Review and Measurements of Wireworld Starlight 7 USB Cable

[mansr]

Heaven knows there are tons of car shows on TV but none about audiophiles!

Not since 1959 at least:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1116688668968857600

 

[MediumRare]

You aren't kidding...

View attachment 21433

OH, I got a good loud laugh out of that.

 

[restorer-john]

Chances are what I think are reasonable posts to me, come across as know-it-all and condescending to them, one reason I am trying to cut back on posting. Just like their posts that if I cannot hear what they hear then clearly my hearing/system/whatever is not good enough seem arrogant and condescending to me.

Basically, if you don't align with their point of view Don, then clearly, you're not listening properly, your system is rubbish and your brain isn't resolving enough... What a joke.

Cut back on posting elsewhere, not here OK?

 

[Jimster480]

Basically, if you don't align with their point of view Don, then clearly, you're not listening properly, your system is rubbish and your brain isn't resolving enough... What a joke.

Cut back on posting elsewhere, not here OK?

This is from like 6 months ago

But this is how it has become on Drop now. I was literally just flamed by 5 people just for mentioning ASR. Especially after I linked the airist r2r review...

 

[bequietjk]

I wanted to brush up with this subject in regards to USB cables that can actually be of improvement.

Firstly, we would want to see a cable that adheres to the strict USB protocol and is up to par with USB design. It must work properly and be designed properly. What design is this? For USB 2.0, the data lines must be twisted, correct? IIRC. Also, I was reading up on the cable needing to be of at least 90 ohm impedence characteristic? Is this true?

Secondly, assuming that a cable is created and covers the base for being an actual useable cable, that it is designed for proper use. After this, is there any way that a standard USB can be improved? Just it just come down to shielding and being able to reject EMI/RF? At the very least...

Hopefully more light can be shed on this. I ordered a Wireworld Chroma 8 USB 2.0 ($30) and am hoping for a more robust and sturdy cable overall, and it seems to cover that 90 ohm characteristic and twisted data conductor pair.

Heck, if it doesn't work or doesn't sound proper then I can get my money back or send it to @amirm?

 

[amirm]

Heck, if it doesn't work or doesn't sound proper then I can get my money back or send it to @amirm?

Hehe. But you take me for someone cheap. $30 cable? Testing that is well beneath me....

 

[bequietjk]

Hehe. But you take me for someone cheap. $30 cable? Testing that is well beneath me....

I know you're swamped with devices and items. The thing is, the Chroma 8 uses the twisted pair and the Starlight '8' uses it, too!

The Starlight 8 is $199 and the Chroma 8 $30. Worth noting ^_^

 

[DonH56]

The USB standard requires shielded twisted pairs for the signal cables rated for SS and above. Any (every) compliant cable must have shielded twisted pairs.

 

[MediumRare]

I know you're swamped with devices and items. The thing is, the Chroma 8 uses the twisted pair and the Starlight '8' uses it, too!

The Starlight 8 is $199 and the Chroma 8 $30. Worth noting ^_^

This one is $4.92 and twisted pair. That leaves $25.08 for more beer.
https://www.amazon.com/C2G-28101-USB-Cable-Printers/dp/B000FW4B8K

 

[bequietjk]

@MediumRare Nice! My only concern is if the seperated, or, distanced data and power line conductors is a benefit.

 

[Killingbeans]

It was in the Starlight 7. But only below -130dB (when using a Topping D50). Not something that would be audible in any definition of the real world

 

[fabien32]

In the case of D50, we actually made things worse a bit.

maybe the noise comes from the d50, and maybe other cables(generic ect) resistance Absorb them noises? and maybe since the Wireworld cable is more transparent the noises from the d50 pass through? so with a better dac you would get a better sound?
is this not the all point of cables to be as transparent as possible? and also, what if you connect a dac to a preamp crossover, and the crossover to a preamp, and the preamp to tube amp, and then to a power amp, wouldn't this loss in transparency increase to the point of actual audible differences?

 

[Jimster480]

maybe the noise comes from the d50, and maybe other cables(generic ect) resistance Absorb them noises? and maybe since the Wireworld cable is more transparent the noises from the d50 pass through? so with a better dac you would get a better sound?
is this not the all point of cables to be as transparent as possible? and also, what if you connect a dac to a preamp crossover, and the crossover to a preamp, and the preamp to tube amp, and then to a power amp, wouldn't this loss in transparency increase to the point of actual audible differences?

Nope, its just a scam.
There is no such thing as "transparent" its a digital cable that transmits digital signals.
Its either connected or its not connected.

 

[fabien32]

Nope, its just a scam.
There is no such thing as "transparent" its a digital cable that transmits digital signals.
Its either connected or its not connected.

If that is so, how come Amir measurements showed reduction in the main Spike?

switching to Wireworld Starlight 7 reduced the mains spikes by some 20 dB!

 

[Jimster480]

If that is so, how come Amir measurements showed reduction in the main Spike?

Because those spikes don't result in a better sound at the end of the day. There is no actual purpose for this cable to exist. Only for a fool and their money to be parted.

Now before subjectivists start to celebrate, as I clearly noted, none of those mains components are remotely audible (or you would hear them with generic cables and we don't). And at any rate, no improvements were made whatsoever in actual distortion products. In the case of D50, we actually made things worse a bit.

Notice the actual conclusion.

 

[fabien32]

those spikes don't result in a better sound at the end of the day.

But we don't know that, do we? Because as I said

what if you connect a dac to a preamp crossover, and the crossover to a preamp, and the preamp to tube amp, and then to a power amp, wouldn't this loss in transparency increase to the point of actual audible differences?

And the fact that

In the case of D50, we actually made things worse a bit.

Maybe the noises are coming from the d50?
As Amir said

I can't explain that without some electrical analysis which I am too lazy to perform at the moment. So technically we paid more, and we got more.

 

[Killingbeans]

If that is so, how come Amir measurements showed reduction in the main Spike?

Right after the sentence you quoted he says:

Mind you, the spikes were not remotely audible at -130 dB before (threshold of hearing is probably -70 dB in these frequencies).

It's important to remember that a measurable difference isn't necessarily audible.

 

[1audio]

Many years ago I was meeting with a cable vendor in Hong Kong who told me that the USB cable business was going to be awful. Awful because almost anything with 4 conductors would work and the cheap guys will eliminate any profit from the business. We went on to make fully compliant USB cables and made some money at it. Not a lot however.
One of the interesting things was seeing how many super premium cables would not actually pass the USB compliance test : https://www.usb.org/sites/default/files/CabConn_Legacy_3_1_Compliance_Rev_1_1.pdf The reality is that the USB standard is very robust and on a short cable almost anything will work, to a degree, especially for audio which is not that demanding. USB 3 and USB C are much more demanding and the good USB C cables have chips in them to tell the link what they can do.
For a USB 2 cable the area where vendors save money is the power pair. Less copper since the requirement is .5V total drop at .5A, which is where the problems start. A simple screening measurement would be the DCR of the GND and Vbuss wires. Lower resistance is better. Perversely a cable with higher resistance may filter some noise from the power buss, however for a buss powered device you can see problems (including distortions from the power supply sagging) if the resistance is too high.

 

[hmscott]

They are Mogami Gold Studio. And yes it is quad conductor. See: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002E1P2G/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

IDK if you are up for a cable test/comparison, Worlds Best Cables builds XLR cables with Mogami 2534 and Neutrik connectors for about 1/2 the cost of "made by Mogami" cables.

It would be interesting to see if that saving costs anything in cable performance - noise shielding mostly is my interest - measuring built cable parameters might do - see images in the product listing for component specs:
Amazon.com: 1 Foot – Quad Balanced Microphone Cable Custom Made by WORLDS BEST CABLES – Using Mogami 2534 Wire and Neutrik NC3MXX-B Male & NC3FXX-B Female XLR Plugs.: Musical Instruments
Amazon.com: 3 Foot – Quad Balanced Microphone Cable Custom Made by WORLDS BEST CABLES – Using Mogami 2534 Wire and Neutrik NC3MXX-B Male & NC3FXX-B Female XLR Plugs.: Musical Instruments

I wouldn't mind sending in a USB cable for testing, I'm extending the distance for the install which will spare out the 0.7m cable later in Jan 21, which was "only" $44:
SUPRA Cables - Experience High Quality HDMI, DVI and HI-FI Cables & adapters. (jenving.com)

 

[Head_Unit]

It has always irked me that cable companies focus on marketing their cables as something to improve performance when there are more concerning issues like durability. I can't tell you how many USB cables I've been through over the years

OMG amen, and can we add Apple Lightning cables to the list?!? (Granted their lifespan might improve if my wife and kid would not occasionally grab them as "handles" to hold the phone still some have zero strain relief construction)