Stereophile, Nov. 2015 has a report at pg. 41 on the Jitterbug, AQ says plug them into unused usb ports. Any experience with that? I have a PerfectWave Mk, II, use the hdmi from my memory transport. For $50, it would be a cheap tweak if the addition is audible. Any one experimented with plugging one into a dac’s unused usb port?
I too would be interested to know. I have only one Jitterbug (connected to DS DAC) but I will soon come the second, which I will install in a neighbouring port with the mouse. It would be interesting to know how significant the effect of the second Jitterbug (the effect is very good from first Jitterbug).
Try it and report back! It is only $50.
Elk said Try it and report back! It is only $50.
It remains to wait for delivery for about 10 days. I will write in this topic about my impressions of the two JitterBugs.
My experience - having AQ dummy Jitterbug connected to DS DAC USB port (the one which is used only for maintenance, near the bridge module) worsened the SQ in my setup.
On the other side, having JB between Aries and DS DAC make sound from Aries smoother (maybe too smooth?), but at the moment it’s staying in the chain, will see in the future. I still hope one day I could remove Aries completely when Roon would be integrated with Bridge II (hopefully), because just connecting another device (Aries with USB Regen and JB in this case) is having detrimental effect on the SQ.
I’m having my BridgeII isolated from LAN via optical trancievers.
I had negative results with the Jitterbug.
Plugging it in-line with the USB output from Mac to DAC just threw a wet blanket over the music. This was in conjunction with a Regen.
Even plugging into an unused USB port on the Mac Mini had an effect… not a good one.
YMMV.
Interesting, because I am about to try the same thing but with the Aries, not Mac mini.
Today I received the parcel with the second Jitterbug. The first stood with the cable to the DS DAC, the second set into a free USB port. Strength of the effect is the same as from a single Jitterbug. Two Jitterbug - double the gains in clarity. I'm incredibly happy. Though I still have the USB filter iFi iPurifier and USB power block Astin Trew Concord, and in spite of this, the second Jitterbug noticeably improved the sound quality.
Even noticeable on sound in films, and music even more so.
Using two of them, the improvement on a few songs was minor. The improvement from tube rolling on the BHK Signature 300s is a magnitude of 20 times larger.
They introduced pops and ticks into my system. I removed them; problem solved.
I had not previously heard of them creating problems. Have you seen others reporting similar issues?
I know of no other posts anywhere complaining about a Jitterbug introducing pops or ticks into a system. It took a couple of hours to identify the source of the problem. I was working in both directions: from the amplifier to the DAC and from the computer to the DAC. The pops and ticks were the same with both Tidal and JRiver, so the problem was downstream from the computer. I found some people on the internet complaining years ago about USB cables introducing pops and ticks into their systems. Then, as I was about to change USB cables, I realized that the two Jitterbugs were introduced between the computer and the USB cable. I removed them, and it solved the problem.
A couple of days ago found that the iFi Audio iPurifier is not compatible with JitterBugs.
With them he gives the opposite effect.
I removed iPurifier and the sound became more three-dimensional and voluminous.
Personally I can’t tell whether Jitterbug is in or out of my system (MacAir>.5M Kimber KS-2416>DS DAC>Kimber KS-1136>Classe Omega>Jenalabs Twin 19>Apogee Duetta Signatures). I hear no difference whether the Jitterbug is in the output path to the DAC, between the Mac and a USB 3 thumb-drive with the music, or in the unused USB while streaming.
There is also an extensive test written up on the web that found no measurable improvement from the Jitterbug or from the USB Regen while noting that both introduced some levels of additional noise into the USB signal, and Yes, I’m well aware that audio has a lot of things that are not easily measured.
Based on the principal of KISS, my Jitterbug is back in the box. One of these days I’ll sell it off.
It does work , not sure why lol. But like the REGEn sytems vary in what it does. And as you are using a laptop I would think your Ina prime situation for inprovemnt . Have you tried the REGEn ?
I considered trying a USB Regen, but half of its function is redundant, with a DS DAC.
EldRick said (SNIP) There is also an extensive test written up on the web that found no measurable improvement from the Jitterbug or from the USB Regen while noting that both introduced some levels of additional noise into the USB signal, and Yes, I'm well aware that audio has a lot of things that are not easily measured.Based on the principal of KISS, my Jitterbug is back in the box. One of these days I’ll sell it off.
If that’s how you feel, then by all means do so, sell it. However, since introducing the JitterBug into my system, it just sounds better.
Listener bias, I’m sure.
Be well,
Joe
I too had thought that it might work well for the laptop, but simply haven’t noticed a difference so far. I’ll give it another try sooner or later, as I have also been upgrading wires in my system recently.
BTW, here’s the measurement-based thread where the Jitterbug and Regen are both lab-tested, with decidedly mixed results and an acrimonious debate (it’s a hundred-page thread):
http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?18580-Science-Thread-Review-of-Audioquest-Jitterbug-and-Uptone-Regen-USB-Conditioners
AQ Jitterbug got me interested so I tested (A): Jitterbug between PC-DAC, (B): Jitterbug on unused USB 3.0 port on PC. Source: DSD64
Result was, (A) the sound became harsh, thin and emphasis on the high side. (B) got me better result with more depth.
PC Setup: Windows 10 w/Impactics Fanless Case + foobar v1.3.10/foo_input_sacd-0.9.6 plugin + fidelizer Pro v.7.2 + AMD Radeon (RAMDisk memory Playback)
PC Power Supply: HDplex Fanless Linear Power supply
Cables: Synergistic Research Tesla active shielding (USB, Power)
Base: Synergistic Research Tranquility Basik, MiG footers
DAC: Mytek Manhattan
Headphones: Sony MDR-Z1000
Amps: First Watt B1+SIT 2
Speakers: Tannoy IIILZ
Jitterbug worked well for me, out of laptop’s USB port.
Less important out of iPhone, but still of some value.
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iPhone playing TIDAL => Jitterbug => Directstream was very highly comparable to
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PWT playing CD => i2s => Directstream
which greatly surprised me.
Jitterbug seemed to be most useful on higher powered bus. Like the laptop, powering headphones (with their own amplification), using a Dragonfly RED (also listened to the Chord Mojo yesterday - very nice kit).
I don’t like all the component gizmo’s but, cannot argue with the results.