Triode Wire Labs USB cables & the µRendu "Dongle"

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WG

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Re: Triode Wire Labs USB cables & the µRendu "Dongle"
« Reply #20 on: 3 Sep 2016, 06:21 pm »
I have been continuing to evaluate my 3 cables in the Rossi LIO DHT and the "Spirit" .75m Dongle has presented the best.  I had previously posted this cable seemed to occupy the middle ground of my other 2 cables, and with further listening, I think this cable has the best of both worlds of the other two.  For me, clarity, balance, soundstage, and imaging are superior for my configuration.  It is also less expensive than other two. 

Will

magnuska

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Re: Triode Wire Labs USB cables & the µRendu "Dongle"
« Reply #21 on: 5 Sep 2016, 01:05 pm »
In addition to the µRendu USB "Dongle", I have a slightly longer (~16" or ~ 40cm) USB cable available called the "Discreet".

Whereas the "Dongle" is very, very good, the slightly longer "Discreet" USB cable has a bit more "clarity" and "punch"...





Cheers,
Pete




I have ordered one of these. Very exciting to see how much it will improve upon my courious cable and now using the standard Belkin that Vinnie includes with LIO dac.

Regards Magnus

cfisher835

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Re: Triode Wire Labs USB cables & the µRendu "Dongle"
« Reply #22 on: 5 Sep 2016, 01:49 pm »
Would it be possible to terminate with a micro usb plug to go from microrendu>chord mojo?

magnuska

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Re: Triode Wire Labs USB cables & the µRendu "Dongle"
« Reply #23 on: 20 Sep 2016, 09:47 am »
The "discrete" USB cable arrived some days ago and is now burning in. Without saying too much its a very good cable that is better than courious cable dongle and the Belkin dongle
wich I compared against. I can´t say how this one differs from the other " urendu dongle" mentioned in this thread.

It seems that the burn in process is slower than usual with cables- maybe just a hunch but it reminds me of the process with amps or larger electronic apperature. Performance goes up and down. :scratch:

Thanks again Pete

Triode Pete

Re: Triode Wire Labs USB cables & the µRendu "Dongle"
« Reply #24 on: 20 Sep 2016, 02:49 pm »
The "discrete" USB cable arrived some days ago and is now burning in. Without saying too much its a very good cable that is better than courious cable dongle and the Belkin dongle
wich I compared against. I can´t say how this one differs from the other " urendu dongle" mentioned in this thread.

It seems that the burn in process is slower than usual with cables- maybe just a hunch but it reminds me of the process with amps or larger electronic apperature. Performance goes up and down. :scratch:

Thanks again Pete

Hi Magnus,
Thank you for your kind accolades! Once the USB "Discrete" cable "settles" into your systems, you should be ecstatic about its performance!


Would it be possible to terminate with a micro usb plug to go from microrendu>chord mojo?

Yes, consulting with Mr. PI Audio (Dave Elledge), this is certainly doable (but not necessarily simple to implement)...

Cheers,
Pete

HanaEyes

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Re: Triode Wire Labs USB cables & the µRendu "Dongle"
« Reply #25 on: 4 Oct 2016, 02:36 pm »
The Curious cable is highly resolving but has a touch of the dryness to the upper mids and highs that silver/silver plated cables always have in my hearing.

The Triode/PI cable has a fuller, more harmonically rich sound throughout the frequency spectrum, while still also being highly resolving.

I too am using the curious usb cable for many months now and have been happy with it until recently, when a friend brought over the jcat reference usb for testing. What the jcat brought to my system was a livelier bass (more punch and articulation) and took away the mid bass bloom the curious had. I also liked that the presentation was slightly more laid back, giving the feel of increased depth (my room is small, so this is welcomed).

I was pretty much convinced that I would get the jcat usb until I looked up its price (€499/1m). That kinda halted me and pinged me to relook my options. Could you let me know what characteristics the twl usb has over the curious in terms of stage depth and bass?

I have the 7+, 10+ and gold statement in my system so I know the sonic signature of them analog cables, just not too sure about usb. I find digital can be a bit tricky and in my personal experience, an 'award winning' company who does good analog cables can sometimes also produce sub-par digital cables (not referring to twl).

HanaEyes

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Re: Triode Wire Labs USB cables & the µRendu "Dongle"
« Reply #26 on: 4 Oct 2016, 02:45 pm »
Quoted own message accidentally while trying to modify :duh:

rpf

Re: Triode Wire Labs USB cables & the µRendu "Dongle"
« Reply #27 on: 4 Oct 2016, 08:17 pm »
I too am using the curious usb cable for many months now and have been happy with it until recently, when a friend brought over the jcat reference usb for testing. What the jcat brought to my system was a livelier bass (more punch and articulation) and took away the mid bass bloom the curious had. I also liked that the presentation was slightly more laid back, giving the feel of increased depth (my room is small, so this is welcomed).

I was pretty much convinced that I would get the jcat usb until I looked up its price (€499/1m). That kinda halted me and pinged me to relook my options. Could you let me know what characteristics the twl usb has over the curious in terms of stage depth and bass?

I have the 7+, 10+ and gold statement in my system so I know the sonic signature of them analog cables, just not too sure about usb. I find digital can be a bit tricky and in my personal experience, an 'award winning' company who does good analog cables can sometimes also produce sub-par digital cables (not referring to twl).

It's been a good while since I've had the Curious cable so I can't get too specific about the differences. I definitely found the Curious to be somewhat more aggressive and forward (slightly exaggerated leading edge transients and less natural highs). While the TWL is more relaxed it still has great soundstage depth and image separation. I found it also had more weight and harmonic richness while maintaining a good balance along the frequency spectrum (ie., I do not hear it as sounding thick). There is more texture and articulation to the bass with the TWL and all in all, to me, IMS, the TWL is just more natural sounding.

Hope this helps.


Triode Pete

Re: Triode Wire Labs USB cables & the µRendu "Dongle"
« Reply #28 on: 4 Oct 2016, 08:43 pm »
I too am using the curious usb cable for many months now and have been happy with it until recently, when a friend brought over the jcat reference usb for testing. What the jcat brought to my system was a livelier bass (more punch and articulation) and took away the mid bass bloom the curious had. I also liked that the presentation was slightly more laid back, giving the feel of increased depth (my room is small, so this is welcomed).

I was pretty much convinced that I would get the jcat usb until I looked up its price (€499/1m). That kinda halted me and pinged me to relook my options. Could you let me know what characteristics the twl usb has over the curious in terms of stage depth and bass?

I have the 7+, 10+ and gold statement in my system so I know the sonic signature of them analog cables, just not too sure about usb. I find digital can be a bit tricky and in my personal experience, an 'award winning' company who does good analog cables can sometimes also produce sub-par digital cables (not referring to twl).

If you like my "Plus Series" & "Statement" series of power cables, you'll definitely like my USB cables... They are very "natural" sounding, like rpf commented...
It's been a good while since I've had the Curious cable so I can't get too specific about the differences. I definitely found the Curious to be somewhat more aggressive and forward (slightly exaggerated leading edge transients and less natural highs). While the TWL is more relaxed it still has great soundstage depth and image separation. I found it also had more weight and harmonic richness while maintaining a good balance along the frequency spectrum (ie., I do not hear it as sounding thick). There is more texture and articulation to the bass with the TWL and all in all, to me, IMS, the TWL is just more natural sounding.


Bottom line, after 30 days of auditioning, "If you're not happy, I'm not happy"; you'll get a full refund (minus the original shipping charges)...

Thank you for your consideration!

Cheers,
Pete

HanaEyes

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Re: Triode Wire Labs USB cables & the µRendu "Dongle"
« Reply #29 on: 5 Oct 2016, 02:54 am »
If you like my "Plus Series" & "Statement" series of power cables, you'll definitely like my USB cables... They are very "natural" sounding, like rpf commented...
Bottom line, after 30 days of auditioning, "If you're not happy, I'm not happy"; you'll get a full refund (minus the original shipping charges)...

Thank you for your consideration!

Cheers,
Pete

Hi Pete, I will definitely consider the twl usb then :). While I do like the "plus series" for its natural, smooth and organic tone, I find it lacking just a bit on dynamics. Nevertheless, it is still an overachiever but I'll probably change one of them to the digital american in the future  :wink:

Also, thank you rpf for helping me in understanding a little more on how the twl usb compares to the curious!

firedog

Re: Triode Wire Labs USB cables & the µRendu "Dongle"
« Reply #30 on: 5 Oct 2016, 06:03 am »
Went to your site, don't see a way to order the Spirit Dongle.
Link, please.

Triode Pete

Re: Triode Wire Labs USB cables & the µRendu "Dongle"
« Reply #31 on: 5 Oct 2016, 12:29 pm »
Went to your site, don't see a way to order the Spirit Dongle.
Link, please.

Sorry, I have not had the opportunity to update my website with my USB products. If you can "PM" me with your PayPal email address, I can send you a detailed PayPal invoice.

Thanks,
Pete

audioguy213

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Re: Triode Wire Labs USB cables & the µRendu "Dongle"
« Reply #32 on: 5 Oct 2016, 08:23 pm »
I too am using the curious usb cable for many months now and have been happy with it until recently, when a friend brought over the jcat reference usb for testing. What the jcat brought to my system was a livelier bass (more punch and articulation) and took away the mid bass bloom the curious had. I also liked that the presentation was slightly more laid back, giving the feel of increased depth (my room is small, so this is welcomed).

I was pretty much convinced that I would get the jcat usb until I looked up its price (€499/1m). That kinda halted me and pinged me to relook my options. Could you let me know what characteristics the twl usb has over the curious in terms of stage depth and bass?

I have the 7+, 10+ and gold statement in my system so I know the sonic signature of them analog cables, just not too sure about usb. I find digital can be a bit tricky and in my personal experience, an 'award winning' company who does good analog cables can sometimes also produce sub-par digital cables (not referring to twl).

I am working with a number of USB cables at present to find the best sound for my system.
I am feeding a macbook pro via USB
 to a Wyred Recovery which has a Linear PSU with a TWL Digital American PC
to a Hegel H360

Firstly, at this level "preference" is mostly system tuning/matching and personal taste IMO
First, the Curious USB cable is very fine for $100.  I like the sound.  If you have a bright room, or a forward sounding system that is perhaps "too revealing" at times - meaning fatiguing or perhaps makes bad recordings really obviously bad sounding, I think the curious cables are going to help.

I have used the TWL Cable for a few days.

The TWL 16" Discreet cables was superior to the Curious, it has more PRAT, tighter but less pronouced bass with less bloom, and snares, symbols, etc have much more life up top.  However, the balance shifts up when using it - the combination of less bass bloom, and more treble detail makes it sound a bit more forward in comparison.  Absolutely NOT a bad thing, but it depends on your ancillaries and room.  Even with a bright room and a preference for the "curious type sound" the TWL beat it out within a few hours, and the Curious was sold.

The TWL is not fatiguing on the face of it, it is neutral, clear, but after a while, it is not my favorite cable so far, given my bright room and my personal taste (I loved the PRAT and the detail, but I felt it left the bass behind- it was tighter but less bloom - more drum head hitting, more finger plucky, but less whomp ambience, room shaking from bass lines, which I like)

I have some cables I prefer, but they are significantly more expensive.

To this point, I find that Dana Cables USB (700  Euro +) and Total Dac D1 cables (350 euro) are both better IMO. 
They have all of the clarity of the TWL with more slam and a more organic sound that is NEVER fatiguing.
They are also, as mentioned 2X - 4X the price and my copies are better broken in, so the TWL main gain some ground as it continues to do it's thing.
It should also be noted that these particular cables I am comparing to are seen as VERY good for their MUCH higher prices, they are the cream of the crop IMO - so I bet TWL would whallop the "average $400 cable"

So , I am still burning in the TWL more to give it a fairer take.

poseidonsvoice

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Re: Triode Wire Labs USB cables & the µRendu "Dongle"
« Reply #33 on: 6 Oct 2016, 12:07 am »
Interesting perspective. I sold my Total Dac USB cable once I got the Curious Cable. I found the upper midrange to be slightly forward on the Total Dac, rendering it a bit 'drier' sounding while the lower midrange on the Curious cable was its forte. My dac is an Auralic Vega which might be the reason for the change in synergy.

Nevertheless if you blinded me I probably would not be able to tell the difference between the two cables :thumb:

I don't think price has anything to do with what tonal quality I prefer with USB cables.

Best,

Anand.

HanaEyes

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Re: Triode Wire Labs USB cables & the µRendu "Dongle"
« Reply #34 on: 6 Oct 2016, 01:28 am »
I am working with a number of USB cables at present to find the best sound for my system.
I am feeding a macbook pro via USB
 to a Wyred Recovery which has a Linear PSU with a TWL Digital American PC
to a Hegel H360

Firstly, at this level "preference" is mostly system tuning/matching and personal taste IMO
First, the Curious USB cable is very fine for $100.  I like the sound.  If you have a bright room, or a forward sounding system that is perhaps "too revealing" at times - meaning fatiguing or perhaps makes bad recordings really obviously bad sounding, I think the curious cables are going to help.

I have used the TWL Cable for a few days.

The TWL 16" Discreet cables was superior to the Curious, it has more PRAT, tighter but less pronouced bass with less bloom, and snares, symbols, etc have much more life up top.  However, the balance shifts up when using it - the combination of less bass bloom, and more treble detail makes it sound a bit more forward in comparison.  Absolutely NOT a bad thing, but it depends on your ancillaries and room.  Even with a bright room and a preference for the "curious type sound" the TWL beat it out within a few hours, and the Curious was sold.

The TWL is not fatiguing on the face of it, it is neutral, clear, but after a while, it is not my favorite cable so far, given my bright room and my personal taste (I loved the PRAT and the detail, but I felt it left the bass behind- it was tighter but less bloom - more drum head hitting, more finger plucky, but less whomp ambience, room shaking from bass lines, which I like)

I have some cables I prefer, but they are significantly more expensive.

To this point, I find that Dana Cables USB (700  Euro +) and Total Dac D1 cables (350 euro) are both better IMO. 
They have all of the clarity of the TWL with more slam and a more organic sound that is NEVER fatiguing.
They are also, as mentioned 2X - 4X the price and my copies are better broken in, so the TWL main gain some ground as it continues to do it's thing.
It should also be noted that these particular cables I am comparing to are seen as VERY good for their MUCH higher prices, they are the cream of the crop IMO - so I bet TWL would whallop the "average $400 cable"

So , I am still burning in the TWL more to give it a fairer take.
That's a really interesting take because I know a couple of people who have sold off their totaldac D1 cables in favor of the curious!  :lol: I personally am looking for a more organic and less aggressive (forward) sound than the curious. After listening to the jcat usb, it had this tightness in bass that makes the 'thud' of the drum hit you in the chest, rather than a  'thumm-ing' bloom the curious had, resulting in the feeling of quantity over quality. I actually dislike the room shaking bass (unless it's movies) and was thinking for the longest time to swap to the Spatial Audio loudspeakers. So given your assessment, it's inching me towards the twl usb even more!

However the part about 'forward sounding' reminded me of something. When testing the jcat, 2 of us felt it was more laidback and the curious was more in your face, while the other felt differently. So it really makes me wonder, what constitutes to 'forward sounding', and do different people have different perceptions about what actually makes the sound forward or laidback?

I too was using a w4s recovery reclocker with a balanced dc lps powered by cords from ansuz acoustics, but sold it off after trying the Singxer SU-1. Compared to the RUR, it had a much rounder and smoother sound, using only the stock cord. I have since modded the Singxer to be fed using an external DC supply and IMO it's one of the best purchases I have made this year. Now I'm using the 7+ with it, but hope to swap to a DA in the future.

Would be good if you could report again after a few more days as I find that cables usually take time to settle. My curious only began to sound 'right' after a week. My gold statement also took quite a long time to break in (more than 2-3 weeks). Wouldn't be surprised if the twl gets better after a few more days.

HanaEyes

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Re: Triode Wire Labs USB cables & the µRendu "Dongle"
« Reply #35 on: 20 Oct 2016, 08:12 am »
This is really quite a wonderful usb cable. I've had my reservations when I first received it a week ago, but it seems to show signs of settling. I've been running them in with the Tellurium Q Burn in disc when I'm not using my setup.

Day 1: Superb soundstage and details, but experienced hollow vocals and lacked bass. Love hate relationship

Day 3-4: Vocals became full and sweet but bass was still lacking the attack and weight

Day 7 morning: BOOOM! The bass was finally here, 2 days after I dropped Pete a mail about the burn in duration. It had weight, tightness and definition. Really enjoyed my brief listening session in the morning.

So far I have around 160 hours on it - anyone experienced more changes after this mark?

zacho

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Re: Triode Wire Labs USB cables & the µRendu "Dongle"
« Reply #36 on: 20 Oct 2016, 11:12 pm »
This is really quite a wonderful usb cable. I've had my reservations when I first received it a week ago, but it seems to show signs of settling. I've been running them in with the Tellurium Q Burn in disc when I'm not using my setup.

Day 1: Superb soundstage and details, but experienced hollow vocals and lacked bass. Love hate relationship

Day 3-4: Vocals became full and sweet but bass was still lacking the attack and weight

Day 7 morning: BOOOM! The bass was finally here, 2 days after I dropped Pete a mail about the burn in duration. It had weight, tightness and definition. Really enjoyed my brief listening session in the morning.

So far I have around 160 hours on it - anyone experienced more changes after this mark?

Seems like the USB shares the same burn-in profile as the Spirit75. I, too, experienced the exact same thing (albeit with the Spirit 75) but once it settled in, there was no going back.

enser

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Re: Triode Wire Labs USB cables & the µRendu "Dongle"
« Reply #37 on: 12 Dec 2016, 10:35 pm »
Just wanted to say I'm another very satisfied customer of Triode Labs re: USB 'Spirit' dongle. Have given it about 100hrs burn in and the SQ is unreal.
Highly recommended!!

Triode Pete

Re: Triode Wire Labs USB cables & the µRendu "Dongle"
« Reply #38 on: 13 Dec 2016, 01:04 am »
Seems like the USB shares the same burn-in profile as the Spirit75. I, too, experienced the exact same thing (albeit with the Spirit 75) but once it settled in, there was no going back.
Just wanted to say I'm another very satisfied customer of Triode Labs re: USB 'Spirit' dongle. Have given it about 100hrs burn in and the SQ is unreal.
Highly recommended!!

Thank you gents for your kind feedback!!!

One thing I should note regarding ALL my digital cables... Even though I have a "top of the line", High Power audiodharma Cable Cooker, all the Digital Cables (USB, SPDIF, AES-EBU, etc.) do not appear to be "affected" by the cable cooker. In other words, the cable cooker does not appear to be an effective tool for pre-conditioning Digital Cables.

My theory (as well as Dave Elledge from PI Audio) is that the cables reside in the "Digital" world. My "bread & butter" cables (power, speaker, interconnect) reside in the analog world, where the cables, including dielectric, appears to condition & settle with the cable cooker.

Digital is a different animal & responds differently to material selection, including dielectric.

My $0.02,
Pete

Triode Pete

Update to Triode Wire Labs USB cables
« Reply #39 on: 12 Oct 2017, 06:52 pm »
Finally, finally, finally, I've started to update my TWL website with additional products that I have been offering for close to 3 years now!

Here's a preview of the "Split Power & Data" USB cable... http://www.triodewirelabs.com/triodeweb/shop/premium-digital-interconnects/split-power-data-usb-cable/




Cheers,
Pete