i just picked up an ipurifier 2 to try out...couldn't resist: got it for a steal.
my rig is pretty simple:
laptop ->ifi mercury cable->(new) ipurifer 2->iDSD...then out to iems/cans or ->headphone tube amp
i was / am considering the iusb 2.0 and 3.0...but schiit and uptone, among others,
(so i've heard from uptone owner)
are soon coming out with new products this yr that allegedly will address more comprehensive usb/signal conditioning
(possibly even galvanic isolation issues)
...so I might sit tight.
i wonder if iFi is working on something similar with new releases.
seems this area of usb/signal conditioning is a fast emerging one, with numerous players
often at odds with one another over the best approach (see links below)....thus for the 'lowly neophyte' like
me, with no electrical engineering competencies, i'm left often scratching my head in confusion.
...tis so easy to misspend one's funds if they're going to the wrong area....glad my rig is relatively simple
john darko, said he's doing a f/u shortly on his own article that came out recently.
http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2016/03/fighting-fit-usb-audio-from-wyred4sounds-recovery/
other related threads on signal/usb conditioning:
http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f6-dac-digital-analog-conversion/comparison-thread-recovery-universal-serial-bus-industry-standard-cables-connectors-and-communications-protocols-between-computers-and-electronic-devices-reclocker-regen-and-similar-devices-curated-thread-27465/
Science Thread: Review of Audioquest Jitterbug and Uptone Regen USB Conditioners
http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?18580-Science-Thread-Review-of-Audioquest-Jitterbug-and-Uptone-Regen-USB-Conditioners
this all stemmed from me asking for some assistance on this area, for direction:
one helpful and qualified headfier, electrical/audio engineer had sent me this, from another thread i had started:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/802190/usb-conditioners-a-growing-field-anyone-else-get-confused-by-terms-and-claims#post_12452692
1 week, 1 day ago
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By far the best usb treament is to isolate the ground between the source (eg pc), and the dac.
Cleaning power and reclocking are nice, but are an order of magnitude less effective than true isolation, including the ground. The ground is a power supply feed as well.
Isolation comes in several forms, galvanic (tranformer based, solutions I've seen tap out at 92 khz), optical (pricey), silicon.
In my system in lowered the noise floor (quite audibly), and significantly cleaned up the audio quality. Theyre especially effective if the source is safety grounded (3 prong ac plug)
his qualifcations: I'm an electrical engineer that majored in audio design and worked as a professional audio, acoustics, hardware and audio DSP design engineer for about 12 years before moving into fiber optics. Still have fun with audio design as a hobby (building an ncore amp as we speak).