About the AudioQuest Cinnamon
Who'd have guessed that USB cables can sound different?
Who'd have guessed that USB cables can sound different?
During AudioQuest's recent visit, they showed us their line of USB cables. These cables definitely have a high-quality look and feel, but we wondered how noticeable any sonic improvements would be. The proof was in the listening. In a direct comparison to a free-in-the-box USB cable, the AQ cable delivered greater bass extension, along with more bass and mid-bass detail. The soundstage opened up and vocals sounded more natural.
A high-quality USB cable is a great way to connect your desktop or laptop computer to a high-end audio digital-to-analog converter. For USB audio, as with all digital audio signals, it's critical to maintain accurate timing. This cable can reduce the timing errors or "jitter" that often makes digital music sound less clear and rich and three-dimensional.
Paying attention to every detail
AudioQuest Cinnamon is the USB cable for music lovers. It's carefully engineered, made with top-notch materials, and tested through hours and hours of listening. One way AQ improves the audio performance of its digital cables is by adding a thin layer of silver plating to the solid copper wires. When it comes to conducting signals, silver is the best-performing metal — better than either copper or gold. Cinnamon's silver-plated conductors are designed to reveal more high-frequency detail.
If you enjoy listening to digital music files on a high-end audio system, you'll be surprised at the difference AQ's USB cables can make.
Product highlights:
- USB cable (Type A to Type B)
- for use with audio D/A converters, select computer speaker systems, external hard drives, and more
- exceeds USB 2.0 high-speed data transfer specification
- low-jitter design specifically for USB audio
- silver-plated solid copper conductors for superior sound quality (silver layer is 1.25% of total conductor)
- polyethylene insulation
- triple shielding (foil/mylar/braided copper) to reject interference
- gold-plated connectors resist corrosion
- warranty: 5 years
- Our 60-day money-back guarantee
- MFR # 65-088-13
What's in the box:
- 5' USB cable (with a USB type-B connector on one end and a USB type-A connector on other end)
Featured review
Well made cable like all the Audioquest products and fast shipping from Crutchfield.
Scott from Magalia, CA
Customer Q&A
Q
Does this cable have the braided nylon jacket like most AudioQuest cables?
A
Yes
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Reason #11
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REVIEWS
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AudioQuest Cinnamon reviews
Average review:
Customer photos
Good the cable...but stiff
Stewart from Dallas, TX on 3/8/2019
I like and trust AudioQuest cables. - Work and sound good, although moderate price. I have a pair of Forrest (shorter length). I can't tell difference in sound between the two. As noted in reviews, this cord is rather stiff which makes it less user friendly...my application running from Amp to couch - doesn't effect me. But might cause some issues with some...The green Forrest is much more flexible.
Pros: Solid cable Reputable company Sounds good
Cons: Stiff cable - especially compared to Forest (green) Pricey - Forest might sound as good?
0 of 0 found this helpful
AudioQuest Cinnamon
Victor from Tampa, FL on 2/4/2018
Crutchfield is the best place to buy I love it., this type of audio quest cable is ok but not the best on music on the computer / the lower end model is a little better if you ask me. unable to notice the difference between forest vs cinnamon cable, thanks to Crutchfield returns!! ps save your money and get the audio quest forest one.
Pros: like all audioquest look great cable nothing more.
Cons: over price cable
0 of 0 found this helpful
AudioQuest Cinnamon
Crutchfield customer from Apache Junction, AZ on 8/27/2017
Looses connection at the slightest touch. Thin and non flexible. My old cheap cord out performs it. Wife tossed the box, so now I am stuck with this USB cable.
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0 of 0 found this helpful
AudioQuest Cinnamon
Scott from Magalia, CA on 11/21/2016
Well made cable like all the Audioquest products and fast shipping from Crutchfield.
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1 of 2 found this helpful
Great value!
Andy P from Hartford, Ct on 6/13/2016
Better sound quality compared to my original wire.
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0 of 0 found this helpful
Quality Audioquest USB Cable
Blue Bird Music from Marietta, GA on 2/22/2016
Perfect cable and Crutchfield provides top service and timely shipping.
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0 of 0 found this helpful
This Cable Made a Difference
Spuds from Idaho on 4/14/2015
How important are cables to the quality of sound? Very! Not snake oil at all, as it turns out. Learned that lesson sometime back with analog cables. But I was still skeptical of how much difference a digital USB cable could make and was poised to return it in a heartbeat if I didn't hear an appreciable difference. (I bought the shortest Cinnamon USB cable I could to replace the cable that came with my NAD 1050-D [DAC], which I had been listening to for 3 months.) I'm pleased to say that I absolutely could tell the difference when I swapped them out. Since then I bought another one for my Audioengine D1 DAC which came with a better USB cable than what came with the NAD, and I could still hear the difference!
Pros: More sparkle in the highs, tighter bass, more midrange detail, wider sound stage---a step up into higher quality sound without breaking the bank.
Cons: Price may still be a deterrent for those who've never got to audition high-end cables with cheaper ones before in an A/B comparison.
1 of 1 found this helpful
AQ Cinnamon USB 1.5M
RCBinTN from Tennessee on 2/27/2015
I bought this cable to upgrade from the PYST cable. It connects my Macbook to the Gungnir DAC. Occasionally, during normal playing of music (and no messing around with the gear) the DAC will drop out and the music will play over the computer speakers. Then it reverses, back to the DAC. I was advised this event is usually caused by a defective USB cable. I do not experience it with the old PYST USB cable. I think the AQ cables are decent quality, but I have some Forest cables and they are more flexible and work fine. Not sure the upgrade to the higher silver content makes much of a difference. This cinnamon cable is much stiffer than my Forest cables. When the DAC is working, the SQ is very good.
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4 of 6 found this helpful
Amazing
Antonio from New York on 2/17/2015
3 of 4 found this helpful
affordable
stellar from Malden, MA on 10/12/2014
I noticed a immediate improvement over the stock USB cable provided with my DAC. I have many cables and components in my system I needed better emi protection. This got me that for a great price.
Pros: Affordable improvement.
Cons: None I can notice.
1 of 1 found this helpful
AudioQuest Cinnamon
Hi.Fi.Goon from North Carolina on 8/25/2014
I am a firm believer in the fact that audio cable does make a difference in sound. I have experienced it first hand. I have an AudioQuest Cinnamon USB and an AudioQuest Forest USB. They make a difference! However, I can't tell a difference between the two. In other words, for my applications, the Forest works as well as the Cinnamon. It's also more flexible than the Cinnamon, making the Forest easier to manipulate in protable devices.
Pros: Makes an improvement in sound.
Cons: Unable to hear difference in Forest v Cinnamon?
5 of 5 found this helpful
Great cable for the price
jesse from Reedsburg, WI on 8/17/2014
This is a great cable for the price. I am using it to stream internet radio from my laptop through a DAC, to my stereo system. This cable delivers nice, clean sound and lets my DAC do its job.
Pros: Great cable for a price
Cons: none
0 of 0 found this helpful
AudioQuest Cinnamon
artf from pennsylvania on 4/27/2014
good quality cable , sound is very clear audioquest cables well put together and look cool too.
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1 of 1 found this helpful
Great Cable
Crutchfield customer from California on 3/28/2013
I have the Carbon USB, then i needed another one for my desktop setup, i did a comparison of both, and didn't hear any difference, For the money this is a solid cable.
Pros: Good build from AQ like always Clearer sound
Cons: nothing
4 of 4 found this helpful
Subtle, but yes a difference
Tom from Rochester NY on 5/29/2012
Got this cable along with several other Audioquest products when I was doing some finishing touches for my latest system upgrades. This cable feeds a nuForce udac2, and replaces the nuForce cable included with the dac. There is a bit more depth in the music, though seems clarity is close to the same. Worth the price? From a cheap usb cable to this one, definitely yeah. Maybe not so much going from the nuforce cable, nuForce provided a surprisingly good cable. But I've gravitated to the Audioquest Cinnamon line for a lot of my AV cables -- not cheap but also not in the absurd price range, a good balance IMO. With the systems I've put together the last few years, the emphasis has been on quality, and if it costs a bit to get subtle improvements, then so be it -- they add up.
Pros: well made, good connections, clean sound transferred to the dac
Cons: none
14 of 15 found this helpful
More details on the AudioQuest Cinnamon
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Features
USB Connectors: The Audioquest Cinnamon USB cable features gold-plated USB connectors for maximum signal transfer. The Audioquest Cinnamon USB cable has a USB type-A connector on one end and a USB type-B connector on the other end.
Silver-Plated Conductors: The Audioquest Cinnamon USB cable uses solid 1.25% Silver-Plated conductors to eliminate inter-strand distortion and reduce jitter.
Polyethylene Insulation: The USB cable's solid Polyethylene insulation ensures critical signal-pair geometry.
USB 2.0: This cable exceeds USB 2.0 data rate specifications with greater than 1200 Mbps. It provides up to 20% more power delivery for maximum charging.
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Customer Q&A
Q Crutchfield asked: Why did you buy this?
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