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Shunyata Venom USB should not be making this difference

monya said:
Use a Delta NR on the Auralic streamer - seemed to turbocharge the sound. More gutsy, dynamic and detailed. No brainier to me.
Use an Alpha NR on the darTZeel power amp - similar effect.
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YEs, I found the similar affect with one of these that I picked up for peanuts on eBay, but with it came an incredibly 'smoothing' effect which was pretty ace.

http://concertoaudio.co.uk/index.ph...n=com_virtuemart&Itemid=78&vmcchk=1&Itemid=78

but imagine the Shunyata would be another step in performance.

I still get narked by the cost of some of this stuff though, no matter how good it is!
 
If the extra shielding of the OP's now unavailable cable is important to anyone for noise control, may I suggest trying Tripp Lite U023-003 (or the longer U023-006) cables with their double shielding, ferrite chokes, and gold plated connectors.

They are available at quite modest price from Amazon UK and other sources too. They perform faultlessly here allowing me to hear elements of my digital music sources right down to an excellent -120 dB ref full scale (although I do have to turn the volume control dangerously up to its maximum to show that they let no perceivable noise through to the DAC, even at that very low level).
 
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I just use whatever cable I have to hand if it's long enough. I sometimes think when I change a cable that things sound a bit different but it's never been night and day. I've never been entirely convinced and it's soon forgotten about. I've never felt sufficiently moved or excited to try and convince anyone else: it's pointless as these threads illustrate only too well. Having said that I quite enjoy seeing the handbags come out, sort of passive trolling.
 
gints said:
Probably not relevant to data transfer, but long time ago I had small usb tester showing voltage and amps which you insert between socket un cable. There was difference between cables in current draw when charging phone.
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High-current chargers indicate this ability by pulling the data lines high/low with various resistances. If the cable somehow prevents this detection from working, the phone will draw only the basic current supported by all chargers. Could this be what you saw?
 
tenpercenter said:
All commercial cables have insulation. Most insulation is polymeric and the dialectric properties of such material will have an influence on the propagation velocity of the signals in that cable. That’s why foamed insulators are popular - to get closer to the dialectric properties of air.

For analogue cables this can make an audible difference and it might be the same for digital……
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Cable dielectric properties don't matter at audio frequencies. There might be some relevance for digital signals, but that will have been taken into account in the specification, meaning any compliant cable will work the same.
 
mansr said:
High-current chargers indicate this ability by pulling the data lines high/low with various resistances. If the cable somehow prevents this detection from working, the phone will draw only the basic current supported by all chargers. Could this be what you saw?
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Not for me to answer, but it's a difficult question to answer without some detail on what the 'somehow' might be. If it were me, I'd want to understand a) how the detection works and thus b) how the cable might prevent it from doing so.
 
Sue Pertwee-Tyr said:
Not for me to answer, but it's a difficult question to answer without some detail on what the 'somehow' might be. If it were me, I'd want to understand a) how the detection works and thus b) how the cable might prevent it from doing so.
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The phone measures the resistance between the data lines and ground and/or Vbus. If the cable resistance is too high, for example, it might be misdetected. Some charge-only cables even lack the data lines entirely. If the difference was something like 500 mA vs 1 A, this is the most likely explanation.
 
mansr said:
The phone measures the resistance between the data lines and ground and/or Vbus. If the cable resistance is too high, for example, it might be misdetected. Some charge-only cables even lack the data lines entirely. If the difference was something like 500 mA vs 1 A, this is the most likely explanation.
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I find it hard to believe that the difference in cable resistance for a typical length of USB cable could be a factor of 2, especially as we're told the USB standard will mean all cables which meet the standard will meet a minimum spec. If the cable resistance is such that it prevents detection, as you hypothesise, what would the USB spec have to say about that?
 
mansr said:
High-current chargers indicate this ability by pulling the data lines high/low with various resistances. If the cable somehow prevents this detection from working, the phone will draw only the basic current supported by all chargers. Could this be what you saw?
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No, it was before high current chargers, before smartphones. Difference was not big, maybe 0.1, 0.2 amps. I think one cable was phone stock cable and other was some thicker from Anker. I just was surprised there was difference at that time and decided for myself that quality of cable matters. Do not have that usb tester anymore.
 
flutteringwow said:
I use Shunyata Venom digital cables, USB, Spif and Ethernet. Worlds away from what else you can get at their price point. Absolutely fantastic. Best bit is you can pick them up on various US sites for cheaps. They just sound 'right'. I have no interest in changing any of my digital cables now, before them I was always chopping and changing. This also happened when I discovered Cardas Golden Cross analogue and power cables. I havent changed them since, they are just perfect.

I'd like to try Venom speaker cables and IC's one day, Shunyata stuff really is that good. On par with Cardas as the Rolls Royce's of cabling.
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hi, I would be interested in trying their Ethernet cable if I could get it for a decent price. Currently using Chord clearway. May I ask where the best (ie cheapest!) place to buy it is?
 
narabdela said:
Please do me a favour. Buy yourself a Dictionary of Internet Speak and look up 'troll'. You clearly still do not understand its correct usage.
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I would never do you a favour, I can assure you of that. However, I realise from your statement, and your many previous postings, you don't understand the concept at all, hence your confusion but thats something for you to work on, not me. Maybe open up a new thread to air your tension? Have a great day!

Luceo non uro said:
hi, I would be interested in trying their Ethernet cable if I could get it for a decent price. Currently using Chord clearway. May I ask where the best (ie cheapest!) place to buy it is?
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I picked up mine on US Audio Mart and US eBay. I paid £80 for the ethernet and about the same for the USB. It's sadly rare to find Shunyata stuff in the UK for sale, unless its older designs or more expensive ones. I think I've seen one Venom cable and it was overpriced.

Audiobarn do stock Venoms, but at UK retail pricing which is £300 a cable, so an expensive way to do it. *edit, wowsers, its gone up even more, £450 now

https://www.theaudiobarn.co.uk/product/shunyata-venom-ethernet/

The cables will utterly destroy a Chord Clearway! I had a Clearway at the same time I got the Venom....it didn't take long to hear the better cable...however clear price differences.
 
Sue Pertwee-Tyr said:
I find it hard to believe that the difference in cable resistance for a typical length of USB cable could be a factor of 2, especially as we're told the USB standard will mean all cables which meet the standard will meet a minimum spec. If the cable resistance is such that it prevents detection, as you hypothesise, what would the USB spec have to say about that?
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Your computer isn't "charging" the DAC, it's only powering the USB receiver (and not always), so the actual current exchanged is between very small and zero.

The data is miniscule current.

Physically it's a very simple system. 4 wires, shield and two connectors.
 
A few thoughts, as the OP.

1. The jury is still out. I'll have the Shunyata in the system most of the week and then swap it out for the stock MHDT cable and see what I notice or don't notice. I hope the cables sound the same.

2. Auditioning cables (and other elements of a system that might have comparatively small, nonetheless potentially important effects on a system) can be tedious. And it seems to me that if that's how we are feeling it might affect our ability to perceive and interpret whatever differences are there. This is one of the reasons why I tend to leave my gear alone for a long time. I *hate* auditioning equipment.

3. So far I can't say whether I *really* hear a difference between the Shunyata Venom and the MHDT stock red cable. At first I was pretty confident I did. Now, I'm not so sure. HOWEVER, this whole exercise has had me researching Venom reviews wherever I could find them. ISTR that in one of those reviews there was a brief explanation of the difference in the design of the Venom to a standard USB cable. It had to do with a "better" separation of the types of conductors, better shielding or some such.

4. A comment about a perceived difference - it seems to me that when the Shunyata is in the system that either A) the noise floor is lower (this doesn't make sense), or B) the system sounds louder (this doesn't make sense either). But when I substituted the MHDT cable back in and increased the volume slightly the differences between the cables went away. This doesn't make sense, but I share this information here in case someone else who is technically savvy can explain whether it's (technically) possible.

5. I don't know why Shunyata discontinued the Venom. Frankly, I find their pricing off-putting, maybe even greedy. They seem to have put behind them the philosophy that they had initially which seemed to focus on providing High Value/"low" priced options for the audiophile on a budget. Maybe that's too harsh on my part, or cynical. Yeah, I can imagine that their power cords and interconnects sound good. But the fact that they've raised the price of entry into their product lines is a big turn-off to me. Having said all that, I have an untestable hypothesis about why they discontinued the Venom USB. It's because it was too good for the money and they realized that they could sell an "improved", re-named USB cable for more money. Who knows? I don't.

6. I'm tempted to buy a selection of those ferrite chokes and just put those things all over my system.

So, for those who are still reading... I'm reminding myself that the destination is not Perfection, but Contentment.

And a comment about reviewers who get paid to do this work - I don't think there's enough money in the world to make it worthwhile. It's too much of a pain...
 
Markustubesnow said:
A few thoughts, as the OP.

1. The jury is still out. I'll have the Shunyata in the system most of the week and then swap it out for the stock MHDT cable and see what I notice or don't notice. I hope the cables sound the same.

2. Auditioning cables (and other elements of a system that might have comparatively small, nonetheless potentially important effects on a system) can be tedious. And it seems to me that if that's how we are feeling it might affect our ability to perceive and interpret whatever differences are there. This is one of the reasons why I tend to leave my gear alone for a long time. I *hate* auditioning equipment.

3. So far I can't say whether I *really* hear a difference between the Shunyata Venom and the MHDT stock red cable. At first I was pretty confident I did. Now, I'm not so sure. HOWEVER, this whole exercise has had me researching Venom reviews wherever I could find them. ISTR that in one of those reviews there was a brief explanation of the difference in the design of the Venom to a standard USB cable. It had to do with a "better" separation of the types of conductors, better shielding or some such.

4. A comment about a perceived difference - it seems to me that when the Shunyata is in the system that either A) the noise floor is lower (this doesn't make sense), or B) the system sounds louder (this doesn't make sense either). But when I substituted the MHDT cable back in and increased the volume slightly the differences between the cables went away. This doesn't make sense, but I share this information here in case someone else who is technically savvy can explain whether it's (technically) possible.

5. I don't know why Shunyata discontinued the Venom. Frankly, I find their pricing off-putting, maybe even greedy. They seem to have put behind them the philosophy that they had initially which seemed to focus on providing High Value/"low" priced options for the audiophile on a budget. Maybe that's too harsh on my part, or cynical. Yeah, I can imagine that their power cords and interconnects sound good. But the fact that they've raised the price of entry into their product lines is a big turn-off to me. Having said all that, I have an untestable hypothesis about why they discontinued the Venom USB. It's because it was too good for the money and they realized that they could sell an "improved", re-named USB cable for more money. Who knows? I don't.

6. I'm tempted to buy a selection of those ferrite chokes and just put those things all over my system.

So, for those who are still reading... I'm reminding myself that the destination is not Perfection, but Contentment.

And a comment about reviewers who get paid to do this work - I don't think there's enough money in the world to make it worthwhile. It's too much of a pain...
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Thank you for sharing your evolving perception.

What do you think happened between Saturday and Monday to shift your opinion?

And no, there isn't a way for a digital cable to change the loudness of music.
 
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