Review #32 - USB cable Magnus - Ricable Review
David B.
Sources: Fujitsu Futro S450 + Daphile Thin Client
Amplifier: Integrated
Acoustic Speakers: Sennheiser HD 660 S Headphones
Other: Luxman DA-250 DAC
The following review of the USB cable Magnus is the result of the "Ricable 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 to all intents and purposes part of the " Ricable" family.
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 Davide for his time.
Although I already have a good USB cable, having read several positive opinions about the products Ricable, I wanted to try one. I believe that everyone listens differently, the evaluation parameters are inevitably subjective, so I chose to let my personal taste judge. User reviews posted on the site also had their weight in making me choose to try it. In addition, I appreciated the caring and helpful attitude toward the customer. Icing on the cake: the really fast delivery.
and aesthetics of the product?
Granted that I am not an audiophile and have no technical expertise, my personal and debatable impressions are as follows: both the construction and the aesthetics are excellent, giving the impression of a well-kept and quality product. The packaging is also of quality: I consider it an adequate packaging, well made, but without unnecessary excess, also because the packaging has nothing to do with the sound performance. I also greatly appreciated the ease of use of the product, as the robustness of the cable does not compromise its handling in any way. Cable of substance, but not rigid.
Foreword: I repeat, I am not an audiophile, but I love listening to music and I like to listen to it well, with a reasonable compromise between my ideal of "well sounding" and my budget. I listen only to liquid music, all my CDs have been ripped to FLAC, and I also stream from Qobuz with a Studio Sublime subscription (at Qobuz I also purchase albums in HD audio). The listening tests were done using the USB cable Ricable for several days instead of a foreign competitor's cable, placed in the same price range and which I had been using for quite some time. For the tests I used my system dedicated to headphone listening only (for that with speakers, we will see in the future). These are the tracks used for testing:
- John Mayer, Gravity, 24/96
- Kiss, Calling Dr. Love, 24/192
- Michael Jackson, The Girl Is Mine, 24/176
- Lady Gaga, Plastic Doll, 24/44
- Dua Lipa, Pretty Please, 24/44
- Sam Smith, Dance ('Til You Love Someone Else), 24/44
- Pino Daniele, Me for Her, 16/44
- Claudio Baglioni, Me from the Sea, 16/44
- Palaye Royale, Hang On To Yourself, 16/44
- The Police, Wrapped Around Your Finger, 16/44
- AC/DC, You Shook Me All Night Long, 24/96
- Kandace Springs, Breakdown, 24/44
- Ren Harvieu, Yes Please, 24/48
- Peter Gabriel, Sledgehammer, 24/96
- Toto, You Got Me, 16/44
listening impressions?
I liked the Ricable very much, compared with the cable used previously I had an overall impression of greater fullness of sound and slightly higher sound volume. Correct timbre and a good balance between treble, midrange and bass are the characteristics that impressed me most. It is a non-characteristic cable, truly neutral, without any "incorrect" (if one can use this non-technical term) emphasis. It is neutral in what I consider the positive meaning of the term: there is no imbalance or harshness. I detect a warm but defined sound, very musical to me, without any fatigue.
Your conclusions.
The differences are not macroscopic, these are nuances, but they made me prefer the USB cable Ricable. Really a nice cable, which I decided to leave permanently in my set-up. If this is the basic Ricable USB, I can't help but wonder how the Dedalus orInvictus might sound ! Really nice product, bravo!
What did you enjoy?
- Build quality
- Sound
- Value for money
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What would you improve?
- Nothing to report
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