Do USB Audio Cables Make A Difference?

[SIY]

Yeah, those illegit measurements suck!

 

[Jinjuku]

To blatantly refer to the Schiit dac as quote: "horribly designed" and "lousy dacs like Schiit" I believe you have an underlying agenda against this company as there's far to much vitriol to ignore on your part.

You must have not read too much wrt to Schiit on this site. Testing has been done to the point the even Schiit has fixed some significant design flaws. In one case it was a grounding problem that when you touched the top of the case the system buzzed.

 

[RickSanchez]

You profess to be purely into the "science of measurements" but obviously you're not and use this as a forum where you can troll out your "un-scientific" thoughts on something you don't like for what ever personal reason.

Apparently it takes about 100 hours to sound it's best

Scienceguy.

 

[BDWoody]

Apparently it takes about 100 hours to sound it's best

Does it stop getting better then, and then stop? Does it always get better? Is there a way to stop the burn-in process early if you like it at...say...80 hours?

So many questions... So few answers.

 

[amirm]

I just received the Yggdrasil 2 and I've never read a negative review of the Yggy 2. Apparently it takes about 100 hours to sound it's best so I was curious and started listening upon setup.

That is a myth that I actually tested. During my second review of Yggdrasil, I spent two weeks measuring the unit and reported on changes. Not a thing changed. See: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ts-of-schiit-yggdrasil-v2-dac.3607/post-89531

And yes, I listened as well but there was no change.

People believe in such things because over 100 hours your mood, focus of attention, what you play, how plugged up your ears are due to allergy/cold, etc. cause you to hear varying levels of fidelity even when playing the same content and same system.

Of course being a false impression, it goes away just as it came so the person goes and chases the next upgrade as you seem to be doing. They keep needing these "false hits" to feel better about their gear instead of relying on simple objective data that demonstrates what is, or is not good in the product.

Ultimately if you say you believe drinking 10 glasses of carrot juice a day cures cancer, your doctor just going to throw his hands up. Same is here. We are not responsive to audio folklore. If you are here, spend your time learning about true engineering of audio products, the science behind and perception of audio and reliable data you can take to the bank. Otherwise you are clinging to ideas with no substance.

 

[amirm]

Hi:
Just curious did you actually set both the Modi 2 and the Behringer dac's up in a good system ( * as done in the comparison highlighted below* ) and do an extensive demo/comparison or did you decide about the Modi 2 by simply looking at your measurements? To blatantly refer to the Schiit dac as quote: "horribly designed" and "lousy dacs like Schiit" I believe you have an underlying agenda against this company as there's far to much vitriol to ignore on your part. This seems reasonable in that I've looked over various measurements like those in mags such as "Stereophile" etc, and have never come across comments such as you've fostered!

Tru dat!

You profess to be purely into the "science of measurements" but obviously you're not and use this as a forum where you can troll out your "un-scientific" thoughts on something you don't like for what ever personal reason. Until I can find "legit measurements" from the "recognized" hi-fi community that coincide with yours I have no alternative but to view your measurements as suspect at best.

Oh, they coincide. See: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ts-of-schiit-yggdrasil-dac-inconsistent.3812/

But really, you are two years behind the story here. My sharp, direct and harsh commentary resulted in Schiit as a company to transform their R&D process and build truly great products. This is so true that often they provide exclusive samples of their new products for my testing before anyone else! With great performance, they have also garnered highest levels of praise from me. See for example: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-magnius-balanced-headphone-amp-review.15252/

All of this should prove to you that there is nothing personal here. Not on my side and clearly nothing on Schiit side.

 

[watchnerd]

Does it stop getting better then, and then stop? Does it always get better? Is there a way to stop the burn-in process early if you like it at...say...80 hours?

So many questions... So few answers.

Quantum stuff.

 

[Scienceguy]

Tru dat!


Oh, they coincide. See: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ts-of-schiit-yggdrasil-dac-inconsistent.3812/

But really, you are two years behind the story here. My sharp, direct and harsh commentary resulted in Schiit as a company to transform their R&D process and build truly great products. This is so true that often they provide exclusive samples of their new products for my testing before anyone else! With great performance, they have also garnered highest levels of praise from me. See for example: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-magnius-balanced-headphone-amp-review.15252/

View attachment 97658

All of this should prove to you that there is nothing personal here. Not on my side and clearly nothing on Schiit side.

Well why don't you update your original blog - people can get the wrong impression of the "new" gear Schiit is now making. Did you read the comparison I sent you? That's a very impressive comparison!

 

[RickSanchez]

Well why don't you update your original blog - people can get the wrong impression of the "new" gear Schiit is now making.

Except that ASR is a not a pro-Schitt audio forum. I strongly encourage you to read as many of the official reviews on this site as you can: DACs, amps, AVRs, speakers, etc. You'll quickly get a sense of what ASR is about and how Amir does his reviews. There are many great aspects to ASR and many really knowledgeable members that contribute, and one thing that stands out is that this site is run independently from the audio manufacturers. As such devices that measure + perform well will receive praise; devices that don't measure well and perform poorly will be criticized.

 

[Scienceguy]

That is a myth that I actually tested. During my second review of Yggdrasil, I spent two weeks measuring the unit and reported on changes. Not a thing changed. See: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ts-of-schiit-yggdrasil-v2-dac.3607/post-89531

And yes, I listened as well but there was no change.

People believe in such things because over 100 hours your mood, focus of attention, what you play, how plugged up your ears are due to allergy/cold, etc. cause you to hear varying levels of fidelity even when playing the same content and same system.

Of course being a false impression, it goes away just as it came so the person goes and chases the next upgrade as you seem to be doing. They keep needing these "false hits" to feel better about their gear instead of relying on simple objective data that demonstrates what is, or is not good in the product.

Ultimately if you say you believe drinking 10 glasses of carrot juice a day cures cancer, your doctor just going to throw his hands up. Same is here. We are not responsive to audio folklore. If you are here, spend your time learning about true engineering of audio products, the science behind and perception of audio and reliable data you can take to the bank. Otherwise you are clinging to ideas with no substance.

Not true - I don't know where you get this from. I have NO cold or allergy I do not hear varying levels of fidelity as suggested but if you do well.....Hearing is the one true test especially with all the recording I've done. Objective data is only ONE element but hearing is the ultimate test and should always be the determining factor. Studios do NOT rely only on "specs" they chose by listening as their final determination in making a purchase. It's like saying all USB cables are the same or A/C cables etc,. Try them - blind is good and you know they're not all the same. Specs provide a very small and limited part of the picture try buying a car purely on spec - good luck. There's way to many factors that simply can't be measured which I found out when I studied Physics and Chemistry in university.

 

[watchnerd]

.Hearing is the one true test especially with all the recording I've done. Objective data is only ONE element but hearing is the ultimate test

Oh jeeze.

I would expect someone involved in recording and with a science degree to understand the pitfalls of sighted tests, confirmation bias, and placebo effects.

 

[volkl77n]

I am a firm believer in quality cables.

The Monoprice Monolith USB is stiff, uncooperative and has horrible memory. I hate it.
But if I hold it to my ear, I swear I can hear the unicorns galloping along with their cargo of bits.

And it only cost $5,737,394.14
(Venezuelan Bolivars)

 

[amirm]

Not true - I don't know where you get this from. I have NO cold or allergy I do not hear varying levels of fidelity as suggested but if you do well.....

You do actually. It is just that you don't know it. Your hearing is elastic. When you listen to music for enjoyment your brain is throwing away massive amount of what it captures. There simply is not enough capacity to record everything we hear all the time. When you focus on a new DAC for example, your brain changes mode trying to pick out what is different. All of a sudden it perceives ("hears") nuances it had not in the music. People not understanding this aspect of our perception falsely attribute this to the new gear sounding better when in reality, nothing had to change for that to happen. Reminds me of the kid in movie Matrix:

It is you that is changing, not the hardware.

 

[amirm]

It's like saying all USB cables are the same or A/C cables etc,. Try them - blind is good and you know they're not all the same.

I have. They sound the same. Demonstrate that you have done this test blind and can tell the difference consistently (9 out of 10 times) and we give a gold medal!

 

[PierreV]

a very good tube dac.

How does one implement a tube DAC? One tube for every bit? Some kind of tube ladder?

 

[volkl77n]

How does one implement a tube DAC? One tube for every bit? Some kind of tube ladder?

Easy. It just requires lots of $Bits.
https://www.primaluna-usa.com/primaluna-evo-100-tube-dac

 

[amirm]

How does one implement a tube DAC? One tube for every bit? Some kind of tube ladder?

Usually the stick a tube in there as a buffer. I actually have one I bought in a charity which i should test at some point....

 

[PierreV]

Easy. It just requires lots of $Bits.
https://www.primaluna-usa.com/primaluna-evo-100-tube-dac

Thanks for the link. Decent explanation.

I was somewhat relieved to find a burr brown PCM1792a in there too

@amirm that should be an interesting review!

 

[trl]

It's like saying all USB cables are the same or A/C cables

This one coming after so many threads and measurements done here on ASR, as well as on other similar websites too, is very intriguing. I really think that you need to change your username, unless you can find at least one single measurement proving that you're right in your assertion (e.g.: background noise lower when using some expensive USB cable or power cord, or maybe the THD...or perhaps jitter etc.).

 

[mirekti]

I bought myself this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003MQ29B2?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title&th=1
Best cable ever, the prevoius one was 3ft long and could’t reach the DAC from my PC. It made my listening sessions’s day and night difference.