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In Reply to: RE: The Ridge Street Audio Enopias USB Cable posted by Mercman on May 18, 2009 at 07:36:16
THIS IS DIGITAL PEOPLE....... not analogue! I don't care if you paid $10,000 for your usb cable it's technically impossible to "sound" better than my $5 usb cable. If for some reason my $5 usb cable couldn't transfer the 1's and 0's correctly then it's amazing how all these external harddrives using usb even work at all for anything, even regular data files like my excel sheets. If even one single bit of data was altered that excel file would be corrupted and lose my data. Well that doesn't happen so it can't happen if the 1's and 0's are from audio either.
Follow Ups:
The one you obviously needed is www.HydrogenAudio.com - you will find it much more comforting over there.
justsomeguy65765 wrote:
"THIS IS DIGITAL PEOPLE....... not analogue! I don't care if you paid $10,000 for your usb cable it's technically impossible to "sound" better than my $5 usb cable.
That this notion is commonly held by the public at large and, surprisingly, by some programmers does not make it any less false. Below is a shorter version of how I argued against it some months back:
A computer's internal processing seems to take place without errors but, in the real world, it either proceeds with occasional errors that are detected and corrected by CRCs, parity bits, etc or it corrupts data too severely to be (fault) tolerated, leading to a “crash”.
External activity (output) is a different matter: it is a real-time process with no scope for any “send-that-again” feedback.
In designing high-end, computer-controlled machinery for manufacturing, engineers deal on a daily basis with problems over which audiophiles anguish at length.
Whatever the industry, such machines issue billions of instructions per minute to a plethora of devices under conditions in which errors of a ten-thousandth of an inch decide between a product and scrap metal.
To maintain accuracy, the control electronics, motors, transducers, power supplies etc. must be excellent and vibration suppressed to ensure accurate timing. True, the system is controlled by digital signals but any notion that “it’s just noughts and ones – why the fuss?” is simply ill-informed.
On a more modest scale, the same holds true for high-resolution digital audio. There is, however, an additional, and often overlooked, problem with PC audio: the “real-time” processing of the output is performed inside a more or less stock computer.
Although PC audio bypasses real-time data capture (e.g. having to read CDs “on-the-fly”), RF noise, supply fluctuations and a myriad of other pollutants which are relatively unimportant in data processing (on a PC whose operating system is designed to handle almost everything except precision audio) can severely degrade sound quality. That needs to be addressed.
To configure a computer so that it preserves the integrity of the “real-time” output is to enhance (more accurately, to preserve) sound quality. It is not always easy to do.
Designing USB cables so they approach the ideal electrical specification is a part of this process. The differences between a good and a stock USB cable is certainly quantifiable and often, even with some low-priced after-market cables, audible even to "cable sceptics" such as me.
Some time back, Gordon Rankin posted "eye patterns" that demonstrated the point rather well. True, some list members have sneered at them but there's not a lot one can do about that.
Best
Dave
'Whatever the industry, such machines issue billions of instructions per minute to a plethora of devices under conditions in which errors of a ten-thousandth of an inch decide between a product and scrap metal'
This is a ferry tale made up by manufacturers of very expensive turntables etc. No one can machine to such absolute accuracies with production machine tools. You have to go to nanotechnology for this and turntables will then cost perhaps $1million or more.
It's so comforting to know that someone solved the problem and schooled everyone on 1's and 0's. Wow....it's so simple! Who would'a thought.
Now back to everyone else's everyday reality.
Gotta get me some more Q-Tips -- something must be wrong with my hearing or something. Either that or cut back on the LSD...
Have you detected any differences in sound quality with different USB cables?
I haven't had a chance to play around with any yet. I've been too busy having fun with "unmapping" and ASIO4All. (see link below)
And even though there is absolutely no reason why it should make a difference with an asynchronous mode USB DAC, our Sales Manager Steve Silberman reports that an AudioQuest cable he has sound noticeably better than a generic cable.
Go figure.
You have to spend a minimum of $10,000.00 on them. Then you will hear a difference. Personally, I am waiting for $50,000.00 USB cables before I pull the trigger. = sonic bliss.
I think you are focusing too much on the money and not the sonic results. I can recommend a very nice cable for a very reasonable price:The Wire World USB cable.
Working with Robert, we are trying to push the technology to the max for these cables. Robert's cables make such a positive difference, that I would be dissatisfied not using the RSA Enopias. If you have a fine USB DAC like a Wavelength, Ayre, or Empirical Audio, these cables can make a huge difference in the sound quality. Double blind testing is not required as the differences heard will be obvious to the critical listener .
I want to publically thank Robert for his efforts. I also hope that we can learn from each other and not take criticism personally, but in good fellowship and common interest.
Steve
Edits: 05/19/09
My comment wasn't directed at you Mercman. Sorry if you thought so. I guess I was just hitting out. I believe the most wonderful thing about PC audio is it gave the opportunity for most people to get their foot in the door and I am very appreciative of that. I think my stereo sounds FANTASTIC. I have been in sonic bliss for years now. I guess I just don't want the silliness to over take 'PC Audio'. It's been such a wonderful forum so far. Don't forget about us audiophiles with modest means. :)
You are exactly right Squonk. If you enjoy what you have, what more can you ask for.
But then you has the best sound from your 65 ft of optical cable. How much better is this?
How come you made it work when Gordon says it doesn't?
Fred, you are a real ball breaker!
I have told you many, many times that I am not using the optical cable. As for the Enopias, it works because the computer external power source is grounded.
Ha! Good one. LSD....do you mean "least significant dielectric"??
Didn't know you were into psychotropics. :--)
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