About The AudioQuest Carbon USB Type A to C Cable
The AudioQuest Carbon USB Type A to C Cable with semi-solid concentric 5% Silver conductors is what you need if you're starting to get serious about your USB cables. Its multi-layer carbon-based noise-and crosstalk-dissipation system is unique to AudioQuest and shows their commitment to high quality cable design.
USB cables have become ubiquitous in our lives and you would be hard placed to find anyone who doesn't own quite a collection. USB C is the new kid on the block, is smaller than most other variants and is, thankfully, reversible so there's no guessing which way around it goes, it just works every time.
AudioQuest's Carbon USB A to C cable is designed to either charge your USB C device or improve high-res signal transfer or both. The USB Type A plug is the standard one we have come to know and put up with on our computers and chargers. They are not reversible and it seems the odds are not in your favour when trying to insert one of these little suckers. It seems the wrong way is often the one you've chosen, only to have to turn the plug over and try again. Not easy when you're trying to reach behind equipment or computers to plug it in. Enter the USB C plug which is quite a lot smaller but is also, joy of joys, reversible so no matter which way you try and insert it is always correct. Big sighs of relief from cable connecting people all over the known universe.
USB C connections are fast becoming the norm on many devices because of their incredibly high transfer rate. This Carbon cable ensures those transfers also occur with minimal noise and interference. And the design also reduces the timing errors or "jitter" that can make digital music sound less focused.
Semi-Solid Concentric 5% Silver Conductors: AudioQuest is known for their superior build quality, and this Carbon USB cable is a great another example of their research and development team hard at work. The Carbon USB A to C cable features Semi-Solid Concentric 5% Silver Conductors to greatly reduce strand-interaction distortion and reduce jitter. Silver-plated conductors are excellent for very high-frequency applications, like USB audio. These signals, being such a high frequency, travel almost exclusively on the surface of the conductor. As the surface is made of high-purity silver, the performance is very close to that of a 100% silver cable, but priced much closer to a copper cable. This is an incredibly cost effective way of manufacturing very high-quality USB cables. In addition, all conductors are controlled for RF noise directionality.
Multi-Layer Carbon-Based Noise-And-Crosstalk-Dissipation System: This cable's negative conductors are covered with partially conductive Carbon-Loaded Polyethylene. This remarkable material reduces radio-frequency garbage being fed back into the amplifier. The sonic benefit is exactly the same reduction in "hash" and improved dimensionality that comes whenever RF interference is reduced in an audio circuit. In addition, a carbon layer damps interaction between positive and negative conductors, and an external Carbon-Based NDS System reduces external interference.
The Carbon USB A to C cable uses and applies the same superior materials and design elements and are built using the same extreme data-centre-capable manufacturing techniques as all AudioQuest digital cables - ingredients that have garnered AudioQuest USB cables worldwide recognition for their superior performance.
AudioQuest Carbon USB Review
"One of the go-to USB cables for computer-audio fans, the Carbon is neutral without sounding bleached, dynamic without sounding piercing, detailed without sounding analytical." The Absolute Sound Editors' Choice Awards 2023
Our Take
This is where you arrive at when you start to take USB cables a little more seriously but are still not quite at Diamond level. The Carbon USB Type A to C cable has many top of the range features including Semi-Solid Concentric 5% Silver Conductors which sets it apart from lesser cables and should be strongly considered in more high-end setups. Of course, the Carbon USB A to C cable can be used in a variety of settings and offers high speed combined with low noise and vanishingly low timing errors. Naturally, as with all AudioQuest cables, the high standard of design and construction is basically unrivalled. Put this on your short list.
Main Features & Specifications
- Design: USB cable with Type A to Type C connections
- For use with laptops, mobile devices, external hard drives, DACs and more
- Allows connection with Type-C enabled devices such as MacBook, ChromeBook, Pixel, Galaxy Note, etc
- Exceeds USB 2.0 high-speed data transfer specification
- Low-jitter design specifically for USB audio
- Semi-Solid Concentric 5% Silver Conductors
- Multi-Layer Carbon-Based Noise-And-Crosstalk-Dissipation System
- Strain-relief design for increased durability between plug and cable
- Length: 750mm & 1.5 metre
- Manufacturer's Warranty: 5 Years
Note: Features & Specifications Subject To Change Without Notice. E&OE.