Giulio M.
Sources: Intel NUC i3 Mini PC
Amplifier: Benchmark HPA4 preamplifier; McIntosh MC275 power amplifier
Acoustic speakers: Duevel Bella Luna Diamante
Other: iFi Audio DC iPurifier2 mains filter; iFi Audio iPurifier3 USB filter; Topping DAC D90SE; AudioQuest Niagara mains conditioner
The following review of the Invictus USB cable is the result of the "Ricable Review" initiative. Ricable Review is the program created by Ricable, born to collect feedback from audiophilesin order to bring about continuous improvement of the products in the catalogue. Last but not least, those who participate in the programme receive a certificate at home, with the aim of certifying that the customer has become part of the " Ricablefamily".
The following Feedback was created on the basis of a predefined questionnaire to which the user returned their impressions, in a way that was not possible without the help of a surveyor. completely free. We would like to thank Giulio for his time.
Passionate about high fidelity and electronics, I like very much to discover and try new products to insert in my audio system to get as close as possible to the emotions of a live listening. I chose Ricable because I've known for a few years now the quality of its products, completely Made in Italy, and the availability, after the purchase, of returns and upgrades of the product with one of a higher level.
and aesthetics of the product?
As I expected, as soon as you open the box you have the feeling of having in your hands a special product, aesthetically cared for in every detail. For a USB it is not only big but really impressive, even bigger as a section than theInvictus AES/EBU I owned. It is sturdy but compared to cables of other known brands it is not so rigid, guaranteeing a certain flexibility of installation. The packaging is adequate to represent the prestige of the product contained.
The listening tests were carried out using for about twenty hours the USB cable Invictus Ricable outgoing from the USB filter to the DAC instead of the standard one. These are the tracks used for the tests:
- Pink Floyd, Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 1-7) 16/44 Flac Local
- Pink Floyd, Time MQA Tidal Master
- Pink Floyd, Comfortably Numb MQA Tidal Master
- Pink Floyd, Money MQA Tidal Master
- Dire Straits , Ride Across the River (Remastered 1996) 16/44 Flac Qobuz
- Dire Straits , Money for Nothing (Remastered 1996) 16/44 Flac Qobuz
- Los Lobos, Be Still 16/44 Flac Qobuz
- Nirvana, In Bloom 24/192 Hires Flac Qobuz
- Nirvana, Something in the Way 24/192 Hires Flac Qobuz
- Madonna, Till Death Do Us Part 16/44 flac local
- Vivaldi, The Four Seasons 24/96 Hires Qobuz
- Jon & Vangelis, The Friends of Mr. Cairo 16/44 Flac local
- Jon & Vangelis, Back to School 16/44 Flac local
- Donald Fagen, The Nightfly 24/48 Hires. Qobuz
- Donald Fagen, I.G.Y. 24/48 Hires Qobuz
- Bob Marley, Real Situation 16/44 Flac Local
- The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Take Five 16/44 Flac Local
- Eagles, Hotel California MQA Tidal Master
- David Bowie, Star MQA Tidal Master
listening impressions?
The adoption of the USB filter between the source and the DAC had already made a clear improvement by practically eliminating any background noise or interference that can afflict this type of connection; with the standard cable at the output of the filter I noticed however a not very exciting sound. Connecting theInvictus USB, the sound has taken on a definite analogue imprinting; beyond the resolution of the reproduced file, the digital compression effect has disappeared and I have the impression of always hearing in high resolution. And that's what I was looking for. As with other INTERCONNECTdigital cables, I couldn't really recognise any other benefits such as a fuller bass, clearer treble or more defined midrange. Perhaps with more hours of use later (I only broke them in for about 20 hours) you might notice other improvements.
Your conclusions.
After replacing the mains cables, then the INTERCONNECTand finally the Speaker cables, the inclusion of the latest Invictus USB fully met my expectations and made listening to 'liquid' music much more satisfying. I'm sure that the Magnus and Dedalus would also have been beneficial, but having other cables of category Invictus I preferred theInvictus USB.
What did you like?
- Design
- Quality of materials
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What would you improve?
- Nothing to report
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