Dragon Cables
Black Dragon USB Cable
$165.00 USDThe Black Dragon USB cable utilizes our single crystal UP-OCC copper construction to provide you with the best possible digital bus transmission. Our Black Dragon USB cable will bring an extordinary amount of detail and resolution to your hi-fi system. The Black Dragon USB cable is designed to transfer digital audio from your source device (like a computer, phone, tablet, or a digital audio player) to a USB capable DAC. It is built to USB Audio specs. The Black Dragon USB Cable is meant for audio data transfer only - meaning that this cable should not be used for high-speed data transmission (via external hard drives). Because of the high-quality materials and cable geometry, Dragon USB cables greatly reduce stock USB cable issues such as packet loss and jitter.
Moon Audio builds cables for home, office, and portable audio solutions. Please see the notes below in our Description Tab to help you establish which USB connection is right for your application. From USB-A, B, C, and Lightning connectors, we make your cable to order, handcrafted in-house by our expert cable technicians.
We have optimized our USB cables for audio transmission of large high-resolution audio files. This product page is for longer cable length applications. If you need shorter more fitted cable solutions for portable gear please see our Black Dragon Form Fit USB cable HERE.
Cable Design
The Black Dragon USB cable was created with 99.999% pure copper 24AWG Teflon insulated stranded copper conductors with a double layer shield to ward off outside interference. Be prepared to be amazed at the difference it will make when transferring your computer audio catalog to your USB applications.
We offer normal USB signal transfer cables from your computer to your Digital Audio Converter as well as a host of ultrashort cables to connect your portable devices. For longer and more custom options please see the drop-down menus on this webpage to choose the selection you need.
Are USB Audio Cables Different from Regular USB Cables?
There's an important distinction to make when it comes to audio-specified USB cables. Audio USB cables like Moon Audio's Silver and Black Dragon USB Cables are not meant for usual data transmission in the way that you would connect a hard drive to your computer. This is why USB audio cables will not work for high-speed/superspeed data migration or fast-charging applications. Each connector type has a specific amount of pins that the conductors are attached to. Audio cables do not need all the pins for data that usual USB cables utilize. We typically use 4-5 pins for audio transfer, which is all you need. More pins mean faster rates, more data, more conductors, and more expensive cables.
When we say that a USB cable is meant for audio transmission only, this means that the cable should only be used for connecting your source to a DAC or music streamer (just as an example). The only thing that should be transmitted through the cable is your audio data. You might ask, why would I get a cable that only does audio when I can get a stock USB cable that does everything? Answer: the same reason why audiophiles and music lovers buy a standalone DAC, or a high-end preamplifier or music streamer. The fact is that a standalone device or devices meant to do one thing, perform better than do-it-all devices. Better materials, better quality construction, and the fact that something was designed specifically for one purpose means the same thing for cables.
Audio Only Needs USB 2.0 for Data Transfer - It Will Not Benefit From Newer USB Technology
USB Audio will not benefit from the technological advancements and speeds of USB 3.0 and up. A typcial or standard 24-bit/192 kHz high-resolution stereo audio file only takes about 20mbps of USB bandwidth. USB 2.0 transfer speeds max out at 480 mbps. There is simply no need for any high data transfer size/speed for high-resolution audio for the near future.
What is OTG?
There are two different configurations offered on this webpage. Normal USB signal transfer as well as OTG (on-The-Go) USB signal transfer. What is OTG? There are two different configurations offered on this webpage. Normal USB signal transfer as well as OTG (on-The-Go) USB signal transfer. What is OTG? USB OTG is a specification that allows USB devices, such as tablets or smartphones, to act as a host, allowing other USB devices, such as USB flash drives, digital cameras, mice or keyboards, or an external Dac to be attached to them. The USB connection is terminated slightly different than in a normal USB termination. This termination essentially tells the Android-based device to output a data stream. In the case we all care about, it is releasing digital audio so your external Digital to Analog Converter takes over control of processing the digital music on your Android based phone or tablet.
USB On-The-Go (OTG) is a standard available on many Android phones that allows portable devices to act as USB hosts. This is a great way to expand the utility of your smartphone or tablet. OTG protocol allows you to be able to connect external devices like a storage drive, camera, mouse, and keyboard to your smart device. The real benefit of this comes with transferring data. Before the OTG protocol, you would have to connect your phone to your laptop or computer, connect the external drive, flash drive, or SD card to the same computer, and initiate the data transfer through the computer. It was a tedious and time-consuming process.
With USB OTG, you can now connect the external drive directly to the smartphone or tablet, in which case the device would act as a host (like the computer in the previous example), and transfer the data directly without the use of a middleman. It's a more efficient and easier way to transfer data to your device. In order to use OTG you'll need a suitable cable or adapter from your external device to your phone or tablet. There are lots of options here, and you'll need to make sure that your devices can support OTG for this process. If you have any questions feel free to Contact Us and we'll be more than happy to help guide you through this process.
Dragon Cable USB-C Connectors
Moon Audio's USB-C cables are built specifically for digital audio transfer only. They are not designed with charging and fast speed data transfers in mind. High speed data transfer requires more conductors in a cable which would drive up the cost exponentially. That being said, while our USB cables will charge a device, they are based on USB specifications required for audio transfer only. Note that high-resolution audio data does not need any more bandwidth than what is provided by USB 2.0. This is our way of creating premium cables for incredibly low prices. For USB C charging cables we have a great affordable option HERE.
USB-C can be utlilized for both OTF and non-OTG applications as well. For example, when connecting an Apple MacBook Pro to your home DAC via USB-C, a standard USB-C to USB-B connectio is required. If you have an Android-based Samsung Galaxy phone or an Android-based digital audio player (DAP) like an Astell&Kern SP3000 to your Chord Hugo 2 DAC and Headphone Amp, then you will need a USB-C to USB micro-B OTG cable. It can be difficult to figure out, but feel free to Contact Us for help.
MFI-Certified Lightning USB Cables
Moon Audio also specializes in MFI-certified Lightning USB Cables for Apple devices like iPhone and iPad. Apple Lightning cables work in the same way as an OTG cable - they tell the Apple device to output digital audio. Note that the digital to analog converter must also be MFI-certified to accept this direct cable connection. If your DAC is not MFI-certified then a two-cable solution is required. In this case, you would need an Apple CCK adapter followed by a USB cable. The Apple CCK adapter acts as the OTG cable for this connection. For example, if you need to connect your iPad or iPhone to a Chord Mojo 2 or Chord Hugo 2 DAC and Headphone Amplifier then you would need an Apple CCK adapter plus a USB-A to USB Micro B cable. See HERE for an example of this connection kit. Also, please see our Apple-specific cables HERE.
How to Connect:
Computers to DACs (longer USB Cable applications):
Standard USB cables are not up to the task of large bit rate information. We have optimized this cable for digital transfer of High Res files.
- 3" USB RT B Micro to USB RT B Micro OTG (for Android) - Perfect for use between older Astell&Kern DAPs and Chord Mojo/Mojo 2 DAC.
- 3" USB RT B Micro to USB RT B Mini OTG (for Android) - perfect between an Android phone and an iQube V5 Amplifier/DAC.
- 6" USB A to USB B Micro (for connecting computers to DACs) - Perfect cable solution between a Chord Mojo/Mojo 2 and a laptop or iPhone with Apple CCK cable.
- 6" USB B Micro to USB B Micro OTG (for Android) - Perfect Between the Onkyo DP-X1 and either Chord Hugo/Hugo 2 or Chord Mojo/Mojo 2.
- 6" USB C to USB C (OTG) - perfect cable solution between newer Astell&Kern DAP models and the Chord Mojo 2 DAC.
- 6" USB A to USB C - perfect cable solution between your computer or laptop and a USB-C compatible DAC.
Quality You Can Trust
Generally, stock audio cables are manufactured with subpar materials, metals with impurities, poor geometries, and an overabundance of layers to make them look and feel like a fire hose. Inconsistency and lack of quality control in stock cables can lead to poor sound quality and a veiled sound vs. what the musician intended for you to hear and feel from the music. Dragon cables are handcrafted with the highest standards and made to order according to your specific needs. At Moon Audio, we create a Custom HiFi Audio Cable for you using the highest quality UP-OCC silver or copper conductors that can be manufactured. UP-OCC metals are void of impurities and are optimized for signal transfer and sound quality. We have one of the largest collections of audio and headphone connection options available online and we create limitless audio cable options depending on your specific gear and needs.
Why Dragon Cables?
You’ve heard the saying that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, right? Well, the same applies to your brand-new audiophile-grade headphones or other audio components. The weakest link, in this case, is your stock cable or the cheap interconnects the manufacturer threw in the box just to get you up and running. Why is the cable always an afterthought, when it’s just as important as the rest of your system? At Moon Audio, we use the best raw materials in our cables to unveil your music. Dragon Cables are handcrafted from quality materials in our headquarters in Cary, North Carolina. All of our cables are created with ultra pure, single-crystal silver and copper strands and engineered to provide the cleanest, most musical presentation. Our wire is void of impurities and crystalline boundaries, leaving nothing between you and your music.. We believe the materials matter and your audio cables should have the same care and craftsmanship that manufacturers put into their audio components and headphones. Audio cables are ultimately the connection to your music. The fact remains that cabling is often considered the last priority to that of the main product and a means to cut down the overall production costs. It’s as simple as that.
The Black Dragon USB cable is designed to transfer digital audio from your source device (like a computer, phone, tablet, or a digital audio player) to a USB capable DAC. It is built to USB Audio specs. To learn more about what this means, head over to our blog USB Cables - and Why They're Important.
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Cable Design Specifications | |
| Conductors | 4 x 24AWG |
| Material | 99.99998% UP-OCC Copper |
| Construction | Varying Size Stranding |
| Solder | Cardas Silver Solder |
| Shielding | Foil, Braided Wire Shield |
| Jacket | Black Polyethylene |
| Product Features | |
| Format | Digital USB |
| Break-In Time | 40 Hours |
| Warranty Information | |
| Coverage | One-Year Limited Warranty |
| Protection | Against Material or Manufacturing Defects |