AudioQuest0.6m Carbon USB A > B High-Definition Audio Cable

Exceptional Clarity and Detail – A True Audiophile Upgrade!I recently upgraded to the AudioQuest Carbon USB 0.75m cable for my digital chain, and the improvement was immediately noticeable. This cable isn't just about looks—though the build quality is fantastic with its solid connectors and sleek design—it’s about sound. The moment I swapped it in, everything from imaging to detail retrieval took a step forward.The highs became more refined and open, mids gained a touch more presence, and bass tightened up just enough to feel more controlled yet impactful. What impressed me most was the lower noise floor—there’s a blacker background that allows microdetails and ambiance to shine through. It's like cleaning a window you didn’t realize was dirty.In my system—running from an Eversolo DMP-A8 to a Laiv Harmony DAC—the Carbon cable brought out a new level of musicality. Tracks I’ve heard hundreds of times revealed subtle nuances I hadn’t picked up before.For the price, this cable punches way above its weight. If you're serious about digital audio and want a real performance bump without venturing into extreme pricing, the AudioQuest Carbon USB is absolutely worth it.

From the get go, the cable provides a noticeable improvement in the sound quality from a very decent Audio Quest Cinnamon cable. I would say a 50% improvement in the sound quality. The bass is more pronounced and the overall sound is more balanced. The instruments sound more natural and genuine. The vocals are more lifelike. The sonics are louder, bringing the performance and presentation a few feet closer to the listener. As a result, the sound stage becomes larger and the imaging is more pinpoint. Worth the extra 40% in the cost. A caveat, you need to have a good quality system to start with. My system consists of a pair of Sennheiser 660S, a Project Pre Box S2 Digital DAC/ Headphone amplifier/Preamplifier, a Cardas Audio Parsec headphone cable for Sennheiser 600 and 650, a 2017 MacPro and hi res audio files from Qobuz music service. The contribution of all these components to the resulting sound is symbiotic.

First I swapped out the freebie 25 foot USB cable I'd been using for years for 1.5 meter AudioQuest Pearl USB cable. Sounded great: blacker. Then I decided to try a .75m AudioQuest Carbon and keep the cable routed away from power cords. Sounds even blacker, more microdetails, possibly more soundstage-y but must validate with better RCA cables. Overall, I wish it was a lot cheaper... Like that's my only gripe. It sounds really great and if there's anything better out there, I'm not too concerned with it at this point given the sonic benefits I've already reaped and how much I've spent. It's a nice place to be, maybe. I will state, my DAC is discrete class A output, R2R DAC with boutique parts, PCM63 with nice DSP. Nothing else is really crazy expensive in the rig, but the rig is not a joke, everything is brutally revealing and I know the system intimately with the material I tested it with, so little minute changes in background noise are readily apparent as differences in signal saturation. Sounds sound truer to source (timbre), no white noise, sharper cut-offs, micro-details.

I'm not certain how useful is a review for this product (funny since I've given it 4-stars).I purchased this in conjunction with Schiit's Magni 2 and Modi 2, as well as Emotiva's Airmotiv 5S speakers for my desktop computer. As I've started to listen to a lot of my music at the computer (ALAC files) I wanted to bump up the sound quality over the headphone jack on the back of my iMac. And shopping for value, but value with a definite benefit in sound quality, brought me to the Schiit and Emotiva equipment (in conjunction with a pair of Sennheiser HD-600 headphones I already owned).After settling on all the above components I needed to decide how to connect the computer to the Schiit Modi 2 DAC and this meant either Toslink or USB. After much reading online and speaking with a few local, independent audio retailers I elected the USB route. But what USB cable? A cheap $2 one or one of these more (much!) expensive audio-grade types. It's a real can of worms out there...Plenty of layman and experts will tell you that audio-quality cabling/wires/etc. are always a waste of money. Others swear they can and do make a difference (sometimes subtle - sometimes obvious). But my personal experience from many a year spent in my younger days on higher-end home audio gear taught me that cables can make a difference.Again, the difference can be slight or large. And sometimes the additional benefits come at too steep a price. So based upon my personal experience and much of what I read elected to go with a higher quality USB 2.0 cable for connecting my iMac to the Modi 2 DAC. I could have spent less than what I did, but after much reading I'm very confident I would have stayed within the AudioQuest family of products. Their reputation amongst those who believe in better cables was pretty consistent and strong.I have not wasted any time unplugging this cable and substituting a cheap USB cable to see if I can actually detect a difference in sound quality. I already went through this with the entire set-up (Modi 2, Magni 2 and this AudioQuest Carbon USB cable) versus plugging my headphones directly into the back of my iMac. The sound quality was a marked improvement (you can read my review of the Magni 2 here on Amazon) and while I cannot say any portion of that improvement is directly attributable to the cable itself, I do know I'm very happy with the end result.My personal predilections are to believe in the power of better cables, but keep price and value in mind. Others would call me crazy for wasting the money. But if you're personally on the fence do yourself the favor and purchase a better USB cable for your set-up. Plug it in and listen critically for a week or two and if you're not convinced or satisfied, return it. Amazon has a good policy on returns. You're only out some of your time and you'll feel better for having made the right decision for yourself.