There has been a lot of discussion about digital cables, centering on the fact that digital data simply contains 1 and 0. The 1 is 5 Volts, and the 0 is zero Volts. Either “on” or “off”. What could go wrong?
This is the heart of the controversy, since some folks seem to be convinced that digital cables cannot possibly affect the “sound” of those ones and zeros traveling at near light-speed through a few feet of wire. If you share this belief, I am sorry to suggest that you are wrong. Like an ostrich with his/her/they/them/it head in the sand, ignoring the reality of how digital cables can affect the sound that you hear, this review might open your eyes – and ears – to this fact of life.
Last June, the Audience Studio 2 USB cable received a 9.5 LP rating here on 10audio.com. The $499 Studio 2 proved to be a significant sonic upgrade from a lesser cable. And now the new $1300 (for 1 meter) frontRow USB cable continues that upgrade path. Just ones and zeros, right? Yes, but that is not the whole story.
From the Audience website:
“The Audience Flagship frontRow USB interconnects are a true balanced cable design rendering more accurate and phase correct signal information than ever before. Engineered with 4 x frontRow 29 strand, 99.999% Pure OCC conductors in a shielded twin axial geometry, each pair is carefully determined for signal directionality before build.
“The dielectrics for these pristine conductors are PTFE Teflon are used in conjunction with the cable’s ground, and Virgin Cross-linked polyethylene on signal conductors, providing the highest dielectric constant while exhibiting the most natural tonal properties. This new frontRow geometry and materials effectively reduce the noise floor, leaving more low-level information.
“Our new MORRE Deep Cryo II and EHVP post production processes fundamentally change the baseline of the conductive lattice throughout the cable’s geometry reducing electron scatter and producing even greater signal preservation.
“Every frontRow USB Interconnect is burned in during one of several MORRE post production processes to insure the optimum level of performance right out of the box. Each frontRow USB Interconnect comes with a certificate of quality signed by the Master technician who built the cable.”
The cables feature Audience gold plated Tellurium, Carbon Fiber USB connectors which fit easily and smoothly into components, both on the “A” side and on the “B” side. The “A” connector would fit the source component, such as a CD player or computer, and the “B” connector would plug into a DAC, for example.
Let’s start this discussion with the understanding that a digital cable – like any other cable that is used in a high-quality audio system – can affect the sound you hear. While the frontRow cable is clearly better sounding overall than the Studio Two, the basic sound character between these two cables is similar. For the sake of continuity and clarity, the sound examples in the Studio Two review are updated below.
Comparisons to the Studio Two cable, which is no longer present, were facilitated by my 32-bit 384 kHz recordings of LPs using an RME ADI-2 Pro FSR BE analog-to-digital converter. The kind folks at Audience sent two frontRow USB cables, one for the AD converter and one for the Bricasti M1 Series 2 DA converter. This enabled instantaneous A-B comparisons between recordings made with Studio Two and with frontRow USB cables.
Mark Knopfler’s vocals on the Dire Straits white album are very tactile and present. His vocal inflections and nuance are quite true to life and give believable meaning to his story telling. Likewise, the recording of Joan Armatrading’s Hearts and Flowers is nearly identical to the reference LP. Her distinct sound is a treat to hear, which I have enjoyed on recordings and several live performances over the years. The digital files of this album capture the “analog magic” of the LP as close as an A-B comparison can determine.
If you want to blow your mind, and maybe a woofer, listen to The Manhattan Transfer’s recording of “Coo Coo U”, on their Extensions LP, MFSL 1-199. Incredible! If this cut doesn’t get your attention, you might be dead.
For a good example of an excellent commercial recording, check out “Give Me That” on Basia’s album Brave New Hope. The frontRow USB keeps this studio recording clear and unambiguous, while delivering her voice in perfect detail and warmth. There are many other good cuts on this album, too. Another example of excellent sound is Pat Benatar’s “Painted Desert” on her Tropico album. This cut has outstanding dynamics, too. Some classical recordings also contributed to this evaluation.
The clarity of the lower treble continues perfectly up to the highest audible frequencies with outstanding resolution. The clean detail and truthfulness of the harmonics of bells and percussion is exceptional and very enjoyable. There is a complete lack of harshness or glare which indicates, among other things, a clean, distortion-less transmission of the data stream.
What the Studio Two does very well, the frontRow USB cables do exceptionally well. There are gains in every area. The size of the sound stage explodes to a much larger and more specific audible image, and the clarity of tiny details gains noticeably. The frontRow USB cable upgrades any sound descriptor from “-er” to “-est”, for example, from “clearer” to “clearest”. You might plug it in, give it a short interval to settle in to its new home, and promptly forget it’s there. This is an exceptional cable that is well suited to the highest-end audio system.
Overall Rating: 10 LPs
Link to manufacturer: Audience AV
This review would not have been possible without the kind support of John McDonald at Audience AV. Thank you, John!