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Which one to buy: UpTone USB REGEN or Intona USB Isolator?


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I just saw a new gavanic isolator from JCAT,which is in Aluminium box then i thought yeah!... it should be in an aluminium box not a plastic box because while we try to get rid of noises, we open the door for another noise to come in.

so.. i tried to wrap it with 8ply of sheet and apllied some duct tape in sensitive area such as connector or pcb to avoid short curcuit.

After finished it, i had to yell out loud... Holy...sh...., it sounds unbelieveable!

PS. from my experiment, i found 10-12ply can shield broadband EMI. I wraped my phone and then called in from another phone. At 10ply, Phone was loss their connection.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]28257[/ATTACH]

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]28258[/ATTACH]

 

You're using 8 ply aluminum foil? Two layers? Sorry I'm a little confused here. Thanks...

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I will say that the Amber Regen is a very good device with the right dac. WIth R2R dacs like the Yggy(I have two) it doesnt do much.

WIth some of the sabre dacs I have used it did an incredible job in improving audio quality.

 

Let me add that the industrial Intona I have is the only add on device that improved the audio quality of the Yggy. It is connected to my imac .

 

Right now I'm attaching Intona to my DAC via a USB A-B connector. Should I be attaching the Intona to my Mac Mini, then sending the cable to the DAC?

 

Does it matter?

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I did think of wrapping the outside but was worried that if it didn't have a ground it wouldn't work....

 

I ll try wrapping the outside tomorrow to see if I can get an effect... Wrap it like a turkey rough 3 times...

So this is a faraday cage?

 

In your opinion what changes made it worth the effort?

 

BTW be careful and use ESD straps.. Just incase with fine FPGA inside being damaged..

 

Cheers and good luck

 

Dave[emoji4]

 

Sent from my SM-G900F using Computer Audiophile mobile app

 

I wondered about that, too. Also what about using copper foil tape?

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Btw, Intona may benefit from about 20 hours of burn-in. I listened briefly upon installation, was underwhelmed (eg, I thought it made things worse), put the track on repeat play, left it blaring overnight. Quite a difference this morning.

 

Has anyone else experienced this?

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Not 3 foils but 10 to 12 foils, bro.

From my pre test, i tested by wrapping it over my mobile phone foil by foil.

Then i called it from another phone, at 3 foils, the phone was still connected.

Until 8 foils, there was no ring tone but kind of missed call. Until 10 foils, the 2 phones completely loss their connection.

 

The reason that i tested it like that is.. Those frequency is Broadband RF (also wifi) which is determined as RFI/EMI.

 

If phones loss their connection, RFI can't go through to PCB too.

 

That's what i thought. ^^

 

Three wraps of copper foil will do it. And it'll look snazzy, too.

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Fantastic ahaha. .A much neater job than I could do lol.. I was just going to try the inside as I have thin copper tape ,25mm wide.....

Now we can answer the question of any perceived tonal shift good bad or nothing.... And it doesn't cost a fortune to try....[emoji23]

 

Thanks ..your the star of the day[emoji93]

 

Sent from my SM-G900F using Computer Audiophile mobile app

 

If I've done it right I'll redo it later, taking measurements first then cutting the copper foil so I can get near corners. This was a quick-and-dirty. But I believe I correct grounded and I've got full coverage.

 

Incidentally that's the thing that concerned me about copper tape on the inside. You'll need to make sure there isn't an errant ungrounded strip, otherwise it'll turn into a little EMI antenna.

 

Whether you use foil or tape watch those edges. Razor sharp!

 

P.S. It's not clear to me that this sort of shielding needs to be grounded. How is the shielding in satellite electronics grounded?

 

P.P.S. Or perhaps I'm confusing "earth ground" with "chassis ground." Perhaps someone who knows might weigh in...

 

P.P.P.S. As I think about it, wouldn't it make sense to ground on one end (via USB port) only, else you're defeating the galvanic isolation that is the whole point of this thing. Way out of my depth here.

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Ok well whatever it is, I appear to have done it right.

 

Although I can't A-B Intona with and without shielding I can A-B with and without Intona and it is no contest. I'm inclined to think the shielding is partly responsible because I wasn't terribly blown away by the Intona before. Now I am.

 

So, yes it appears to make a real difference.

 

And, most important of all, it's more fun than just buying that JCAT thing.

 

In the spirit of mad shielding, I also wrapped that A-B USB connector in copper. I don't know if it matters but I am really enjoying the result.

 

IMG_1471983574.432967.jpg

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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mu-metal

 

This is the pro alloy mix for EMI RFI

 

and explanation

 

This is were I looked last year for products...

 

From Holland...

 

http://hollandshielding.com/125-Mu%20copper%20foil

 

MU and EMI is basically shaping the field. RFI is shielded by the Faraday effect over a certain frequency. you can have gaps but the holes depend on the wavelength. ..I think..

Static likes to sit outside but it's the potential difference that causes damage flowing from hi to low.

On FPGA'S IC'S a low static charge is like hitting your house with lightening due to the nano meter gaps on the chips.. ESD damage is a big problem in micro electronics.. So IC and circuit designers can only mitigate issues....

 

That's my basic knowledge and a reminder from wiki....

 

 

 

 

Sent from my SM-G900F using Computer Audiophile mobile app

 

So this isn't absurd then...

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so.. please ask them why i wrapped my phone with 10 aluminium foils and then they loss their connection?

That may be the same reason of what we are trying to do now...

 

and also why JCAT put it in aluminium box?

 

There must be some theories can explain it.

 

Could not agree with you more. And, again, I could not be happier with the copper sheathing results.

 

But here's something else I've been wondering...how do we know any of this stuff does what it says?

 

I mean, how does something that takes its power from something galvanically isolate it from the thing that it's feeding

 

Can anyone explain?

 

My paranoid side wonders if the whole thing's a prank.

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Anything can block radiation depending on what it's blocking and strength.

There's a mega high powered X ray machine that can do fossils in Europe..

 

I think galvanic isolation is between transformers inducing a current across a boundary The FPGA'S reclocker the signal via the programmed CHIP..

 

http://www.apc.com/us/en/faqs/FA157465/

 

If our friend says he hears a difference then I am game to try the shielding and a ground wire from the copper to an earth point like a case screw as suggested in work for Potential EMC.

It's just fun to try...and cheap..

 

Sent from my SM-G900F using Computer Audiophile mobile app

 

Definitely try it and see what you think. I believe there is a difference. But I'm also wary of Dr Placebo's tricks.

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That's what i thought. I didn't mean it will sound better because of it do something with galvanic isolation stuff.

 

I only meant RFI can go through plastic box to PCB inside.

 

I think the easiest way is learn what REGEN and JCAT did with their aluminium box.

Why? Why they have to add an extra cost? The cost which will make it to uncompetitive price. Because of those boxes are more expensive than plastic made.

 

Regen isn't achieving galavanic isolation. Isotona and JCAT (allegedly) are.

 

In fact, I wonder if the reason for the plastic case is that's how to insure galvanic isolation. Which suggests to me a) that EMI isn't an issue here and b) that JCAT may be snookering people.

 

But what do I know?

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All i mentioned is about EMI issue not galvanic isolation.

and your a ) offcourse, EMI isn't an issue here but finally it go to the same isuue. All we want is the cleanest signal without noise.

if you think one noise is only an issue you concentrate to, and then let another kind of noise come in to signal path, i think it's not a good idea. not logical...

and your b ) i think JCAT won't add an unnecessary extra cost for nothing.

 

I'd love a definitive answer. I just don't know. I've removed the copper shielding. Does it sound better or worse? I haven't the faintest, I now realize. That tells me that I'm not picking up on any advantage one way or another.

 

Some tweaks leap out at me. For example, the UpTone JS-2 LPS. The UpTone Regen USB (when I had the Benchmark DAC2). The WireWorld Starlight 7 USB cable.

 

Others get returned right away. The Audioquest Jitterbug, for example.

 

Then there's the Intona. Bought it used so no great loss. It doesn't seem to be doing any harm.

 

But it doesn't appear to be doing much good, either.

 

I don't know that you should assume that JCAT added the case for anything but cosmetic reasons. Maybe there's a technical reason, but design sells.

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