Usage of the Intona USB Isolator


Could the Intona USB Isolator work between a hard drive attached to a local network or would it need to be attached directly between the hard drive and the DAC or would it not work in either situation? 
128x128jmeyers

Showing 1 response by erik_squires

It's clear from the description that the most important feature is galvanic isolation.

This means there is no metal to metal path between input and output. Sadly, even with modern DAC's which should all include this some still do not.  This is especially useful as the switching power supplies in PC's and laptops can create enough ground loop noise to create measurable jitter, even though we don't hear it like we do analog ground loops. Sometimes, like with my Mytek, you get both.

Fortunately I only need to use the PC as a source on very rare occasions and otherwise the DAC is isolated by other means.

Be warned that not all DAC's, again like mine, are isolator friendly. I've tried 2 different kinds and in both cases the DAC was no longer recognized by the player.

Best,

E