It is a perfect match for the Northstar DAC and my MacBook Pro.