The Hugo Link Improves the performance of the Chord Hugo DAC. 200mm USB type A to micro USB designed for us with Chord Hugo DAC What does it take to create a better sounding cable? “Computer-based audio systems had the potential to offer incredible performance, but I was never happy with the sound – and much of the blame can be directed towards the usb cable”, said audiophile, and cable designer, Rob Woodland. Twelve months and countless prototypes later – Curious Cables has released a usb cable that brings new life to computer audio. Why does the humble usb cable make such a difference to sound quality in a computer-based Hi-Fi system? When I started using a computer server, people said “You won’t have to sweat over usb cables – they don’t make a difference! It’s packets of data – it’s not analog.” With this advice ringing in my ears, I continued to question why I was getting a flat, lifeless, edgy and uninvolving sound from my system – despite using the best processor, usb card, power supply and so on. And yes, I did try a number of high-end, highly regarded usb cables – with similar disappointing results. So, if you can’t get genuine audiophile quality from many commercially available usb cables, what’s a man to do? This required investigation… From a previous career as an audiophile cable and connector manufacturer, I had plenty of wire on hand to start the experimental process. And what do you know? Just about every wire combination I tested had an immediate, yet varied impact on sound quality. So began a 12 month quest to discover a usb cable design that would deliver a truly three dimensional, musical sound – like the real thing. I left no stone unturned. I tested different diameters of wire, different metallurgy, shielding, dielectrics, ground techniques, how to deal with the 5V power leg and so on. All the time listening. And after a while I built up a set of parameters for a usb cable that worked for the delivery of music, rather than just delivery of data. The result? Music from my computer-based audio system sounded significantly better – in every way! Much cleaner than before, more open and spacious, more detailed, smoother, more dynamic – and more involving. Some may even use the word “musical”! But hang on – usb cables aren’t supposed to make a difference. All I can say is this. To my ears and those of experienced audiophiles – the new “Curious” usb cable offers a superior listening experience to many other usb cables. Best results are attained when the cable is used: Between an external hard drive and computer/music server, and/or… Between a computer/music server and DAC What you’ll hear with the Curious usb: Holographic sound stage with genuine depth and layering Clean, smooth and detailed sound Fleshed out, rounded vocals Deep, extended low frequencies with excellent definition Foot tapping involvement A step up in realism Review from digitalaudioreview.com Received Kock Out Reward from John Darko at digitalaudioreview.com Curious for the curious: a knockout USB cable from Australia (Digital Audio Review)
