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

[musickid]

I own a schitt modi multibit and imac 27 late 2013. i would like to give the intona standard version a go but i am hesitant after reading compatibility issues with usb cables etc. i am a relative newcomer to pc audio and the usb cables and connects i use are standard £20 ones. qed, cambridge audio etc. at present i don't have the means for expensive audiophile cables. the regen usb seems to work well but the intona seems to yield better results across the board. however with the problems the intona faces i don't know what to do? any advice would be great.

[musickid]

many thanks i am moving towards the intona. can i guarantee that if i buy a intona standard and use entry level usb cables around the £20 mark each (my budget can't go further than that) my imac will still recognise the modi dac and see through the intona with no issues? also from middy's reply if a usb cable is very expensive surely they would match the usb standard, so why are some of them not working? regards too all

[musickid]

Thanks Robert the advice gained here can literally save mega pounds. would the wired for sound recovery achieve similar improvements in overall SQ? It is a much easier prospect with regards to setting up. however if the intona performs better it would make no sense to pursue the recovery especially as the price difference is marginal. at the end of the day i want my computer to see the dac if i get the intona. as i said before reports to the contrary worry me.

[musickid]

i emailed daniel at intona and he reassured me the usb cable issue is no more. with regards to high speed usb data what is the relevance here to audio and say streaming hifi tidal for eg. when i get the intona as its bus powered does that mean the mac will switch it on or does the dac switch it on.if the computer switches it on and im working and not listening to music doesn't that means it is powered on for no reason. finally what is the lifespan in years of the intona to provide maximum performance at say 3/4 hours per day normal use. many thanks to all as i'm still learning i appreciate everyone's assistance.

[musickid]

I understand the function of the intona as a galvanic isolator. after a quick search on wiki being new to this. i assumed all of these devices regen, recovery, intona were providing a clean power supply and reclocking the usb signal. i didn't appreciate the different functions. my budget can only stretch to one of these miraculous little boxes right now and i have come to the conclusion that the intona would deliver the greatest bang for buck SQ improvement. it is unlikely i would add another device to it such as regen or wfs. that is overkill for me. am i right to go for the intona here? my system that i've built since the start of the summer purely by the advice of reviews on forums is earmaxpro 2 amp, schitt modi multibit, beyer dt880 600 with some medium level cables and a tacima mains conditioner. with electronic music and contemporary rnb/reggae is good. with instrumentals jazz and vocals is a level of refinement beyond all my expectations.

[musickid]

Thanks again for feedback. on the intona website it states some possible advantage for the industrial model vs standard for home audio. alongside this it does also state that intona std. does in fact reclock the usb signal. is the intona std. therefore doing the combined job of galvanic isolator and usb reclocker so no need for an added device such as regen, especially for those seeking a solution on a budget? the jcat requires pricey usb cables intona doesn't. from intona website for 7054 std model:

 

"It does not translate or distort data packets like a hub but does reproduce and reclock the original data by 100%."

 

"nearly all customers seem to hear a difference in audiophile-grade environments in favour of the Industrial one"-ok so it seems to be the way, but for my medium level system (earmax pro 2, modimultibit, dt 880 600 ohm) would i actually hear anything that i wouldn't with the std. version?

 

thanks to all.

[musickid]

one a half said "unless someone makes a unit with both functions?" my first quote above from intona surely confirms this. ie the intona std., does fulfill both functions. (apologies for double post)

[musickid]

HELLO THERE,

 

So John states that there is no real need for intona's regene's or any similar devices from what i understand (when considering the rendu not across the board). he highlights signal integrity and electrical noise elimination as the end goal here. he then shows us how by introducing one component and ridding the system of one problem in effect leads to a open one door shut another door syndrome, i.e. solving one problem causes another to arise concerning signal integrity and electrical circuit leakage. his solution was the Microrendu with the right PSU. The problem here is that postgrad students like myself here in the UK don't have upwards of 700 sterling pounds to spend on such rigs!! meant in the nicest possible way!! the one part of John's breakdown i did not get was when he referred to there being no need for the intona? any clarification here would be great and also any ideas for a more realistic usb signal integrity/electrical leakage solution. the std intona seemed ideal but now i do admit to being slightly lost as i have only been aware of such things for about 10 days now!!lol / all for the love of loud horns.....my idea would be something like jitterbug or ifi usb silencer for the signal and intona std to cover leaks. thats the budget i've got for a solution. my new system is described above. good day and best wishes to all.

[musickid]

With regards to the intona standard it states that it does work at all speeds low , medium and high with regards to usb data transfer. would this then benefit someone who uses tidal hifi//i'm assuming it must if it works at all speeds and that high speed usb data transfer is mainly for 24/192 files and similar. still learning!! For the given quality below what speed would usb data transfer utilise here?

Flac 1411 kbps - Lossless : TIDAL HIFI(16/44.1 khz)

[musickid]

Slightly unrelated enquiry from a non technical individual. when i stream hifi lossless from tidal which speed low, full or high is the audio data transfer taking place via usb? could you therefore use any galvanic isolator with the Mutec 1.2 if it is not high speed? i don't fully understand why the usb high speed capability of the intona i.e to provide galvanic isolation at this high speed makes it unique in this regard and what makes this function so attractive for audiophiles?

[musickid]

someone over on headfi states that its important that the power supply supplying the dac be galvanically isolated downstream of the intona. he also said this could only be done with the uptone lps1 or a battery. in my situation my modimulti bit dac as far as i understand uses a wallwart in conjunction with an internal 100% lps. am i ok here with the intona? also schitt say that only their own power supply can be used with the dac?

[musickid]

Can you confirm the intona works well with the modi multibit. the reason i ask is that i read a post which states a requirement of the dac's power supply is to also be galvanically isolated when using the intona. this is a problem as i do not want to change the psu of my dac due to the manufacturer saying so and as a newcomer to this area. thanks photonman

[musickid]

I'm hoping to add the industrial version to my system very soon. i did email schitt audio to ask about the suitability of the intona for my modi multibit dac. the response i got was; 'It is an internal lps. It cannot be galvanically isolated because it is the power supply.' this is very basic stuff but can anyone make sense of this reply please. i thought the point was to isolate the dac fully including the in built in linear power supply? many thanks

[musickid]

so in the case of a mains powered dac it will not need the clean power supplied on the isolated side, but the intona will still be of benefit to the dac as it offers isolation from the usb 2.0 bus?, i.e. being cut off from the 'noisy' computer. the issue regarding the internal modi's lps now makes sense.

[musickid]

Everyone says closer to dac, i.e pc to intona to dac. the shorter usb from intona to dac the better. with regards to the intona everyone talks about the benefit to the dac. what happens if you use a combined amp/dac unit. would the intona still be useful here or could it interfere with the function of the amp for eg. i haven't read anything about this if anyone can help. cheers

[musickid]

Everyone says closer to dac, i.e pc to intona to dac. the shorter usb from intona to dac the better. with regards to the intona everyone talks about the benefit to the dac. what happens if you use a combined amp/dac unit. would the intona still be useful here or could it interfere with the function of the amp for eg. i haven't read anything about this if anyone can help. cheers

forgot to add.

Im using a small system centred around an earmax pro tube amp. i'm also considering around spring to upgrade to something like a sennheiser amp/dac h800s. the earmax pro excels at jazz, vocals, instrumentals, classical etc. However for electronic, reggae, rnb, more bass heavy stuff i feel i need something else hence an upgrade. with regards to the intona is there a way to connect the isolated side of the intona to two dacs at once? i searched for a usb A to twin B but i don't think such things exist. is the only way then to manually switch the connection depending on which system i'm listening to. if two intona's is the only way would not having one on standby and the other active not cause power deficiencies. surely there must be a simple way here not involving paying for a second intona. thanks to all.

[musickid]

strange question. is it possible to connect the usb cable leaving the device side of the intona in to a mini type usb c port on a portable dac like the meridian explorer 2? ie galvanically isolate a small portable type dac.

[musickid]

I have 4 usb ports on my imac. can i plug 4 power hungry devices into them simultaneously. eg 2 intonas, hard drive, usb dac, all at once with no impact on imac or on performance of devices?

[musickid]

hi peter,

 

i have a modimultibit dac running into earmax pro tube amp. i want to get a second ss amp/dac combo to compliment the tube sound. so 1 dac and 1 dac/amp all in one unit.

[musickid]

i've been told its dangerous to install power supply before intona. this can damage the intona. also the output of the intona on the isolated side has no influence at all from the computer.

[musickid]

if your dac is mains powered does that mean it does not need the 5v from intona? maybe just for the handshake? in this case does the dac just benefit from the isolation only.

[musickid]

my intona standard is arriving in a few days the black one. if i added a recovery would that be after the intona? would it also have to be lps1 powered. what real improvements could i expect here as the intona also regenerates the signal using fpga's. i would have thought the added recovery just adds pollution where the intona has already cleaned. so the intona on its own would be best. maybe

 

one little thing is a 1.5m cable from imac to intona okay here. from intona to dac i have a 30cm wireworld cable.

[musickid]

Can anyone give some detail of industrial vs standard. i was aiming for standard but having second thoughts now. there has to be a real reason to buy the industrial. thanks to all

[musickid]

time after time the industrial comes up as first choice with people here. maybe its the fpga's with marginally better timing. or the connector quality? i think ill be going for the industrial as it will be the first and last tweak i make. intona on its own is ok for this member!!

[musickid]

time after time the industrial comes up as first choice with people here. maybe its the fpga's with marginally better timing. or the connector quality? i think ill be going for the industrial as it will be the first and last tweak i make. intona on its own is ok for this member!!

Between the jcat and the intona intona i would favour the real intona even though the jcat looks nicer. with the intona i have been told it is built to comply with all international and electrical standards etc. i am assured i am getting a fully spec'd model even im sure the jcat is a good product.