About The AudioQuest Diamond USB Type A to USB Type B Cable
The AudioQuest Diamond USB Type A to B Cable with Solid 100% Perfect-Surface Silver Conductors is the ultimate expression of what a fine USB cable can be. Its multi-layer carbon-based noise-and crosstalk-dissipation system is unique to AudioQuest and shows their commitment to reference quality cable design.
In 1982 Sony gave us "Perfect sound forever," along with the attitude that, "it's just digital, so all CD players sound the same." That has been well and truly disproved and qualitative differences between players has become accepted truth. Next came separate transport and DAC combos, which brought with it the attitude that "all S/PDIF digital audio cables sound the same…" That was also disproved. Now the frontier has moved once again. Is digital audio really just ones and zeros? Technically it is, but with many years of listening to products at all prices, we don't believe so. Once you've had a chance to listen to an AudioQuest Diamond USB, we don't think you will either.
All AudioQuest cables definitely have a high-quality look and feel and in direct comparison to a free-in-the-box USB cable, you will experience greater bass extension, and the soundstage will be opened up with vocals sounding more natural.
A quality USB cable is a great way to connect your desktop or laptop computer to a half decent audio digital-to-analogue converter. For USB audio, as with all digital audio signals, it's critical to maintain accurate timing. This cable can reduce the timing errors or "jitter" that often makes digital music sound less clear and rich and three-dimensional.
The USB Cable For Music Lovers: AudioQuest Diamond is the USB cable for serious music lovers who have invested heavily in high-end gear and who want to believe that their cable is not going to leave them short on performance for the sake of a few more dollars.
Solid 100% Perfect-Surface Silver (PSS) Conductors: This top of the range Diamond USB cable is another great another example of the super talented AudioQuest research and development team hard at work. Perfect-Surface Technology applied to extreme-purity silver provides unprecedented clarity and dynamic contrast. Solid conductors prevent strand interaction, a major source of cable distortion. Extremely high-purity Perfect-Surface Silver minimizes distortion caused by the grain boundaries that exist within any metal conductor, nearly eliminating harshness and greatly increasing clarity compared to OFHC, OCC, 8N and other coppers. 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 Diamond USB A to B 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.
Dielectric-Bias System (DBS, US Pat #s 7,126,055 & 7,872,195 B1): All insulation slows down the signal on the conductor inside. When insulation is unbiased, it slows down parts of the signal differently, a big problem for very time-sensitive multi-octave audio. AudioQuest's DBS creates a strong, stable electrostatic field which saturates and polarises (organises) the molecules of the insulation. This minimises both energy storage in the insulation and the multiple nonlinear time-delays that occur. Sound appears from a surprisingly black background with unexpected detail and dynamic contrast. The DBS battery packs will last for years. A test button and LED allow for the occasional battery check.
AQ Solder Terminations: Precision direct-silver plated pins are carefully attached with the very best solder. Through choice of flux and metallurgy, AQ solder has been optimised to make a low-distortion connection. The difference you hear between solders is a result of connection quality. AQ Solder does not have a high silver content because the more silver there is in solder, the more difficult it is to make a good connection.
AudioQuest Diamond USB Type A to USB Type B Cable Review
"As you can tell from some of the passages I've quoted above, AQ's product messaging is some of the best going, but do the Diamond-series USB cables, which are obviously chock-full of technical features, actually sound as good in reality as they do on paper? In a word, yes!
I have been logging a great deal of time with the iFi Audio Retro music system that I blogged about last week in order to give the system some extra run-in time. This was in the hope that the system's LS3.5 mini-monitor speakers would have a chance to loosen up so as to deliver a more full-bodied sound, and I'm pleased to say they're coming along nicely. Throughout this process I had been feeding the Retro system's USB DAC section from my Windows-based music server, using the USB accessory cable that iFi thoughtfully included with the system. I felt the system sounded good with the stock iFi-supplied USB cable, but when the AQ Diamond-series cables showed up on my doorstep, I just couldn't resist doing a USB cable swap and the results were impressive indeed. Here's what I observed.
First, low-level details—and especially high-frequency harmonics, reverberant cues in the music, and other small textural and transient details—became much more audible, intelligible, and coherent with the Diamond USB cable in play. This wasn't a small difference. But then, perhaps as a result of that first set of sonic improvements, another wonderful thing happened, which is that the system fairly exploded into a whole new realm of intensely holographic, three-dimensional sound. This one was one of those changes so dramatic that, figuratively speaking, it grabs the listener by the lapels and says, "Now please stop what you're doing, sit down, be still, and pay very close attention to the way this piece of music unfolds." Even from just a few feet away, the little iFi monitors—aided and abetted by AQ's Diamond USB cable—began throwing beautifully and ridiculously expansive 3D soundstages. It was truly something to behold.
And then, I switched from speakers to headphones, which caused my jaw to drop yet again. The iFi Retro Stereo 50 amp had struck me from the outset as having good performance potential as a headphone-orientated amp/DAC, but the Diamond USB cables dramatically converted that potential into practical reality. Sonic images through my HiFiMAN HE-560 planar magnetic headphones suddenly took on almost sculptural qualities of shape, solidity, and dimension. In fact, in trying to think about the impact the Diamond USB cable was having on the music, the best analogy I could come up with was that regular USB cables give you something akin to a high-quality photograph of a sculptural object, whereas the Diamond USB cable enables you—figuratively speaking—to hold the sculptural object in your hands, to examine its contours, and to explore at length its variegated textures and surfaces. In short, with the Diamond USB cable installed, there is a whole different level of vital connection with the music.
I realise that last paragraph probably sounds like hyperbole gone wild, but the sonic effects of the Diamond USB cable are pretty much as I've just described them, so there you have it. Let's just say the Diamond USB cable either helps place you in the recording space, or else helps to bring a good facsimile of the recording space into your room (or to that oh-so-intimate space between the ear cups of your favourite headphones). Either way, it's a very desirable sonic outcome, wouldn't you agree?" Chris Martens, Hi-Fi+ Magazine
"This USB cable is simply revelatory in its combination of ease and refinement on one hand, and resolution and transparency on the other. Although capable of resolving the finest detail, Diamond USB has a relaxed quality that fosters deep musical involvement." The Absolute Sound Editors' Choice Awards 2023
Our Take
When only the best is good enough the AudioQuest Diamond USB Type A to B cable is the one to have. This is the best USB cable AudioQuest know how to make and shows just how serious they are with the inclusion of Solid 100% Perfect-Surface Silver Conductors and the multi-layer Carbon-based noise-and crosstalk-dissipation system. This extreme level of technology sets it apart from lesser cables and should be strongly considered in ultra-high-end setups. Of course, the Diamond USB A to B cable can be used in a variety of settings and offers high speed combined with low noise and vanishingly low timing errors. And, as with all AudioQuest cables, the high standard of design and construction is basically unrivalled. If you want the very best, this should be at the top of your list.
Main Features & Specifications
- Design: USB cable with Type A to Type B connections
- For use with desktop computers, laptops, DACs etc
- Low-jitter design specifically for USB audio
- Solid 100% Perfect-Surface Silver Conductors
- Multi-Layer Carbon-Based Noise-And-Crosstalk-Dissipation System
- Patented 72 Volt Dielectric-Bias System
- Strain-relief design for increased durability between plug and cable
- Available Lengths: 750mm, 1.5 Metres, 3 Metres & 5 Metres
- Manufacturer's Warranty: 5 Years
Note: Features & Specifications Subject To Change Without Notice. E&OE