The Wire World Silver Starlight 7 USB A-B 3.0M arrived swiftly to my doorstep thanks to Ivan, the folks at WW, and speedy holiday shipping... which always slows down December 26th.
So, I signed up for Tidal today... if it lasts. Heck, at least it’s monthly.
Initially tried to play Tidal via USB to the Oppo Sonica. Well, I got side-tracked by the Oppo Sonica app the Oppo user manual told me to use. I could only find that on my iPad or iPhone. That was pretty easy to get working. It leads you through the steps. Boom. Before I knew it I was streaming wirelessly. Whoa! Not my intention, but OK. The wireless streaming was great quality. I had a few skips to start, but it seemed to catch up quickly, once I stopped fiddling around with different tracks and picked one to stick with.
I decided for comparison to stick with Pink Floyd, Division Bell, A Great Day for Freedom.
I was intent on listening via USB. I had an old Mediabridge USB printer cable connected from the iMac to the Oppo just as a tester for a start. It was easier to do from the front of my system. Once I decided to use my brain and play directly from Tidal to the Oppo USB input, and switch the sound output setting on the computer to the USB (it automatically recognized the Sonica both via USB and wirelessly) it switched on. There was an immediate noticeable drop off in SQ with the old printer cable, compared to wireless. Wow. I was concerned. Did I waste some cash on the WW USB Silver Starlight 7? Well, time to find out.
First of all, the WW USB is quality in hand. A sleek, sturdy yet supple cable, it inspired confidence. It came in the nice WW zipper case I’ve now gotten used to. I took out a shelf, did my balancing acts, and twisted and stretched my back, legs, arms and fingers into contortions to thread the WW USB into what I hope will be its resting place for some time. I did the necessary tests and plug-ins, and voila! Music!
Improved SQ was instantly noticeable, with improved definition across the spectrum, but especially in the mids and bass. My speakers are not very detailed in the highs, so that is harder to make a fair comment on. Impressive! I swear, the volume went up a smidge too. That should not be the case, but that is what I perceived. Fascinating and delightful! Not quite magic, but my system is not there yet. I likes!
On initial impression, I would rate SQ for the three options I have:
1) Wire World Silver Starlight 7 USB A-B 3.0M
2) wireless streaming
3) ... at a very distant third, the standard printer cable.
Sorry not to have other cables to compare, but I am more than pleased with the outcome. Thank y’all for your recommendations!
Best,
Shrinky