Turkish1480

As this thread continues it seems that USB cables continue to get debated and I saw a link to the new Elijah Audio USB cable demo on their facebook page. I thought that this may be relavent for those still trying to decide what to buy as I am a big fan of the quad braid mk4 that I just purchased. Here is your chance to audition one with very little financial risk: www.facebook.com/ElijahAudio I hope this helps someone save some money and enjoy great sound!!

I mentioned I would give an update when I received the Elijah Quad Braid USB cable so people would have some more info when looking to buy. As I mentioned earlier I was using the Audioquest Coffee and I liked it, but didn't love it so I wanted to try some other USB cables. I took Jud, Blake and Reverendo's advice and tried out the Mapleshade Clearview Plus and immediately it was much better than the Coffee minus the fact that I wasn't in love with the bass. That did improve significantly with some time, so be patient unlike I was. I have sold the Coffee and living with the Mapleshade for the last three weeks and probably have about 125-150 hours on it. It is truly a remarkable cable for $135, but the Quad Braid MKIII (I may have received an even newer version than the current MKIII) is smoother, more natural, has better bass defintition and impact than the Mapleshade. I thought at first the trasparency and soundtage was better on the Mapleshade, but after swapping back and forth I realized it wasn't and infact the Quad Braid was just as trasparent with a deeper soundstage that was everybit as wide. The cable is very balanced form top to bottom and I feel as though I get the best of the Mapleshade with even better soundstaging and no bass issues that I was experiencing. At Michael's asking price ($235 plus shipping) this cable is truly an amazing buy and one that has me stopping my USB search for a while and quite possibly indefinitely. I am not saying this is the best cable on the market because I haven't heard nearly enough to be able to make that comment, but I feel as though it would be difficult to top especially for the 3-5 times the price of the Elijah Quad Braid. If you can not afford/justify the Quad Braid's price I say go with the Mapleshade as it truly is a great cable, but if you can swing the price go with Elijah cables as it is well worth the extra cash as I was comparing a non burnt in version vs. the Mapleshade with over 125 hours on it. Well done Michael and thanks to highstream for the recommendation!!

Hey Highstream...Thanks for the recommendation! I decided to order an Elijah USB cable to compare to the Mapleshade as I read some reviews on it and it seems worthy of a trial. I will post my impressions here when I have a chance to compare the two cables in the next couple weeks! If I can get the mids and highs of the Mapleshade and more powerful but defined bottom end that I am looking for then I will be a happy camper and end the USB search. Hopefully it will be what I am looking for because at $250 with shipping sure beats the $600+ of other high end cables and especially since I would like to try the iUSB which requires two USB cables. Cheers!

Thank you Reverendo, Jud and Lappy for your comments as they are very helpful! Ok i was up a little late last night listening and I agree that the mapleshade is significantly better than the coffee in the mids and highs. I am not sure I have heard my system sound this transparent and real before, but this has been a year of serious change as all of my gear has changed since August. I can't quite put my finger on what the low end is missing, but it does seem to give more bass definitition than the coffee, but still missing something. As I have experienced in the past with other cables there is a slight change due to break in, so I will give it the full 200 hours and hope for a more drastic change this time around beofre I am too critical. I am putting up the coffee for sale as I write this, so I want to point out it doesn't take long to hear the improvement. After I upgrade to a nicer two channel amp in late summer I may begin to look at the AQ Diamond and the Transparent Premium as options. I know there are some compatibility issues with Mapleshade and the iUSB/iLink, but I wonder what would be better an AQ coffee with iUsb & iLink combo or just the maple shade on its own. The later would save me money and some space on my power center. For what ever its worth I can say that my Zdac by Parasound may be the mapleshade of DACs. I have owned many sub $1,000 DACs and I believe this is very close or the equal of my PS Audio nuwave I sold last year because I have not heard my system sound this good since. For around $600 with the mapleshade I find this to be an incredible value, although I do have a $400 JPS Digital AC power cord attached which ups the ante a bit. I'm sure there are better power cords for digital gear out there, but how much would it cost to hear a significant improvement...like all things in this industry the law of dimishing returns sets in and is a 10% improvement worth double the price? Only you can make that determination. Thanks again and happy listening!

Hello Reverendo and thanks for all your input!! I have a quick question for you the about some mid priced cables under $300. I have been using a AQ Coffee for the better part of the last year and like it, but feel as though it can be easily topped so I ordered a Mapleshade Plus and which arrived today. I really like the bigger sound stage and more transparency of the cable, but I do not love the bass as I feel it is doing some weird things that the coffee doesn't do. Also the build is a little scary as I feel like you may break it by sneezing in the wrong direction. I know you have tried a ton of cables and the other cable I am looking at giving a solid look at in this price class would the WW Silver Starlight and was wondering how you think the two compare as I don't believe you compared these two directly (could be wrong). I have also read that a few people really prefer the Transparent Premium to the AQ Diamond (which it seems you liked at one point), have you demoed that cable? I am willing to hold off for a while if I can get the smooth highs/transparency of the Mapleshade and more meat on the bone bass I am used to and spend under $600 for a 1 meter cable. I know USB cables are very system depended, but your description of the MS + is pretty consistent in my system as well. I do feel cable break in exists, but for the most part all I have ever heard is subtle changes with time not a transformation of the cable. Cheers!