(08-Jan-2016, 00:03)Hifi_swlon Wrote: Can't wait to hear. I read an article about it by chance but it seems quite under the radar - I guess because it's not designed for audio specifically.
It seemed quite expensive, but I guess it depends how it sounds.
I'll let you/you guys know!
The Intona had been on my radar for quite some time, it's been in a pre-order stage quite long, but only recently the first user experiences came to surface and these are quite positive irt sound quality improvements. One has to be a bit careful though, the Intona is more than a transformer based isolator and actually an active device that even contains two FPGA's that of course need to be powered. It can provide up to 300mA without voltage drop but will drop the 5V to 4.5V when supplying 500mA, this because it's USB bus powered (no external PSU) and has to power it's own circuitry as well. This could cause compatibility issues with certain equipment that requires a full 500mA. Knowing what I know now about the Devialet it should work with the Intona.
Correct the Intona has not been specifically created for audio purposes. It was actually quite refreshing to see/read about a product without all the regular high-end audio BS.
There's a very interesting post from Daniel the CEO of Intona here in which he answers our typical audiophile questions and compares the Intona to the Regen: http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f6-dac...post493372
It isn't cheap (€250/$229 for standard version, €344/$319 for industrial version) but I think it is a cost effective way to retrofit full galvanic isolation to any USB device, the thing that's been sorely missing in most DAC's with USB inputs including our Devialets.
(08-Jan-2016, 02:53)warpeon Wrote: I came to realize my USB cable has many things dangling on it - jitterbug, sbooster isolator, Regen, sbooster for Regen, etc. I start to hope some smart guy would simply and mesh them all together. Or, the money spent would been better to just get a nicer USB cable.
Haha, I know and understand "your pain"! Just for fun I made a list below of the USB enhancing/related products that came to my mind. These all, in their own ways, try to improve the shortcomings of USB as an interface for high-end audio. I'm hoping the Intona will make all these obsolete.
I'm quite sure that in the future any and all will become osbolete when more and more DAC developers start to implement their own measures to keep noise out of the USB input. Same of course has also happened for S/PDIF.
Intona USB Isolator
Uptone Audio Regen
iFi iUSB3.0
Wyred4Sound Recovery
under development: Lakewest Audio USB Detox, Qualia Physic Q921stt
Jitterbug
Sbooster Isolator (disconnects +5V only)
USB Disruptor (disconnects +5V and injects a new +5V)
Dual headed USB cables that allow one to inject clean +5V
A whole range of +5V power sources from linear PSU, super capacitor to battery based
USB cables with integrated filters (like TotalDAC D1)
Optical USB cables (like Adnaco and Corning)
Mutec MC-3+ Smart Clock USB
Dedicated high quality USB interfaces to build into a computer (SoTM, JCAT, PPA Studio)
PS Audio P3, Shunyata ΞTRON Alpha Digital and HC/Furutech power cables, Paul Hynes SR7EHD-MR4, DIY Roon Server & Roon Endpoint running AudioLinux Headless, Phasure Lush^2 USB cable, Audioquest Diamond RJ/E ethernet, Uptone Audio etherREGEN, Mutec MC-3+ USB, Shunyata ΞTRON Anaconda Digital XLR AES/EBU, Devialet Expert 250 Pro CI, Nordost Tyr Reference LS cables, Von Schweikert VR-5 SE Anniversary Edition, Anti-Mode Dual Core 2.0, JL Audio Fathom F112. More detail here.
The Netherlands
The Netherlands