Review #121 - Dedalus USB Cable - Ricable Review
Gianluigi C.
Sources: Lyngdorf CD-2 CD player; Mini PC with Daphile
Amplifier: Hegel H390
Acoustic Speakers: Sonus Faber Guarneri Memento
Other: Velodyne SPL-800i subwoofer
The following review of the Dedalus USB is the result of theRicable Review initiative. Ricable Review is the program designed by Ricable, created to collect feedback from audiophiles, in order to lead to continuous improvement of the products in the catalog. Last but not least, those who join the program receive a certificate at home, with the purpose of certifying how the customer has become a full-fledged member of the " Ricablefamily."
The following Feedback was created on the basis of a predefined questionnaire to which the user returned their impressions, in a completely free. We thank Gianluigi for his time.
Lured by the excellent reviews I found on the Web, not only on the Ricable site, a few months ago I tried and then purchased some excellent Invictus Reference Speaker MKII cables that have definitely improved my listening experience.
A few weeks ago I saw a used USB cable on the Ricable site and decided to try it out, comforted by the possibility of returning it if I found no appreciable difference from the titular cable.
and aesthetics of the product?
Even though it is a used product, I challenge anyone to find the differences with a newly manufactured one. It came to me in the plain but impressive white Ricable box, and is in simply perfect condition. The aesthetics are definitely pleasing.
The construction is very solid, the cable is thick for a USB cable and not very flexible, but in my set-up this is not a particular problem.
To test it as usual I use my selection of pieces that I have honed over time, not necessarily audiophile but that I know very well. These are pieces from all genres, jazz (a genre I favor and which accounts for 90 percent of my listening), progressive rock, classical, electronic (just for the test!!), and of course vocal tracks.
listening impressions?
I will preface this by saying that I was using a computer USB cable, but I was definitely skeptical about the result of the test I was about to perform because over time I had tried using different USB cables (albeit all from "computer" backgrounds) always without hearing the slightest difference between one and the other. While I was well aware of how much difference in terms of listening quality can be obtained from the right INTERCONNECT and Speaker cables, I was therefore skeptical that USB cables could affect the sound performance significantly or at least audibly, and I admit that I was almost convinced that I would return the cable, taking advantage of the great service that Ricable offers to those who want to test its products, even on used ones.
So I connect the mini PC with Daphile to the amplifier with the Ricable Dedalus USB ready to compare it with my USB PC cable, but... as soon as the music starts I realize in the space of very few moments that it would not have been necessary to alternate between the two cables to understand the differences... Wider soundstage, perfect intelligibility of the instruments, mid-highs in evidence without being annoying at all... a very obvious difference from before. In a word: amazing.
Your conclusions.
Until today I was convinced that the fact that I preferred listening from CD rather than from the mini PC was due to the DAC (I thought the DAC of the CD player was better than the DAC of my Hegel H390) while now I realized that the problem lay in the USB connection.
Several times I happened to read about people claiming great differences between one USB cable and another, but never did I think I would witness this myself.
I don't want to go overboard with praising Ricable (although in my experience it deserves it)...there will be cables that sound better...maybe...but I am used to judging only after I have personally experienced it, and to date in my set-up both the Speaker and USB cables (both Ricable) are the best I have tried.
What did you enjoy?
- Sound rendering
- Aesthetics
- Quality of construction
- Excellent value for money
What would you improve?
- The cable is rather stiff but in my case this is not a problem
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