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Audioquest Jitterbug

Huh, interesting to see one naked, I had always thought that it was some kinda memory buffer with its own independent clock that resync'd the data more precisely than what the computer could do, essentially making a synchronous DAC behave like an asynchronous DAC.

Or at least that is how I would have done it. Maybe I am thinking too hard,
 
yea its just a filter not a reclocker.

The pc I use for HTPC is an old gaming PC build so the psu and ton of case fans makes a very noisey EMI/RF environment for audio so I did research on these "filters"

ends up a very popular chipset is the ADUM4160 "with an optimal layout it features signal isolation capability of 5000V and voltage isolation of 1000V."

I'm not sure the Jitterbug uses the same chipset but it definatly has less filter power...

nude of jitterbug

audioquest_jitterbug_6.png

201307191039-800x800.jpg

nude of hifimediy adum4160


I've had good luck with this product, it uses the preferred adum chipset.
I use it in between a nuforce udac 3 I use as a async USB to SPDIF converter. Big fan of hifimeDIY, low cost, no-bs approach to USB audio

http://hifimediy.com/Accessories/usb-isolator
 
A friend of mine bought one of the AQ Jitterbugs. He uses a macbook Pro as his "source". The AQ didn't really do anything. We tried it with and without and didn't really hear any difference - maybe the Macbook is fairly quite running on battery? We also hooked up my iFi iUSB in his system and there was a noticeable improvement in the sound (smoother, more space, better sound staging), of course that is a more expensive unit. He ended up sending his Jitterbug back because it just didn't seem to improve anything. I've read other very glowing reviews of the Jitterbug, so I'm sure it depends on you computer? I have no doubt that the AQ device "works" as I have always found AQ products to be very good. In this particular case, however, it didn't seem to help much.
 
soundmig said:
A friend of mine bought one of the AQ Jitterbugs. He uses a macbook Pro as his "source". The AQ didn't really do anything. We tried it with and without and didn't really hear any difference - maybe the Macbook is fairly quite running on battery? We also hooked up my iFi iUSB in his system and there was a noticeable improvement in the sound (smoother, more space, better sound staging), of course that is a more expensive unit. He ended up sending his Jitterbug back because it just didn't seem to improve anything. I've read other very glowing reviews of the Jitterbug, so I'm sure it depends on you computer? I have no doubt that the AQ device "works" as I have always found AQ products to be very good. In this particular case, however, it didn't seem to help much.
Click to expand...

very true USB noise varies immensely based on the hardware/implementation of the system.. things that come to mind as red flags are laptops with AC ground loop, and workstation/gaming PCs with big PSUs and lots of fans

there is hope though for the average PC's USB port. Gigabyte started implementating "DAC-up" ports on some of their newer motherboards

According to their website these kind of motherboards are able to provide clean, noise-free power delivery to a DAC. The technology is supposed to take advantage of an isolated power source that minimizes potential fluctuations.

might be an option for a DIY HTPC build
 
I'm going to be getting one of the latest MB's from Gigabyte as soon as I get the order in. I've got a cheaper older model that works better than any of the ASUS boards I've tried and I'm curious how the newer ones handle themselves. One thing I noticed about the model I'm getting is they are touting a separate isolated power supply for the USB bus as well. And for those who use the built in sound card they have made the opamp in the card upgradeable so you can roll your own to your specific tastes. Interesting enough and needing to upgrade anyway I'm going to give it a shot and see what happens.
 
HVHiFI said:
I've been looking forward to AKer reviews on the jitterbug. I use a Dragonfly for demo at the shop and notice when some laptops are plugged in there is an annoying high frequency sound from the DAC. Pull the power cord and run on battery it goes away. The Jitterbug I was hoping is the answer to filter out that noise.
Click to expand...
The same thing happens to me. When my MacBook Pro is plugged in I get that high pitched backround noise. While on battery there is no longer any high pitched sound. I always though I had a bad ground (I think I would like to re-ground my whole house frankly. Maybe that will help)
 
have owned two for over a year

they are a hit or miss... I get an intermittent 'shsss' (static sound) lasting 1/2 second. Sometimes never in a whole album other times 3-4x per album

for me it works best in a USB2... USB3 use causes more problems

my laptop has two USB3 on the left side and one USB2 on the right. Best use of two jitterbugs in my case is putting one in USB2 , one in USB3 , then use the last USB3 for cable to DAC.

always best to run laptop on battery - IMO

laptop =

Asus x555la
i5
12g ram
SSD for OS
internal HDD for music storage
OS is Ubuntu 16.04.2 LTS

like i said... hit or miss
 
Once I saw the Jitterbug was just a filter, I didn't think it could do all that much. Instead, in the very rare instances I use audio via USB (which I dislike for audio, but have to use in a pinch), I may get the Schiit Wyrd. It's only $99, and it not only injects new, clean 5 volt power, it reclocks the USB data stream to "decrapify" it. Given the price, I can't see it being too much of a gamble to give it a try. I just feel it better corrects some of the problems with USB in general than to just filter a few things out.
 
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