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

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

What It Does in Your System

The Connection Between Your Computer and Your DAC

USB-C to USB-B is the standard pairing for a modern laptop or streamer feeding an outboard DAC — the C end at the computer, the square B connector at the DAC. It's the link carrying every bit of your library, and the cable that came in the box was engineered to move data, not music.

Carbon sits well up AudioQuest's USB range, bringing silver-plated conductors and genuine multi-layer noise dissipation to a connection most people never think to upgrade. At 0.75 meters, it's the natural length for a desktop or rack setup.

Silver Where the Signal Actually Travels

USB audio runs at very high frequency, and high-frequency signals travel almost entirely along the surface of a conductor rather than through its core. That makes the surface metal the thing that matters. AudioQuest applies 5% silver plating over Long-Grain Copper, so the signal rides on high-purity silver while the copper underneath does the structural work.

Performance lands remarkably close to a solid silver cable at a price much closer to copper — an unusually sensible piece of engineering rather than a badge.

Noise Dissipation That Protects the Ground Reference

Full shield coverage is easy; the hard part is what the shield does with the noise it catches. A conventional design drains RF energy straight to component ground, modulating the very reference your DAC uses to interpret the signal. AudioQuest's approach layers metal and carbon-loaded synthetics to "shield the shield," absorbing and reflecting most RF before it reaches the ground layer at all.

Semi-solid concentric conductors hold their positions along the full run to reduce strand-interaction distortion and jitter, and Hard-Cell Foam insulation stores very little energy. Every internal conductor is direction-controlled so induced noise drains where it should.

Is This Right for You?

A few things to confirm before you order:

• Check both connectors. You need a USB-C port on your source — laptop, streamer, or tablet — and a square USB-B port on your DAC. USB-B is the standard input on most desktop and rack DACs, but some compact units use USB-C or micro-B instead.
• Audio only, not video. This is a high-definition digital audio cable. Don't plan on using the USB-C end to drive a monitor or run a display alongside your DAC.
• Short is fine, and generally better. Three quarters of a meter suits a laptop beside the DAC or components on the same shelf. If your computer lives across the room, step up a length — but don't buy extra just for slack.

Setup & Installation

Connect the USB-C end to your computer or streamer and the USB-B end to your DAC, then select the USB input on the DAC. Most modern DACs are recognized automatically on macOS and Linux; some require a manufacturer driver on Windows, so check your DAC's documentation if the computer doesn't see it right away.

Directional arrows on the jacket indicate the intended orientation; run them from computer toward DAC. Route the cable away from power supplies and wall warts where practical — USB is more susceptible to nearby switching noise than most connections in your system.

Features & Specifications

Semi-Solid Concentric 5% Silver Conductors
Silver plating over Long-Grain Copper puts high-purity metal exactly where high-frequency USB signals travel, while fixed strand positions reduce distortion and jitter.

Carbon-Based Multi-Layer Noise-Dissipation
Alternating layers of metal and carbon-loaded synthetics absorb and reflect RF energy before it can reach the ground layer and distort your equipment's reference.

Hard-Cell Foam Dielectric
High air content means the insulation absorbs and releases very little energy, keeping the signal clean.

Direction-Controlled Conductors
Every internal conductor is oriented so induced noise is dissipated and drained properly rather than left to circulate.

Specifications

• Length: 0.75 meters (approx. 2 ft 6 in)
• Termination: USB-C to USB-B
• Conductors: Semi-solid concentric, 5% silver-plated Long-Grain Copper
• Insulation: Hard-Cell Foam
• Noise Rejection: Carbon-based multi-layer Noise-Dissipation; direction-controlled conductors
• Connectors: Gold-plated
• Signal Type: Digital audio
• Quantity: Single cable
• Series: AudioQuest Carbon

Frequently Asked Questions

Will this work with my DAC?
If your DAC has a square USB-B input — the standard on most desktop and rack-mount units — and your source has USB-C, yes. Check your DAC's rear panel first, since some compact and portable units use USB-C or micro-B instead.

Can a USB cable really affect sound quality?
The data arrives either way, but timing and noise don't. Jitter introduced along the run and RF noise reaching your DAC's ground reference both affect how cleanly that data gets converted back to analog — which is what the silver plating, the layered shielding, and the fixed conductor geometry are all working on.

Can I use it to connect a monitor?
No. This is a digital audio cable and won't carry a video signal, so don't plan on it for a laptop-to-display connection.

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