Tenflare's post below recounting how a faulty USB port can damage equipment got me a little concerned, which got me thinking... :thinking:
At the moment my DAC is connected to my PC simply by an AQ Pearl USB cable (great cost-effective cable btw).
I have tried to isolate a port on a hub that is not being used by any other peripheral, not sure if I've managed that but I've never had any connection issues.
Even the notoriously sensitive Audio-gd Windows drivers have worked perfectly since installation (touch wood it stays that way).
I have used a Jitterbug for a while and could not hear any perceivable difference or change to the sound. I thus removed it, my thinking being that the fewer devices between Source and DAC the better, certainly if they don't deliver any improvement.
Now I am thinking that maybe if nothing else, the little Jitterbug could act as a "safety device" or buffer between USB port and DAC.
There have been other threads on this topic, but don't think this particular function has been discussed.
I am not in favour of spending a fortune on the following types of solutions, which seem like total overkill to me:
https://ifi-audio.com/power-2/
Opinions and alternatives awaited!
At the moment my DAC is connected to my PC simply by an AQ Pearl USB cable (great cost-effective cable btw).
I have tried to isolate a port on a hub that is not being used by any other peripheral, not sure if I've managed that but I've never had any connection issues.
Even the notoriously sensitive Audio-gd Windows drivers have worked perfectly since installation (touch wood it stays that way).
I have used a Jitterbug for a while and could not hear any perceivable difference or change to the sound. I thus removed it, my thinking being that the fewer devices between Source and DAC the better, certainly if they don't deliver any improvement.
Now I am thinking that maybe if nothing else, the little Jitterbug could act as a "safety device" or buffer between USB port and DAC.
There have been other threads on this topic, but don't think this particular function has been discussed.
I am not in favour of spending a fortune on the following types of solutions, which seem like total overkill to me:
https://ifi-audio.com/power-2/
Opinions and alternatives awaited!