Chuck Those Generic USB Cables and Step Up To Forest USB!
Priced only a few dollars more than generic USB cables, Audioquest Forest is a substantial improvement. Forest offers a far smoother & richer tonal balance, much greater resolution and a clearer sonic picture. The secret is in Audioquest's unyielding commitment to quality; every aspect of Forest's construction from the type of connectors used to the direction of the conductors has been scrutinized, auditioned, revised and perfected to create a cable that offers outstanding performance for a fraction of the cost of most audiophile designs.
Metallurgy
Forest uses high-quality Long Grain Copper solid-core conductors. Long Grain Copper has far fewer imperfections than OFC copper for lower distortion and greater conductivity. LGC copper conductors are used in many Audioquest analog cables, providing a far smoother, richer and more dynamic sound than the terrible materials used in generic USB cables. LGC's lower distortion characteristics allow Forest to deliver greater resolution and musical energy with a noticeably lower noise floor. Forest is a directional cable, AQ listens to every primary signal conductor used in Forest to determine proper conductor orientation, this simple test yields a surprising improvement to sonic performance.
Digital Audio over USB
There are significant, audible differences between USB cables. We're not sure how this is possible, since USB is purported to be a purely digital interface, however, the sonic differences are repeatable and consistent from system to system. A better USB cable makes a better digital audio cable, period.