That Gustard x26 Pro DAC you posted is mighty nice. it's rare that I see that nice of gear especially a DAC like that.
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Topping D90 Balanced USB DAC Review
- Thread starter amirm
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Fair comments all. I see the hypocrisy given my prior comments about subjective listening. To be honest the differences in sound were near inaudible to me, and both units are well burned-in. I’ve spent way more time adjusting to the other components of my setup—honestly it was the features between the two Toppings that led to my rush to judgment.As I recall that is a used D90? And, you just got it Friday, and you posted your conclusion Saturday? You might have given it a few weeks of time in your system, before jumping to a conclusion. It probably didn't even have time to get warmed up....
Perhaps there was something wrong with that particular D90?
Looking forward to your comparison of the Gustard X26 Pro, and I hope you give it a longer comparison, say a few weeks of music through it - acclimate to the X26 Pro without listening to the D90SE, and then do the comparison over a few days at least.
Anyway, that is minimally how I would compare them, and I wouldn't have been in such a rush to judgement. I'm equally surprised there was such a marked difference that you heard the difference immediately, as others say it is tough to tell them apart in a side by side listening comparison.
And, I would have looked for a used D90 MQA to compare to the D90SE MQA. I would like to know if the D90SE handles MQA decoding better than the D90 MQA rendering, and if there are audible differences.
But, to each their own.
I’ve already well-determined that my Pro iCAN Signature likes the 5V XLR output on the D90se—I’ve A/B’d that a million times by now. And the original D90 only outputs 4V. The differences in the clean headroom, presence and volume matching with the amp when switching to the 4V d90 were immediately evident and troubling.
I’ve also grown to love the D90se’s PCM filter 7–it’s a variation on their default #3 fast roll-off minimum included on both DACs, but #7 on the se is a “corrected” permutation that corrected any evidence of the ES9038pro midrange “hump” per Amir’s measurements—and you can really hear it. I’ve grown to love it and knew I would miss it with the D90.
Finally, I knew I’d never get past the voodoo of those specs on the D90se—I’m as much a sucker for these things as anyone, and it’s hard to argue with the numbers it scores even for a “subjective listener over measurements” guy like me. All of these a priori factors were likely why I put the question out there about others’ opinions between the two DACs—I guess because I knew the D90 with its AK4499eq is gone forever and I was looking for someone to reassure me that keeping the D90se version would not be a missed opportunity.
But your points are indefensible and I’ll go ahead and eat my crow. The Gustard is a different beast altogether and I guarantee I’ll invest every moment of the return policy critically listening before I make a final choice. Something tells me I can’t go wrong either way—and I see now why folks are so hesitant to lay down the line with questions about which is “better”…
Thanks a lot. Regarding noise, EMI etc., it's certainly an ideal arrangement if you get a perfect electrical circuitry all around your listening room (let's not forget that an old refrigerator next door can impact SQ), but not everyone enjoys such a privilege. Some people need to make the most of the circuit they have, but I agree with you 100%, prevention is better than cure.
Personally I went nuts with power “cleanliness” with my Pro iCAN Signature and Zen Stream—I have the Stream powered by an iPower X 15V adaptor, the iPower Elite that came with the Pro iCAN, an iFi AC iPurifier on my power strip, plus an AudioQuest Coffee USB cable with its dialectric bias system running between the ZS and my Topping D90se. AudioQuest Mackenzie XLRs running balanced between the DAC and AMP. Plus I ran the shortest cables possible (0.75m USB and 0.5m XLR).
The only thing I could have gone further nuts with is an iFi Power Station—but honestly I don’t need it. I’m not sure what part of my setup is doing the trick, but I think I need a new definition of quiet to describe this level of quietness!
PS I tried an AudioQuest Jitterbug with the Coffee for 30 seconds and it was a horror—gutted the sound right down the middle. Returned.
@srkbear , I am really happy to hear that I found one more fellow clean circuitry enthusiast and that you found your quietness! I incorporated Power Station into my system and I can tell a difference. Obviously, the more filters you implement the tinier the improvement with every filter, but the - Active Noise Cancelation together with each outlet independently isolated in its own chamber to prevent cross-contamination, with the addition of vibration-damping EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate) as well as the inbuilt earth/ground and polarity detection make a solid addition to your system.
No intention to steer folks away from your Power Station! I’m a big fan of your power conditioning efforts and offerings and I encourage everyone who owns a ZS or other desktop products in your line up to consider upgrading to your high end power supply options. They do make a considerable difference—in fact the additional amperage and other upgrades the iPower X affords solved some Wi-Fi connectivity issues I was having with the ZS and my mesh network.
I’ll consider the Power Station at some point, but for now the AC iPurifier seems to be doing all I need for my setup (along with the iPower Elite coming from the Pro iCAN Signsture).
My only wish is that I could take advantage of the DC loop back on the Pro iCAN to power my DAC—if I ever opt for the Pro iDSD Signature or electrostatic headphone options I will!
Couldn’t be happier with your gear—I got the xDSD Gryphon as a portable option to complement my iFi-heavy desktop setup and I feel all set. You guys knocked it out of the park with the Gryphon—it solved every missing feature I was seeking in a high quality transportable option and I think you sent your competitors running for cover. Please keep up the outstanding work!
That sounds like quite a collection! Thanks for your support! We have a few really interesting projects going on, which we will finish in 2022. Hope they will be true value added to your system.
I’m certainly excited to see what you have up your sleeves! But if you guys release an upgrade to the Pro iCAN Signature for which I just broke my piggy bank in 2022, I’m going to blow my head right off my neck…
Let me just say, without unveiling too much, you are covered
hmscott
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Hi, sorry for the delay, I posted my first reaction to the HS01 here on head-fi, and I haven't used the Topping HS01 much since, I don't want to leave it connected because the HS01 runs far too hot (for me, 24/7) compared to the ifi iDefender+ - which has no noticeable temperature above ambient - I noted the temps measured with an Infrared Thermometer set to "Objects" compared to other powered on items in that post as well. I have other things going on right now so I cannot put time into reviews - but I will try to squeeze in time to apply "noise" from the GPU to the HS01 sometime this month. Not looking promising though, as I don't think I will get past the "hot" running temperature of the HS01 - what is it doing that generates so much heat?? It should be an inert device except for switching in load for the ground loop mitigation, it shouldn't be doing "processing" of the digital signal, as it appears to be doing due to the long delay (compared to the iDefender+) when plugging in. See my post on head-fi.
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Of course it processes the digital signal, it is a USB isolator. IDefender lifts the power and ground wires without touching the data wires. A USB isolator has to pass the data through an isolation barrier, maybe optically or capacitively. I have an Intona 7055-C, and when connected to a self-powered DAC (RME ADI-2 DAC), it warms up a little and stays around the same temperature as the DAC or the USB hub. If the isolator had to transmit power too, it would have more overhead. Topping's device doesn't try to power the isolated side, it would always have an external supply.
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hmscott
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Topping now has the HS01 on their website describing the product:
HS01 USB 2.0 High Speed Audio Isolator
Topping HS01 Manual
Given the low cost and small form factor - much smaller than the Intona 7055-C:
I didn't believe the Topping HS01 was large enough to be more than a simple ground lifter like the iDefender, even with the description of the HS01 on the Apos/Hifigo sites, I still didn't believe it was possible to make a USB Isolator like the Intona in such a small package safely.
I'm not comfortable with the heat the HS01 is generating, and so I haven't been running it. Confirming the HS01 is a 1KVRMS USB Isolator in that small package doesn't make me feel safer running it.
Comparing the circuit / enclosure size difference between the HS01 and the Intona 7054/7055-B, I'm much more comfortable with 1KVRMS USB isolator protection in a large circuit board / enclosure vs a small inline box inches off my PC backpanel - as plugged in with the short USB cable provided.
I don't notice a functional difference between the HS01 and the iDefender+ in my use case, keeping PC borne GPU noise out of my audio.
Do you think the HS01 is providing the same functionality as the 7054/7055-B while safely providing 1KVRMS isolation? Do you believe it is safe to make it in such a small package?, that gets hot in operation, for many of us running 24/7?
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I don't know how it actually works, only that is supposed to work as an isolator and it is supported only with USB 2 audio devices.
hmscott
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@JohnYang1997
The HS01 product listing on Toppings website says it provides 1KVRMS isolation, does that functionality seem safe in such a small package? The Ikona 7054 Standard version rated at 1KVRMS is much larger, the 7055-B/C 5KVRMS devices are even larger.
The Ikona 7055-C offers 1KVDC isolation on USB 3.0 and 5KVRMS isolation on USB 2.0:
- Provides galvanic isolation to the USB bus
- Compliant to USB 3.0 (3.1 Gen 1) SuperSpeed (5 GBps) and 2.0 Hi-Speed (480 MBps)
- Backwards compatible to Full Speed and Low Speed
- 1kV DC Isolation of USB 3.0 part
- 5kV RMS Isolation of USB 2.0 part...
| Standard Version | 7054 | 1kV isolation, standard temperature grade, standard connectors |
| Industrial Version | 7054‑X | 2.5kV RMS isolation, specified isolation working voltage, extended temperature grade, high retention connectors |
| High Voltage Version | 5kV RMS isolation: please refer to our new model 7055-B |
The Ikona 7054 lists "Provides galvanic isolation to the USB bus" in it's feature list...but I don't see Galvanic Isolation mentioned on the Topping HS01 product page..
@JohnYang1997 if the HS01 provides galvanic isolation to the USB bus, the HS01 product page should list that specifically as a feature, as that is what many are after in a USB Isolator. What is missing in the HS01 implementation that didn't allow Galvanic Isolation to be explicitly claimed? Does the HS01 use Capacitive coupling?
The HS01 is pretty small, and gets a bit too warm in operation for my comfort level running 24/7, what kind of safety margin is there for a 1KVRMS rated device that small? I don't see 5V min/max/typical current draw specs in operation for the HS01, what are they? What were the design considerations to meet safety certifications in the US/World?
Update: I've asked Topping through Hifigo some questions via email, I'll post updates here and later in the thread too.
Update: 12/13 - From Topping through Hifigo => "We confirmed with Topping, it is not Galvanic."
Update: I considered an Ikona device before I found the updated ifi iDefender+, which I'd seen in it's earlier versions but never needed the functionality, until the D90 MQA / A90 combo. I might consider an Ikona in the future for myself, but for now I am happy with the noise free audio I already have with the ifi iDefender+ in place.
I did find these Ikona FAQ's interesting from Ikona on Sound, and Clicking the Buy on each product page gives more info on the versions I found helpful, 7054 or 7055 or
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Hi guys,
I alway read you but never write anything. Anyway now I have a problem with a topping d90 mqa. During reproduction, he often clicks. There's no difference if I stream from tidal, local, NAS, and with a difference DAC, the problem doesn't appear. The click is audible, like a "grgr" for half second, barely audible, but still audible. What should I try? I didn't find anything related on the net.
I alway read you but never write anything. Anyway now I have a problem with a topping d90 mqa. During reproduction, he often clicks. There's no difference if I stream from tidal, local, NAS, and with a difference DAC, the problem doesn't appear. The click is audible, like a "grgr" for half second, barely audible, but still audible. What should I try? I didn't find anything related on the net.
Based on your crafty marketing angle in that post, I fell at the feet of FOMO and got the PowerStation—now I guess I have levels of quietness in the negative range. Now I can truly say that I have iFi OCD—especially since I also added an iSilencer to my coax input for my SACD transport. Now enough already, no more subliminal temptations, I’m broke!
@JohnYang1997
Does anyone know if the D90 and D90 MQA automatically switches to DAC mode when it has DSD input? The D70 had to be manually switched but the AKM4499eq has the option for auto bypass.
CJH
Does anyone know if the D90 and D90 MQA automatically switches to DAC mode when it has DSD input? The D70 had to be manually switched but the AKM4499eq has the option for auto bypass.
CJH
pogballistics
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Hey there,Very nice
I'm not sure what ferrite powder unformed into a toroid for magnetic effects does, perhaps it's simply a powdered iron shield? There are formed flat plates of ferrite designed for winding wire to effect as described in the "spoilers" and on the site I am quoting, perhaps the line of ferrite powder also acts in this way as distributed through twisted pair wires?
A short snippet of discussion on how ferrite cores work:The ferrite cores are each designed to reduce at the source the noise as a field effect loss. That is why you have one at each end as the potential at the source (bi directional, one at each end) helps in the effect. That's is also why you can put them in series and parallel with windings to further reduce the noise - low pass filter works with a percentage of loss at the high frequencies which is additive. The ferrite core dimensions and density or iron in suspension along with whether the core wraps the cable, or the cable turns wrap the core, changes the potential effects.
Simply wrapping a snap on core cuts a bit of noise - in my case one ferrite core wrapped around the cable at each end drops the chirpy noises enough to suffice - it's low enough even in quiet passages to be a faint noise barely detectable.
The Supra cable doesn't have ferrite cores or ferrite powder that I know of, certainly not externally, and relies on shielding between power and data along with using twisted pair wiring independent for power and data. And, that's why the chirpy noises aren't filtered out at all and are too noisy to allow the RCA cables to be connected.
The Supra cable does have positive audible improvements to the signal I am hearing over the Tripp Lite cable with 2 ferrite cores. IDK if that is due to the effects of cutting the signal - low pass filters have some loss at the desired frequencies too - as I've been told it's best to only use 1 ferrite core at one end, IDK which end it is supposed to be at but I assume the source end - as 2 cores tends to affect the audio negatively. So what I might be noticing is a degradation of the signal with the Tripp Lite with Ferrite cores vs the Supra Cable which has no filtering effect in the design.
https://article.murata.com/en-us/article/basics-of-noise-countermeasures-lesson-8
"Therefore, the coil functions as a low-pass filter that blocks high-frequency current, enabling attenuation of high-frequency noise. Furthermore, the use of a ferrite core also provides an additional effect. When current flows to an inductor comprising a ferrite core, magnetic flux is generated in the ferrite core, and the current energy is converted into magnetic energy. However, when the current changes, this magnetic flux is converted back into current by electromagnetic induction. At this time, not all of the magnetic flux energy is returned to current energy, and some is lost as magnetic loss. (This is called "hysteresis loss.") As a result, part of the noise current passing through the conducting wires is lost as magnetic loss, reducing the energy. "
"The noise removal performance of ferrite cores varies according to the ferrite materials and shape.The magnetic permeability changes according to the ferrite materials, so the impedance also differs. In addition, the ratio between the resistance component and reactance component of the impedance also differs according to the materials. However, the materials of ferrite cores sold as noise countermeasures are blended specially for noise countermeasures, so there is no great difference in the characteristics regardless of the material selected. "
Here's a larger explanation with diagrams:
It's been more than a few years since I was fresh on the theory and implementation - and that was for other specific RFI / EMI problems - I'm mostly interested in buying a quick off the shelf solution for this specific instance rather than start a research project of scale.https://article.murata.com/en-us/article/basics-of-noise-countermeasures-lesson-8
<Noise countermeasure parts that can be used without changing the board>
Previously, we introduced noise countermeasure parts mounted on a board as part of the electronic circuit. This time we introduce noise countermeasure parts that do not require mounting on a board. (Although they are sometimes fixed to the board...)
As previously introduced, when commercializing an electronic device, it is necessary to check that the noise emitted from the device satisfies the EMI regulations. However, the final check cannot be performed until the device design is complete. Recently, experience concerning designs that do not emit noise is increasing, and various measures are being implemented beforehand to prevent the generation of noise, but of course the effects cannot be known until the final test. There is no problem as long as the noise level is within the regulation value as expected at this point, but the test results sometimes exceed the regulation value. When the delivery date is near, there is no time to change the board, so parts such as ferrite cores that enable countermeasures without changing the board come in handy.
<Ferrite cores are lumps of ferrite>
Ferrite cores are ceramic magnetic bodies consisting of ferrites (soft ferrites) processed into various shapes. Formerly, coils were often made by winding conducting wires around a ring-shaped ferrite core, so ferrite used for noise countermeasures is likewise called a ferrite core.
Ferrites include Mn-Zn ferrite and Ni-Zn ferrite according to the composition. Mn-Zn ferrite is conductive, so it requires insulation work, and Ni-Zn ferrite has better high-frequency characteristics. For these and other reasons, Ni-Zn ferrite is often used for noise countermeasures.
<Principle by which ferrite cores remove noise>
Ferrite cores come in various shapes, but most are ring-shaped. By passing conducting wires through the hole of the ring, the conducting wires and the ferrite core form a coil (inductor). This coil (inductor) is based on the same principle as that of an electronic part inductor, so the impedance increases together with the frequency as shown in Figure 1. Therefore, the coil functions as a low-pass filter that blocks high-frequency current, enabling attenuation of high-frequency noise. Furthermore, the use of a ferrite core also provides an additional effect. When current flows to an inductor comprising a ferrite core, magnetic flux is generated in the ferrite core, and the current energy is converted into magnetic energy. However, when the current changes, this magnetic flux is converted back into current by electromagnetic induction. At this time, not all of the magnetic flux energy is returned to current energy, and some is lost as magnetic loss. (This is called "hysteresis loss.") As a result, part of the noise current passing through the conducting wires is lost as magnetic loss, reducing the energy. The right side of Figure 1 shows the impedance characteristics of a coil with conducting wires passed through a ferrite core. The impedance of a normal coil consists mostly of the reactance (X) component, but when a ferrite core is used, the resistance (R) component becomes extremely large. This is a result of selecting ferrite materials suitable for noise countermeasures, and causes the noise energy consumption effect due to magnetic loss to account for a larger portion of the noise removal effect of the ferrite core than the current limiting effect of high impedance.
Figure 1. Noise removal effects of ferrite cores<Ferrite core specifications and performance>
The noise removal performance of ferrite cores varies according to the ferrite materials and shape.The magnetic permeability changes according to the ferrite materials, so the impedance also differs. In addition, the ratio between the resistance component and reactance component of the impedance also differs according to the materials. However, the materials of ferrite cores sold as noise countermeasures are blended specially for noise countermeasures, so there is no great difference in the characteristics regardless of the material selected.
Figure 2. Difference in performance due to different ferrite materials
The inductance increases (proportionally to the square of the number of windings) together with the number of times the conducting wire is passed through the ring core (number of windings). However, when the conducting wire is wrapped around the core, the winding start (entrance) and winding end (exit) come close to each other and have floating capacitance between them. High-frequency noise is conveyed via this floating capacitance area, which is a factor lowering the high-frequency performance. Therefore, in consideration of the target frequencies for noise reduction, the number of windings must either be increased to target the low-frequency range, or reduced to target the high-frequency range.
Figure 3. Relationship between number of windings and impedance
In addition, the ferrite core dimensions affect the performance as shown in Figure 4. Therefore, a ring core with the smallest inner diameter and widest cross-sectional area possible should be selected.
Figure 4. Ferrite core dimensions and performance
<Using a ferrite core as a common mode choke coil>
Due to their convenience, ferrite cores are often used on cables. However, these cables include interface cables, power cables, and other multiple conducting wires that run in parallel, so common mode noise is often an issue. Common mode choke coils are an effective noise countermeasure in these cases, and common mode choke coil functions can be achieved by passing the cables together through a single ferrite core. For example, in case of an interface cable that has multiple signal lines wired to a single end, it is difficult to wire common mode choke coils. However, common mode choke coil functions can be easily achieved by passing all of the interface cable wires together through a ferrite core.
Figure 5. Using a ferrite core as a common mode choke coil<Various ferrite core shapes>
Thus far we have introduced ring-shaped ferrite cores, but various other ferrite core shapes have also been commercialized. These include cores with wide and thin shapes that match the shapes of flat cables and flexible printed circuits (FPC), and divided cores that are assembled around cables to eliminate the work of passing the cables through the cores. In addition, simple plate-shaped cores that are not rings are also provided. These plate cores are attached over ICs and other locations that emit electromagnetic waves, and aim for radio wave absorption effects by attenuating the electromagnetic waves passing through the plate core by the magnetic loss of the ferrite.
Figure 6. Various ferrite core shapes
That site also has more details and products, I may have not even gotten the best out of it yet.
Oh, and the difference in audio I am hearing with the Supra USB 0.7m cable I have not heard with my D90 MQA / A90 before, not with the pack-in cable, another nice audiophile USB cable, or the Tripp Lite with 2 built-in Ferrite Cores, and it's a nice enough audible improvement for me to keep the Supra Cable even if it didn't do anything at all for the USB GPU Birdies.
I'll sum up what I am hearing in a short sentence. The audio has atmosphere.
The other cables had various stage width depth and height, and the Supra cable has all of that as far out as I've ever heard my system with my long used headphones and IEM's, but what I am clearly hearing is reverberation between objects that gives the presentation "atmosphere" that I haven't experience before.
This effect provides a audible feeling of individual object separation and brings a connectedness of not only the objects but of the room itself reflecting the objects and providing more clues as to the location for each source sound - this adds a "presence" to each object.
And, this overall result is that I am hearing spatial separation of individual sounds that now have a spatial presence they didn't have before.
This quality has grown over the time from when I first put the cable in and is very clearly there after about 10 hours of listening - it wasn't there to start, in fact I didn't like the sound in the first hour or so as it was flat and closed in and overall was worse in every way from the Tripp Lite cable I had just swapped it with.
At this point I was already detailing the ebay return note I was going to send to return the Supra cable. It was that bad.
If it wasn't that short stretch of a few hours without GPU birdies I would have wrapped it up before letting it burn-in further. The audio levels came back in about 5-6 hours - I moved the Gain back to M then to L where it is now and I also noticed something in tracks I hadn't heard before - atmosphere. That "echoey trail" you hear illuminating objects in live performances, but in full, not just the loudest peaks but the whole effect.
So, I'm very happy with the Supra cable audio, and without the RCA cables connected to stop the USB GPU Birdies the audio is even better than before, I'm really surprised and happy with the upgrade from swapping the USB cable to the Supra.
For now I'm going to enjoy the music and try to not be concerned about the USB GPU noise, perhaps I will discover something, or it will come along, or be suggested that assures me a solution will get rid of the chirpy noises - I'm pretty sure the conduction through the RCA cables can be stopped, but I'm not sure if the GPU noise will be induced otherwise into degrading the signal on or through the motherboard. And, there I go starting to think about it again...Thanks to everyone that contributed suggestions, I do appreciate your suggestions, they helped immensely - that Supra USB cable of 0.7m only cost $44 + shipping = $48.18, and well worth the expense for the improvement in the system audio I am hearing in all of my headphones and IEM's.Previously I couldn't stand listening to the Blon BL-05 for more than a short time even after burning in for weeks, it sounded "weird" as compared to the sound of the Blon BL-03 or other well mannered IEM's. While the Supra cable was run in for 24+ hours I spent an entire day really enjoying listening to the Blon BL-05. That is a real and surprising improvement that turned an IEM I couldn't stand into one I am really enjoying.
Now I'm swapping between my headphones and what I am hearing that I wasn't hearing before swapping in the Supra cable is making me very happy. My Sennheiser HD 598 CS headphones which have always been "flat" and not all that enjoyable - more of a yeoman's service headphone, are now very enjoyable.
The KZ ZAX's now have almost too much information. They were very enjoyable to listen to before - very engaging but not too much, but now they are too busy - overwhelming... I hope I get used to them again as I was really enjoying them. So there can be effects positive and negative for such "improvements".
These positive effects will likely become the new normal, but I am hoping my previously less enjoyable headphones will continue to shine.
Update: After a little more digging on the Jenving site that makes the Supra USB cable I found this interesting Note about Ferrite Cores interactions with their cables:
"Note! Be careful in the use of ferrites. Not all ferrites are tuned correctly to be used with this high frequency data transfer cable without changing the electrical properties of the cable to the point where the data transfer is corrupted and/or slowed down. This is a general notification for all digital interconnects. We have encountered HDMI cables not coming even close to the original excellent performance, thanks to later added ferrites with the benign intention of reducing RFI."
http://www.jenving.com/products/view/usb-2.0-a-b-1001908381
That describes what I am hearing with the Tripp Lite cable audio results vs Supra. I'll ask them what they suggest for Ferrite materials and application with their cables. It may be they would need to do this and tune the Ferrite application with the cable to best effect and least detriment.
I would have assumed Tripp-Lite did this with their USB + 2 Ferrite Cores cable. Selected the Ferrite material and design tuned for their USB cable application, but in comparison to the Ferrite-less Supra cable the Trip-Lite cable with the Ferrite Cores has poor audio quality - but it does reduce the GPU chirpy noise.
Update: Jenving uses this specific solder - Almit SR-34 Super - to build their cables, and provides the solder to their customers too:
http://www.jenving.com/products/view/solder-tin-0.8mm-sn-ag-500g-1086000229
One thing leads to another, maybe I could use this on the RCA cables coming from the D90 MQA to A90 to interrupt the USB sourced GPU birdies coming through ground noise transfer?
It's price + shipping is a bit pricey, and comes from another vendor on Ebay, I'll ask the Surpra cable provider if they can provide the Supra AGS-10k for less...
Supra AGS-10K Hum Blocker - Ground Loop Humming $128 USD + $56.87 shipping.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Supra-AGS-10K-Hum-Blocker-Ground-Loop-Humming/233648525191
Products ▶ Ground Separators Supra Hum-Buster
http://www.jenving.com/products/ground-separators-89
View attachment 90901The Supra AGS-10k is can be connected between the audio outputs on a computer/laptop and the audio inputs of a hi-fi amplifier to block any audible hum. Alternativly, it can be used between any two line-level items to avoid ground loop hum. Different to "common ground" separators, the Supra AGS-10k is of a high-end design using toroid transformers with wide frequency range and low distortion, even at the lowest frequencies.
The chassis is made from extruded aluminium, which helps prevent any RFI pick-up.
Specification:
- Input impedance: 10 kohms
- Output impedance: 10 kohms
- Ratio: 1:1
- Frequency Range: 15 Hz - 22 kHz
- Size: 53 (H) x 96 (W) x 89 (L) mm
- Weight: 440 g
Update: zendada responded and they can provide the Supra AGS-10k, I'm now waiting for them to list it on ebay so I can order it.
What is your opinion on Tripp Lite usb cable vs Supra.
I have been thinking of changing my cable from cable creation to tripp lite. It has ferrite core and without option.
Could you please help me here. Unfortunately I don't have option to buy Supra where I live. But would like to know more.
You realise you are responding to an 18 month old post?
Why do you want to change your cable? It has been demonstrated here that usb cables have effectively zero impact on audio quality.
Do USB Audio Cables Make A Difference?
Aftermarket USB cables seem to be all the rage with people paying as much as $15,000 for a short run of it!!! Lots of subjective performance reports are out there but none back with any objective measurements that demonstrates any difference. On the other side of the fence many believe there...
www.audiosciencereview.com
If you have a ground loop problem, then you won't solve it by changing your usb cable.
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