tubesound

How does Intona+D1 combo compare to Intona alone?

Any typo here? Why Intona is sitting at the end of the chain?

Intona deals with packet noise and impedance matching too. This post reported he preferred Intona alone to the (REGEN+Intona) combo: http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f6-dac-digital-analog-conversion/which-one-buy-uptone-universal-serial-bus-industry-standard-cables-connectors-and-communications-protocols-between-computers-and-electronic-devices-regen-or-intona-universal-serial-bus-industry-standard-cables-connectors-and-communications-protocols-between-computers-and-electronic-devices-isolator-26815/index5.html#post498892 Another post said Intona bettered his REGEN with Neutron Star Clock mod: http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f6-dac-digital-analog-conversion/which-one-buy-uptone-universal-serial-bus-industry-standard-cables-connectors-and-communications-protocols-between-computers-and-electronic-devices-regen-or-intona-universal-serial-bus-industry-standard-cables-connectors-and-communications-protocols-between-computers-and-electronic-devices-isolator-26815/index8.html#post502815

Sounds like Mutec MC3+ USB does galvanic isolation at the i2s level. Intona's upstream isolation still provides benefits.

And the Recovery USB Reclocker doesn't do galvanic isolation. From the description, I think it's more similar to REGEN rather than to Intona.

Found a pic for the internal view from here: Intona High Speed USB isolator! - Page 4; isolation is provided through Silicon Lab's Si8660.

Well, I'm talking about the delta. Great recordings just became greater and made me feel mediocre recordings more mediocre.

With Intona, the perceived difference between great recordings and mediocre ones became larger. Is this an indication that Intona brings the sound "truer" to the orinigal recording mixed in the studio?

You may use stuff under and above Intona to secure it from moving (dragged by the upstream USB cable). I found the adapter sounds better than using a USB cable between Intona and DAC.

This sounds weird to me. If a short USB cable worked for you, the adapter should work too unless this adapter is faulty.

The differences are listed on Intona's website and I repeat them here: Standard Version: 1kV isolation, standard temperature grade, standard connectors Industrial Version: 2.5kV isolation, specified isolation working voltage, extended temperature grade, high retention connectors For audio use, standard version is sufficient. However, as you read there're incompatibility issues related to some DACs/USB converters and so you'd better check with Daniel at Intona before you buy.

What are the other tweaks you tried before? Did you try other tweaks together with Intona and observe any incremental benefits?

Many people will tell you AES is better. My view is that if implemented properly, they should be close. AES is more for long distance. Some perceived difference is probably due to different cables used.

If you have the funds, sell your iFi combo and buy this instead: MUTEC - Professional A/V and High-End Equipment - MC-3+ USB

Just did two experiments. First, comparing a generic USB cable with an audiophile grade USB cable (not very expensive; it's a Bona made in Taiwan) connected from laptop to Intona. Without Intona, I used to be able to tell the difference easily (Bona is way better) but now with Intona, I cannot discern any obvious difference. This verifies my suspicion that Intona will make USB cable less important. However, between Intona and DAC, the USB cable quality may still make a difference. And so, I tried this connection: Laptop > Generic USB Cable > Intona > Bona (instead of the Male A/Male B adapter) > DAC. I prefer the adapter. I think the shortest connection distance achieved by using the adapter contributes to the better sound. And the adapter may avoid another impedance mismatch problem (that Intona has just corrected for you).