24 Guage USB Cables

EricP1954

EricP1954

Experienced
Has anyone A/B'd a computer USB cable with one of the premium all 24 guage USB cables sold by companies like Pangea? I was considering the purchase but wanted to run it by the group to see if these uber cables are all that and a bag of chips :)
 
"Premium" USB cables are universally a waste of money. USB either works or it doesn't. If the USB connection is working, you can't get a better signal or better audio by swapping cables.
 
Note: claims that a USB cable is optimized for audio are just silly. Audio is one of the least-demanding applications for USB. Video, and plain old file transfers, require a lot more speed and precision.
 
The silver Pangea cable is $150.00 for a meter, $300,00 for two meters, a big investment, so I appreciate your input. Thanks, Rex!
 
EricP1954 said:
The silver Pangea cable is $150.00 for a meter, $300,00 for two meters, a big investment, so I appreciate your input. Thanks, Rex!
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When cables get to that price, it's all smoke and mirrors...and usually some technical words taken out of context and used in ways such that you can almost—but not quite—figure out exactly what they just said.
 
I might be getting some extra noise is why I started this thread. I am eventually moving my setup to something more optimized for my Axe-Fx. Now, I am threading a 3 meter computer USB cable from the Axe-Fx through a small hole next to a bunch of other wires, and out to my computer. I tried running shorter and newer USB cable and honestly did not hear much difference in the noise floor or anything else. Someone a while back on the forum wrote that you "had" to use 24 guage music-rated USB cable or you would get unpredictable results. Thanks for setting this straight. The forum just saved me today from a $300 folly.
 
EricP1954 said:
I tried running shorter and newer USB cable and honestly did not hear much difference in the noise floor or anything else.
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And that, my brother, is how it goes with USB cable. ;)


EricP1954 said:
Someone a while back on the forum wrote that you "had" to use 24 guage music-rated USB cable or you would get unpredictable results.
Click to expand...
"Music-rated" USB cable is like a baked-potato-rated fork: all forks can handle baked potatoes.
 
Rex said:
"Premium" USB cables are universally a waste of money. USB either works or it doesn't. If the USB connection is working, you can't get a better signal or better audio by swapping cables.
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^ 100% correct. Same goes for any digital cable, HDMI etc. A very expensive cable may look better, or be physically stronger, or however they want to justify charging the mega-bucks, but there is no such thing as a 'better' digital signal. It either works or it doesn't, save your money!
 
Save your money.

The gauge of a USB cable is irrelevant. At the frequencies USB operates the current is all skin-effect so the diameter doesn't matter (much). You just want a good, well-shielded cable. That should cost no more than $10. The whole cable market is one filled with misinformation and shysters. I once had it out with a cable manufacturer who claimed his cable reduced "micro-distortions". I asked him what a "micro-distortion" was. He said it was distortion so small as to be unmeasurable (or inaudible or some other nonsense). I'll let you fill in the blanks.
 
Don't listen to these responses. Pricey boutique USB cables absolutely make your sound better. Also, magic rocks and magic interconnects help exorcise spirits from your house and align your chakra.

Just kidding, all digital cables, whether HDMI or USB or whatever, are made to adhere to a baseline set of specifications. Regardless of whether a more expensive cable is more rugged than a philistine cheap cable, the bits that come out are the bits that came in.
 
FractalAudio said:
Save your money.

The gauge of a USB cable is irrelevant. At the frequencies USB operates the current is all skin-effect so the diameter doesn't matter (much). You just want a good, well-shielded cable. That should cost no more than $10. The whole cable market is one filled with misinformation and shysters. I once had it out with a cable manufacturer who claimed his cable reduced "micro-distortions". I asked him what a "micro-distortion" was. He said it was distortion so small as to be unmeasurable (or inaudible or some other nonsense). I'll let you fill in the blanks.
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Hilarious
 
Remember USB is all 0s and 1s. Digital info is binary, so there will be no audio-loss, either it works or it doesnt. It's just like those expensive hdmi cables, again 0s and 1s. Good cables matter when you are truly speaking of audio signal being transferred.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
EricP1954 said:
I might be getting some extra noise is why I started this thread. I am eventually moving my setup to something more optimized for my Axe-Fx. Now, I am threading a 3 meter computer USB cable from the Axe-Fx through a small hole next to a bunch of other wires, and out to my computer. I tried running shorter and newer USB cable and honestly did not hear much difference in the noise floor or anything else. Someone a while back on the forum wrote that you "had" to use 24 guage music-rated USB cable or you would get unpredictable results. Thanks for setting this straight. The forum just saved me today from a $300 folly.
Click to expand...

Try to keep your USB cables away from power cables and wall wart power adapter. You can also get ground noise from your PC, so try a different USB port.

If it's a desktop and there's a cable running from the motherboard to the USB ports, make sure it's not touching power cables going to and from the power supply. If the case has a window, sometimes your guitar will pickup noise bc the window isn't shielded.

If it's a laptop, try disconnecting the power cable and running on battery. If the noise goes away, you're getting a ground loop through the power adapter.

I've also gotten ground loops through MIDI cables that are connected to a USB Audio and MIDI interface.
 
G'day

Mate - if you can hear a difference between USB cables, I'd suggest it's attributable to something else.

Thanks
Pauly

EricP1954 said:
I might be getting some extra noise is why I started this thread. I am eventually moving my setup to something more optimized for my Axe-Fx. Now, I am threading a 3 meter computer USB cable from the Axe-Fx through a small hole next to a bunch of other wires, and out to my computer. I tried running shorter and newer USB cable and honestly did not hear much difference in the noise floor or anything else. Someone a while back on the forum wrote that you "had" to use 24 guage music-rated USB cable or you would get unpredictable results. Thanks for setting this straight. The forum just saved me today from a $300 folly.
Click to expand...
 
FractalAudio said:
Save your money.

The gauge of a USB cable is irrelevant. At the frequencies USB operates the current is all skin-effect so the diameter doesn't matter (much). You just want a good, well-shielded cable. That should cost no more than $10. The whole cable market is one filled with misinformation and shysters. I once had it out with a cable manufacturer who claimed his cable reduced "micro-distortions". I asked him what a "micro-distortion" was. He said it was distortion so small as to be unmeasurable (or inaudible or some other nonsense). I'll let you fill in the blanks.
Click to expand...

I had it out with the dude from Laval Cable over shit like that...
 
On a similar note I saw an article years ago where a hifi guy compared some ridiculously expensive "audiophile" speaker cables to plain old 20 cents a foot lamp cord and proved with tons of measurements that there was absolutely no difference whatsoever. So much of that market is pure snake oil. Buyer beware!
 
Hahaha I laughed so hard when I first saw these years ago. Always a good joke to share with my friends. As if there's a difference in audio fidelity when sending a bunch of 0's and 1's. Equally as funny as the premium price people are willing to spend on HDMI cables these days...the picture is either there or it isn't.
 
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