Topping HS01, any experiences?

[Ghoostknight]

Hello, i wonder if any of you tried the Topping HS01?

im specially curious about these:

1. how is SQ ? specially compared to other usb cleaner/isolators

2. does the dirty side actually need power/ground from the dirty side? (i think ground is a must have for device handshaking but i wonder if the clean power from the side port gets used also in the dirty side instead of the pc usb power) im asking because i plan to make a diy usb cable and preferably i would like to completly disconnect vbus and ground (and if its really needed just add a pushbutton to ground for handshaking, so its still disconnected)

 

alternatively im thinking about the ifi idefender+ since from my understanding it just connects ground for handshaking automaticly, while writing this im thinking i could actually use a idefender before the topping hs01 if it really needs vbus and ground... 

[Ghoostknight]

I just wrote a email to topping for clarifying a few things, here is what i wrote and the answers :) since there is very little info on this device and kinda strange marketing i think some people will also value this info

 

Quote

Hello i have a few question about the Topping HS01

 

1. Is it a true galvanic isolator or does it work similarly to the ifi idefender 3.0 / + which is not a true isolator

2. 1kV Isolation (and not supporting USB1.0/1.1) suggest that it actually IS a galvanic isolation, are all lines (dataline +/-, vbus and ground) galvanic isolated?)

3. does the HS01 actually need vbus on the dirty side or can it be completly disconnected if power gets injected by the side port?

4. if data lines are isolated what kind of chip is used? (and what kind of isolator is used for vbus/ground?)

 

unfortunaly there is very little and unclear information floating around the web about this device, i hope to get some clear answers/understand of how it works and if its worth buying

 

Thanks in advance

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Thank you for contacting TOPPING support. We are happy to assist.

1, Truely galvanic isolated.
2, All pins at the output are isolated from the input side.
3, It needs Vbus to operate.
4, I'm sorry, this is a trade secret and I'm not authorized to disclose.

Hope the above will help you.

Best Regards

 

So it seems the Topping HS01 is the cheapest USB2.0 High Speed "true galvanic isolator" (even if its not advertised as such) -by far- on the market and i will pretty surely give it a shot :)

[Billgates307]

Please let us know what you think after hearing it.

[Ghoostknight]

2 hours ago, Billgates307 said:

Please let us know what you think after hearing it.

Sure thing, i plan to get it next month since even if it sounds "bad" i will just use it to isolate other non-audio things from my Pi setup :)

[yamamoto2002]

1 hour ago, Ghoostknight said:

if it sounds "bad" i will just use it to isolate other non-audio things from my Pi setup :)

 

USB Galvanic isolator may add some level of safety to prevent electric shock for cheap bus powered oscilloscopes which GND probe is connected to USB GND😱

[Ghoostknight]

25 minutes ago, yamamoto2002 said:

USB Galvanic isolator may add some level of safety to prevent electric shock for cheap bus powered oscilloscopes which GND probe is connected to USB GND😱

true but i think it also cant hurt on usb storages or wlan/bt dongles for example :) just to make the pi as "standalone" as possible regarding noise, if the HS01 sounds good i will probably just get a second one for this :)

[Ghoostknight]

I finally bought one! :) there is definetly a change SQ over my DIY Y-Splitter cable (seperated power) and i already had a ifi isilencer, so the new setup is

 

RPI4-> standart usb cable -> Topping HS01 -> Ifi Isilencer -> Topping included usb cable -> Modded Topping D10

....................................................................I

....................................................................I

.......................................................... Power Bank 

 

everything seems a bit "tighter" (specially bass) tho also highs get a little more piercing (but i think "clearer" is the better word here), i had to turn the high (above 7-11k) another 0,5db down with my Presonus Eris E8 to overall -2db

 

One Notice: The HS01 really gets warm (like 35-40C°) i hope this doesnt make it early fail

 

Overall it seems to work, it isolates and makes a easy injection point for external power, so no need for fancy diy cables anymore (tho i probably make some generec terminated usb cables at some point, probably with the supra excalibur), so im quite happy with it and will probably get 1 or 2 more (for my SDD and Headphone setup) props to Topping for making a easy working cheap 32 bit 384khz isolator :)

 

Lets see how it performs after a few days, i just got it 

[Ghoostknight]

On 5/10/2022 at 6:45 PM, Ghoostknight said:

 

One Notice: The HS01 really gets warm (like 35-40C°) i hope this doesnt make it early fail

unfortunaly the topping HS01 stopped working after 4 months after i replugged it (i had it run pretty much 24/7) .... will send it back to audiophonics soon

coincident? i dont know, i will see how long the replacement lasts i guess :/

 

i will probably try to run the devices after the topping with seperate power to see if it runs cooler this way with the replacement

[bogi]

Today I just tried the newer HS02. To be sincere, I was ready for the situation that the effect will be none. I was ready to pass it to audio friends near me to try it. Somebody would buy it I am sure. But ... I will keep it.

 

Why that uncertainty? Nothing audible indicated a ground loop in my setup. I can turn my headamp to full volume and without track playing I hear nothing. With or without HS02. So in some direct audible form I could not detect a ground loop.

Therefore I would like to ask you who have technical background in the topic:
1) Can be ground loop directly inaudible but effect of isolation audible (as improved sound quality) ?
2) Could a device like HS02 filter also high frequency noise? I don't mean permanent current (ground loop) but high frequency noise generated by computer.

I have similar setup like @Ghoostknight

Win11 notebook -> HS02 -> iSilencer -> iSilencer  ->
                                                      Y data/power splitter -> DAC
+5V (for initial handshake when DAC is turned on) ->

The Y adapter is this one.
I am connecting +5V of the power branch only when I turn on my DAC. Then my DAC does not need +5V on VBUS.
VBUS on data branch is used only to power HS02 and iSilencers - it is not connected to DAC USB port.

Now, what for audible difference it brought for me? It is better audibility and separation of quieter sounds like percussions, overall improvement in instrument timbres and colors, a bit darker overall presentation and blacker background. Is the difference "big"? You know, answer to such a question is always very subjective. There is no gear to measure user satisfaction. Not really big, but enough big for me to be happy with the improvement. Maybe 2 iSilencers make together bigger change. But improvement coming from HS02 is also for me clearly noticeable and I want to keep it.

I tried some variations too:

- I tried also different order of devices like  iSilencer -> iSilencer -> HS02 but HS02 -> iSilencer -> iSilencer brings cleaner (blacker) background.

- The best result I got with USB A to USB B adapter instead of cable between my laptop and HS02. I am using this one. I tried USB A to B cable as well as USB C to C cable (HS02 has 2 input and 2 output connectors) but then I lost part of the improvement. It could be result of noise on VBUS and ground influencing data wires along the cable. Such a thing seem to exist because some USB cable producers (like Supra) provide separate shielding for data and power wires. Between iSilencers and DAC I am using Supra cable.

- I tried it also without the Y adapter. I found the difference as very small, but after few comparisons I decided to keep the separate power branch. My DAC allows to disconnect VBUS entirely after DAC power up and initial handshake (matter of 1 second) and I am already used to do so.