AudioQuest Carbon USB Cable - USB-C to USB-B - 1.5 Meter

AudioQuest Carbon USB Cable - USB-C to USB-B - 1.5 Meter

What It Does in Your System

The Link 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 goes to your computer. The square B connector goes to the DAC. That one cable carries every bit of your music library, and the cable in the box was built to move data, not music.

Carbon sits well up AudioQuest's USB range. At a meter and a half, this length reaches a computer on a desk beside your rack, or a component a shelf or two away.

Silver Where the Signal Actually Travels

USB audio runs at a very high frequency. Signals that fast travel almost entirely along the outer surface of a wire rather than through its middle. That makes the surface metal the part that matters most.

AudioQuest plates 5% silver over Long-Grain Copper, so the signal rides on high-purity silver while the copper underneath does the structural work. Performance lands close to a solid silver cable at a price much nearer to copper.

Shielding That Protects the Ground

Full shield coverage is easy. The hard part is what the shield does with the noise it catches. A normal design dumps that radio noise straight into component ground — the reference your DAC uses to read the signal. Corrupt the reference and you corrupt the reading.

AudioQuest layers metal and carbon-loaded material to shield the shield itself, soaking up and reflecting most of that noise before it reaches ground. Semi-solid concentric conductors hold their positions along the run to cut distortion and jitter — small timing errors that smear the signal.

Is This Right for You?

A few things to check before you order:

• Check both connectors. You need a USB-C port on your source and a square USB-B port on your DAC. USB-B is standard on most desktop and rack DACs, but some compact units use USB-C or micro-B instead.
• Audio only, not video. This is a digital audio cable. Don't plan on using the USB-C end to drive a monitor.
• Buy the length you need, not extra. A meter and a half covers most desktop and rack setups with slack to spare. Shorter is generally better with USB, so don't add length you won't use.

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 need a driver on Windows, so check your DAC's manual if the computer doesn't see it right away.

Arrows on the jacket show which way the cable is meant to run — point them from computer toward DAC. Keep the cable away from power supplies and wall warts where you can. USB picks up switching noise from those more readily 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 the signal travels, and fixed strand positions cut distortion and jitter.

Carbon-Based Multi-Layer Noise-Dissipation
Layers of metal and carbon soak up and reflect radio noise before it can reach the ground layer.

Hard-Cell Foam Dielectric
High air content means the insulation stores and releases almost no energy, keeping the signal clean.

Direction-Controlled Conductors
Every conductor is oriented so noise drains away properly instead of circulating.

Specifications

• Length: 1.5 meters (about 4 ft 11 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 and your source has USB-C, yes. Check the back of your DAC first — some compact and portable units use USB-C or micro-B instead.

Can a USB cable really change the sound?
The data arrives either way. Timing and noise don't. Jitter picked up along the run and radio noise reaching your DAC's ground both affect how cleanly that data turns back into music. That's what the silver, the shielding, and the fixed conductor spacing are all working on.

How does Carbon compare to Cinnamon?
Both use silver-plated Long-Grain Copper. Cinnamon uses 1.25% silver with simpler shielding. Carbon steps up to 5% silver and a more elaborate carbon-based layered shield. Cinnamon is the value pick; Carbon is the step up.

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