• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

KIMBER KABLE: Do High-end USB Cables Make A Difference?

confucius_zero

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
Nov 22, 2018
Messages
541
Likes
345
Nice digital has basically no loss.
Can you do the same with analog RCA?
 

SimpleTheater

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Forum Donor
Joined
Jun 6, 2019
Messages
927
Likes
1,789
Location
Woodstock, NY
Amir's AP cannot measure 'magic' so they will all measure the same but still sound radically different.
It is time they learned how to make proper 'subjective' analyzers that will yield different results each time you test or make things up semi randomly, like in reality.
Finally, someone who understands high-end audio. The instrumentation Amir uses can not possibly know what I am hearing. I did an A/A comparison with these Kimber Kables (for those that don't know what an A/A comparison is, it is when you listen to the cable brand new and then wait hours with music on to let the electrons align properly) and I can tell you that during that five hour listening session, the cable really came to life. In fact, if the wine bottle I had next to me was an hourglass, as time went on you could actually see the sound getting better. When the hourglass was empty, these Kimber Kables were nothing short of exquisite. They didn't sound as good the next morning. The sound was booming very loudly and it actually gave me a headache. They definitely sound better at night.
 
Last edited:

majingotan

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Feb 13, 2018
Messages
1,509
Likes
1,781
Location
Laguna, Philippines
Could it be that the delusional marks who pay stupid money for cables actually do hear a real difference, but only because their DACs are so poorly designed in the first place?

I don't really think those dudes would undergo a DBT AB Test only to find that the magical pixies they're hearing disappear completely
 
Last edited:

b1daly

Active Member
Forum Donor
Joined
Dec 15, 2018
Messages
210
Likes
358
How is it possible this crap continues on and on? Hi end audio is a testament to humans ability to believe false things.

Chris from Audiophile Style is either an idiot or so dependent on advertising from these companies that he is willingly assisting them in ripping people off.

People who are naive listeners are easily fooled, because subjective biases do cause real changes in perceived sound quality.

But this is a well understood effect by anyone who has troubled themselves to try and understand.

This just offends me. In the scheme of things, irrational belief in audio is relatively harmless. But it’s a microcosm of how easy it is to fall into irrational beliefs, or to propagandize them, on far more consequential issues.
 

patient_ot

Active Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2018
Messages
113
Likes
81
This company also thinks unshielded RCA cables are a good idea and charges quite a high price for some of them. Lots of suckers out there that buy this crap I guess.
 

Spocko

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Sep 27, 2019
Messages
1,621
Likes
2,999
Location
Southern California
Which in turn is cheap compared to $12,000+ USB cables from Masterbuilt.
I should’ve bought these cables first and save up for speakers and electronics! That way I know I’m listening to the best my cables have to offer. Sadly I bought my cables last and can’t afford the $12,000 required to truly make my system sing. Currently making do with Blue Jeans Cables for speakers and interconnects
 

AudioSceptic

Major Contributor
Joined
Jul 31, 2019
Messages
2,691
Likes
2,534
Location
Northampton, UK
Those are ferrite chokes. They suppress common-mode noise and are often found on USB (and other) cables, even cheap ones.
Am I right in thinking that the alternative is to have a better shield (braid)? USB cables I've got with the chokes are thinner than those without.
 

AudioSceptic

Major Contributor
Joined
Jul 31, 2019
Messages
2,691
Likes
2,534
Location
Northampton, UK
How is it possible this crap continues on and on? Hi end audio is a testament to humans ability to believe false things.

Chris from Audiophile Style is either an idiot or so dependent on advertising from these companies that he is willingly assisting them in ripping people off.

People who are naive listeners are easily fooled, because subjective biases do cause real changes in perceived sound quality.

But this is a well understood effect by anyone who has troubled themselves to try and understand.

This just offends me. In the scheme of things, irrational belief in audio is relatively harmless. But it’s a microcosm of how easy it is to fall into irrational beliefs, or to propagandize them, on far more consequential issues.
Here's an example of just how bad this can get <http://www.hifiplus.com/articles/nordost-odin-2-cables/>. I used to have some respect for Alan Sircom years ago, but not after this! Strangely enough, the previous editor, Roy Gregory, also posted gushing reviews of Nordost products and then went to work for them.
 

SIY

Grand Contributor
Technical Expert
Joined
Apr 6, 2018
Messages
10,383
Likes
24,749
Location
Alfred, NY
What is incorrect?
Everything before “I guess.”

Digital signal transmission is in no way mysterious nor is it analogous to analog signal transmission. That’s why your mouse, keyboard, printer, video screen, and external drives work.
 

thefsb

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
Nov 2, 2019
Messages
796
Likes
657
Kimber is an interesting case. I had thought that their 4-pair braid cable, the concept and product with which the business started, does have practical advantages in certain applications. Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't this remain true?

That Kimber has subsequently made a business selling silly cables (such as this USB) doesn't change that.
 

MRC01

Major Contributor
Joined
Feb 5, 2019
Messages
3,422
Likes
4,029
Location
Pacific Northwest
This reminds me of 2 different friends who said they noticed the difference in sound when their audio cable was connected in the reverse direction when they moved home. ...
I believe this may be possible if the cables are asymmetrically grounded: ground connected to shield on only one end and not the other. And if they had a ground loop that was eliminated with the cables oriented one way and not the other.
Seems unlikely, but possible...
 

thefsb

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
Nov 2, 2019
Messages
796
Likes
657
Let's do some Kimber speaker cable!
I'm interested in the EMI rejection of their four-pair braid in fairly long runs in proximity to noisy power and data cables relative to a single pair. Idk if it's worth the trouble to test.
 

ahofer

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jun 3, 2019
Messages
4,947
Likes
8,694
Location
New York City
How is it possible this crap continues on and on? Hi end audio is a testament to humans ability to believe false things.

Chris from Audiophile Style is either an idiot or so dependent on advertising from these companies that he is willingly assisting them in ripping people off.

People who are naive listeners are easily fooled, because subjective biases do cause real changes in perceived sound quality.

But this is a well understood effect by anyone who has troubled themselves to try and understand.

This just offends me. In the scheme of things, irrational belief in audio is relatively harmless. But it’s a microcosm of how easy it is to fall into irrational beliefs, or to propagandize them, on far more consequential issues.

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/speaker-cables-for-sopra-2-premaluna-dialogue
 

Robbo99999

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 23, 2020
Messages
6,874
Likes
6,672
Location
UK
All of these were always there. It is just that your brain would explode if it had to remember all this detail so it normally ignores them until you start to compare audio components/tweaks. So we know why you "hear" a difference. A difference is there in your mindset. But not in the electrical signals coming out of your DAC.
Do you think that's likely why I thought I heard a difference in my SoundblasterX G6 DAC when I updated to the latest firmware? Do you know if firmware updates are likely to cause changes to 'sound signature' of Line Out from DAC's? I thought it was a bit more bassy with the latest firmware, but I'm not so sure now.

Ha, and thanks for the review of this USB cable, it's good to explode some myths!
 

martijn86

Active Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2019
Messages
271
Likes
975
Location
The Netherlands
Now, occasionally you may run into a ground loop with a USB DAC where you often hear the activity in your computer.

Don't get me wrong, audiophile USB cables have always made no sense to me. But wouldn't it be a fair comparison when you do have a problematic case to see if this cable can help resolve that problem? Sure spending $55,- more on the DAC would be a more logical conclusion but at least that could give this cable the opportunity to show some improvement if there's any.
 
Top Bottom