Pangea Audio Premier SE MKII USB Cable - Various Lengths

Premier SE MKII Puts Cardas Copper in an Affordable USB Cable

Pangea Audio's Premier SE MKII is the company's mid-level USB cable. Its 23 AWG signal conductors are Cardas Grade One Copper plated with 6% pure silver. A separately shielded 20 AWG tinned copper conductor carries the power.

Cardas Grade One Copper With 6% Silver Plating

Cardas Grade One is the copper George Cardas draws for his own cables. Pangea winds it into 23 AWG signal conductors and has it plated with 6% pure silver. Designer Jay Victor says he has found silver plating crucial to digital performance. The insulation is an advanced form of PE polyethylene.

Triple Shielding, Slimmer Plugs and a Nylon Braid

The 20 AWG power conductor sits inside its own shield, and the whole cable is wrapped in a double shield against noise. Pangea trimmed both plugs by 2 to 3 millimeters for the MKII, so the cable fits tighter panels. A tough woven nylon braid in black and gray covers the jacket.

The USB-A and USB-B Plugs, Explained

Premier SE MKII ends in a flat USB-A plug for the computer end and a square USB-B plug for the DAC end. Pangea lists them as molded connectors with gold plating. USB-A is the flat plug on a computer or streamer; USB-B is the square plug on most desktop DACs.

Who Is This USB Cable Best For?

• You want Cardas copper at a Pangea price — the signal conductors are Cardas Grade One Copper, the same metal Cardas uses, so the core of the cable is proven
• Your DAC's USB input sits between other jacks — the MKII plugs are 2 to 3 millimeters narrower than before, so they clear neighbors that block a standard plug
• Your desk is full of power supplies — the power conductor is shielded on its own and the whole cable is double shielded, so noise has two barriers to cross
• You want a plug that grips — the molded, gold-plated plugs push straight in and hold by friction, so the connection stays put on a busy desk
• You need USB-C or USB 3 speeds — Premier SE MKII is a USB 2.0 cable with USB-A and USB-B plugs. If your DAC or computer has only USB-C, call us and we will match the plug

How Does It Connect to Your System?

Plug the USB-A end of Premier SE MKII into your computer, streamer or server and the USB-B end into your 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

What is Cardas Grade One Copper?

The copper George Cardas has drawn for his own cables. Pangea says it is mined in Arizona and drawn slowly in New England, then plated with 6% pure silver at a second factory.

What changed from the first Premier SE?

The plugs. Pangea made both the USB-A and USB-B ends 2 to 3 millimeters narrower so the cable fits tight panels. The conductors and shielding carry over.

Does a USB cable change the sound? It is only data.

The data arrives either way. What differs is the noise that rides in with it. Pangea's Jay Victor says radio and electromagnetic interference can distort the electrical signal a USB cable carries, and that some of it is audible.

Is there a step up?

Cardas Clear USB is the next rung we recommend. It moves to Cardas's Kevlar-core Litz conductors in PTFE, with a shielded signal pair inside a second shield.

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