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.
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 clean via the ‘separate’ micro 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 X.
Adding the separate 5 volts to the unit is necessary to ‘break’ the earth/ground on USB-powered DACs. 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 |
We’re working on it — check back soon!
Reviews
Resolved my ground loop problem, when used with external power supply!
I spent the last week tearing my hair out trying to diagnose a problem with loud, unwanted GPU noise bleeding through my external USB interface onto my speakers. After a LOT of trial and error, I was pretty confident that the noise was related to electrical ground loop interference from my PC, and that I needed an externally powered isolator like this one to resolve the issue. $50 feels extremely steep for how simple the device is, but lo and behold, it fixed my problem! I didn’t want to spring for their external power supply (for another, ridiculous $50), but used with an cheapo 5V phone charger it works fine.
I would definitely recommend it if you’re having a similar issue, with the caveat that it won’t magically resolve all types of noise and interference, just those related to ground loop interference and USB noise between components of a source device like a PC. Some of the reviewers are openly calling this item a scam, which it definitely isn’t- you just have to correctly diagnose your problem.
(Click name to read original review)
Fixed my GPU noise problem!
This thing works, for the GPU problem detailed by others here. It fixed the DAC noise from my GPU under load. Price is right.
(Click name to read original review)
It works…finally the computer noise is gone!!!!
I didn’t believe the IFI would work until I watched the YouTube demonstrations. I bought the iDefender and the 5v power supply (which was pricey with too many accessories). The noise is gone!!!! Yes!!! I am running a Focusrite Scarlett which plugs into a mixing board. The mixing board sends outputs to power amps. The louder the volume…the more the noise increased (I could hear the computer working and thinking through my speakers). I never have this issue from internal M Audio sound card. This was not a power ground problem. The noise would go away when I unhooked the USB. This was USB ground issue from hooking up an external audio interface. I keep the sample rate at 48 kHz which is very quiet. Solved…done…just a memory…I am going to listen to music all day!
(Click name to read original review)
Coil Whine from GPU and high pitch noise/jitter from motherboard
Coil Whine from GPU and high pitch noise/jitter from motherboard.
Playing video games I would hear the video card a Zotac 1070Ti and doing absolutely nothing behind my computer I would listen to wonderfull acoustics from my Asrock Z370 extreme 4 motherboard noise/jitter, how wonderfull. These soul destroying acoustics where all purified by a topping E30 Dac with USB connection and amplified by topping L30 amp, listing to a beyerdynamic tygr 300r headphone.
But no more and this all ceased to exist after hooking this baby up to ifi iDefender with power. With out the power it did absolutely nothing for me. I used my 5v adapter from my old iphone and works like a charm. Big thanks to ifi making wonderfull products.
Solution was this ifi iDefender + power (Iphone adapter 5V)
(Click name to read original review)
Years of annoyance solved – Scarlett i2i owners look no further
I have experienced a loud buzzing on my speakers out of my Scarlet i2i interface for years – across multiple computers. It seemed to get worse when gaming or working my graphics card hard – I purchased this out of sheer desperation after being so tired of turning my beautiful speakers off whenever it was gaming time for the past 5+ years.
After plugging it in and connecting it to power (power is not included – I used a generic usb-c cable and a 5v “fast charge” wall adapter for a smartphone) – the buzzing was immediately removed and does not come back even when putting my GPU under heavy load. THANK YOU!
(Click name to read original review)
It works!
I have an old Scarlett 2i2 that had some bad interference from my computer. I plugged the idefender in with a separate usb c to power it and it works! No more loud hiss or buzzing.
(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.
