Do USB Audio Cables Make A Difference?

[KSTR]

What portable devices use USB-B???

Funny question. There are thousands of portable devices that use or used USB-B.
Audio interfaces, musical instruments and recording gear (keyboards, drum machines, synth modules, MIDI controllers, mixers, field recorders, microphones, ...), small USB gadgets like thumb drives, the list is endless.

 

[VientoB]

Funny question. There are thousands of portable devices that use or used USB-B.
Audio interfaces, musical instruments and recording gear (keyboards, drum machines, synth modules, MIDI controllers, mixers, field recorders, microphones, ...), small USB gadgets like thumb drives, the list is endless.

I've seen them use USB-A but not B. There really aren't that many

 

[solderdude]

All audio interfaces I have here use USB-B and vastly prefer that over the mini/micro and USB-C.
USB-B connections have never given me any trouble unlike those small ones.

USB-A is often found on USB dongles.

 

[VientoB]

All audio interfaces I have here use USB-B and prefer that over the mini/micro and USB-C.

Most people don't use audio interfaces. How are you going to know USB-B is better if you don't have any with USB-C?

 

[solderdude]

I do have plenty USB-micro, USB micro-B, USB mini and USB-C devices around too.
Mostly on portable devices though.
Have had (and still see) plenty of bad connections on the small ones and never with USB-B which has much better contact area, the PCB connectors are mounted much better as well.
I have seen plenty of portable gear with USB micro/C where the contacts were dirty/intermittent and the PCB connectors came loose from the PCB. In most cases very tiny traces are ripped of the PCB making it hard or impossible to fix this other than replacing the (sub)PCB it is on.
Certainly the somewhat older external HD also used USB-B.
IMO most people use audio interfaces, at least the ones that take audio more serious. A DAC (thus also dongles) also falls under audio interfaces.

 

[VientoB]

I do have plenty USB-micro, USB micro-B, USB mini and USB-C devices around too.
Mostly on portable devices though.
Have had plenty of bad connections on the small ones and never with USB-B which has much better contact area, the PCB connectors are mounted much better as well.
I have seen plenty of portable gear with USB micro/C where the contacts were dirty/intermittent and the PCB connectors came loose from the PCB. In most cases very tiny traces are ripped of the PCB making it hard or impossible to fix this other than replacing the (sub)PCB it is on.
Certainly the somewhat older external HD also used USB-B.

I'm trying to argue that you don't have comparable gear with the two different connections. Phone can be plugged in several times a day for example. You're not doing that with an audio interface, the plug in/out cycle isn't as intense

 

[KSTR]

I've seen them use USB-A but not B. There really aren't that many

USB-A is the host connector, not the device connector. USB-Devices rarely have USB-A connectors (some do for special use cases like for connecting USB sticks for data backup or firmware updates).
USB-A is more prone to fail or wear out than USB-B in my experience.

 

[KSTR]

@VientoB , please let's stop this now and agree to disagree, OK?

 

[solderdude]

I'm trying to argue that you don't have comparable gear with the two different connections. Phone can be plugged in several times a day for example. You're not doing that with an audio interface, the plug in/out cycle isn't as intense

Small connectors (as used in portable gear) are not nearly mounted as securely and have smaller contact surfaces as larger connectors.
Sure... the small connectors on portable devices are plugged in/out much more often and creates more failures.
Most of these failures are due to 'mishandling' and dirt but there is no denying that USB-B is not the much better/rigid connector.
It's like arguing the mini 3.5mm jack is as good and as sturdy as an XLR connector.

 

[Sokel]

Funny story, the nice looking USB-C cable that came with KTB works at one orientation but not the other
Needless to say I mounted a USB-B connector to it through its internal I/O .

 

[VientoB]

Funny story, the nice looking USB-C cable that came with KTB works at one orientation but not the other
Needless to say I mounted a USB-B connector to it through its internal I/O .

Ok but I've never found that with any USB-C I have owned. I did have a printer with a dodgy USB-B, though. Funny story.

 

[VientoB]

Small connectors (as used in portable gear) are not nearly mounted as securely and have smaller contact surfaces as larger connectors.
Sure... the small connectors on portable devices are plugged in/out much more often and creates more failures.
Most of these failures are due to 'mishandling' and dirt but there is no denying that USB-B is not the much better/rigid connector.
It's like arguing the mini 3.5mm jack is as good and as sturdy as an XLR connector.

Again no actual comparison of heavily used devices with the two different connections.

I would also argue it's more down to how well the connector is attached and what support the cable connector has when plugged in. My new phone feels like the plastic around the USB-C plug holds it firm and reduces pressure on the PCB. But phones are often used when plugged in and get pulled around a lot. Are the are any USB-B devices you can say that for? I don't think so

 

[Sokel]

Ok but I've never found that with any USB-C I have owned. I did have a printer with a dodgy USB-B, though. Funny story.

I guess it comes down to quality, certifications of the cable, etc.
For example I would never choose a HP DAC/amp with a USB-C where the danger of stressing it exists by dragging the whole thing while wearing the headphones.

We all know how loose these connectors can become by the experience of phones alone.
So...

 

[VientoB]

I guess it comes down to quality, certifications of the cable, etc.
For example I would never choose a HP DAC/amp with a USB-C where the danger of stressing it exists by dragging the whole thing while wearing the headphones.

We all know how loose these connectors can become by the experience of phones alone.
So...

But we don't have USB-B phones so it's not a valid comparison! You don't know how long a USB-B would last in a phone

 

[Sokel]

But we don't have USB-B phones so it's not a valid comparison! You don't know how long a USB-B would last in a phone

That's true.
But for audio devices I would trust the tolerances of the USB-B contacts over the USB-C just by their spacing, size and placement (they are 2+2 opposing each other at USB-B, separated by a a huge plastic barrier) .

But that's just me.

 

[VientoB]

That's true.
But for audio devices I would trust the tolerances of the USB-B contacts over the USB-C just by their spacing, size and placement (they are 2+2 opposing each other at USB-B, separated by a a huge plastic barrier) .

But that's just me.

Surely the spacing is not going to matter? They meet up in the cable.

 

[solderdude]

It is very simple... just look at contact surface area and mechanical construction and fixing methods on PCBs. It is clear USB-B is the better one but too big for portable devices.

 

[nerdstrike]

But we don't have USB-B phones so it's not a valid comparison! You don't know how long a USB-B would last in a phone

I believe many earlier smartphones had a USB micro-B port. Wikipedia claims as late as the Samsung Galaxy S7. That was adequate for nightly use.

 

[somebodyelse]

The original Type A and B connectors were rated for at least 1500 insertions. They upped that to 5000 for the Mini series, and 10000 for Micro and Type C. That's just insertions, not the sort of mechanical stress that comes with use and abuse in the field though - here the A and B have the benefit of being larger with (usually) more secure connection to a PCB. Hence things like Neutrik's NMC-C chassis mount to take the load off the PCB connector.

 

[VientoB]

I believe many earlier smartphones had a USB micro-B port. Wikipedia claims as late as the Samsung Galaxy S7. That was adequate for nightly use.

We are not talking about micro though. I had the micro ones fail on phones.