CAD’s new CAD USB Cable I & II are specifically engineered to filter out noise from any and all digital music sources before it reaches the DAC. They build on the patented filtering technology that was previously developed by CAD when the company’s first USB cable was launched four years ago. But designer Scott Berry is not one to sit on his laurels and has since remained head-down in USB technology, determined as ever to take its performance further still.
A USB cable is made up of four conductors: two for power (+5V and ground), and two for high speed differential data signals (data+ and data-). Unwanted high frequency noise is present on all of them and so CAD’s patented filtering system is carefully designed to tackle all four. However, since the +5V conductor carries particularly large amounts of high frequency noise, CAD uses a separate, highly-shielded cable for the +5V conductor, giving added protection and isolation to the ground and data signals.
But CAD’s USB designs go considerably further than simply reducing unwanted noise. “Conductors used for high speed signals employ quite different materials and construction techniques to those that only operate at lower frequencies,” explains Berry, “and what’s more there’s considerable variation among them.” CAD therefore spent many years comparing materials and construction techniques and noting the resulting differences in sound quality. An intense period of research and experimentation then followed, working with different conductive and insulating materials to develop prototypes for evaluation, until Berry was satisfied that he had achieved the very best sound quality. “The conductors used to transmit music in our USB cables are manufactured only for CAD, to our individual specifications,” he proudly confirms.
The new CAD USB Cable I is an enhanced version of the company’s first cable, now featuring improvements to its patented filtering technology. The USB Cable II, meanwhile, takes noise reduction considerably further. It includes the same patented filtering as Cable I but partners this with a whole different construction and insulation, again using proprietary materials (the details of which remain a closely guarded secret) along with three independent CAD absorbers designed to further reduce unwanted high frequency electrical noise and mechanical vibration.
So confident is Berry in the performance of CAD’s new USB Cables I & II that he’s happy to offer a 30-day money back guarantee. “We believe that we’ve been working on USB cable filter design longer than anyone in the market and the results of this experience can be heard by comparing our CAD USB cables to any others on the market at any price.”
The new CAD USB Cable I & II are available now, priced at £540 and £880 respectively for a 1.1 metre length. Longer lengths and cables without the +5VDC line are available to order.