tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post727115594893753575..comments2024-03-28T20:21:36.177-07:00Comments on <em>Archimago's Musings</em>: MEASUREMENTS: USB Isolation with Nobsound ADuM4160 device and hi-res DAC. The world these days, and the audiophile microcosm.Archimagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642574001287787545noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-72095176181896831672022-09-25T21:12:00.760-07:002022-09-25T21:12:00.760-07:00Thank you for penning this. I was a subjectivist w...Thank you for penning this. I was a subjectivist when I was much younger. But a career in eng/tech showed me that proper application of analytical principles and processes is what allowed me to understand what I subjectively like. It makes it so much easier to communicate my subjective experiences via objective terms. Perhaps if the message is spread and comprehended by a broader audience, thereDeadwood83https://www.blogger.com/profile/05477647663884908748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-21436052732235454102021-10-18T03:52:28.492-07:002021-10-18T03:52:28.492-07:00One of these solved a specific problem I had playi...One of these solved a specific problem I had playing from a Mac Mini into my Audiolab M-DAC. I was getting intermittent clicking sounds, and watching the DAC's USB buffer display I saw the buffer level drop quickly every time it happened. Some data was being dropped for some reason - I have no idea why. With the isolator, the clicks and USB buffer errors have stopped.Alan Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09401754836615234790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-62118064715592847252021-10-08T02:50:31.435-07:002021-10-08T02:50:31.435-07:00I get incredible information in your blog.I get incredible information in your blog.Bentec ELECTRONICS PTE LTD https://www.blogger.com/profile/17897868754266836009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-76014169653060902482021-09-29T09:05:05.500-07:002021-09-29T09:05:05.500-07:00https://djcity.com.au/product/behringer-hd400-ac-h...https://djcity.com.au/product/behringer-hd400-ac-hum-eliminator/<br />https://djcity.com.au/product/ave-vox-hum-hum-eliminator/<br /><br />Hi, do the above products work following the same principles? New to these stuffP.S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/06910025289099271324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-40799315459594916902021-09-25T08:52:06.810-07:002021-09-25T08:52:06.810-07:00Hello, based on this thread I just measured some U...Hello, based on this thread I just measured some USB cables that I have at home and two of them have resistance of 15, where as the others 0,5-1,5 on my multimeter. Does it mean I should not use them?Honzahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08793049319792036050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-71142567247039873312021-09-23T01:58:39.583-07:002021-09-23T01:58:39.583-07:00Archimago, thanks! Obviously I have no intention o...Archimago, thanks! Obviously I have no intention of becoming a measurement expert, but I'd like to understand a little bit more, rather than just reading the conclusions. I'm learning along the way, and sometimes the hard way - last year I bought two pieces of expensive hi-fi that I probably wouldn't have bought if I had read the recent ASR reviews of them... Freddiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15282896717749393082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-38276741294967568082021-09-21T20:09:19.875-07:002021-09-21T20:09:19.875-07:00As I said I replaced it. After it shut down the am...As I said I replaced it. After it shut down the amp, I stopped using it! You are probably right the U5 was the culprit, not the usb cable.Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18419856625684722806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-35530725755916627662021-09-21T13:29:15.920-07:002021-09-21T13:29:15.920-07:00Cool. Thanks Blogue!Cool. Thanks <em>Blogue</em>!<br />Archimago's Musingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14326929293463498820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-80948218560291135162021-09-21T13:27:18.906-07:002021-09-21T13:27:18.906-07:00Ouch Martin,
Sounds like that's something more...Ouch <em>Martin</em>,<br />Sounds like that's something more severe. Ground loops tend to be continuous events (eg. constant hum), and when you have noise from the computer, they tend to be soft bursts correlate to activity whether it's the mouse moving and connected to the same USB hub, or maybe hard drive transfers causing buzzing.<br /><br />Big pops (that can be damaging to speakers) Archimago's Musingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14326929293463498820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-88012955703016675442021-09-21T13:20:48.508-07:002021-09-21T13:20:48.508-07:00Hey Freddie,
Yeah, it could be a bit overwhelming ...Hey <em>Freddie</em>,<br />Yeah, it could be a bit overwhelming at first but I think if you stick with it you'll soon see the basic patterns around performance of devices and things like noise floor, distortion levels, etc. as they start to coalesce in your mind. I know when you read "mainstream" magazines and watch YouTube videos, there's often the concept that "Archimago's Musingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14326929293463498820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-92109636916202080972021-09-21T12:29:03.143-07:002021-09-21T12:29:03.143-07:00Thanks for the note Mikhail,
For this test, no did...Thanks for the note <em>Mikhail</em>,<br />For this test, no did not use synchronization here. Just a "quick and dirty" look at the noise primarily between the devices with and without the ADuM in place!<br /><br />Nice link. Would be cool to have a running website with list of tested USB cables that are easily found and tested to be fully compliant. Of course things could change if theArchimago's Musingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14326929293463498820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-42472581088918648792021-09-21T12:22:02.047-07:002021-09-21T12:22:02.047-07:00Very nice Mans,
Thanks for that and the link as we...Very nice <em>Mans</em>,<br />Thanks for that and the link as well! The USB Troll looks great. Lemme know when I can get one ;-). <br /><br />Archimago's Musingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14326929293463498820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-21956360269470765832021-09-21T00:18:00.083-07:002021-09-21T00:18:00.083-07:00Mikhail, thank you for responding so quickly, with...Mikhail, thank you for responding so quickly, with a very good explanation!<br /><br />I like Archimago's approach of science and measurements, but it can be hard to understand the details when you don't have the skills or tools...Freddiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15282896717749393082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-47404979563967163222021-09-20T11:19:36.853-07:002021-09-20T11:19:36.853-07:00Hi Freddie, usually the issue is with A-to-micro-B...Hi Freddie, usually the issue is with A-to-micro-B USB cables, however it's not limited to them.<br /><br />The first issue I have encountered is a complete lack of shielding on the cable. This is diagnosed by measuring continuity between the metal parts of the USB plugs on the cable—any cheapest DMM can do that. If there is no connection between them, that means the cable lacks shield or theMikhailhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03247181793198240403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-15611374287132217382021-09-20T10:47:15.874-07:002021-09-20T10:47:15.874-07:00Mikhail,
Your comment on bad USB cables was inter...Mikhail,<br /><br />Your comment on bad USB cables was interesting - and a little bit scary! Could you perhaps elaborate a little on how to test this, for someone who isn't an electrical engineer? I must admit that currently I don't even own a DMM...Freddiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15282896717749393082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-25696164994444779432021-09-19T19:42:55.843-07:002021-09-19T19:42:55.843-07:00AudioPoutine Odac was using the same usb isolator ...AudioPoutine Odac was using the same usb isolator circuit built-in,<br />just before the ESS DAC.<br />https://www.facebook.com/AudioPoutine/photos/479684852085879Blogue à parthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17651305500712464065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-3367288981813718202021-09-19T01:58:08.124-07:002021-09-19T01:58:08.124-07:00Not sure if this is an usb issue, but I had proble...Not sure if this is an usb issue, but I had problems with electrical interference and huge pops sending my amp into overload with ASUS Sound XONAR U5. It was literally unusable, not sure if it was the usb, but that was the connection from pc to dac, then rac to amp. I replaced it with Marantz ND 8006, which is super quiet and problem free. Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18419856625684722806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-64692854060148604942021-09-18T15:36:21.592-07:002021-09-18T15:36:21.592-07:00I totally agree that USB isolators should only be ...I totally agree that USB isolators should only be used if there is an evidence of a ground loop, and there is no other connection where it could be broken. I suspect that the success of various "USB decrappifiers" and "JitterBugs" is partly because there are surprisingly many bad USB cables. I have tested the "collection" of USB cables I acquired over years and Mikhailhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03247181793198240403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-86765368821640936362021-09-18T13:56:32.787-07:002021-09-18T13:56:32.787-07:00The 8 kHz noise obviously goes away with that isol...The 8 kHz noise obviously goes away with that isolator since the USB frame frequency is 1 kHz for full/low speed. A better way to see the effect on noise is to play silence or a low-level (-60 dB or so) tone at some unrelated frequency.<br /><br />See also, the USB Troll: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/the-usb-troll.23054/Mans Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079233294599701785noreply@blogger.com