[cheungtsw]

USB is in the AMR/iFi DNA - part #7
Over a decade of development

And on the analogue side, things were equally far-reaching, the two most significant were:

1. AMR Tri-Core Silver capacitor
2. General Electric 5670 NOS valve

• AMR Tri-Core Silver capacitors

Each and every capacitor will have a small range of frequency in which it operates optimally. Different frequency ranges require different capacitors for the best performance. What differentiates the AMR Tri-Core Silver capacitor, is that there are three capacitors inside to cover treble/mid/bass which along with the silver wiring, makes its coverage and transparency as close to the ‘no capacitor’ principle as it gets.



The upper frequency range is covered by a silver leaf capacitor. The mid-range is covered by a film & foil capacitor and the lower frequencies are covered by a metalised polypropylene capacitor. They all work within their most optimal frequency range by sharing the load intelligently. Finally, all of the elements are cast in a natural ebony wood body in a special resin for nil microphonics and a natural, organic tonality that is quite stunning.

• General Electric 5670 NOS valve `Z`

The 6922 tube family is ubiquitous. It is the mainstay of nearly every tubed product out there. With AMR’s in-depth tube knowledge, we have upped the ante and focused on the GE5670 as a replacement for the venerable 6922. The GE5670/2C51/WE396A/6N3 traces its roots back to its original design as the premium version of the 6922. Compared to its 6922 cousin, among other features, the 5670 has improved warm-up, grid current, noise and microphonic tolerances. There is no comparison.

With these features, it comes as no surprise that the GE5670 is sonically head and shoulders above the 6922 family. Despite the same physical 9-pin setup, the electrical configuration is different, hence the 5670 family requires a specialist adapter which AMR developed from the ground-up, commissioning a specialist mould for the GE5670.

We are so impressed by the GE5670 that we have scoured the globe and, along with the TDA1541A, we have been steadily amassing an inventory of the GE5670.

Here is a picture!

Btw, your website is down more than 2 days.

 

[winders]

The isolation USB ship has already sailed.

 

[iFi audio]

Btw, your website is down more than 2 days.

Yup, we're working on something.

 

[iFi audio]

The isolation USB ship has already sailed.

We haven't said the last word yet. And in several days we'll have some exciting info to share. Stay tuned!

 

[gr8soundz]

To @iFi audio

Shouldn't this info be posted here in the correct thread:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/ifi-audio-pro-idsd-discussion-thread.702376/page-116#post-13640889

 

[cheungtsw]

Yup, we're working on something.

How do I donwload the driver for the iFi DAC? Thx.

ps. word of advise. No one take down the site to work on it. You build the new one and then switch over once everything tested on the new site.

 

[iFi audio]

USB is in the AMR/iFi DNA - part #8
Over a decade of development

2015. The iPurifier2. Turns passive USB cables active.

We must tip our hat to another manufacturer whose product led the way - the Schitt Audio Wyrd, which came out in late 2014. It was the first USB regenerator of its kind.



http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2015/09/schiit-wyrd-usb-decrapifier-review/

The Wyrd spurred us on to come up with a solution to the active USB cable project. After some serious brainstorming, we arrived at a novel idea - turn passive cables into active cables AND take them to the max. Thus, the iPurifier2 with REclock/REgenerate/REbalance technologies was born.


By selecting the type ‘A’ version, one could ‘Daisy Chain’ five sets of 5m USB cables to give an active run of 25m! We demonstrated this in Japan to the audio press there and also to the EISA judges in Brussels. Both were suitably impressed when we turned 25m of Belkin USB cables (5m lengths each) from generic passive to one VERY LONG audiophile active USB cable!

 

[Matez]

To @iFi audio

Shouldn't this info be posted here in the correct thread:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/ifi-audio-pro-idsd-discussion-thread.702376/page-116#post-13640889

So... iGalvanic3.0 is going to happen this month. Great news, hopefully iDSD Pro will happen shortly after. One can have a dream, right?

 

[iFi audio]

So... iGalvanic3.0 is going to happen this month. Great news, hopefully iDSD Pro will happen shortly after. One can have a dream, right?

Yup, iGalvanic3.0 is literally just around the corner! And yes, one CAN have a dream!

 

[iFi audio]

USB is in the AMR/iFi DNA - part #9
Over a decade of development

2016. The micro and nano iUSB3.0. Super Speed ahead.

The original iUSB Power used USB2.0. Our experience told us that the writing was on the wall for USB2.0 which we had by now, considered obsolete. We made the strategic decision to focus our resources on developing USB3.0 and maximizing its potential for computer audio.



Mid-2016 saw the launch of the second generation, the micro iUSB3.0 and nano iUSB3.0. Both featured the critical REclock/REgenerate/REbalance tech but with different levels of feature sets to suit different DACs. All on the USB3.0 platform, naturally.

From the get go, the micro iUSB3.0 was one of a handful of US$1k components to be awarded a ‘Greatest Bits’ by AudioStream who wrote,

“I then compared the iUSB3.0 with its iPower adapter to the XXX Audio XXX with its power adapter. Keep in mind that I used the USB3.0 cable supplied with the iUSB3.0. The sound of these two devices was quite different in their stock form. The XXXXX was lighter sounding with less warmth than the iUSB3.0.

I found the performance of the iFi Audio iUSB3.0 to be not only impressive in my system, but a significant improvement over iFi Audio’s previous efforts with the iUSB Power and the iPurifier.“



http://www.audiostream.com/content/ifi-audio-micro-iusb-30#hmhDVD5eZcMEJM1y.97

iSilencer3.0 and iDefender3.0. Small. Serious.

Later that year, we brought out the iSilencer3.0 and iDefender3.0. The iSilencer3.0 is suited to ALL PCs as it ‘silences’ the noise of each USB port it is inserted into by up to 100x or 40dB.

The iDefender3.0 performs two specific duties - breaking ground loops and injecting a new, clean power supply.



2017. iGalvanic3.0. The holy grail of computer audio.

We are over the moon to announce the iGalavinc3.0. In many ways, it represents the synthesis of all we know about USB for computer audio. It contains 10 years of research, know-how and experience of over 10 different products (from $10,000 down to $50). We are quietly confident we are at the forefront of extracting the max from USB.

Full galvanic isolation on USB2.0 is still not completely trouble-free. Yet with our latest product, the iGalvanic3.0 our R&D team has attained unhindered, full galvanic isolation on USB2.0 and USB3.0 (both using our own platforms), that offer an unsurpassed level of audio performance for the computer audiophile.



This ‘brief’ history of AMR/iFi and USB technology has shed some light on why, how, and what we do with USB audio. We hope that when you try the iGalvanic3.0, you will hear the difference and arrive at the same conclusion as we did - it is the holy grail of computer audio. With this DNA, it bloomin should!

And that's it, folks! Our USB related ride is over, hopefully you enjoyed it. But wait, there's more, in the upcoming days we will reveal additional iGalvanic3.0 details. For now the most important thing is that:

The 25th of August 2017 is the premiere of iFi audio iGalvanic3.0

Stay tuned!

 

[thuanb]

How about a reasonable discount for those who buy both Micro USB3.0 and iGalvanic3.0?

 

[wushuliu]

How about a reasonable discount for those who buy both Micro USB3.0 and iGalvanic3.0?

Yeah I don't see many people shelling out for both at full price. For that money getting a new dac is more compelling.

 

[iFi audio]

Yeah I don't see many people shelling out for both at full price. For that money getting a new dac is more compelling.

Fear not, we have something special prepared for all people who prepurchased our iGalvanic3.0.

 

[iFi audio]

Folks, iGalvanic3.0 is getting closer and closer. As per usual, we have some things we'd like to share with you before that happens. The very first is a long look years back, to the dark ags of USB isolation in audio. May we present to you...

A short history of USB Isolators & USB improvement Devices - Part 1/2

Why Isolation?

Due to the fact that the USB connection path carries a ground link, which cannot be defeated (or USB will stop working), it is common for USB connected audio systems to have noise problems created by ground loops.

Why USB improvement Devices?

USB was never specifically designed and optimised for audio. It was designed for hard drives and printers – hardly USB Audio Class devices!

As a result, a number of technical problems arise that may negatively influence sound quality. In addition to ground loops, which may be addressed by isolation or other means, USB can suffer from:

1) Ground/Earth Loops. Where modern power supplies lack ground and are of multiple Grounds. Both are undesired.

2) Poor signal integrity and noise transfer. Specifically of the frame & microframe noise.

3) USB Power Quality. The power available on USB connections is also often of limited quality, plagued by noise, which can influence dowstream USB powered equipment

Hence devices that address ground loops through means other than galvanic isolation, improve signal integrity, provide clean power and have the potential to substantially improve both objective and subjective performance of USB audio devices.

Note: The following is a historical overview of the devices that were launched (stands to reason they follow a chronological order). We are thus only listing them based upon the timeline and their specs/functionality. It is not a sonic assessment.

1st Generation

First generation USB isolators used USB isolation chips with 12Mbps limit speed and thus fail to allow high resolution playback or the use with multi-channel recording systems in studios.

The isolator chips used create massive amounts of jitter. The power isolation systems tended to be noisy and of very limited current, precluding the use of USB powered devices.

As a result, these first generation USB isolators were generally not used in audiophile or studio systems.

Example - Acoustic Revive USB Isolator (2011)



https://www.acoustic-revive.com/english/rui1/rui1_01.html

As an alternative, in 2012 iFi introduced the iUSB Power. This device allowed a different approach to break ground loops and thus eliminate the noise It also povided low-noise power for USB-powered products. The iUSB Power allowed full USB 2.0 speed at 480MHz and was widely applied to audiophile and studio systems.



While not offering galvanic isolation, the IsoEarth/IsoGround system applied by iFi solved the ground noise problem by different means.

2nd Generation

As it was not possible to create USB isolator chips that isolated at 480MHz High Speed required for many modern USB devices, a number of systems were developed, which in effect fully decoded USB signals using commodity grade USB chips and passed as a parallel stream across cheap commodity grade isolator chips. After this the USB signal was re-encoded and sent out via another commodity grade USB chip. The power isolation systems generally are very current limited and have comparably high noise levels.

The involved processing, latency etc. caused extensive compatibility issues as such devices in effect "break" the USB standard. The included USB transceiver chips allowed no better signal integrity than a generic PC USB port.

Nevertheless, these second generation USB isolators did get adopted into audiophile and studio systems as the allowed high resolution and multichannel audio streams and offered full galvanic isolation. In many cases other devices were added to supplement the galvanic isolation with solutions to poor signal integrity and poor power quality.

Example - JCAT USB Isolator



http://jplay.eu/jcat/#manual2

A number of devices using external power and "USB regeneration" circuitry were introduced as an alternative. These improved signal integrity but lacked galvanic isolation.



By combing the USB regeneration circuitry with a low noise power supply, IsoGround and even despite lacking galvanic isolation, iFi's iUSB 3.0 micro offered a comprehensive solution to USB's main problems; ground loops, power quality and signal integrity.

That's it for now, but stay tuned, there's more!

 

[LoryWiv]

Fear not, we have something special prepared for all people who prepurchased our iGalvanic3.0.

I never noted a prepurchase option...has that window closed to do so?