USB improvement gadgets - a survey

[semente]

I have recently returned to using USB after acquiring a Teac UD-501 and I am curious about what people are using to improve the performance of the connection.

I understand that there is a lot of speculation about this, that little if any measurements have been provided supporting the effects of these gadgets and tweaks but still I think it would be interesting to know how many people believe that they have improved performance by adding one or more of these gadgets.

It would also be interesting to learn about which DACs are less susceptible to USB "interference", meaning that the effects of the aforementioned gadgets are unnoticeable or marginal at best.

 

Feel free to suggest more/new choices as I am not familiar with everything that's being sold as a USB remedy.

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I've started with the easiest tweak, which was to use a LPSU I had lying around to supply the 5V; had to buy a TeraDak split USB adapter.

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Over at Archimago's you can find measurements of the noise produced by different computers and by the different ports in each computer:

 

A Look At The Computer USB +5V Noise...

By Raoul Trifan
 

In high fidelity, we are aware that we should minimize the noise coming from our power supplies as this could improve the ultimate sound produced by the audio equipment. For example, Analog Devices has shown us how an AD9445 ADC can be affected by the ripple and noise created by removing the decoupling capacitors from its power supplies. So, indeed, very clean power does matter at a certain level, but just how much attention and money do we need to get into this may be up for some debate.
 

Because many audiophiles are spending money on USB power injectors and power cleaners, I decided to see how noisy the USB ports from some laptops I happen to have around here can be. I’m using for this test my PicoScope 2204A digital scope with its original probes, my Windows 7 and macOS Sierra desktops and a few laptops with the original power adapters and original lithium batteries. Some of the laptops having also their original docking stations available to measure. The machines are the Lenovo X201, Lenovo T430, Lenovo T440, HP2560p, HP8460p, MacBook Pro (mid-2012), MacBook Pro (mid-2014), iMac 27” (late-2013), and my DIY desktop computer based on the Gigabyte GA-B85M-D3H motherboard.

 

 

http://archimago.blogspot.com/2018/05/measurements-computer-usb-5v-power.html

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Measurements of the Intona, Uptone Regen and TotalDAC D1 at the Audio Science Review (ASR) Forum:

 

Review and Measurements of Intona USB Isolator for Audio DACs

 

This is a review and measurement of Intona USB Isolator. In the last few years there has been a proliferation of USB filters, cleaners, regenerators, feeding on fear of audiophiles of noisy computer ports. Intona doesn't actually play in that market directly. They built this device for industrial control applications where strict isolation from the machine being controlled is required. Audiophiles however, have been interested in the unit just as they are in other devices in this category.

This unit is on a kind loan from a forum member. It retails for USD $229 plus $29 shipping to US. It comes in a nondescript, plastic box. No pretense of being a audio jewelry here. For this review I compared the Intona to Uptone Regen and TotalDAC D1.

 

https://audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/review-and-measurements-of-intona-usb-isolator-for-audio-dacs.2616/#post-74682

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9 minutes ago, sligolad said:

All the above help improve USB but ultimately no matter how much money, time and effort we throw at USB it is flawed and will never be the ultimate solution.

Time to get rid of USB altogether and I really mean that after 7 years of trying to get past all its issues.

Playback from SLC SD cards though I2s has provided the best sound I have ever heard in digital and at a fraction of the cost.

RIP USB.

 

How does that work?

Let's say I keep all my music in a NAS, do I select the tracks I wish to play and transfer them to an SD card?

Can I use HQ Player to process (upconvert and filter) those tracks?

Can you describe the elements that compose your playback chain?

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Just now, fas42 said:

A cursory look at some "solutions" for USB makes it clear to me why there is such a struggle - major holes in the implementation of the circuits allows SQ anomalies in, with ease.

 

Which is not the same thing as not being able to engineer a good solution - just being more thorough, particular about the whole pathway would do the job - and there should be units out there that have it all ... just need to track down the ones that get it right.

 

 

@PeterSt  is a designer, very thorough in his approach and he's still identifying shortcomings in spite of the many solutions he's come up with, so I believe that it's not just a matter of tracking down the best units...

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12 minutes ago, crenca said:

 

Semente, are you Amirm?

 

Not that I know of... Why?

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1 hour ago, crenca said:

 

When you said:

 

"this unit is on a kind loan from a forum member....For this review I compared the Intona to Uptone Regen and TotalDAC D1."

 

It was not clear rather you were quoting Amirm's review or talking in the first person (i.e. you are Amirm).

 

I was looking for objective testing of some of these gadgets and I came across the ASR/amirm measurements; I had never visited the ASR before, didn't even know it existed...

I also said this at the start of the topic:

On 7/1/2018 at 11:28 AM, semente said:

I understand that there is a lot of speculation about this, that little if any measurements have been provided supporting the effects of these gadgets and tweaks but still I think it would be interesting to know how many people believe that they have improved performance by adding one or more of these gadgets.

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8 hours ago, adamdea said:

The poll doesn’t seem to have a “none of the above” option, let alone an “of course not- what do you take me for?” box

The poll is for users and their preferences in regards to the available gizmos, which is why I didn't add a "none of the above" option, but thanks for your participation.

I am convinced that if we were to sample a wider than CA pool then the large majority would be of non-users.

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39 minutes ago, mansr said:

Where's the "I make my own gizmos" option?

 

Well, I think it could just about fit into the last category/option but I'll add one for you. ?

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I am resurrecting this topic to report the unexpected but significant improvements that resulted from tweaking the USB connection.

 

My file playback system now consists of a laptop running HQPlayer feeding a Cubox with the NAA buffer through Ethernet. The Cubox, powered by a LPSU, is connected with a USB A to B "hard" adapter to a Teradac split USB adapter which feeds the DAC with the clean 5V current from another LPSU.

Files have never sounded better in my system and are now "comparable" to my memory of CD sounded like, better in some aspects.

 

There's an effortlessness and a clarity to the sound that are just delicious!

The sceptical in me has just been taught a lesson...

Must try really hard not to get too carried away with the volume knob.

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17 minutes ago, Ralf11 said:

 

Interesting - the Cubox is a developer platform for embedded systems...

 

~~ $100

 

Sonore used to sell the Cubox as (their entry-level?) renderer  not too long ago: http://www.sonore.us/Sonicorbiter.html

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6 hours ago, esldude said:

http://archimago.blogspot.com/2018/12/measurements-intel-i7-pc-and-raspberry.html#more

 

http://archimago.blogspot.com/2018/12/measurements-raspberry-pi-3-b-as.html#more

 

 

Wonder what creates the effortless clarity?  My guess is the only electrical changes are in the organic components.  

 

That is a good question.

Maybe this can help explain why? http://archimago.blogspot.com/2018/05/measurements-computer-usb-5v-power.html

 

I've often mentioned the friend that used to optimise gear. Changes to grounding and power supplies did have an impact, sometimes quite significant, even in unsighted listening sessions where a few of us would compare two of the same gear, one unmodified.

 

I am quite sceptical of tweaks and foo in general and didn't have any expectations, nor did I invest any serious money (£50 at most) because I already had the PSUs around from my Raspberry Pi setup...

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7 hours ago, Ralf11 said:

 

what did they do to it for the extra $200 ??

 

 Well, they buy it from the manufacturer, pre-install dedicated sofware, add an SD card and a L-PSU.

Then put 100%? of profit on top.

 

Would you sell for less?

 

 

Of course you can always have a fancy case made for it and ask for $500...

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25 minutes ago, esldude said:

No that doesn't explain anything.  It shows there is variable noise on USB connections to different devices.  We knew that.  But how much does that get thru to the analog output of a USB connected DAC.   That is the signal we listen to you know.  The later measurements show no measurable difference in the analog output.  Would be nice if Archimago had those other computers to run the test with all of them.  I'd expect from other such measurements that the output would be clean with all of them.  

 

What about how noise affects the D/A conversion, Isn't that a possibility?

 

I agree that measuring the output would provide more information. I could always capture a 48/16 of the output with my lowly UCA222 if you wish, but it may not be transparent enough...

Though to be honest I'm not looking forward to fiddling with the connections again for a while.

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39 minutes ago, esldude said:

That is part of the point of archimago's tests.  There appears to be no effect on the DA conversion that is large enough to matter.  Noise on the USB varies, but DACs seem able to reject most of that or enough of it to not be a problem. 

 

That is a possibility as well. At least if we go on measurements alone.