For those who use external network streamers, which USB cables do you use?
I am a long-time user of Aurender, from N150 to NA30, and am currently using an N20 connected to a Rossini Apex.
In the previous setup, I used a Van Damme AES/EBU digital cable from the N20 to the Rossini and a Mogami BNC cable from the Rossini to the N20 so that the Rossini’s clock would take over the N20.
Now I am using an In-akustik Reference Air Silver USB cable (without a BNC cable), where I can clearly hear the difference in clarity, such as in snare drums, a blacker background, and more highs.
But the price of the cable jumped from $50 USD to $4000 USD. Do you think it is worth it? I want to hear from USB cable users who have spent over $1000 USD.
Well, the reason I asked the question is that my $4000 USD cable yields extremely low diminishing returns, so I want to find what USB cables I can buy around or under $1000 USD for my second system.
Earnestly, by the way, comparing my upgrade from Bartok Apex to Rossini Apex, In-akustik’s upgrade improved the perceived sound more and at a much lower cost…
All cables from reputable manufacturers may suit you . Nobody except you can know what you like. All one can say is that they will all work and all work satisfactorily. The reality is you will have to buy then try, unless the vendor will lend you the cable before you part with the money.
I just looked a single UK dealer who specialises in cables. Looking at USB cables under £1K ( I am in then UK) he offers 83 different products ( individual brands making several alternatives)! Which is the best? Neither I nor anyone else has any idea.
Before jumping up to the $4K In-akustik, I tried several USB cables borrowed from friends (all under $700) where I could not find any difference in sound. The In-akustik dealer demoed several usb cable comparisons (including Jorma and Wire world) , and here I was left with the cable, which happens to be significantly more expensive compared to any audio cables I have.
In a way you are answering your own question. Briefly you are saying that the only USB cable that you tried and which offered you an audible difference was the top of range in-akustic.
Unless you find an alternative by serendipity you may have to accept tat any other cable may sound inferior to this to your tastes.
However you say that the cable is for your second system. As you seem to like the top of range in-akustic why not try one of their cheaper cables? They have several ranges at different price points. Of course I expect that you are not going to get the same performance at a quarter of the price. If you cannot accept that then the answer is also clear. Buy another $4K one .
My preferred connection to Rossini has always been with separate streamers. With Aurender N30/N20, the sound is just more transparent (some may feel “leaner”). I love this cool clarity. To me, AES/EBU sounds more prominent in the mid/midbass (“organic”) compared to USB.
Additionally, the Ansuz AES/EBU DTC-2 (now DTC-3) is already very expensive. Adding an Ansuz powerbox and BNC for clock info (when using AES/EBU) from Rossini will be astronomically expensive for me.
Going down in the In-akustik brand will definitely sound less attractive, at least due to the “placebo” effect. Also, the amp and the speaker are different in the second system. It will need a leaner-sounding cable to my taste. I am thinking about more crude silver cables.
Knowing nothing about Aurender servers I was going to ask if they also have Ethernet connection capability? If so, many here feel this form of connection will yield the best sound.
Aurender is a dedicated network streamer and server without a DAC (at least the N series).
With a separate power supply and more extensive streamer module parts, it seems to extract a purer sound (and better sound) than a simple and small streamer module (usually less than palm-sized and without an independent power supply) found in many top-tier DACs, many of which have DAC boards from third parties.
I use the Jorma USB cable from a Taiko streamer into my Rossini Apex and love it. I tried 5-6 others and for me, in my system, this has the best sound. I think it will all be system dependent (so YMMV), but I did hear a clear difference between cables. If yours outperformed the Jorma in your system, you’re probably in a good spot.
Among the USB cables I was demoed, Jorma (copper) was the best for mids such as vocals, and In-Akustik (silver) was best for clarity. It was purely a matter of taste and also system-dependent. Mine is an analytical Soulution pre/power amp and organic Marten Quintet2.
Nice to read that the In-Akustik USB also brought benefits to your system.
I am sceptical on USB connections wether the cable makes differences. It is an asynchronous buffered signal after all.
However I used In-Akustiks home trial offers and can report that the Power cables and analogue cables do indeed make a perceivable difference. Enough that it convinced me to upgrade all my connections to In-Akustik cabling. (Except for USB and Ethernet, which I simply didn’t try yet for initially mentioned reason)
This makes sense to me. I have mostly Nordost Odin cabling which can lean analytical at times so the Jorma USB gave my system more warmth and was a bit lush, which was the flavor I enjoyed relative to the others in my system.
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