On self-powered devices:
The iDefender 3.0 will break the ground as it will interrupt it whilst the voltage bus is high impedance. If the USB device connected is self-powered (it does not draw any power from the USB host), then the iDefender breaks ground-loops by itself.
On USB powered devices:
The iDefender 3.0 will require a 5v power supply to break the ground or it will be forced to ‘bypass’ to allow the DAC to work. Therefore 5v is required for the ground to be broken. If we break ground connections without providing separate power source the USB powered DAC wouldn’t work. If the USB device draws power from the host this power must be replaced by iPower, or the ground loop cannot be broken, as a low impedance ground is required to draw power.
