Kills USB power noise by ‘breaking’ the earth/ground loops in the correct way.
It significantly reduces the system noise floor and makes for better dynamic contrast, warmth and resolution.
iDefender+
iDefender+
Is your audio still taking a beating from buzz and hum?
iFi’s iDefender+ is for those battling with noisy audio due to unwanted ground loops in their audio chain.
Beat the buzz
Is your audio still plagued by hum and buzz?
Using multiple plugs within your audio chain means separate earth/ground points. These multiple earth or ground points cause a ground loop problem. This creates an unwanted chain of noise, buzz and distortion.
Struggle no more. iFi’s iDefender+ provides the simple, effective solution you need.
Take a look at our Noisebusting Tech Note here.
Break the loop
When plugged into the source device’s USB socket, the iDefender+ detects whether there is a ground loop problem.
It breaks the ground loop by ‘intelligently’ disconnecting the computer’s earth and, as well as eradicating audible ground-loop hum, it lowers the system noise floor, improving resolution and dynamic contrast.
Using a USB DAC?
Are you using the iDefender+ with a DAC that relies on USB power from a computer rather than power from the mains or a built-in battery?
Good news. The iDefender+ offers an additional benefit. If an external power supply is plugged into the USB-C socket on its side, it blocks power from the computer and instead feeds the DAC with ‘clean’ power from the external supply.
If a high-quality, low-noise power adapter such as iFi’s iPower X is used, the performance of the USB DAC will be significantly improved.
New and improved.
We’ve upgraded the circuitry; low-ESR tantalum capacitors have been added for improved input and output filtering. Filtering capacitance has been increased 10-fold.
The iDefender+ now comes in 3 versions and includes the newer USB-C connector.
- USB-A to USB-A
- USB-C to USB-A
- USB-C to USB-C
Beat the buzz with the iDefender+.
Inject 5 volts of clean power via the ‘separate’ USB-C port. This disconnects the USB power from the PC and replaces it with clean external power. For ultra-low noise, use our 5-volt iPower Elite or iPOWER X.
To ‘break’ the earth/ground on USB-powered DACs, adding a separate 5 volt supply is necessary . This is not required for DACs with an internally-powered USB section.
‘SuperSpeed’ USB 3.0 has a more exhaustive wiring specification which allows for a greater amount of audio transfer while still being backwards compatible. The units incorporate high-quality gold-plated connectors for optimal signal transfer.
Support
| USB | Super-Speed USB3.0 (and USB2.0 backwards compatible) |
| Connectors | USB3.0 gold-plated connectors |
| Dimensions | 50mm (I) x 20mm (w) x 9mm (h) |
| Weight | 6.6g (0.23oz) |
| Warranty period | 12 months |
Reviews
Magic item
I didn’t know this “magic item” existed and didn’t believe it until I tried it!
Eliminate all usb loop noise .. AMAZING !!! (translated)
(Click name to read original review)
iFi iDefender+
“I had terrible noise coming out of monitors and I know it was coming from pc to monitors because it only became noisy when i was video editing and my gpu was in use.
I purchase the separate usbc clean power cable that they sell. connected everything and now my audio is super clean sounding.”
(Click name to read original review)
This works. Watch the video.
I bought this for use with the Sennheiser GSX 1200 Pro. I was getting ground loop noise from the speakers on the line in jack due to the GSX being USB powered from my PC. Bought the iDefender to break it, but noticed some softer feedback from the speakers. So I bought an additional power supply for it (2.5amp 5volt). The iDefender comes with an adapter for this to use a normal DC connection. After plugging it in, I realized the iDefender needs this power supply to take your USB powered device completely OFF the 5v power rail of your PC and instead use an isolated power source. This eliminated the feedback COMPLETELY. If you bought this and it didn’t work, try powering it with an external power supply…
(Click name to read original review)
It works.
Read if you own an audio interface powered by USB from your PC:
I used this to combat GPU jutter / judder. Noisey output to my audio interface –> powered speakers.
Yes it’s expensive at $60, but it completely eliminated the noise – it’s NOT your XLR or TRS cables – balanced or unbalanced, NOR your dirty AC power outlets.
No, the problem is USB C audio interface (external DAC) being powered by the PC bus.
The solution offered by this magical little device to is route a different (clean) power source and eliminate the ground loop issue caused by PC bus powered DAC giving electrical interference to your powered speakers.
Yes it is expensive! Yes it is worth it! Nobody else makes a solution like this. The closest thing I saw on Amazon uses usb-B and is $500, and I’m not sure it would even work.
(Click name to read original review)
Does what it says on the tin – and does it well!
I initially balked at the idea of paying nearly £60 for a USB ground loop removal device but, after trying two other cheaper (£10-15ea) alternatives, one removed the noise but at the expense of removing USB connectivity entirely, the other didn’t work at all. So I pulled the pin and bought the iFi iDefender+ and wow, no switches, no gimmicks, it auto-senses if you have external power plugged in on the side port and removes the ground loop noise issue entirely! Absolutely fantastic!
(Click name to read original review)
Awesome in my application
“used from laptop USB and LG V60 usb out …. it added lower noise floor on top of IFiSilencer+ than connected to USB powered DAC (Hifime 9018),than I added external low noise Audio grade 5V 2A power supply and whole package got even better… imaging and stereo space and feel are much better , deeper , wider and higher soundstage with more of you are there feel , dynamics , transients , bass definition and airier highs …. this thing is for real.”
(Click name to read original review)
DAC (Digital-to-Analogue Converter)
DACs convert digital information, stored or streamed by computers, into music we can hear through speakers or headphones.
Every device that’s a source of digital sound has a built-in DAC (TVs, games consoles, CD players, phones, portable music players etc). Dedicated external DACs sound much better than standard DACs used in digital devices such as phones.
Ground Loops
In an electrical system, a Ground or Earth loop occurs when two points of an audio system both have a ground reference which causes a ‘potential voltage difference’ between them. Ground loops are a major cause of the noise, hum, and interference in audio, video, and computer systems.
