twister6,
 
Thanks for the review.  Your impressions are consistent with a number of other folk's experience with the Jitterbug.  Seems that this is another of some pretty cost effective USB tweaks that have just recently become available.
 
Looks like I'll find out just how effective later this week.

hifimanrookie said:

First...No expensive rediculusly costing high end board...it costs less then 100euro according to last pricing..but its a basic board..no stuff u dont need anyway..so they could concentrate on quality of the features that matter...and yeah..its a quality brand making those..

And about the PSU..it will be an external .linear PSU..and this pc will only be used to play music coming from the NAS through CAT7 ethernet cables with a metal enclosured smart switch in between them in a dedicate mini network..just for my beloved audio gear.

Second...why u think i would use the onboard soundcard anyway? Lolz..which u can switch off by the way
If u check my reviews under my posts and my profile about what i own u will see i dont mind spending money on unique high quality stuff, but only when i believe it actually works...but also dont like throwing my money away for stuff that doesnt work..this board is different..oh well..soon i will hear if its true what my friend told me..lolz

and yeah..i admit i was deeply surprised a premium brand came up with such a board..normally its a niche brand who does that with the according extremely HIGH pricing.... Lolz

Back to the jitterbug

Click to expand...

I was just confused what you meant by audiophile motherboard. was imagining some guy replacing all the caps on a pc mobo with audiophile grade ones or something crazy like that.

Over the weekend I got a chance to play around with a pair of Jitterbugs. The A/V installation and retail shop I work for got our first order of Jitterbugs on Friday. Prior to receiving this we met with our AudioQuest rep to discuss the product and listen to it. From that meeting there were a few claims made I wanted to test. The first was that the Jitterbug works with both USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports. I found this to be this case. I tested the Jitterbug between my 3.0 2TB hard drive where my FLAC files are located and the 3.0 ports on my computer. The lower noise floor, which has been one of the most commonly referenced improvements, was audible in this configuration. 
 
Next I tested the Jitterbug using a Studio master file located on my computer's(windows 7) internal hard drive. This time i had the jitterbugs plugged into the open USB ports on the front of the computer. The improvements to clarity and noise floor reduction were incremental. AudioQuest recommends limiting the Jitterbugs to 2 per USB bus. 
 
My third test was more geared towards my current system and the claim that Jitterbug should work best with any device with a USB port. I used my Playstation 3 as a CD player, Audio out analog to a set of powered inexpensive 5.1 logitec speakers. The Playstation 3 has 2 powered USB ports on the front panel to charge the controllers and I wondered if closing those ports, even though they aren't in the signal path would improve the sound. What I noticed was that blocking both ports with Jitterbug yielded better improvements that blocking only a single one. That said the improvements here were noticeable.
 
My last test was in a 7.2 living room system using a Marantz 6009 receiver powering 5 klipsch speakers and two in ceiling speakers (not sure of manufacturer) with 2 subs. The source was a NAS drive accessed through a Sonos Connect. We used Christopher Tin's "Baba Yetu" as a test track. The Marantz has a USB port on the front for diagnostics and firmware updates so we tested to see if the Jitterbug would improve the sound in that port. What we heard was an improved clarity in some of the softer sounds/instruments and again a lower noise floor. 
 
Sorry if this is too much information, but hopefully my observations will help those of you still making up your minds about the Jitterbug. I think the best thing to do is listen to it and make up your own mind. Many shops like the one i work for will set up demos for interested customers.  

Rocko1, unless a system is extremely low resolution it would be difficult not to hear a difference using the Jitterbug.  You may not like what it does in your system but it does affect the digital signal that has an audible outcome.
 
Do all power amps and tubes sound the same?  Does lamp cord sound the same as Synergistic Research cable? Does power conditioning reduce noise?

bazza13 said:

  Rocko1, unless a system is extremely low resolution it would be difficult not to hear a difference using the Jitterbug.  You may not like what it does in your system but it does affect the digital signal that has an audible outcome.
 
Do all power amps and tubes sound the same?  Does lamp cord sound the same as Synergistic Research cable? Does power conditioning reduce noise?

Click to expand...

 
There is no point to argue with someone who is trolling the thread and doesn't even have jitterbug to offer his opinion about the product based on his personal experience of using it.  Just a pity, cause I bet his monoprice and skullcandy headphones would sound fabulous with a fine snake oil of jitterbug enhancement

bazza13 said:

   
Do all power amps and tubes sound the same?  Does lamp cord sound the same as Synergistic Research cable? Does power conditioning reduce noise?

Click to expand...

Short answer - No, sometimes, sometimes.
Amps sound different. The search is half the fun right? 
 
I hate to be contrary, but when a cable is the right size, it is indistinguishable from any other cable the right thickness. Many high end cables goose up the capacitance to get sharper leading edges which can definitely make the sound be "crisp" or whatever the advertisers say. That'll change the sound fersure. It might even sound nice with the right setup. Some other cables are really nicely shielded and well built. That's worth a few extra sheckels and I'm willing to dish it. You can get those for a few bucks a foot at an electrical supply shop and they're pretty good stuff. Under a few feet for a passive speaker, it doesn't make a lick of difference what fortune you blow on cables. If upstream isn't up to snuff, the cable isn't going to fix it. If you really want your system to sound the best it ever will, solder your cables in. That or just keep everything molecularly clean and re-clean it every few years with the right deoxit. And keep your runs as short as possible. When you go long, you gotta spend the dough on heavy duty wire.
 
Power conditioning helps if one of 3 conditions is met - 1 - you have a lot of motors on your circuit (transformer on down). Brushed motors are the worst. Think cheap power tools, old fans, etc.
2 - your system has a minimum sized power supply.  Minimal power supplies are endemic, so you would know better than I about yours.
3 -  Your system has wall referenced voltages. This is really common in older units that were built before voltage regulators were made small (think tubes), DIY units, and cheap units.
If you have a lot of noise on the power line but a beefy supply and no reference voltages, then you don't need conditioning. Your P/S will do it for you.
 
I'm an electrical engineer and I work on audio electronics. I'm not just some crank who doesn't know what he's saying.

phoenixg said:

  Short answer - No, sometimes, sometimes.
Amps sound different. The search is half the fun right? 

 
I hate to be contrary, but when a cable is the right size, it is indistinguishable from any other cable the right thickness. Many high end cables goose up the capacitance to get sharper leading edges which can definitely make the sound be "crisp" or whatever the advertisers say. That'll change the sound fersure. It might even sound nice with the right setup. Some other cables are really nicely shielded and well built. That's worth a few extra sheckels and I'm willing to dish it. You can get those for a few bucks a foot at an electrical supply shop and they're pretty good stuff. Under a few feet for a passive speaker, it doesn't make a lick of difference what fortune you blow on cables. If upstream isn't up to snuff, the cable isn't going to fix it. If you really want your system to sound the best it ever will, solder your cables in. That or just keep everything molecularly clean and re-clean it every few years with the right deoxit. And keep your runs as short as possible. When you go long, you gotta spend the dough on heavy duty wire.
 
Power conditioning helps if one of 3 conditions is met - 1 - you have a lot of motors on your circuit (transformer on down). Brushed motors are the worst. Think cheap power tools, old fans, etc.
2 - your system has a minimum sized power supply.  Minimal power supplies are endemic, so you would know better than I about yours.
3 -  Your system has wall referenced voltages. This is really common in older units that were built before voltage regulators were made small (think tubes), DIY units, and cheap units.
If you have a lot of noise on the power line but a beefy supply and no reference voltages, then you don't need conditioning. Your P/S will do it for you.
 
I'm an electrical engineer and I work on audio electronics. I'm not just some crank who doesn't know what he's saying.

Click to expand...

 
 
I flat out diasgree with most of what you said, but it's completely off topic. All Bazza13 was trying to do was draw some parallels, and you went off on some wild tangent with it. The topic here is concerns the "Jitterbug" which you most likely have not tried.

hifimanrookie said:

After reading all these pages here i am wondering..what if a MB maker would come up with a MB who does most of this already (usb wise)?

- Isolating the individual USB 3 ports, so noise and stuff will interfere less. Check
- switch off the powersignal in the usb port from inside the bios and only let the zero and ones go to the dac...Check!!!!!
- and what if its usb ports would be powered by its own dedicated ' clean' power source also. Check
 

Click to expand...

 
I'm not aware of any motherboards that filter noise, but there are several USB cards that do just that - SOTM, Paul Pang, JCAT.
 
I use the JCAT card and was (and of course, still am) very pleased with the difference. I have a Jitterbug on the way and I'm very curious if it will make further improvement. I'll report back after a week of break-in (whether or not it needs it).

robertsong said:

   
 
I flat out diasgree with most of what you said, but it's completely off topic. All Bazza13 was trying to do was draw some parallels, and you went off on some wild tangent with it. The topic here is concerns the "Jitterbug" which you most likely have not tried.

Click to expand...

Sorry man, peace and love.
It's just a pet peeve when people make glittering generalities like they are gospel about things that are not so cut and dried. If you like your music a certain way, then rock on bud.

robertsong said:

I'm not aware of any motherboards that filter noise, but there are several USB cards that do just that - SOTM, Paul Pang, JCAT.

I use the JCAT card and was (and of course, still am) very pleased with the difference. I have a Jitterbug on the way and I'm very curious if it will make further improvement. I'll report back after a week of break-in (whether or not it needs it).

Click to expand...

http://www.gigabyte.co.nl/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4911#ov

Check for urself... This mb is unique.. And thats why i will buy it next week. And u can switch off the power comin out of usb ports to selfpowered dacs.. So again less interference.. And its almost as cheap as the jitterbug.. Lolz
i will compare it to my game laptop i used until now for playing lossless 24bit music from my NAS.. And yes.. My rig is higher end so it ruthlessly shows when a component is not on par with whats said about it. Maybe i also will try a jitterbug.. Although i am a bit cautious.
Back to jitterbug

Of note:
 
"AudioQuest’s Steve Silberman, orchestrator of the JitterBug, told me in Berlin that he can no longer listen to his home system without Schiit’s Wyrd USB de-crapifier in the chain."
 
from: http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2015/06/t-h-e-show-newport-2015-multi-bit-from-multi-schiit/

I own the Schitt Wyrd USB Decrapifier(SWUD) and find that it improves my audio chain: Apple Mac>Audirvana+>SWUD>Peach Tree Audio Dac-Itx>Schiit Asgard 2. I am really curious as to whether the AQ Jitterbug might further improve my audio chain before the SWUD? I am waiting for my Cavalli Audio Liquid Carbon amp to ship so hopefully with the upgraded amp I will be able to retrieve even more detail from my hi-res recordings and discern whether or not the AQ Jitterbug is of any use in addition to the SWUD.

So this pairs well with usb regen? Anybody tested it?