Too Obsessive About USB Choices?

secondwindow said:
I'm surprised you're asking such a newbie question. The forum is very helpful, but we'll need to understand your use case. Will you be powering your Axe-FX III? Is it the Turbo version? Or, is this for your FRFR monitors?
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It is the standard Axe-FX III, not the Turbo. I am using Audeze LCD-2 headphones and Genelec monitors.
 
The antiquated USB-B port in general is a bane to the existence of many who have had to tolerate it’s inadequate adaptations to musical electronics., especially regarding durability …..just wish they would go away.
…….guess I am a little sensitive at this point of time, as I just sent a Sequential Take 5 polysynth back for replacement as the USB-B
Input did a very smellable fry and die , on friday AM…luckily www.Perfectcircuit.com has an extended free warranty extension, which I was able to use…
 
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stereotactic said:
If they have a return policy, try it and see. I’m a fan of Analysis Plus guitar cables, they patented their oval geometry conductor design. I certainly hear a difference between their cables and Whirlwind. I tried their lowest price purple AC cable with my JCM800 and noticed wider frequency response and better dynamics. Their usb is less than audioquest…
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No offense…but how can people believe that an AC cable can make any difference to the sound of your amp? What kind of magic could there be in this few feet of cable that would improve your sound?
 
stereotactic said:
I’ve heard differing opinions on this, I figured the Analysis Plus is not that expensive and at least made better than a $10 one.

There are multiple factors in how a wire conducts any type of signal. I’m trying to put together a new monitor system which uses 2 Neumann 750 subs and need to breakout a SPIDF stereo pair into two pairs so I can use them in true stereo. I’ve been told by Neumann you have to be very careful with this because if the ohmage and level of the signal is not within specs, the digital input may not function properly. So if a slight drop in gain or impedance can negatively affect a SPIDF signal and it’s reading on input, I’m sure USB signals have similar spec requirements which may be adhered to more or less well depending on the quality of cable used…
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S/PDIF has the limitation of needing short-as-possible runs. I tried a 16’ S/PDIF cable once, and it was dropout city! 16’ USB cables work with no problems.
 
DougB415 said:
S/PDIF has the limitation of needing short-as-possible runs. I tried a 16’ S/PDIF cable once, and it was dropout city! 16’ USB cables work with no problems.
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That's more a factor of the protocol itself than anything to do with the quality of cable.

Digital cables are inherently different beasts than analog cables. It's just hard for many people to wrap their brains around it.
 
Even for digital cables quality matters but in my experience only when you are looking to have longer than normal cables. I had to buy a rather expensive HDMI 2.0 cable at one point because I wanted to run 4K with HDR with a 8-10 meter cable. Tried several and only an expensive one worked without fault. Everything else had weird issues like missing resolutions, refresh rates and chroma subsampling options or just blinking, artifacts on screen etc.

For something that is usually short like a USB cable of 1-2 meters, just use the "normal" priced or bundled stuff. It will work just as well as your nicely braided, cool color audiophile version.
 
The funny thing about the "hifi" or "audiophile" USB cables is that there are at least a few of them that flat-out ignore the USB spec and do measurably perform worse than the cables that come with printers, essentially by accepting more RFI and dropping data. Some of them just run the wires straight...and the wire twists actually do matter.

There are "expensive" USB cables that are "worth it" if you need them. IIRC, the normal length limit for a passive USB cable is 5 meters. The "expensive" cables that work are active cable extensions that increase the maximum cable length by running higher voltages (consequently, higher signal to noise ratio) inside the cable and converting back to USB spec at both ends. I have some 50 to 100-foot active USB cables for when I actually need that length. But, they were also the cheapest options for what they are and have been absolutely perfect (I want to say they were around $60 each). There are also some devices that work basically the same way but send the USB signal over Cat 5e/6 cable with an adapter on both ends. They, supposedly, also work...but, I haven't tried them.
 
OP here -

My new FX3 DOES have the Turbo upgrade. A couple of posts here mention that my make a difference in cable choice.
So, now I am confused. Is there any real data supporting that?
 
Rolf1 said:
Some of you folks may recognize me from a couple other threads with regards to my newbie inquiries. So keeping in that same lane, I have another question which has sent me deep into another rabbit hole.

Regarding the USB 2.0 A to B connection, am I getting way too obsessive when I start looking at $200 cables?

https://www.audioadvice.com/audioquest-cinnamon-usb-a-to-b-digital-audio-cable-75m-1
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Don't listen to anyone.. PM me and I will sell you the most amazing cables you have ever heard. They are made from fragments of Thor's hammer smelted in the heat of a dying sun and spun by fairies in the gardens of aphrodite into the most transparent sounding cables you have ever heard.

If you are paying more than 15 dollars for a 10ft usb 2 cable you are spending too much. There are some that are bad, but for the most part, anything on amazon with 5 stars and more than a 1000 reviews will work. As for power cables.. man.. the crazy sauce applied to them is legendary.. Unless you are running huge lengths of cable, and even then a quality cable is not expensive.. plug that bad boy into any power conditioner worth its money with any 12' to 3 foot cable that comes with an off the shelf printer and you will be fine. Anyone that tells you different is drinking some rainbow flavored kool aid.
 
laxu said:
Even for digital cables quality matters but in my experience only when you are looking to have longer than normal cables. I had to buy a rather expensive HDMI 2.0 cable at one point because I wanted to run 4K with HDR with a 8-10 meter cable. Tried several and only an expensive one worked without fault. Everything else had weird issues like missing resolutions, refresh rates and chroma subsampling options or just blinking, artifacts on screen etc.

For something that is usually short like a USB cable of 1-2 meters, just use the "normal" priced or bundled stuff. It will work just as well as your nicely braided, cool color audiophile version.
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This is a fair point. For high data rates (such as you get with 4K video) and long runs, capacitance becomes a real concern as it makes for a pretty severe LPF over the length of the run that can destroy the clear peaks and valleys on the signal.

We don't really have to worry too much about that with audio and data to and from the Fractal gear.
 
iaresee said:
We don't really have to worry too much about that with audio and data to and from the Fractal gear.
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I’m so glad I can’t hear electrons moving at nearly the speed of light in a wire. They’d be so screechy, probably like high-speed fingernails on a chalkboard.
 
Greg Ferguson said:
I’m so glad I can’t hear electrons moving at nearly the speed of light in a wire. They’d be so screechy, probably like high-speed fingernails on a chalkboard.
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It would probably sound much like an accretion disk circling a black hole. 😉
 
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