AudioQuest Carbon USB Cable - USB-C to USB-C

Carbon Is Where AudioQuest's USB Range Turns Serious

AudioQuest's Carbon is the fourth rung of its USB cables. Its conductors are Long-Grain Copper with 5% silver plating, four times the silver of Cinnamon. Hard-Cell Foam insulates them, a shield with carbon layers wraps the pair, and a gray-on-black nylon braid covers the jacket.

Long-Grain Copper With 5% Silver Plating

AudioQuest says a USB signal is so high in frequency that it travels almost entirely on the surface of the conductor. The 5% silver layer on Carbon is the thickest below Coffee. AudioQuest says the surface then performs very close to a solid silver wire. Every conductor is direction-controlled.

Hard-Cell Foam and a Carbon Layer in the 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.

For this version AudioQuest lists Metal-Layer Noise-Dissipation plus a carbon layer. The negative conductors wear carbon-loaded polyethylene, which AudioQuest says cuts the radio noise fed back into the equipment. Carbon is a USB 2.0 cable rated to 480 megabits per second.

The USB-C Plugs, Explained

Carbon ends in a small USB-C plug at each end. USB-C is the small oval plug on newer laptops, phones and DACs. It fits either way up. 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 Carbon for SoundStage! Access on September 15, 2011. It "removed the last vestiges of fog: I was able to see and hear everything with perfect clarity," he wrote, while noting the differences "weren't huge."

Glenn Young ranked it highest of the copper-based AudioQuest cables in Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity on August 31, 2022. "I thought these had the best bass and a rich tone from top to bottom," he wrote.

Who Is This USB Cable Best For?

• You want the reviewers' pick — both SoundStage! and Secrets rated Carbon above the cheaper AudioQuest cables, so the step up is on record
• Both your laptop and DAC use USB-C — the cable has USB-C at both ends, so a modern laptop reaches a modern DAC with nothing in between
• Your desk is full of power supplies and WiFi — the carbon layer in the shield soaks up radio noise before it reaches the ground reference, so the DAC sees a cleaner signal
• You value bass and body — Secrets heard the best bass and a rich tone from top to bottom, so kick drums land
• Your DAC has the square USB-B input — a USB-C plug will not fit it. Choose the AudioQuest Carbon USB-C to USB-B instead, or call us and we will match the plug

How Does It Connect to Your System?

Plug either USB-C end into your laptop or phone and the other into your 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.

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 does the carbon layer do?

AudioQuest covers the negative conductors with carbon-loaded polyethylene. It says the partially conductive layer reduces radio-frequency noise fed back into the equipment and damps interaction between the conductors.

Will it power a bus-powered DAC?

Yes. AudioQuest lists 5 volts at 500 milliamps for this USB 2.0 cable, which is the standard bus-power budget. Power Delivery charging is not supported.

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?

Not in the AudioQuest USB-C to USB-C range we carry. Carbon is the top of that ladder. If you want to go further, call us and we will talk through the whole chain.

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