AudioQuest Carbon USB Cable - USB-A to USB-C - 0.75 Meter

AudioQuest Carbon USB Cable - USB-A to USB-C - 0.75 Meter

What It Does in Your System

A Short, High-Silver Link From Your Computer to Your DAC

This cable connects a computer, server, or streamer to a DAC. One end is a standard USB-A plug. The other is the small oval USB-C plug. At 0.75 meters — about two and a half feet — it suits gear sitting side by side on a desk or shelf.

Carbon sits near the top of AudioQuest's USB line. Its conductors carry 5% silver. That is a real jump from Cinnamon's 1.25% and Forest's 0.5%.

Silver Right Where the Signal Travels

USB audio signals move at very high frequencies. Signals that fast travel almost entirely on the outside surface of a wire, not through its middle. AudioQuest uses that fact. Carbon puts its 5% silver on the surface, where the signal actually runs. You get performance close to a solid silver cable at a price much closer to copper.

The wire itself is built from a few large strands that stay locked in place along the whole cable. Strands that shift around rub against each other electrically and add distortion. Holding them still lowers jitter — small timing errors in the signal. You'll hear cleaner attack on drums and a top end that stays smooth instead of turning hard.

Carbon Shielding That Keeps Noise Off Your Ground

On a USB cable, the risk is not lost data. The risk is radio noise riding the shield into your DAC's ground connection. Carbon wraps its negative wires in a carbon-loaded plastic that soaks up that noise. Layers of metal and carbon sit on top of it, shielding the shield itself.

A carbon layer also sits between the positive and negative wires so they interfere with each other less. The insulation is Hard-Cell Foam, which is stiff foam filled with nitrogen bubbles. Air absorbs almost no energy from the signal. The stiffness holds the wires in a fixed position, which keeps the cable's electrical behavior steady end to end.

Is This Right for You?

A quick check before you add it to your cart:

• Check your DAC's input shape. Many desktop DACs use the square USB-B plug, not USB-C. AudioQuest builds Carbon in USB-A to USB-B, USB-C to USB-C, and USB-C to USB-B as well. We can help you match it.
• This is an audio cable, not a video cable. It will not send a picture from a laptop to a monitor. That catches people out with USB-C, so it's worth saying plainly.
• 0.75 meters is short. It works for a laptop next to a DAC, or a streamer on the shelf above one. Measure your real path first, including any drop behind the desk.

Setup & Installation

Plug the USB-A end into your computer, server, or streamer. Plug the USB-C end into your DAC. USB-C fits either way up, so you don't need to line it up. Most DACs are found automatically. Some ask you to pick them as your audio output. A few need a driver installed first, so check your DAC's manual.

AudioQuest builds extra strain relief into the joint where the cable meets each plug. That is the spot where USB cables usually fail, so it should last well. Still, pull on the plug body rather than the cable when you unplug it. Keep the cable clear of power supplies and AC cords where you can.

Features & Specifications

Semi-Solid Concentric 5% Silver Conductors
Silver sits on the wire surface, where high-frequency signals travel, and the fixed-position strands cut distortion and jitter.

Multi-Layer Carbon-Based Noise-Dissipation
Carbon-loaded plastic on the negative wires, plus metal and carbon layers on top, keep radio noise out of your DAC's ground.

Hard-Cell Foam Insulation
Nitrogen-filled foam absorbs almost no energy and holds the wires in a steady position along the full run.

Reinforced Strain Relief
A purpose-built joint where the cable meets the plug adds durability at the point USB cables usually break.

Specifications

• Type: USB digital audio cable, USB-A to USB-C
• Length: 0.75 meters
• Conductors: Semi-solid concentric Long-Grain Copper with 5% silver plating
• Insulation: Hard-Cell Foam, nitrogen-injected
• Noise dissipation: Multi-layer carbon-based, with carbon-loaded polyethylene on negative conductors
• Strain relief: Reinforced cable-to-plug junction
• Application: USB audio — does not carry video
• Included: One USB-A to USB-C cable

Frequently Asked Questions

Will this carry video from my laptop to a monitor?
No. This is a USB audio cable. For a display connection you need a cable made for DisplayPort Alt Mode or Thunderbolt.

How does Carbon compare to Cinnamon and Forest?
The main difference is how much silver each one carries. Forest has 0.5%, Cinnamon has 1.25%, and Carbon has 5%. Carbon also uses a different wire construction and a carbon-based shield, where the models below it use a metal-layer shield.

Does a USB cable really change the sound? Isn't it just data?
The data almost always arrives intact. That is not what changes. What changes is how much radio noise the cable carries into your DAC's ground, and how steady the signal timing stays. Carbon's silver surface, carbon shielding, and stiff foam insulation all work on those two things. That is why the difference shows up as a quieter background, not as missing music.

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