Cable Asylum

Interconnects, speaker wire, power cords. Ask the Cable Guys.

Return to Cable Asylum


Message Sort: Post Order or Asylum Reverse Threaded

DIY USB cables: five prototypes

88.18.31.196

Posted on October 2, 2020 at 07:28:56
paco
Audiophile

Posts: 1520
Joined: April 26, 2000









since i need only signal in my USB cables, i decided to build several prototypes to see which one sound better in my present configuration (see below link)

general model: 1 meter, twisted pairs, good golden USB connectors, WBT silver solder, unshielded at first

MATERIALS:

4 cables pic, from left to right: (1) Duelund 26ga solid, tinned copper, cotton and oil; (2) Neotech 26ga, solid OCC copper, PTFE; (3) Duelund 20ga, stranded, tinned copper, cotton and oil; (4) Solid silver 28ga, FEP

1 cable pic: (5) Duelund 26ga solid silver, cotton and oil

WINNERS: they were, clearly (1) and (5), so i decided to try shielding them, to see if that sound could be still improved, and yes, it was, although not much

2 cables pic: the 2 winners, shielded (Hifi Collective screening braid); now i'm comparing them very carefully; at present (5) is my favourite: more low level detail, better dynamics and a little deeper and taller soundstage; however, (1) is giving me a little more full bodied sound

all of them were given more than 100 hours break in

as usual, this is in my system, to my ears, for my music and to my taste, so YMMV

 

Hide full thread outline!
    ...
RE: DIY USB cables: five prototypes, posted on October 2, 2020 at 10:49:56
lokie
Audiophile

Posts: 1986
Location: Georgia, USA
Joined: January 28, 2003
Hey... would you sell me one? I need another powerless USB cable to trouble shoot a USB convertor.

BTW... I'm wondering if different lengths might make a difference. I would also think that a 75ohm cable/connector would be optimum.

https://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/digital-audio/index as outlined on this Blue Jean Cable page.

 

RE: DIY USB cables: five prototypes, posted on October 2, 2020 at 12:09:05
Tangram
Audiophile

Posts: 142
Joined: November 28, 2009
Thanks Paco, could you clarify if its the 26awg silver or copper being your preference?
Iam using the Duelund 26awg copper and enjoy this one, I have not got round to trying the 26awg solid silver yet, Thankyou for your findings.

 

RE: DIY USB cables: five prototypes, posted on October 2, 2020 at 22:11:23
paco
Audiophile

Posts: 1520
Joined: April 26, 2000
no problem! which one of the two Duelund 26ga sounds better is difficult to say; the difference is not big; for now i stick to my former comments...

 

RE: DIY USB cables: five prototypes, posted on October 2, 2020 at 22:12:06
paco
Audiophile

Posts: 1520
Joined: April 26, 2000
check your email...

 

RE: DIY USB cables: five prototypes, posted on October 3, 2020 at 02:55:10
Tangram
Audiophile

Posts: 142
Joined: November 28, 2009
Whos email ?

 

RE: DIY USB cables: five prototypes, posted on October 3, 2020 at 07:27:51
paco
Audiophile

Posts: 1520
Joined: April 26, 2000
lokies's email

 

RE: DIY USB cables: five prototypes, posted on October 5, 2020 at 02:07:55
bequerel
Audiophile

Posts: 238
Location: NORWAY
Joined: September 29, 2002
Would be interesting to know what impedance these five cables have. I am sure that there are audible differences due to deviation from the 90ohm standard.

 

RE: DIY USB cables: five prototypes, posted on October 5, 2020 at 07:54:59
paco
Audiophile

Posts: 1520
Joined: April 26, 2000
certainly, but it's a complex matter; besides, what you see in my pics is only the signal leg (plus and minus), but there is also the power leg (plus, minus and earth), sharing the same USB-B plug on the DAC side

 

RE: DIY USB cables: five prototypes, posted on October 6, 2020 at 14:27:59
Great job....from my experience with Duelund wire it likes a loose twist to sound its best, say 1 every 2.5 to 3 inches.

Of course this to my my ears. I found this to be the case with both IC and Power cords made with Duelund wire.


***Salt***


 

RE: DIY USB cables: five prototypes, posted on October 6, 2020 at 20:26:18
Duster
Manufacturer

Posts: 17117
Location: Pacific Northwest
Joined: August 25, 2002
Just a note about the data run of a USB cable. It's much like a balanced AES/EBU cable, since it's also a differential signal cable, with a similar broad range of characteristic impedance issues to contend with, which means there's plenty of wiggle room in terms of not needing to keep very close to the 90 ohm characteristic impedance of a USB cable.

What is most vital is to create a precision twist rate along the entire length of the cable, in order for the noise cancellation aspect and other factors to be of benefit for a balanced digital signal interface. Resonance control is also achieved by tightly coupling the twisted pair via the use of a heavy-duty PTFE tape wrap for the DIY AES/EBU digital cables I've built from scratch.

VH Audio's 21 AWG solid core copper AirLok hookup wire is outstanding for the application. Very easy to build a precision twist ratio and stay that way due to the low-mass cellular/foamed FEP dielectric, and the robust 21 AWG wire that does not require as many twists as smaller gauge wires for a consistent twist rate. The 21 AWG solid core copper with AirLok dielectric also sounds great for digital applications, IME.

 

RE: DIY USB cables: five prototypes, posted on October 6, 2020 at 23:58:10
paco
Audiophile

Posts: 1520
Joined: April 26, 2000
thanks! i tried loose twist in my speaker cables, also made with Duelund wires (20ga for highs/midrange, 16ga for bass), but for interconnects and USB signal i made a little tighter twist; in power cords i use Duelund too, braided not very tight

 

RE: DIY USB cables: five prototypes, posted on October 7, 2020 at 00:01:19
paco
Audiophile

Posts: 1520
Joined: April 26, 2000
i fully agree about precision twist, but i find 21ga too thick for USB signal; i tried 20ga in one of my prototypes and found the sound a little strange, perhaps a little fat; also, i dislike FEP; Duelund uses cotton/oil, so much lower dielectric constant

 

RE: DIY USB cables: five prototypes, posted on October 7, 2020 at 00:34:31
Duster
Manufacturer

Posts: 17117
Location: Pacific Northwest
Joined: August 25, 2002
VH Audio's AirLok dielectric is not the solid FEP you may be familiar with. Solid FEP is sub par in terms of transparency, while the cellular/foamed FEP AirLok dielectric has a very low (less than 1.45) dielectric constant, the lowest of all thermoplastics/resins I'm aware of. It also insulates air from polluting bare copper wire vs. a cotton insulated copper wire, while polluting a cotton insulated silver wire with air is essentially a non-issue for audio purposes.

 

RE: DIY USB cables: five prototypes, posted on October 7, 2020 at 08:03:39
paco
Audiophile

Posts: 1520
Joined: April 26, 2000
Chris materials are first rate, no doubt, yet IMHO no plastic can be better than cotton as dielectric... why you don't get some Duelund wire, make a comparison and report here?

 

RE: DIY USB cables: five prototypes, posted on October 7, 2020 at 08:17:44
I agree 100%

Duelund is the best wire I have used, compared to years worth of many others....including cables and wire by Chris.

Like you, I use Duelund wire for everything....its like Franks Hot Sauce!!

 

Page processed in 0.022 seconds.