iFi Audio iGalvanic3.0 - The Holy Grail of Computer Audio

[thuandb]

27 minutes ago, PPk said:

Sounds promising.. Will wait for more to try.. Thuandb? 

I haven't tried it yet, having  too busy fixing my second server.  Otherwise, I'd get it in a heartbeat; in Fran's ears I trust.

[PPk]

I saw Fran mentioning plixir elite.. Must be from Singapore.. ?

[Franatic]

6 minutes ago, PPk said:

I saw Fran mentioning plixir elite.. Must be from Singapore.. ?

Philly ain't Singapore.........but I know James from Sound Affairs. I got the Plixir for the SU-1. I don't completely trust my ears Thuan......but they're all I got to listen with.

[Chopin75]

Did anyone try adding isilencer ? I tried adding it to my chain and it alone makes a huge difference though after adding back the igalvanic and idefender the effect is less but still noticeable. So u think the ipurifier is still needed after igalvanic. There is reclock in igalvanic and isn’t it redundant to reclock again? I suppose if a crappy USB or very long USB is used between igalvanic and the DAC would be useful. I already have a reclocker in my DAC so I got the isilencer which has some sort of active cancellation too. Unfortunately it seems to disconnect my DAC from the computer, or takes much longer for my Mac to detect the DAC. It seems to also shut down the sound of my DAC, silencing it completely! And I would need to reboot my DAC. I have the F1 USB board in the DAC which also reclock. So I have to take the isilencer out of the chain and leave it at a different USB port that connects to my external drive which also helps. I am now wondering if the ipurifier 3 would work better in the chain:

‘idefender + ipower —-> usb cord —> igalvanic —> Regen Ultra short USB adaptor—> ipurifier 

[Sator]

37 minutes ago, Chopin75 said:

There is reclock in igalvanic and isn’t it redundant to reclock again?

 

 

I am becoming increasingly wary of adding in more and more redundant components into the signal pathway. While you will always get a subjective report claiming the addition to be the gateway to Nirvana (placebo effect perhaps or else the "benefits" of euphonic degradation), there are also some reports of this sort of thing making the sound WORSE. Redundant components may be more harmful than beneficial. There is virtue in simplicity too.

[thuandb]

Agreed.

[Jgwtriode]

23 minutes ago, Sator said:

 

I am becoming increasingly wary of adding in more and more redundant components into the signal pathway. While you will always get a subjective report claiming the addition to be the gateway to Nirvana (placebo effect perhaps or else the "benefits" of euphonic degradation), there are also some reports of this sort of thing making the sound WORSE. Redundant components may be more harmful than beneficial. There is virtue in simplicity too.

Absolutely.  Check out Mad Scientist Audio USB!   Although there was a hornet's nest over the post I did regarding it.   Anyway check it out and draw your own conclusions.  Your also welcome to PM me!  But I ve had enough ignorance and pseudoscience bandied about to share anymore than this!

 

Happy listening!

[Chopin75]

isilencer does seem to make quite

an impact, currently placed after igalvanic, before getting to DAC. Its effect is most felt when no galvanic isolation is the chain. Everything becomes

clearer, more vivid and detailed where as before it is kind of muddy. It appears to work better post igalvanic than pre but I only did a rough quick test. 

[AMR/iFi audio]

Folks...

 

IFA 2018 
...it's almost here!

 

 

When?

• The 31st Aug - 5 Sept 2018!

The place?

• Berlin!

Where exactly?

• Hall 1.2, stand 206, WOD Audio (iFi's German distributor)

 

You'll have a chance to preview our EISA award winner - xDSD! Our two lovely girls - Victoria and Sarah - will be there supported by Thorsten Loesch himself.

 

If you'll attend, please visit us!

 

[Required]

For me its to expencive to fligh there. Flight in Europe are still more expensive than a trip to canada.

[AMR/iFi audio]

This happened several days ago, enjoy!

 

 

[AMR/iFi audio]

Our Pro iDSD review is at www.6moons.com and it's a good one! 

 

http://6moons.com/audioreviews2/ifi/1.html

 

Enjoy!

[AMR/iFi audio]

Also folks, AMR will be demoing two machines in the Colorado Audio Society Hospitality Suite at RMAF. Room 6007.

 

 

Yup, we're giving away Fast Blow fuses for Magnepan speakers! 2.5A for Magnepan 3.6/3.7 and 4A for other Magnepan machines.

[littlecx]

I have micro iusb3.0 and igalvanic, my dac is a desktop type, but its usb board is powered by the usb port. should I put micro iusb3.0 connecting the dac or igalvanic?

[AMR/iFi audio]

22 minutes ago, littlecx said:

I have micro iusb3.0 and igalvanic, my dac is a desktop type, but its usb board is powered by the usb port. should I put micro iusb3.0 connecting the dac or igalvanic?

 

The best way would be to use both our items like so: your PC/laptop -> iGalvanic3.0 -> micro iUSB3.0 -> your DAC.

[PPk]

iPuifier3 <-- anymore input if this is worth adding to igalvanic cum iusb 3.0 chain?

[AMR/iFi audio]

9 hours ago, PPk said:

iPuifier3 <-- anymore input if this is worth adding to igalvanic cum iusb 3.0 chain?

 

It surely is, simply because our nano/micro iUSB3.0 troopers and iPurifiers aren't galvanic isolators. The best USB treatment we have to date is micro iUSB3.0 fronted by iGalvanic3.0. 

[Chopin75]

You nean igalvanic—->micro iusb? Would ipurifier 3 after igalvanic work well too? I presume it would work better for ipurifier 3 to be after than before ifalvanic, just before it enters dac

[AMR/iFi audio]

2 hours ago, Chopin75 said:

You nean igalvanic—->micro iusb? Would ipurifier 3 after igalvanic work well too? I presume it would work better for ipurifier 3 to be after than before ifalvanic, just before it enters dac

 

nano/micro iUSB3.0 and USB iPurifiers represent various tiers of the same tech and these items do the same kind of work.  Regardless of your choice, iGalvanic3.0 comes in first, then reclockers and then a DAC.

[Jgwtriode]

Really!

 

Interesting perhaps when you run all Ifi stuff the Galvanic first gives the best results.  I can assure you that may not be universally true with other brands.  

 

In my Case, when I ran the Galvanic in front of my W4S Recovery Reclocker, I couldn't engage the inline filters on My JCAT Femto USB card.   The Galvanic pulls to much current.  So I tried a novel idea; run the reclocker first, then the Galvanic 3.  This setup sounded noticeably better.  Whether it was just being able to enable the filters on the JCAT, or more, I don't know but not only was noise floor and

grain reduced but music had a bit more flow, detail, focus and a slightly improved sense of staging!

 

I no longer run that setup but I point this out because there are definetly situations where the Galvanic first is not the best solution.   

 

Experiment for yourself is the obvious caveat here!

 

 

 

[AMR/iFi audio]

Also folks, the second biggest audio event in Europe and one of the biggest in general - Poland's Audio Video Show - starts in 9 days. 

 

And we'll be there!

 

• Where: Warsaw (Poland)
• Where exactly: The PGE Narodowy stadium, 1st floor
• When: November 16-18, 2018

 

If you're there, please visit us!

[Mitch]

On 3/13/2017 at 10:47 PM, AMR/iFi audio said:

We sincerely hope this will help, though it depends on your system and problems which combo is the best for you.

 

I am fairly new to computer hi fi.  I have decided against buying expensive server/streamer and decided to stick with my i7 HP lap top.  But I would like to get the best out of it in terms of sound quality.  I have looked through the posts here but I am afraid I am rather confused about which iFi products I should buy - I have looked on Amazon and there are bewildering number some of which seem to do the same thing.  Even after the list above I am still not sure.  Grateful for some option please.

 

My system is the lap top, foobar (WASAPI event for PMC playback and ASIO for DSD), 7 Meter USB cable (mid value £150), A Unison Research CD player (using the DAC section with up-to-date ESS DSD chip.  The DAC does not have a USB3 input - just USB2 and so is there any point in all the new iFi USB3 products?  I do not seem to have any sound problems (no hums etc). 

 

I just want to ensure I am getting the best from my humble lap top.  As usual, on a budget so would like to buy components gradually.  Where do I start and what is the eventual aim?

 

Grateful for help and suggestions.

 

Mitch

 

[AMR/iFi audio]

18 minutes ago, Mitch said:

 

I am fairly new to computer hi fi.  I have decided against buying expensive server/streamer and decided to stick with my i7 HP lap top.  But I would like to get the best out of it in terms of sound quality.  I have looked through the posts here but I am afraid I am rather confused about which iFi products I should buy - I have looked on Amazon and there are bewildering number some of which seem to do the same thing.  Even after the list above I am still not sure.  Grateful for some option please.

 

My system is the lap top, foobar (WASAPI event for PMC playback and ASIO for DSD), 7 Meter USB cable (mid value £150), A Unison Research CD player (using the DAC section with up-to-date ESS DSD chip.  The DAC does not have a USB3 input - just USB2 and so is there any point in all the new iFi USB3 products?  I do not seem to have any sound problems (no hums etc). 

 

I just want to ensure I am getting the best from my humble lap top.  As usual, on a budget so would like to buy components gradually.  Where do I start and what is the eventual aim?

 

Grateful for help and suggestions.

 

Mitch

 

 

Our USB3.0 products are backwards compatible, so if you don't have USB3.0, don't worry as USB2.0 will work too. 

 

As for our USB products, it's quite simple. iPurifier3.0, nano iUSB3.0 and micro iUSB3.0 do similar things. In a nutshell they reclock, rebalance and clean USB signal. The difference is in their potency and price. iPurifier3.0 is the entry level solution to grasp this technology, more efficient version of it is nano iUSB3.0 and top of the line solution in the same vein is micro iUSB3.0. It all depends on how far you're willing to go and how much money you're willing to spend. Having said all this, it might seem that functions of those three devices overlap and they do indeed, but the difference is in their effectiveness and you need only one.

 

The other thing is iGalvanic3.0. This device provides full galvanic isolation of USB and no other product of ours is capable of doing that. So if at some point you'll buy one of our machines listed above and still would like to push things further and cover one field extra, iGalvanic3.0 is the one to go after. 

 

The best, the most effective and the most thorought USB treatment we currently have is our iGalvanic3.0 plus micro iUSB3.0 at work together. This is the best we have and dare we say it's a good one. One thing to note is that galvanic isolation should happen before reclocking, thus in your case the chain should look like so:

 

Your laptop -> iGalvanic3.0 -> nano/micro iUSB3.0 or iPurifier3.0 -> your DAC.

 

You can always contact your local iFi representative. Our return policy is generous, so if you don't like our products, you'll get refunded.

 

Good luck!

[Mitch]

Thank you - much clearer now - this should keep me occupied over the next few months!

 

Mitch

[gradier]

I haven't tried exactly that, but I highly recommend this arrangement:

 

PC > iGalvanic3.0 > iFi IDAC2 > powered monitors (I use kh120's)

And when I want to listen via headphones, I switch out the cables and go:

PC > iGalvanic3.0 > iFi IDAC2 > iFi ICAN > headphones (I use Audeze LCD2's)

 

Great sound...Could it be better? Yes, but at a cost. This is fairly reasonably priced (some items were demo units), so I am very satisfied with it. Also, with a separat DAC / HP amp, I can take the amp out, plug it into the wall where I am sitting, and add it to my DAP:

 

DAP > iFi ICAN > headphones