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.
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
iDefender+ It works!
Couldn’t be more happy. My USB hum issues are a thing of the past. Can’t believe it took me so long to get one of these and that it was such a simple fix.
(Click name to read original review)
Funktioniert tatsächlich sogar
Ich hätte irgendwie darauf gehofft, dass es nicht funktioniert. Ein Gerät was Rauschen aus USB entfernt? Das sollte eigentlich nicht funktionieren, weil digital ja nicht rauscht. Oder doch?
Tatsächlich ja schon irgendwie, zumindest wenn Rechner und Lautsprecher an der selben Erdung hängen und miteinander verbunden sind. In meinem Fall zumindest.
Tatsächlich ja schon irgendwie, zumindest wenn Rechner und Lautsprecher an der selben Erdung hängen und miteinander verbunden sind. In meinem Fall zumindest.
Ist der Bildschirm am gleichen Hub, wie der Rest, oder das Interface mit Ladestrom zusammen am gleichen Port meines Macbooks gibts hochfrequentes Rauschen. Beim Bewegen der Maus gibt es das Geräusch einer hochgepitchten Kaffeemühle und das ganze macht einfach keinen Spaß.
Da gilt es, die Masseverbindungen zu trennen und weiterhin Signale durchzulassen.
Das Masseproblem würde man klassischer Weise über Di-Boxen lösen, man in zwischen Interface und Monitore hängt. Die haben einen Ground lift, nehmen aber auch meistens an einer Seite die Symmetrie aus dem Kabel.
An der Stelle hab ich mich dann dafür entschieden, die Masse in der USB Leitung zu brechen. Auf der einen Seite, weil bei Digital keine Störungen ins Signal kommen können und weil es dann nur ein deutlich kompakteres Gerät ist anstelle von zwei klobigen, die ich dazwischen klemmen muss.
Externe Strumversorgung über ein Netzteil war bei mir absolut notwendig, auch wenn mein Interface eigentlich eine eigene Stromverbindung hat. Aber dann hat es mich auch vollkommen überzeugt, obwohl das ein typischer Kauf von der Sorte ist, wo man das Rücksendeetikett schon vorm Kauf bereithält.
(Click name to read original review)
Does what it should on an RME Digiface USB
I have it for the interferences on my RME Digiface USB on which I operate 3 Behringer ADA8200 Ultragain . The interference at the USB port is varied because of the other devices that are connected to the PC. After connecting the iFi iDefender, no difference could be heard, but only when I connected a power supply to the iFi iDefender was there silence and I only hear the normal noise from the Behringer ADA8200 Ultragain.
(Click name to read original review)
Yep definitely works
It absolutely works. Might have to buy me another
(Click name to read original review)
Exactly what i needed
When using a DI box for recording, i was getting digital audio noise from the USB connection on the computer side. This eliminated it!!!! Worth the money!
(Click name to read original review)
Seems to work and improve audio
I’m using this in a very good music system. I’m not certain any benefits were obtained. When making changes often we focus on sound more than before making the change. Even knowing a change is underway and a pre-change listen occurs it will be difficult to determine if a benefit has occurred if your system is quiet already. I don’t have a noisy system to test this on. I was just curious if injecting clean power to the USB receiver that uses computer power would matter. So far I don’t think it has made an improvement — also no degradation was noticed. I tried this on two music computers.
I used a 5VDC USB switching power supply (wall wart) and a Type A-to-C USB cable I had on hand. It came with a short cable with a Type C and a round end.
Read more…
(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.
