Review #44 - Cable Invictus USB - Ricable Review
Julius 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 network filter; iFi Audio iPurifier3 USB filter; Topping DAC D90SE; AudioQuest Niagara network conditioner
The following review of the Invictus USB cable 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 Giulio for his time.
Passionate about high fidelity and electronics, I really enjoy discovering and trying new products to include in my audio system to get as close as possible to the emotions of live listening. I chose Ricable because I have already known for a few years the quality of its completely Made in Italy products and the availability, after purchase, of return and upgrade of the product with a superior one.
and aesthetics of the product?
As I expected, as soon as you open the package you get the feeling that you are holding a special product that has been 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 comes across as sturdy but compared to cables of other well-known brands it is not so rigid, providing some flexibility in installation. The packaging is adequate to represent the prestige of the product contained.
Listening tests were done using the USB cable Invictus Ricable output from the USB filter to the DAC instead of the stock one for about twenty hours. These were 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 local flac
- 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 marked improvement by virtually eliminating any background noise or interference that can plague this type of connection; with the stock cable at the filter output I still noticed a sound that was not very exciting. Plugged in theInvictus USB, the sound took on a definite analog feel; beyond the resolution of the file being played, the digital compression effect disappeared and I got the impression that I was always hearing in high resolution. And this is what I was looking for. As has happened to me with other INTERCONNECT digital cables, I could not honestly recognize any other benefits such as fuller bass, clearer treble, or more defined mids. Perhaps later with more hours of use (break-in was only about 20 hours) you may notice other improvements.
Your conclusions.
After replacing the power cables, then those INTERCONNECT and finally those Speaker , the insertion of the newest Invictus USB fully met my expectations making listening to "liquid" music much more satisfying. I am sure that Magnus and Dedalus would still have provided benefits as well, but having other cables of category Invictus I preferred theInvictus USB.
What did you enjoy?
- Design
- Quality of materials
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What would you improve?
- Nothing to report
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