I suppose I need to try out that usb port soon and see how it works. I'd kind of forgotten it was even there.

I use Logitech Duet systems to play my music collection on multiple audio systems in my house now. I love how well that works and sounds.

I read that absolute sound piece, but never having tried usb audio myself, I didn't know what to think of it.

Mabey it's just me, but I've always thought music from my CD player via optical or coax sounded a littlebit better than music from my computer via USB , tough I've never done any blind comparison or ,for that mater, listened to the same CD from both sources so it could be more a reflection of the isgnal quality at the source.
I'd be very much suprised if there weren't USB cords being sold for a lot more than $500. I'm sure there are people who would buy them then swear that it was as though many layers of blankets had been unwrapped from their speakers.
I hope they don't knock the clocks over when they're removing all of thos blankets.

LOL! It's as if those 1's and 0's were suddenly transformed from drab ol' courier to garamond. Your D/A knows the difference dammit and will petulantly apply those speaker blankets if you don't humor it with proper Rolls Royce cabling.

I can see it now...we can call them Tiny Little Cables.

The difference between a CD player via digital audio and a PC via USB could be related to the extra processing involved in the PC (depending on the media player used, there can be various amounts of "mucking around" done with the digital signal).

As for the idea of $500 USB cables, I have no comment .