AudioQuest Forest USB 3.0 Cable - USB-A to Micro-B-3.0 - 0.75 Meter

Forest Adds the First Silver to AudioQuest's USB Range

AudioQuest's Forest is the second rung of its USB cables. Its conductors are Long-Grain Copper with 0.5% silver plating. Hard-Cell Foam insulates them and a Metal-Layer shield wraps the pair. It is the point where AudioQuest starts adding silver to the signal path.

Long-Grain Copper With 0.5% Silver Plating

AudioQuest says a USB signal is so high in frequency that it travels almost entirely on the surface of the conductor. So it plates the copper with silver, 0.5% on Forest. The silver surface behaves close to a solid silver wire, AudioQuest says, at a fraction of the cost. Every conductor is direction-controlled.

Hard-Cell Foam and a Metal-Layer Shield

The insulation is Hard-Cell Foam, injected with nitrogen to form air pockets. AudioQuest says nitrogen neither absorbs nor releases energy, so the foam causes much less of the out-of-focus effect that solid insulation can. It also holds the signal pair in a fixed geometry.

Around the pair sits Metal-Layer Noise-Dissipation. AudioQuest says a plain shield drains radio noise into the ground and dirties the reference. Its metal layers catch most of that noise first. This version is SuperSpeed USB 3.0, rated to 5 gigabits per second.

The USB-A 3.0 and Micro-B 3.0 Plugs, Explained

Forest ends in a USB-A 3.0 plug for the computer end and a wide Micro-B 3.0 plug for the device end. Micro-B 3.0 is the wide, two-part plug on portable drives and some DACs. AudioQuest does not publish the plug plating. Where it applies, arrows on the connectors show which way the cable runs.

What Reviewers Are Saying

Doug Blackburn reviewed Forest, Cinnamon and Carbon for SoundStage! Access on September 15, 2011. Forest "dissipated enough of the fog for me to see the instruments and musicians, but there was still plenty of fog in the room," he wrote.

Glenn Young's Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity test of August 31, 2022 was cooler. On one track "there seemed to be less imaging outside the speakers than with the Pearl cables," he wrote.

Who Is This USB Cable Best For?

• You want the first taste of silver — Forest plates its copper with 0.5% silver, so the surface the signal rides on is silver at the lowest AudioQuest price
• Your drive or DAC has the wide Micro-B 3.0 socket — the two-part 3.0 plug fits it, and the cable carries the extra USB 3.0 conductors for 5 gigabit transfers
• Your desk is full of power supplies and WiFi — the Metal-Layer shield drains radio noise before it reaches the ground reference, so the DAC sees a cleaner signal
• You want the reviewer's caution as well as the praise — Secrets heard less imaging outside the speakers than with Pearl, so audition it in your own system and use our 60-day guarantee
• Your device has the small Micro-B 2.0 socket — the wide 3.0 plug will not fit. Choose the AudioQuest Forest USB-A to Micro-B instead, or call us and we will match the plug

How Does It Connect to Your System?

Plug the USB-A 3.0 end into your computer and the Micro-B 3.0 end into your drive or DAC. Run any arrows on the connectors toward the DAC. Then choose the DAC as the output device in your player or system sound settings.

Then listen. Other and longer lengths available. Call for prices.

Pairs Well With

A USB cable is one link in a digital chain. It usually joins these categories.

• Digital-to-Analog Converters — the usual receiving end
• Music Streamers — streamer or server to DAC
• Headphone Amplifiers — a DAC and amp on the desk
• Power Cables — clean power at both ends

Frequently Asked Questions

Why plate copper with silver?

AudioQuest says a USB signal rides almost entirely on the surface of the conductor. A silver skin on that surface behaves close to a solid silver wire at a fraction of the cost.

What is Metal-Layer Noise-Dissipation?

AudioQuest's name for its shield. Instead of letting a plain shield dump radio noise straight into the ground, the metal layers catch most of it first. AudioQuest says that keeps the ground reference clean.

What does USB 3.0 change?

AudioQuest lists this version as SuperSpeed USB 3.0, up to 5 gigabits per second, with the wide Micro-B 3.0 plug. It carries the extra USB 3.0 conductors, so it suits portable drives as well as DACs.

Which way does the cable go?

Where it applies, AudioQuest marks arrows on the connectors. Run them from the computer or streamer toward the DAC.

What warranty does AudioQuest give?

A limited lifetime warranty to the original owner, for cables bought from an authorized US dealer. AudioQuest will repair or replace a defective cable that has not been abused. Keep your proof of purchase.

Is there a step up?

AudioQuest Cinnamon USB 3.0 is the next rung with the Micro-B 3.0 plug. It moves to 1.25% silver plating and a nylon-braided jacket.

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