USB connection to DAC: multi stage improvement


In my setup (Innuos Zenith Mk3, Antelope Zodiac Platinum with Sean Jacobs DC3/4 and Antelope Audiophile clock) sequential addition of decrapifiers has lead to increasing transparency, dynamics and soundstage depth.

My chain now reads like this

ZenithMk3->Singxer UIP->JHoinrich Isolator RH07b->IFi USB iPurifier3->LHY UIP2.0 Pro->Intona7054b->Zodiac Platinum

 

The Singxer is powered by Sean Jacobs DC3/4, The Lhy is reclocked by the Antelope clock

 

Of particular note: this is the best result of trying every conceivable permutation.

 

In terms of overall impact:

1. reclocking the LHY using the same clock on DAC and upstream Etherregen

2. introducing galvanic insulation after each powered device.

3. using isolator equipment with different chips at each stage.

 

i have learned the hard way that fighting ground level noise, RFI/EMI and other network noise is a gradual rather than binary solution at each step and that in digital audio ‘less is more’ doesn‘t apply as it does in the analogue section. Equally the whole bits are bits debate seems churlish against this background

antigrunge2

@lanx0003 

It‘s not so much that I don‘t believe it, it is plain irrelevant and I shall no more respond to your diatribes.

To the OP. Congrats on your success and thanks for sharing. There are many roads to audio bliss and no doubt you've heard these improvements along the way. We all have budgetary limitations we have to work within (well most of us). We can't always just go out and buy a $12K DAC but I do believe we can find our way to a similar end point by trial and error. I myself was using several components including a Denafrips DDC and Pontus 2 DAC and tube buffer and was very happy with that. If not for a ridiculous deal on a Merason DAC1 from a wealthy audio buddy I would probably have that same setup. Just ignore the people who feel like they know the only path.