XXHighEnd

This afternoon I will become the lucky owner of the NOS1 24/768, returning from upgrade.  :veryhappy:

But, what is the "best" USB cable to use?

Can we use any standard low-price cable, or what about the upgrade versions from companies like Wireworld, who provide extra shielding of the 5V carrier inside the USB cable?
Example: http://www.wireworldcable.com/categories/usb_cables.html (http://www.wireworldcable.com/categories/usb_cables.html)

Or what about an optical USB cable? It will provide 100% galvanic isolation from the PC!
A long optical cable is tempting, also because I can hide away the bulky and noisy PC in another room. They can be sourced from several places.
Here is one example: http://industrialcomponent.com/opticis/opm210003.html (http://industrialcomponent.com/opticis/opm210003.html)
-But it is only restricted to USB 1.1 capacity.  :sad:

To put this in perspective:
2 channels of Red Book CD: 2*16* 44100 = 1.4Mbps.
2 channels of 24/96         : 2*24* 96000 = 4.6Mbps.
2 channels of NOS1 USB   : 2*24*768000 = 37Mbps.

USB 1.1:  12Mbps max capacity. 
USB 2.0: 480Mbps max capacity.
USB 3.0: 4-5Gbps max capacity.


-PETER: Do the NOS1 USB connection require any specific technical minium standard?

When searching the WWW for a suitable solution, the keywords are "USB 2.0", "fibre", "extender", "galvanic isolation" etc.

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For example, I found this clever product costing only €34.-, BUT after reading the fine print it is restricted to only 12Mbps...  :(

http://electronicsshop.dk/?id=1038 (http://electronicsshop.dk/?id=1038)

Whatever it is you think you need, you will need a 480Mbs version ...

Yes. And the only one I found so far is this "professional" solution providing true 480Mbps at 500mtr: The USB Ranger 2224 Multimode Fiber Extender. The only downside is the cost of $900.-...

Product link: http://www.smartvm.com/usb-ranger-2224-multimode-fiber-extender-p43447.htm (http://www.smartvm.com/usb-ranger-2224-multimode-fiber-extender-p43447.htm)


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Also, I found a related thread on the ComputerAudiophile forum (http://a related thread on the ComputerAudiophile forum=http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/Acromag-USB-Isolator-simple-and-inexpensive-bus-powered-USB-isolation-ADuM4160) in this matter.

Hi Pedal,

http://www.shop.bt.com/content/uni2/documentation/4ppw/belkin_network_hub.pdf

I have used this one before with another DAC and it seems to be USB2.0. I never found it slow and worked well...

Not sure if it is compatible with the NOS1 USB DAC though as I can't test that myself.

At least it is a lot cheaper than the one you've found... ;-)

Problem will be the network activity though...

Bert

Will never work Bert.

Pedal, isn't it strange behaviour to start with selecting USB cables or anything, while you didn't even open the box yet ?

The $900 one you mentioned is about the only thing there is - or is the cheapest. It may work, it may not. Next, I'm pretty sure that these things will work out for the worse. That means : not for the better.

The only option is a "normal" USB cable, and you don't hear me say that it will - or can be better. May it help, I use the one which is in the box. Ok ok, I know of someone where *that* did not work at all, but that was because it was broken.

If you or anyone perceives a difference outsided placebos, I'm glad to hear about it. :yes:

Peter

No, because it is not USB 2.0 High Speed.

Yes of course, he-he!  :blush1:

-Actually this was only me doing a little advance planing. I had a USB DAC 3 years ago. At that time I kept my music-PC in the basement, with a 10m USB 1.1 optical cable running through the floor and up into my living room on 1st. floor. The USB cable is still there ready to be used. However after checking the numbers I realized today that it's capacity of 12Mbts is too low for the NOS 24/768. So I was looking for a USB 2.0 optical cable replacement.

But it can wait. Now, I will be a nice boy and let the PC remain where it is and use the enclosed short standard USB cable. In this way there will be no changes to the system, enabling me to focus solely on the SQ of the NOS1 update.  :soundsgood:

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I guess NOS1 USB does not use the 5V option? If so, there is also less reason to shop for "dedicated" USB cables, because the cable will not carry any voltage.

Correct (internal linear PSU). But careful with the scizzors, because it *is* connected and wihout that things will cease working.

Peter

I wonder if connecting the usb mouse and keyboard to the PC affects the sound. I´m talking about the new NOS1 USB.

I´d like to know how the owners of a NOS1 USB have the mouse and keyboard connected to the PC to avoid influences at the usb NOS1 connection.

Hello Juan,

I use dedicated USB board to drive NOS1 USB. Please read this thread. It works for me.

http://www.phasure.com/index.php?topic=1826.0

Good luck!
Praphan

Thank you Praphan, I read it when you posted it. Now I think that I´ll wait for a while to make changes, meanwhile I´ll continue reading the posts on this issue.
I use some kind of power cleaner made by a technician/friend here with transformers and RF filters and I connect to it the NOS1 and the computer, (it has two isolate parts), I connect also the computer with a Foundation Research cable that has a kind of RF also. For the NOS 1 I use a Grover Huffman pc with no further filters.

Juan

Thanks to to generosity of Alain I´m using now a Mapleshade Clearlink Plus USB 2.0 cable to connect the PC, via the PCIe USB 3.0 card, to the NOS1. I can confirm some other´s opinion about this cable: The sound is clearer and smoother compared to the standard USB2.0/3.0 cables. Let me repeat it, the sound is CLEAN , it seems like that there is no other noise than the music. It doesn´t hide any change made in the software or hardware, on the contrary those changes are even more evident. It is a pleasure to listen music with this cable, thanks Alain!

http://shop.mapleshadestore.com/prodinfo.asp?number=USBLINK3P (http://shop.mapleshadestore.com/prodinfo.asp?number=USBLINK3P)

Juan

Or thank Jud (if it is about advising this cable).

I do not want to forget Jud as he has the merit of being the first one to bring that cable to the forum. Therefore, thanks Jud.

But I spoke of generosity and so I mentioned to Alain. He had two identical cables and gave me one, yes, a gift, zero money, nothing. In exchange for what then? We developed a friendship based on emails in which we talk about our systems, about the snow in Canada or the sun in Spain and of course about some other personal things. A great guy this Alain and always exquisitely friendly.

Taking advantage that today is Sunday and I feel happy I would like to thank someone else, but not just for the cable in this case but for a sense of permanent companionship. Thanks to the XXHighEnd forum in general because it is the place where we all fit in equal, those who know much with those who know less, those with sophisticated systems and those with a more simple system. A place also where friendships can be born. So thank you all.

You see Peter, now I have not forgotten anyone haha . Happy Sunday!

Best regards,
Juan

I can confirm what a pleasure it is to correspond with Alain (and Peter).  And it is good to hear the cable is working well for you, Juan.

Very interesting to hear about the Mapleshade USB cable also to hear about friendships made through this forum. Nick, me and Mani had a great day at Mani's last week - thanks Mani for your hospitality.

I was just thinking about the Mapleshade and wondering how it could influence sound quality. I can only imagine it would be jitter that could be improved mmmm maybe. If it is jitter then surely reducing jitter at source would be the best place to start. The AUDIO GRADE USB 3.0 PCIE CARD has made a very fundamental improvement to my system AND it is cheaper than the Mapleshade. It would be interesting to hear (or if it was possible measure!) the difference the PCie card makes then the Mapleshade.

But of course if the Mapleshade is free - well that has to be a no brainer.

P

Hi Paul,

I wouldn´t see it as a clash between the Audio Grade PCIe card and the Mapleshade cable, each of them can make improvements (or not) and can be complementary (or not) as any other components that we tested. Both are priced almost the same $135 the cable and $129 the card. Maybe someone has in mind to try both.

Juan

I don't know enough to be reductionist about the possible ways the Mapleshade cable might influence sound quality.  One thing the designer mentions is that the power lead is not in such close proximity to the ground and signal leads as in most USB cables.

I was intrigued by the possible influence an USB-cable might have on SQ. I could hear differences in my system between a stock cable and a better €10 USB 3-cable. For this USB3-cable an USB3 to USB2 converter was necessary to fit to the NOS1. However this converter wasn't an elegant solution and might not be a good thing for SQ.

Inspired by the Mapleshade site and other USB-cable manufacturers (data-only types), I decided to try to make an USB-cable myself, with some stuff I had lying around.
For the D+ and D- I used Cardas tonearm wire, this is very thin AWG 32 copper wire. This was loosely twisted in a open Teflon mesh. No V+ wire was used, only the GND wire. This was finished with gold plated USB-connectors and some heat shrink.

SQ is significantly better than other USB-cables (I never tried expensive cables) and I concur all what Juan described above.  Good quality recordings sound better and poor recordings, I didn’t listen to anymore, become listenable again.

I have no clue what explains this shift in SQ and if and how it relates to the “USB-clock discussion”. Please note that my pc and NOS1 are fed by a Purepower power regenerator.   

Anyway, thanks all for the info above.

Regards,
Stanley :veryhappy: