I was looking for a superior cable to connect my laptop (as audio source) to an external DAC, which is what I often use to play music on the speakers.
After a year with my Audioquest Cinnamon USB cable I was ready for an upgrade. The Cinnamon cable cost 110 francs in December 2024. Two weeks ago, I found suitable cable on a second hand website and got it for 20 francs plus shipping.
This cable turned out to be an extremely well priced Nordost Odin model, which after some very quick research was identified as a low cost Chinese copy. Plenty of YouTube videos showcasing similarly stylled cables to be found online.
The other suspicious element about it was the poor fitting in the USB-C port on the laptop, with any slight movement of the laptop, cable or DAC leading to a disconnect. On this ocassion, I found out that a disconnect is not just a matter of inconvienience. S loose connection apparently leads to packet loss and other technical problems with the connection between the DAC and the laptop.
It appears that Nordost does not make Odin USB-C to USB-B cables, hence any hope that this may be an original was quickly laid to rest.
In terms of sound quality though, when compared to my original Audioquest Cinnamon USB cable, this seems slightly more airy. After a bit of research, I discovered that poorly shielded cables can produce high frequency noise, whih can be perceived as air or detail but becomes fatiguing over long listening sessions.
I am back to the Cinnamon cable, primarily due to its stability on the system. if anyone is looking for a cheap Nordost Odin USB cable, you know where to find me.
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