AudioQuest JitterBug USB Filter Review

[AudioSceptic]

It's the same for all USB ports in my motherboard.

The card I ordered (https://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=643&bno=116&tb=51&area=en ) has its own USB controller, some capacitors and inductors and is powered by independent SATA cable, so I'm having some hopes up that it might actually do something for this.

I hope so. It's not crazy money and you will get other use from it anyway.

 

[richard_crl032]

How did you find those impacted things?

Hi BD,

No measurement and suffice to say best sounding TO ME ... oyaide continental 5S V2.

Zonotone 7N Shupreme and Furutech gt2 pro now on the rack.

Cheers.

Richard

 

[Veri]

Hi BD,

No measurement and suffice to say best sounding TO ME.

Zonotone 7N Shupreme and Furutech gt2 pro now on the rack.

Cheers.

RichardView attachment 64879

 

[Alida]

Have you considered that part of the problem may be noise from DAC to Source? Jitterbug may protect the noise from going back to source.

 

[solderdude]

Have you considered that part of the problem may be noise from DAC to Source? Jitterbug may protect the noise from going back to source.

You probably do not mean me with you but here is my reply to you where me is not the intended you.

The filter will work both ways but with different effect perhaps unless the filters used are symmetrical pi filters. And even then source and DAC impedances and common/differential mode noise sources will differ.
What you are suggesting is the DAC is influencing the source rather than the other way around ?
Would this realization change anything in the audio out of the DAC ?

 

[mansr]

I'd put it a different way. If a DAC is so bad that other devices need protection from it, perhaps one should consider a different model.

 

[crazywipe]

I was trying the Jitterbug recently, with a simple setup like Beyer dt770-80 ohm + soundblaster play3! I have to say that subjectively I do hear a difference. Bass is more solid and the overall sound image is more 3d. I can push the volume up with less harshness.
On this setup there is an improvement IMHO. I can't speak if the result will be consistent with other dacs.

 

[Veri]

Bass is more solid and the overall sound image is more 3d. I can push the volume up with less harshness.

Detailed measurements here show that there's no real change, impossible it could affect something like "image/3d". It does next to nothing.

 

[mnemonix]

I was trying the Jitterbug recently, with a simple setup like Beyer dt770-80 ohm + soundblaster play3! I have to say that subjectively I do hear a difference. Bass is more solid and the overall sound image is more 3d. I can push the volume up with less harshness.
On this setup there is an improvement IMHO. I can't speak if the result will be consistent with other dacs.

Uhuh.

 

[BDWoody]

I have to say that subjectively I do hear a difference. Bass is more solid and the overall sound image is more 3d.

Sure... Because that's what's you paid to hear.

Listen with some controls (level matched/blind), and I'll bet those differences aren't there any more. If you are confident enough, there are many here who would be happy to take the other side of a bet.

 

[richard_crl032]

I was trying the Jitterbug recently, with a simple setup like Beyer dt770-80 ohm + soundblaster play3! I have to say that subjectively I do hear a difference. Bass is more solid and the overall sound image is more 3d. I can push the volume up with less harshness.
On this setup there is an improvement IMHO. I can't speak if the result will be consistent with other dacs.

Hi crazywipe,

Yes .. I hear difference also and in some cases improved to what I like and in some cases, it worsens .. to my ears of course.

Cheers.

Richard

 

[rubley00]

Hi crazywipe,

Yes .. I hear difference also and in some cases improved to what I like and in some cases, it worsens .. to my ears of course.

Cheers.

Richard

There's an easy answer: You're wrong

 

[Alida]

When you can't measure and you can't or won't hear a difference, you say it's snake oil. It's fair but while others say they can hear a difference, don't say they are wrong coz it's their ear, you wouldn't know.
The measurements we do are mostly on frequence domain, while sound quality difference we perceive depends on time domain largely. Right? Or it would be so easy, just to buy the one with best/better measurement result always and problem easily solved, but you know it's not that easy. What I am trying to say is that we haven't figured out all the objective measurement to explain how we perceive the sound difference yet.

 

[rubley00]

When you can't measure and you can't or won't hear a difference, you say it's snake oil. It's fair but while others say they can hear a difference, don't say they are wrong coz it's their ear, you wouldn't know.
The measurements we do are mostly on frequence domain, while sound quality difference we perceive depends on time domain largely. Right? Or it would be so easy, just to buy the one with best/better measurement result always and problem easily solved, but you know it's not that easy. What I am trying to say is that we haven't figured out all the objective measurement to explain how we perceive the sound difference yet.

I know he's wrong. And you're wrong for suggesting he's hearing something that cannot be measured.

 

[solderdude]

When owners REALLY want to know they should listen to it blind.
It is highly likely those hearing things knew it was in the chain (or not).

 

[Alida]

I don't agree Why must do blind listen? I hear and enjoy the same music for weeks if not months. If I can't stand the sound, I just can't, even something tiny bothering me I will try to ignore until I give up. But I don't need to cover my eye when I listen and feel totally happy.

 

[manueljenkin]

When you can't measure and you can't or won't hear a difference, you say it's snake oil. It's fair but while others say they can hear a difference, don't say they are wrong coz it's their ear, you wouldn't know.
The measurements we do are mostly on frequence domain, while sound quality difference we perceive depends on time domain largely. Right? Or it would be so easy, just to buy the one with best/better measurement result always and problem easily solved, but you know it's not that easy. What I am trying to say is that we haven't figured out all the objective measurement to explain how we perceive the sound difference yet.

I think the word you're looking for is steady state behavior vs transient behavior, and as an addition level dependent changes? I too would advice to get a bit more experienced in the terminologies before arguing here.

Pretty much with you on the cognition part. It's still not well understood so we don't have the possibility to conclude anything, whether there is an audible change or not, especially with such limited measurements.

 

[solderdude]

I don't agree Why must do blind listen? I hear and enjoy the same music for weeks if not months. If I can't stand the sound, I just can't, even something tiny bothering me I will try to ignore until I give up. But I don't need to cover my eye when I listen and feel totally happy.

Then you are simply not interested in truth finding. All good as long as you are happy it doesn't matter if differences are real or of other origin.

It's still not well understood so we don't have the possibility to conclude anything, whether there is an audible change or not, especially with such limited measurements.

It can be tested though... and be conclusive. Most just don't want to go there.

 

[crazywipe]

Hi crazywipe,

Yes .. I hear difference also and in some cases improved to what I like and in some cases, it worsens .. to my ears of course.

Cheers.

Richard

I understand that peoples here are integralist of "measurements only" approach to audio, but trying to explain all with measurements, does not tell the whole story in my opionion. Our auditory system is far more complex than any measurement rig.
Of course peoples can say that the improvements are placebo and it's just our imagination. I will still listen with the Jitterbug

 

[amirm]

I don't agree Why must do blind listen? I hear and enjoy the same music for weeks if not months. If I can't stand the sound, I just can't, even something tiny bothering me I will try to ignore until I give up. But I don't need to cover my eye when I listen and feel totally happy.

For anything you say to apply to everyone, we need reliable facts. If what you perceived is imagined, then it obviously won't apply to other people so is of no value in a pubic discussion. The way we know if you imagined the difference, we would need to block all of your other senses than your ear and your brain processing said stimulus.

Really, that is the purpose of audio sites. We want to create reliable conclusions so that people can rely on them to make purchase decisions. Having someone say they are happy or unhappy with what they hear from their system is not a concern of ours, nor does it have value. I can be super happy listening to music on my laptop speaker. That doesn't mean said speakers are high fidelity.