Topping D50s stock USB cable or QED USB cable

[La!$]

Greetings. I was wondering if using the QED USB cable would be better than using the stock cable provided by Topping in their packaging. Any help is much appreciated!

Thank You!

 

[Snafu]

Why ? Isn't it long enough or don't you like the color ?

 

[zym1010]

According to Amazon reviews, https://www.amazon.com/AudioQuest-Diamond-Cable-Type-75m/dp/B004LR7HP4 (599USD for a 0.75m cable) seems definitely better?

 

[Xulonn]

Since the stock cable is capable of delivering bit-perfect performance, and the QED cable won't sound any different, what else could be improved?

However, if you give any credibility to b.s. like the headfi review below, you are at the wrong forum.

I am currently using a HP X360 Spectre WIN10 laptop using both WMP or Sony’s Media Go with both WAV & FLAC files going into a Chord Hugo with either a pair of Sony MDR-7520 Headphones with Whiplash Hybrid cable mod and a pair of JH16Pro’s and upon first launch music fed into my Hugo piped down the QED cable it is immediately apparent there is quite a discernible difference to the stock USB supplied with my Hugo and it feels & sounds like everything has suddenly come to life with more dynamics making the stock cable sound flat and lifeless.

The sound stage is more open and wider than previously with the stock cable with a good sense of stereo imaging I did not have before now really makes my Sony 7520’s open up and almost feel like a pair of open backs which is can be the real Achilles heel with my Sony headphones but the extra space and width is quite a pleasant experience and really helped listening to classical pieces or live music more which excel with that type of space. I think this is in part to this cable has good floor noise giving it a really black background to work on making instruments sound like they have plenty of space to operate in.

At first though as impressive as the QED cable first sounded compared to my stock Hugo cable still sounded a bit muffled and congested in the mids with some of the information not feeling as if it is getting through as it should but a good 10-15 hours this cable seemed to settle down and open up more with the veil lifting off to “unveil” the mid retrieval section which is kingpin to any music listening to hear the devil in the detail but once it does it really comes together quite well with better clarity and definition with transitions between upper mids through to lower mids more cohesive and easy to follow. I must admit when I first got this cable it did worry me sounding straight out of the box like it did and if it stayed like that I would off kept the stock cable!

The mid to low bass frequency’s is quite impressive on this cable and listening to Fleetwood Macs Oh Daddy remastered the mid bass sounds nice and tight yet retains that warmth of the recording as if hearing the vinyl version of it and one of the albums of the year for me Nothing But Thieves has a good clear strong driving mid bass with a solid impact and visceral bass extension I was not expecting which the Hugo which for some has been the only thing lacking.

Yet somehow the QED USB cable is able to transfer that from the Hugo and blends timing and slam of bass notes really well through this cable. If you like bass then the QED has a really nice full bodied mid bass with a visceral low bass response and good resonation which is something I was not expecting from this cable.

This QED cable does not come across as a mid-centric cable at all, not that it is U shaped or anything but it is quite a upfront sound in general and has plenty of bass and treble attack which can make it sound more pronounced more both ends of the Frequency range but the mids are still present in the overall mix with a certain percentage of mid detail actually used wide field of the centre stage as well with the QED presentation of a large sound stage and combination of a quick responsive stereo imaging helps provide a well-timed and fluid listening experience with this QED cable.
This becomes more apparent with vocal effects that use left & right channels for effect (like U2’s Raised by Wolves for example) makes for an interesting listen.

When I listened to rock music it is also at home dealing with the Chaotic side of rock music rocking the QED lends plenty of weight behind in a confident manner or even some heavy metal like Metallica’s self-titled album it never got muddled and always kept the detail coming through even with heavy going passages of songs were in full swing keeping a competent rhythmic quality throughout.

Vocals are clear and crisp with no colouration, fuzziness or muffling from anyone singing it is present to the forefront of a song and is easy to listen and enjoy a vocalist different timbres and tones which come across very natural.

I have also been impressed how good this cable reproduces strings on the guitar whether electric or acoustic which Fleetwood Mac’s Oh Daddy was a great example of this with acoustic and electric both inter-weaving each other during the song yet the tonal sound and detail to be heard from both was of a good quality.

Equally piano work had a good full bodied solid sounding key strokes to every key played whether it was Wes Khalifa “See You Again” track or Tori Amos “Crucify”.
It seems easier to hear the high frequency range more now because of this with the treble placating a stronger presence with more sharper and realistic tone with a nice shimmer to cymbals yet does not sound overly harsh in this region at any stage with any type of music which my ears like.

Only thing to note really that is a negative if there was any is the ergonomics of the cable where the design which lends to the potential of how this cable can sound at the same time is a bit of an Achilles heel this attention to detail to the cable shielding makes it stiff compared to other USB cables so does not have a lot of flexibility to it making it not so practical as it is not so flexible.
So if you intend on using this with a device next to you in bed or on the sofa could cause some issues.

This might be because I only had a 30cm length and might be better overcome with a longer length like the 1 Metre cable that can loop back on itself might help in this area. If you just to intend using in on a desktop where it won’t exhibit any movement you will be just fine. Other than that this does not detract from how good this cable can sound for the money and gives a full forward dynamic and punchy presentation yet sounds just clear and precise without any colouration to the signature which makes it good pairing for my Hugo as it keep true to the sound of the DAC more in this respect.

Just going back to the stock cable was a painful experience after this as it sounded flat, closed in lacking extra details to the musical notes the QED was capable of delivering. I was starting to get accustomed to or taking for granted the QED sound already is made stark reminder to just keep the stock cable for that experience once in a blue moon what a jump this QED cable makes from the stock one.

 

[Lac013]

I bought one of these specifically for my photo printer and I was not disappointed. Sure, I could connect my printer with the normal "freebie" cable that came with the printer, but I'd be missing out on everything that this cable provides. When printing through this cable, my photos are much more colorful, have a wider gamut, and there's much more detail in the shadows. It also seems to correct blown highlights to a degree. The color temperatures are also a shade warmer through this cable, while the print resolution is increased. It's subtle but it's there.

Naturally, most people can't tell the difference but I know that I can. It's almost as though I'm cursed, though. I wish that I could make do with a free USB cable like I could before, but now that I've seen prints through this cable, I simply can't go back. Those who can't see the difference simply don't have the 'eyes' that I do. Sometimes I envy them, as printing is turning out to be an expensive hobby.

I'm so confident in this cable that if you were to show me two photos in succession that were printed through different cables, I'm certain that I could choose which one came through this cable. However, if I can't, then rest assured that whichever one is better will be the one that came through this baby. After all, such visual tests are flawed.

My only concern at this point, is the fact that while the printer is mainly an output device, it does communicate back to the computer at times (for low ink notifications, etc), and unfortunately that data has to travel backwards along the cable. Hopefully this doesn't confuse matters and display and "ink full" message at the computer when it really should display "ink empty." Only time will tell.

I just can't wait to see how good my photo prints will look after this bad boy is sufficiently broken in.

 

[Sal1950]

Greetings. I was wondering if using the QED USB cable would be better than using the stock cable provided by Topping in their packaging.

The short answer, No

 

[FrantzM]

Hi

If you insist, there are even better, thus, more expensive cables. For example the Nordost VALHALLA 2 USB 2.0 CABLE @ $3500 ... but the nec plus Ultra when it comes to USB Cables has to be the MasterBuilt Ultra USB Cable at around $15,000 dollars so ...

 

[daftcombo]

I would give the totaldac Gigafiler a try before getting anything expensive.

 

[FrantzM]

I would give the totaldac Gigafiler a try before getting anything expensive.

True that!

 

[doctorjuggles]

I don’t believe cables make any difference to sound, but both the stock USB and power cables that came with my DX7s were terrible. The USB cable was so bad that I thought the DAC was broken as it disconnected so often, and the power cable was useless as one of the pins literally snapped off before I even got to use it. Absolute garbage. The DAC is great but Topping definitely skimp massively on the cables. Buy an Amazon Basics USB cable if you have any issues and you’ll be fine imo

 

[La!$]

I don’t believe cables make any difference to sound, but both the stock USB and power cables that came with my DX7s were terrible. The USB cable was so bad that I thought the DAC was broken as it disconnected so often, and the power cable was useless as one of the pins literally snapped off before I even got to use it. Absolute garbage. The DAC is great but Topping definitely skimp massively on the cables. Buy an Amazon Basics USB cable if you have any issues and you’ll be fine imo

Thank You

 

[La!$]

Why ? Isn't it long enough or don't you like the color ?

Not long enough!

 

[JJB70]

Unless the supplied cable is badly made, such as connectors that are outside of tolerance and give a slack connection, then I see no reason to replace it. If you do then I would just go for something like Amazon Basics.

 

[Veri]

Not long enough!

I like these: https://www.ghentaudio.com/part/u01.html

 

[gwgang]

Sorry to bump this thread, but I have to report my experience with other USB cables. The Topping supplied cable for the DX3pro is fine, but too short after I moved equipment. I tried 6 feet length of Monoprice USB 2 gold plated cable, and my computer couldn't even discover the DAC. Also, my old Belkin 10 feet USB 1 cable definitely didn't work. I tried all the ports, including USB3 hub, which actually works with the Topping cable. The other cables are thicker and GOLD PLATED! So make sure to get a full certified USB 2 High Speed cable. Amazonbasic cable is the next one to try.

 

[gwgang]

I found out that the factory USB cable is defective. One of the pin on the B connector is taller than the other pin, and it caused the corresponding female jack's connector spring to collapse. Thus only the faulty connector can make contact, and no other good cables can work. I may have to use a USB extender to get a working long cable.