Supra USB 2.0 A to B 5m

Name: USB 2.0 A to B 5m
Brand: Supra
SKU: 5055545106910
Price: 79.0 EUR
Availability: BackOrder
Rating: 5.0 (1 reviews)

Awards

What Hi-Fi? 5 stars

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Supra USB 2.0 A to B Cable, 5 m

Five metres: that is the reference length set by the USB 2.0 standard for a passive cable, and it is the length of this Swedish model. It is enough to connect a computer on a desk to a DAC housed in the hi-fi cabinet at the other end of the room. Manufactured by Supra in Ljungskile, on Sweden’s west coast, this cable relies on two things you cannot see once the jacket is closed: carefully designed shielding and impedance kept as close as possible to the standard’s requirements.

A digital link between the source and the converter

The flat, rectangular USB A plug connects at the source end: computer, music server, network player. The almost square USB B plug goes at the receiver end: digital-to-analogue converter (DAC), integrated amplifier with a USB input, audio interface, or any other device equipped with this port, including a printer. Data travels in both directions, which is necessary because the DAC sends information back to the computer, for example to regulate the stream in asynchronous mode.

The cable falls into the USB 2.0 high-speed category, at 480 Mbit/s. That is far beyond what music requires: a stereo 32-bit / 384 kHz PCM file represents around 25 Mbit/s, and a native DSD512 stream stays below 50 Mbit/s. Data rate therefore poses no limit for audio. It all comes down to clean transmission.

Two twisted pairs, each separately shielded

A USB 2.0 cable contains two pairs of conductors: one carries data, the other the 5 V power supply and ground. Supra carefully twists each pair and wraps it in its own shielding, an aluminised polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film. Twisting means that interference picked up by one conductor is also picked up by its neighbour and cancels out at the receiving end; separate shielding prevents noise carried by the power line from disturbing the data pair. The conductors are stranded, made from fine 0.127 mm strands, which keeps the cable flexible despite its length.

Everything is housed in a round PVC jacket measuring 7.1 mm in diameter, in ice blue, marked “SUPRA USB > Made in Sweden” with a marker every metre. The plugs are robust Supra connectors, designed to withstand repeated connections.

An impedance of 90 ohms maintained over five metres

At 480 Mbit/s, a cable no longer behaves like a simple wire: it becomes a transmission line, whose characteristic impedance must match that of the circuits it connects. The USB 2.0 standard specifies 90 Ω for the data pair. Any deviation creates reflections that distort the signal edges and can cause read errors or dropouts. Supra maintains this 90 Ω value, with a capacitance of 52 pF per metre, low for a cable of this cross-section.

The velocity factor of 0.66 indicates that the signal propagates at two-thirds of the speed of light. Over 5 m, it takes around 25 nanoseconds to travel through the cable, below the 26 ns ceiling set by the standard for propagation delay. Supra rates its USB 2.0 range for lengths up to 15 m, but the rule remains simple: only as much length as necessary is always preferable. The 5 m length is justified when the room layout requires it, not as spare length.

One point concerns devices powered by the USB port itself: the longer the cable, the more the voltage reaching the device drops slightly. A power-hungry pocket DAC is more sensitive to this than a home converter equipped with its own mains power supply, which uses the 5 V line only for detection.

Technical Specifications

General Specifications

Type: High-speed USB 2.0
Signal Direction: Bidirectional
Outer Diameter: 7.5 mm
Length: 5 m

Connectivity

Connectors: USB A male to USB B male
Number of Conductors: 19
Conductor Diameter: 0.127 mm
Shielding: Aluminum-coated PET (polyethylene terephthalate)

Electrical Performance

Transfer Rate: 480 Mbit/s
Resistance: 72 Ω/km
Capacitance: 52 pF/m
Impedance: 90 Ω
Velocity Factor: 0.66 × c

Frequently asked questions

Does the cable work with a DAC equipped with a USB 3 Type-B port?

Yes. A USB 3 Type B socket, recognizable by its raised upper section, accepts USB 2.0 Type B plugs. The connection then operates in USB 2.0 mode, which makes no difference for audio. On the computer side, the Type A plug connects to either a USB 2 or a USB 3 port.

Can it be connected to a computer or phone that only has USB-C ports?

Not directly, since Supra’s USB 2.0 range only comes with A connectors (to B, Mini B, Micro B or A). A male USB-C to female USB A adapter allows you to use it; it is best to choose a compact, good-quality one, as it forms part of the connection.

Can a USB cable change the sound of a DAC?

Music data arrives intact or not at all, and in asynchronous mode it is the DAC’s clock that sets the pace of conversion, not the computer. The cable’s primary role is to transmit without errors or dropouts. It also carries the computer’s ground and power supply, often laden with electrical noise: this is where separate shielding for each pair proves useful, with effects that depend on each DAC’s own isolation.

Is there a specific connection direction to follow?

Only the plug types determine the direction: A on the source side, B on the receiving device side. The cable has no directional markings.

What other lengths are available?

The A to B version is available in 0.7, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 15 m lengths. Supra also makes custom lengths, charged per additional metre.

Is this cable suitable for an external hard drive or a printer?

Yes, for any device with a USB Type-B port. An external USB 3 hard drive with a Type-B socket will work, but will be limited to USB 2.0 speeds, which significantly slows down copying large files without affecting music playback.

How do I route it behind furniture or through cable trunking?

With a diameter of 7.1 mm and a round jacket, it fits through most cable trunking and cable guides. Avoid tight bends, crushing under furniture legs and repeated twisting, which eventually damage the twisted pairs and their shielding. Store excess cable in loose loops rather than tightly coiled.