HDD USB Cable Upgrade?

[Dylanthecat]

Hi All, any thoughts on HDD USB Cable Upgrades? USB A Male to Micro USB B Male. Martin

[sq225917]

What for is yours broken?

[Gazjam]

Naa..

makes no difference.

[Dylanthecat]

Hi I just have a standard one that came with the drive. Had seen some chat about benefits of cable upgrades and was checking to see if there was substance behind it or just snake oil. M

[Gazjam]

Doesn't apply in this case,
A more likely improvement is changing the power supply for your drive to a linear one.

Look at your psu, 2 figures to read off the label:
Voltage and Amps.

Be (probably) 12 volts, 1.5 amps or summit like that.

With those figures, you can get a linear power supply to match.

[Spectral Morn]

Having tried basic Belkin USB cables and compared them to Wireworld USB cables I did hear differences. That was PC to DAC and between drives to PC.

I use a loom of Wireworld between drive, PC and DAC.

[coolblue]

I use wireworld starlight usb 3.0 between oppo and harddisk and it makes difference.

[sq225917]

:doh:

[Jac Hawk]

The cable is carrying a digital signal right? so how can you hear any difference, to make any sonic difference to the sound the cable would literally have to add or subtract something to the code being transmitted, it's not analog so why people try to treat it in the same way is beyond me. My view is people like to think they hear a difference, especially when they've shelled out for an expensive new cable. The simple fact is that a cable for carrying digital signals will either work or not and a high quality cable will allow you carry the signal a bit bit further before the losses in the cable make the signal unreadable, but making the sound better in some way is total snake oil.

[mikmas]

The cable is carrying a digital signal right? so how can you hear any difference, to make any sonic difference to the sound the cable would literally have to add or subtract something to the code being transmitted, it's not analog so why people try to treat it in the same way is beyond me. My view is people like to think they hear a difference, especially when they've shelled out for an expensive new cable. The simple fact is that a cable for carrying digital signals will either work or not and a high quality cable will allow you carry the signal a bit bit further before the losses in the cable make the signal unreadable, but making the sound better in some way is total snake oil.


The theory is that standard USB cables (freebies) also carry the 5v voltage line ... even if its not needed. Taking out that line means that any interference/noise carried by the power line disappears with it (or is reduced)

I did try an Atlas USB cable once, (works pretty much on this principle) between PC and DAC and I was immediately struck by the improvement in sound quality ....
... the next day I tried an 'off the shelf' bog-standard and cheap Belkin cable in the place .... and was immediately struck by the improvement in sound quality :lol:

[Jac Hawk]

The theory is that standard USB cables (freebies) also carry the 5v voltage line ... even if its not needed. Taking out that line means that any interference/noise carried by the power line disappears with it (or is reduced)


How can line voltage noise be passed on via the DAC which is designed to decode a digital signal 1's & 0's, the sort of interference you're talking about could in my view affect the signal, but not in the way you describe, if the signal could be read you would hear fragmentation of the sound, you won't hear background noise like you do in an analog setup because the DAC can't decode it.

[mikmas]

How can line voltage noise be passed on via the DAC which is designed to decode a digital signal 1's & 0's, the sort of interference you're talking about could in my view affect the signal, but not in the way you describe, if the signal could be read you would hear fragmentation of the sound, you won't hear background noise like you do in an analog setup because the DAC can't decode it.

Not my theory mate ....

[sq225917]

The 5v line can have a negative effect on the dac, that's not in dispute. How a different USB cable could make a difference is in dispute. If you have a noisy 5v line fit an isolator, or break the 5v line in some way if its only needed for the initial handshake, fancy cables, silver plugs or whatever bolocks with have no effect, a filter or a switch will, could.

[Smegger68]

One should differentiate between a 'digital signal' and 'data'.

Normal SP/DIF cables and USB cables between a computer and a DAC are carrying a digital signal. This has a time domain component and is succeptible to jitter and interruption of the signal in the normal way. Obviously the degree to which your DAC is affected will depend on it's design and whether or not it employs a buffer.

A USB cable between an external hard drive and a computer is carrying data packets. There is error correction here and no time domain issue, only a complete loss of connection will be noticable. Data packets are NOT music, not until music player software turns them into a digital audio stream. Thus they are agnostic of the medium being used to carry them. If you think changing the USB cable between your hard drive and your PC will be audible.... it won't.

[Dylanthecat]

Hi All. Thanks for all the responses to date.
Just to clarify in this specific instance the HDD is connected directly to the streamer via the USB. The HDD is powered via the same cable (5v feed). Martin