I bought the first of these to solve a noise issue when connecting my SMSL SU8 (Yes I still own one and a D10) to my PC USB for gaming.
I happened to order it around the same time as the Total DAC Unity arrived. The TotalDAC’s “internal” streamer is connected by an external USB cable to the DAC, and Total DAC sells a cable with a built in filter, so when the IPurifier arrived, I thought why not I’ll just stick it in the loop.
And surprisingly enough even with a 12 inch USB cable with a device sharing power with the streamer, there was an actual improvement, it’s not night and day, but it’s there, better bass control, more defined stage, better attack and so I had to order a second one for the PC.
Back to the SMSL/PC, It didn’t actually fix the hum I was experiencing, because the issue wasn’t the USB input, it was actually cross talk from my amp’s PSU when the DAC was placed on top of the amp. If I’d bothered moving the DAC when trouble shooting this first, I’d have never tried it. Having said that with the DAC moved, and testing with and without the iPurifier, there was a fairly obvious difference with and without even on the SU8.
Now I’m not sure it’s worth spending $150 to condition the USB on a $300 DAC, and for my purpose (gaming) I really don’t care.
I think when I plug the Pacific back into my primary setup, I’ll try it between the Optical Rendu and the Pacific.
Basically what he said. I’ve got three, they worked very well on my streamer, I’ve got one connected to the wall for the AC and one on the int amp. They do make a difference and you can find them in the used market for around $75 bucks.
I want one of these now for my Baltic 3, some things done in a layered approach can be good. I’m very particular to not loosing the grand soundstage this DAC provides but cleaning up or should I say maximizing the USB feed I prefer for it is a tricky game that I’m interested in furthering along. Thank you so much @Polygonhell for sharing your experiences and opinions of this accessory
I wrote a while back in my LCD-24 post that I’d thought mine had thinned the bass a bit, but I actually hadn’t given it enough time. I let it settle, figuring maybe it needed a little burn in, and it proved to be true. The IPurifier 3 works. I’ve taken it out a couple of times, but I’ve instantly noticed the difference and put it back in. Definitely a bad ass little device!
This was a surpise for me also. I’m never quite sure what the compromises are with conditioning or promises of lower noise. On my desktop chain, Mac Mini M2 Pro > Quetest > Rega Brio > Harbeth P3ESRs. I threw it into my DAC and immediately noticed a darker background. So it was an automatic keeper. Not the best source, but this little doggle puts me in a place where I am content with the listening experience.
I’m an idiot because I didn’t read the subject header clearly. This is the ifi product I’ve been using and loving and you should try it out if you haven’t already.
Maybe I should edit the topic for all of the ifi Purifier line.
What these things do is inject negative feedback to noise coming from your AC line. In other words, don’t fix it, just make it inaudible. They work “stacked” as well, meaning their effects can be strategically added to certain components in your AC gang and they also have a segregating effect to keep one component from introducing noise to another via the shared AC lines.
@dB_Cooper Thanks for clarifying. I still like my laptop so per your suggestion was cking the Wyred reclocker. Power seems ok here and I’m using a dedicated
circuit, just trying to eke out the best from my modest rig.
I use the iFi Powerstation, with a Supanova to the amp (MZ3), an iFi Elite psu to my SPDIF iPurifier from a TV, and 2 additional AC iPurifiers plugged into it. I’m very happy with the results.
I figure this will suit me until I move up gear to a battery/regenerator level.
I think there’s so much low hanging fruit to be gained, pretty much buy anything that you come across used. If you’re going to put in a USB reclocker like that though, shop around cause sometimes you can come across a more robust offering with more connectivity outputs on the cheap used. But get a good power supply for it though.
I’m a fanboy of the iFi power products as well (currently using an iFi Elite and an iFi Supanova in my main listening chain). But one word of caution - i’ve heard them make negative changes in my system. Particularly with certain power strips / distribution boxes / filters I’ve noticed the iFi iPurifier make things sound either sharp/harsh or completely blunt the dynamics. my best guess (out on a limb with this for sure) is it has to do with the way the ANC is interacting with the EMC filters and isolation schemes in some power strips. it’s to the point where plugging the iFi product into one plug in the strip sounded great, but moving down to the next plug made it sound noticeably worse. It’s definitely a Your Milage May Vary situation. but overall, they make good products that can make a very positive difference.
@TempoTim - if you are interested, i have a solid entry level USB reclocker (Singxer UIP-1) that I purchased 1-2 year back from a rather sketchy member of our forum (@dB_Cooper). it was my gateway into USB reclockers, and I now use many other DDC in my chain. Message me if you’re interested in it, happy to give you a good deal on it.
To all the reclockers I’ve loved before
Who traveled in and out my door
I’m glad they came along
I dedicate this song
To all the reclocker I’ve loved before
@hifiDJ This is where I remember the 7V power supply recommendation. Memory is sketchy, there’s been many. lol
