AudioQuest 0.6m Carbon USB A to 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.

There are cables and then there is Carbon. There are better and if you have a highly revealing, very expensive system, the cost of pure silver would make sense, but not for me. That said, the Carbon hits all the right notes. The separation of instruments, the air around them, the inky black background, the channel separation, the depth of the image, the wide soundstage, all superior. If you can't hear the difference in your system, then you have a system that lacks the resolution that should be there, just don't blame the cable. With my Mytek Liberty, which as the late, great Art Dudley said, plays well at low levels and the insertion of the Carbon I now am content to stream Tidal late into evening. A small bit of bliss in world that is woefully lacking in same these days. Rarely, but with both the DAC on my desktop and the Carbon feeding it, can I say that it was money well spent on myself. And no, I have no affiliation with Audioquest, Stereophile or Tidal for that matter- I am just an old retiree who takes care of his ears, can still hear the diff and loves music.

I can't complain about anything for these cables (I bought 2 Carbon .75m USB cables). I'm relying mostly on reviews, since I didn't purchase higher or lower end models to blind test. However, there are some great reviews out there for AQ USB cables, and the lesser cables below Carbon made the most significant improvements in the reviewers' ears. Carbon was just a step above that, which is typically where I land. When a reviewer says, "if you have the money, buy it!", I know most people probably can't hear an improvement, and frankly, the reviewer has deemed that level a better cable but certainly not enough of an improvement to buy it, personally. I'm always a skeptic when it comes to cabling, because there is some serious snake oil out there. My philosophy is, buy GOOD cables, but don't go nuts. There's a lot of cables out there that are simply targeted for deep pockets and hardly anyone will argue against that who doesn't own those $60K cables. AQ is in a good market where you can get the best, or cheap, and still be in good cables. However, they, too have lofty products that appear to be aimed at the deep pockets. Even so, they don't seem to simply rob buyers. They do offer high quality, just not super-ridiculous in every area. If you're into buying USB cables, Carbon is not going to disappoint. They are solid, sturdy, and just work perfectly for me. The only real criticism I have is that the insulation is quite stiff, and AQ cables almost never have quite the curb appeal in real life as they do in pictures. The connectors are sexy, but the cabling jacket is pretty hideous and basic. They look cheap.

I would really like to be one of those folks who can't hear any difference when listening through different cables, but that has just not been my experience. I replaced my old audio quest cinnamon cable with this carbon and I was really surprised (and also disappointed) to find that it made such a big difference in my listening experience. I plugged this cable in and it sounded like I had removed a blanket from my speakers, the highs were clearer, mid range smooth and bass controlled and clean, with no smear or boom. My disappointment stems from the fact that one cable can have such a influence over my whole system, but it is true when it is said that your music system is only as good as your weakest link. So if you are a music geek like me, and you want to get the best out of your computer based music system. Use good cables, they are worth the investment. my system: using jriver with mac mini - usb to vlink (for coax transfer) - arcam irdac - premaluna integrated amp - polk lsim703 speakers (all of my interconnects/speaker cables are clear view - good luck and good listening!

Works rather nicely in my system between computer and digital to digital converter and between computer and external hard drive. Replaces some vintage Pangaea cables. Treble edge and etch really reduced, stage depth increased, instruments/musicians better separated and made more distinct, bass cleaned up some, and better tone results. I hear more into the resonance of drums and acoustic guitars for example. Other instruments sound sweeter and more real. Did run the cables for 24 hours for breaking them in before unmuting and actually listening to them. Construction and materials look very good. No complaints.

I'm pretty sure the cables I got aren't counterfeit. I'd hate to start a review off like that but there's some inconsistencies that makes me wonder. One would think that the photo on the cover would contain the same markings as what's on the product within, right?. It's not. Or at least, it wasn't on mine. The 'Carbon' name is on the back of the actual cables whereas it's on the face of the cables on the front of the box. Why would AudioQuest intentionally confuse the consumer unless the cables I got were counterfeit? Naturally, I Tweet AudioQuest and I receive a 'shrug' response. I would recommend that AudioQuest find a way to factory seal it's retail packaging so the consumer knows when it's been opened (or tampering has become clearer). Did I buy AudioQuest cables? I don't know. I meant to but I don't know.

I don't personally believe that these USB cords actually produce/create a tangible difference in audio quality. I didn't buy it for that purpose. I bought it because I wanted a well-made, well-insulated cable that eliminates the potential for any electronic interference. And, for that purpose, these are very high quality cables. I use this cable to connect my Mac Pro to a Schiit Bifrost DAC. And, as far as my untrained ears can hear, there is no interference in the output (a pair of Audioengine 5+). Is this cable worth its hefty price? IMO, if you care enough about the quality of your audio that you've invested several thousand dollars on your equipment, then you should probably consider having a high quality cable to connect the equipment. If you just play MP3s through basic desktop computer speakers, then I would not recommend this cable...a standard USB cable is sufficient for that purpose.

Acheté en promo, ça fait quand même cher le câble, mais ça sonne sur un lecteur réseau ifi zen stream relié au DAC d'un Oppo bdp105 signature, Qobuz HD, j'avais essayé le forest accès dans les médiums, c'était assez froid et typé numérique. Des l'installation du carbon j'ai vu la différence, chaleur coffre, ouverture, détails et typé beaucoup plus analogique, l'écoute est détendue, inutile de comparer à un cordon basique d'imprimante on est à des kilomètres.... si vous voulez améliorer votre système déjà un minimum qualitatif et que vos oreilles ne sont pas bouchées, foncez, ça vous fera économiser l'achat de pas mal de câbles inutiles.

Comprato per collegare il mio server al DAC, dovevo sostituire un cavo di un altro costruttore di qualità simile poiché non era più funzionante. Dopo alcuni mesi di uso posso dire che il suono è rimasto aperto, dettagliato e probabilmente, rispetto al cavo precedente, si è aggiunto un maggiore controllo della gamma bassa. Tuttavia ritengo queste opinioni personali, quindi in linea molto generale posso confermare che è un buon cavo, ma soprattutto NON ho percepito peggioramenti. Inoltre ha sicuramente una buona qualità sia costruttiva sia nei materiali. Attenzione al fatto che resta molto rigido e quindi potrebbe non essere adatto a tutte le installazioni. Anche se per me i cavi sono concettualmente importanti, dato che hanno il compito di trasportare i segnali tra le nostre apparecchiature e che, nel costoso mondo dell'HiFi, lo scopo è alterare il meno possibile la traccia audio che vogliamo riprodurre, questo è un cavo (visto il costo non mostruoso, ma sicuramente elevato) adatto/consigliato a chi ha già apparecchiature di un livello che possa permettere di apprezzare sfumature alle volte minime.

Buen cable

Hi all! Wanted to share my thoughts and experience with this cable. First of all, the build quality. Cable is built very well, connectors are very nice, it doesn't bend a whole lot so just keep that in mind. I wasn't super convinced about usb-cable upgrade until I heard it for myself. My gear is Audeze LCD-X headphones, Ferrum OOR amplifier, Eversolo DMP-A8 Streamer/DAC. I immediately heard the difference, It just brings so much more clarity across the whole frequency range, as if a thin veil is lifted. In certain tracks I had finally heard the microdetails in certain elements that I thought were incomplete in the recording, turns out they were hidden from me by the cable! bonkers. I will also point out this, if the files you are playing are of poor quality or if it was recorded like sh*t it will still sound like sh*t, maybe a touch clearer. But if you are playing High Res music that can provide extra clarity and your gear is resolving enough, then definitely it is very much worth the upgrade! By far the "cheapest" upgrade that I made that was very significant to the listening experience!

Having never believed that digital audio cables could make a difference (after all, how hard can it be to send 1’s and 0’s?), I did not have high hopes for this one, especially after reading so many comments from cable naysayers on the audio forums. However, having tried just about changing everything else to cure my system of its thin, harsh and fatiguing sound (expensive RCA and speaker cables, different DAC’s and amps), the only thing left to try was replacing my Amazon Basics USB A to B cable (I know what you’re thinking, but the forums said ANY digital cable would do!). So after reading a comparison review of a number of digital cables, I decided to try the Carbon and Forest cables, and as the Carbon arrived a day earlier, it was first up to be tested. Linking my iPhone to my Dacmagic 100 (in place of the aforementioned Amazon cable, of course), the skeptic in me was preparing to box this back up ready to return. Much to my surprise, that’s not what happened at all! Music suddenly sounded smooth and detailed, with the harshness gone and a fullness to the sound I had always craved. It was almost as if the tracks had been slowed down and I could hear every bit of the music. Just unbelievable what a difference there is. All my tinkering and changing, and the biggest difference of all was made by putting a (ridiculously priced) digital cable in! How can that be!? The Forest cable arrived the following day, and while this was still an improvement over the Amazon cable, it did not have the full-bodied sound I got from the Carbon, so that was promptly returned. The difference this cable makes to my system cannot be underestimated, and I’d urge anyone to give it a try. My system: iPhone 12, Apple USB 3 camera adapter, Dacmagic 100, Roksan K3 Integrated, Q Acoustics Concept 40.