USB Cable Play-off

USB cable play-offs started over here this evening when I received the Curious USB Cable and Curious Regen link. The Curious cables sport a coaxial type shielded power wire that is exterior to the signal wires. Contenders include the ifi Gemini dual USB cable that has separate signal and power legs, and the Totaldac USB Filter/Cable with its box of magic juju. All will be connecting an Antipodes DX server with the UpTone Audio USB Regen, and then either the short Curious Regen Link, or the small hard connector supplied by UpTone Audio, connecting the Regen to a Metrum Pavane DAC.

In general, I find the Totaldac USB Cable to have excellent clarity, body, tone and energy while the ifi Gemini cable leans more toward the dark side, with a mix of richness, fullness and darkness while still displaying a sufficient level of detail. I suspect the Gemini could be used to successfully tame digititus in some systems that sound just a touch electronic. Very early impressions indicate the Curious cables display good body, clarity and smoothness, and lean more toward fall more on the full/rich side of things than the Totaldac USB Cable. I will report more after the Curious cables have some time on them. I suspect the Totaldac USB Cable will be hard to beat.

I wish I had previously been able to try the Audioquest Diamond USB or the Wireworld Platinum Starlight 7 USB cables since those two seem to be benchmarks for many and would make good starting points for comparison. I do own the Wireworld Starlight 7 USB cable but found it adequate and not that impressive.

If any others of you have been through this type of thing with USB cables, what were your conclusions? .