As well known as AudioQuest is for its groundbreaking line of low-distortion, high-performance analog cables, the more recent addition of high-speed digital cables such as HDMI, FireWire, Ethernet, and USB to the AQ line have garnered near-universal acclaim from reviewers, manufacturers, dealers, and end users. In that frontier-expanding spirit, there are some substantial updates and improvements coming to AudioQuest’s broad and potent line of USB digital-audio cables.

AudioQuest’s carbon-based 3-layer noise-dissipation system (NDS) will be added to USB Carbon, Coffee, and Diamond. Typical cable shield systems absorb and then drain noise and RF energy to component ground, which modulates and distorts the critical “reference” ground plane. NDS’s application of metal- and carbon-loaded synthetics “shields the shield,” absorbing and reflecting most of this energy before it reaches the layer attached to component ground. This reduces distortion and increases sonic performance.

As versatile and great sounding as AudioQuest’s USB cables are, these latest models and improvements continue the AQ tradition of pushing performance to the available limit, never resting on an existing product’s laurels.