iDefender3.0

In my home studio I had ground loop problems by connecting my guitar preamp / audio interface (line6 hx stomp) to my PC via USB and then to my monitoring speakers via jack, with an infernal noise. I tried in vain all the advice of the guides: quality power strip with IRF filter, quality balanced XLR cables, ferrite rings on all cables. The noise still present.

Then I found this miraculous device that connects between the PC and the audio interface, creates a new ground for the USB device and thus eliminates the loop and noise. It saved my sanity, I highly recommend if you have the same type of problem. It is compatible with high speed USB devices.

This thing is a must have if you run your audio trough any USB device!
I had a set of monitors busy before I used this and I wish I had known that this would be the fix.
Protect your gear and keep your sound crystal clear!

Awesome product! I used this product to eliminate hum noise coming from my interface through usb. The hum was reduced significantly and it improved the sonic performance of the interface.

Dang! Fully expected to return this Defender 3.0 as I had been completely frustrated by trying to eliminate hum/buss from a Lenovo g580 laptop USB to my expensive external DAC. Tried everything from isolation, ferrite beads galore, cable upgrades, power strip manipulation and nothing worked. Was about to replace the 580 as my other laptop had no USB hum problems but ordered the Defender as a last resort.

The ifi Defender 3.0 works. Eliminated the buzz/hum. Funny item though is that putting the ifi Silencer behind the Defender made the SQ worse. Good work ifi.

Perfect !!! Got rid of my graphic card coil wine when using the power adaptor!!!!

I’d been plagued with a low level digital static noise coming from my studio monitors for some time now. Mainboard is a Gigabyte Designare, audio interface is a Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 (2nd gen), speakers are Yamaha HS80m. I had taken all other measures to reduce noise and interference, including trying different USB ports, USB cables with a ferrite core choke on each end, installing ferrite core chokes on all power cables, making sure everything is on the same power circuit, and disconnecting all unnecessary devices that might introduce noise. The digital static noise coming from the speakers was not affected by the volume on the audio interface, only increased with the volume control on the speakers.

In this case, the noise increased during network activity such as when multiple browser windows were active. I’ve had this type of problem in the past related to HDD activity. I would even hear the PC’s EMI/RFI noise when the audio interface was turned off, USB cable connected, and speakers on. Installing the iDefender 3.0 absolutely solved the problem. Now there is no trace of the PC’s digital noise in my audio chain.

Incredible, goodbye to the noise through the USB cable, I have connected a Roland boutique that transmits data and charges through the USB cable and the computer sent me a lot of ground noise and in the device that is most noticeable is in the ju06a, I just of connecting it through the ifi and no fly is heard. It is perfect! Surely buy more being so effective

Truth be told, I was unconvinced and sure this would get back to amazon, but having tried a couple of cheaper solutions I had to give this a chance. I’ve put this little thing between the USB extension and the sound card (Zoom U24) and turned on my pc.

Like other usb “silencer” I heard no noise, but in this case my recognised the soundcard.. This silencer works, it really does, no other sound than music, I’m quite impressed!

After a long process, I finally figured out I had lots of groundloop noise coming through my PC’s USB port to my Focusrite 8i6 audio interface. I used balanced cables between my 8i6 and My speakers, I changed the my power strip to Furman SS-6B, what finally did it was this little USB ground loop eliminator. It works miracles! Worth the money hands down.

It successfuly isolates the interference from computer motherboard. Some fancier motherboards have special USB ports that are unpowered for the same purpose.

Worked as advertised. Took out the ground loop from a usb powered SMSL m300 dac. I think a lot of the bad reviews are from people who are using it for the wrong use or are using it the wrong way. If your looking to break the ground loop of a usb powered device connected to your pc and ac power supply, look no further.

I love this thing, it fixed my problem as well. I see people say is pricey which I’m in agreement with but if you buy the usb adapter itself without the power adapter and just use your own that outputs 5V/2.5A you should be good.

And yes you do need it to be externally powered, by itself it does something but if you’re looking into something like this because the noise is driving you crazy then your gonna want to power it externally.

I had a ground loop buzz on my Steinberg UR824. This little puppy did the trick. No more buzz. Crystal clear.

I had bought Yamaha HS5’s and upon attaching them to my computer I realized my PC’s USB port is extremely noisy. I could hear the computer CPU through the speakers when it calculates. This product with its USB power supply solved it. I rarely leave reviews but this is a product well worth it.

Yes, it is expensive, but it is worth it if you already have an expensive setup.

This thing worked for me. I have a RME Babyface Pro which I have connected to a new MacBook Pro. I was having some problems with some noise from the computer. I could hear a pretty audible interference when I moved the mouse or moved windows around on the screen.

I tore my setup apart and re-wired things a number of times. I tried different surge protectors and line conditioners, I even swapped out USB hubs and all the connectors and power adapters. Nothing could get rid of the interference. It was driving me nuts.

Finally, I got this thing, along with the recommended power supply. I plugged it in and was happy to find that it worked. This thing is a bit pricey for what it is, but I’m really happy the problem is solved.

I recently built a new Ryzen-based PC with a 2080Ti GPU and found that as soon as the GPU was utilized, I would get horrible interference from my JBL powered monitors. I narrowed it down to USB devices, as plugging headphones into my front-panel or rear IO ports resulted in clean audio.

Put this between my Focusrite DAC and my PC and my setup is back to being silent! Wish this product were a little more affordable, but it’s cheaper than finding a replacement DAC and/or studio monitors.

My desktop PC USB speakers were whining. I couldn’t stand it, and had to keep them turned off, which was annoying. None of my USB plugs, whether it be front, back or hub, would stop the noise. Finally took the plunge and got the iDefender and the noise stopped! Now I can keep my speakers on without going nuts.

This fixed the problem I was having with my focus rite Scarlett making buzzing in the headphones whenever playing 3d games. I didn’t need to use an external power source to fix it. I love this thing. I think it’s probably a little over priced but I blame myself for getting a cheap x470 motherboard and at least I can take it to future motherboards that have this issue. Still 5 stars.

On my laptop I didnt notice any unwanted noise in my studio monitors but when I built a desktop pc I had terrible noise in one of my monitors. I tried a few things with no luck. This fixed my issue completely. I plugged my usb interface into this and then into my pc and it completely eliminated the noise. Very happy with this unit. Highly recommend

Not much more to say. You pay for it but it does exactly what it says. Absolutely no hiss or buzz anymore on my usb DAC

Cleaned up the ground hum perfectly! Great Product!

After getting a new HP laptop computer, I noticed some noise in my studio monitors that are connected to my laptop. I tried using a USB cable with chokes on each end, but that didn’t help.

So, I ordered one of these. You have to supply the 5v through a micro USB connection on the device. I just used an Apple iPad charger that was laying around and a USB B to USB micro cable that I also had laying around. Hooked it up and BOOM, no noise.

Evidently the USB power supply from my new laptop was noisier that the one from my old laptop. But, at any rate, for $49 plus some other parts I already had, I am back in business.

Very happy with this purchase. I just built a new computer and when I start playing a game my graphics was putting out a lot of noise to my JBL monitor speakers. Once I hooked this device into my Dragon Fly black DAC there was no more noise. Very thankful because that buzzing sound was driving me nuts.

I had to deal with a “hum” in our live recording. Tried so many wiring configurations but when I installed this device, hum was eliminated. PERFECT!

Is it expensive? Yes. Is it worth it? YES!

It took me years to find out why I was getting noise through my speakers on my computer. I tried different sound cards, ground loop isolators, ect.. turns out that the noise was coming from USB 5v from my computer.

If you have noise and your sound card is powered by your PCs power supply (usb or internal), this could fix your issue!

Wow. I had ground loop issues that I couldn’t solve with anything else. I thought this product would just be snake oil, but it actually works! Super impressed.

I’ve had major buzzy/clicky noise with my Desktop PC to Chord Mojo DAC to Schiit Lyr 3 tube amp to Audeze LCD-2C. I’ve since found out that it’s a ground loop audio issue.

So I bought the Audioquest Jitterbug and the iFi iDefender 3.0. Sadly, the Audioquest Jitterbug didn’t fix anything BUT the iDefender 3.0 instantly removed the ground loop noise! I can turn the volume on the Lyr 3 to its maximum and it’s dead silent/near dead silent. No more static hum noise!

With my DAC, since it’s powered by a separate USB cable/AC adapter, I didn’t have to add extra micro USB for external power to the iDefender.

So yes, if you experience ground loop noise issue, get this!

It eliminated the ground loop hum that was annoying me.

Neatly solved a ground loop with my Creative G6, without affecting operation otherwise.

Works perfectly.

When my A&H Zed 14 is plugged into my PC via usb, I get a nasty 1000hz tone through my monitors and headphones. It doesn’t show up on recordings but it has been driving me INSANE. I have tried so many different things to fix this…ferrite chokes, usb 1.0, 2, 3.0, thicker cables, active cables, different brands of cables at price points including a 70 fricken dollar tether tools cable I borrowed from a friend. I even changed circuits twice just to make sure I’m not insane. Nothing has worked.

I was looking at a picking up something like a hum x but I found this little guy instead. I added iFi to the usb chain and still had the hum. Hmm I grabbed a micro usb cable and powered it. That’s when I noticed a significant cut in overall noise. It’s still there but I have to crank my monitor amp well past where I would ever use it to hear it.

I was super skeptical of this thing doing anything at all. I was fully expecting to get it and immediately open a return but I’m keeping it. Even if I change my setup, this this is super handy to throw in your live sound bag if you ever need to get a second USB dac on a PC or a noisy chromecast up for live sound or something. This seems to “decrapyify” the signal pretty well.

If you’re sure your ground is good and you’re still getting something other than that low 60 hz hum, I’d say it’s at least worth a shot.

The only negative thing i can say about it is the micro usb placement on the iFi itself. This thing is pretty small and I’m sure it was really the only place they had room for it on the device but it does get in the way. I plan on getting right or left angle (i need to check) usb cable to minimize it’s footprint OR throw a small usb extension in the chain to get it away from the back of my PC.

I had a terrible buzz introduced into my audio system by a usb midi output from a Casio keyboard. After connecting the iDefender3 there is no buzz. Does the job!

Bought a pair of JBL 308p MkII powered monitors and hooked them up to a Topping DX3 Pro connected to my desktop. Had awful ground loop noise especially in games. Put this between the DX3 Pro and the computer and the noise was gone. Excellent

I’m exceptionally impressed by this product. This little thing singlehandedly solved the aggravating and conspicuous noise coming from my under load GTX 1080Ti. I can crack the volume to 100% on my headphone amp, even flipping from low to high gain switch in the back and no longer a trace of this noise being apparent.

Stop static in my line, while recording. Small, but powerful/effective tool. Went thru all other avenues and check-offs. Thankfully, found this vs buying a new mic, when it wasnt warranted.

Does actually reduce the level of the line hum and digital buzz noises. I had a ground loop caused by USB cables connected to the computer / music keyboards. Even when the keyboards were off, it caused a loud noise in my interface and other connected gear. This reduced the noise. The alternative is to never use USB, but that was not an option at the time.

out of the blue I was getting frequency buzz group loop buzz yeah a bit pricey but how much is silence worth great product

This little wonder cut the buzzing caused by my computer’s GPU’s performance elevating by easily 95%. It’s still there, but it’s only noticeable if I turned all sounds off.

I bought this because I was hearing awful ground loop noise through an external dac/amp whenever my GPU did any kind of work.

Using it just by itself, it only reduced the noise a little. But with a DC power supply, I am pleased to say that this completely eliminated the noise! I didn’t buy the iPower 5v adapter they recommend. I just used an extra micro-usb adapter I had lying around, and it works great!

This product solved my ground loop noise issue the second I plugged it into my CPU. I’ve been frustrated with unwanted line noise from my Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 for a number of years now.

The Focusrite has a power supply so I didn’t buy the extra power supply for the idefender which saved me some money.

The background noise had become more pronounced when using VST plugin instruments as well as games the call the GPU. Long story short, my problem is solved with the product and I couldn’t be happier!

Worked at removing whine and noise for USB device. But did not work on all computer/USB set ups. But worth the purchase for trouble shooting and working through issues.

Only thing that eliminated ground hum absolutely and completely when fed external power. Just have a usb cable running directly from my surge protector into the unit.

I bought two for my external, powered recording studio devices. They work – they remove ground hum like the old hum isolator boxes for inline audio feeds worked – they don’t alter the bits or pseudo-magically improve the imaging or sound staging or clarity. They remove ground hum. They don’t remove broadband hiss or improve signal-noise ratio. They just remove ground hum.

Which is exactly what I needed.

I wasn’t excited about the cost. But hey they worked and I can throw the boxes away now because I’m keeping two of them. No one else makes these as far as I can tell.

I noticed a much cleaner sound coming from my Mac Mini to my DAC really lowered the noise going to my DAC

In the house I’m renting, something was causing my audio recorder to have a hiss whenever I was plugged into power. When I added this in between the mixer and the USB adapter connected to my Mac, it fixed the issue. I have the MacBook Pro with Touchbar, which has USB-C, and this worked between a USB to USB-C adapter.

I was fully prepared for this to be utter Snake Oil, but it actually works! Really Well! Well packaged and feels reasonable quality, I would have preferred the 5v input not to be on the side of the dongle.

The USB on my Mac Pro had always been very noisy, no matter what external DAC I used I could still hear hard drive and data chatter in the background. This device totally solved this problem instantly.

I think it basically just cuts the 5v line and injects a clean 5v supply, I haven’t tried any other 5v supply but the one in this kit certainly seems to be doing the job in powering my Topping D10 DAC very nicely.

Probably over priced for what it actually is, and I suspect I could have achieved the same results by cutting up a few USB cables and connecting things together, but this is a very neat package that actually does that it says and removes ground loop problems from 5v voltage rail on USB interfaces. I don’t think it does anything more than that, the data lines appear to be straight through.

This is my favorite kind of audiophile product: Something you can objectively test. I had a ground loop issue with my system. I tried changing USB ports, unplugging anything that wasn’t necessary, swapping where my power was coming from, etc. I noticed that unplugging the USB cable to my DAC eliminated the hum I was getting (really annoying crackling hum that changed pitch as I dragged windows around on my monitor).

I bought one of these hoping it would fix the ground loop, and it did! That wildly annoying hum is gone, and I can go back to enjoying the music.

It works quite well. Before I had it I had a lot of noise from the power coming through the USB port on my motherboard, but once I put this in it went silent. I’m glad I picked this up and would again if I ever need another one.

Ok, this thing works. I have a Focusrite 6i6 and this took away all that annoying buzzing. If your sound card has its own power supply this will fix your issue. If your sound card is powered by the USB connection you will need to by the AC adapter that was also mentioned in one of the other reviews.

I have been running into an issue for over a year now where I can hear noise/static generated from my PC – it was low enough that it wasn’t too critical, but it was driving me nuts! I could literally hear the computer’s sounds as I would browse the web, with the scroll wheel generating this awful (but faint) buzz.

After doing my research, I determined that the cause of this was a ground loop and, after eliminating all other options, determined it was the USB from my PC to my Focusrite Solo that was generating this noise. I tried various cables and nothing would change, and eventually I stumbled upon this guy – was a little pricey, but I figured worst case scenario I’d return it.

I’m happy to say that this completely fixed the constant computer noise that was coming through my USB cable to my Focusrite Solo and I am now sitting in blissful silence for the first time in forever! Note that, out of the box, just the USB adapter didn’t fix my issue (in fact, it made it /slightly/ worse) but, after attaching external power to the iDefender all noise was and is now completely eliminated. The company recommends you use their own branded 5v adapter, but I ended up using an old iPhone USB brick + a spare Micro USB cable I had and it works PERFECTLY, though YMMV.

My setup is:
Windows PC -> USB 3.0 port + iDefender -> USB B Cable -> Focusrite Solo -> RCA to 1/4″ to my HS7s.

Incredible, so glad this fixed my problem, thanks iFi!

Worked. 90 percent.

For years I would get a huge amount of static from my studio monitors whenever my 1080 Ti video card would run at over 5% usage. I went so far as to install a 2nd low power video card and physically swap my monitor cable every time I wanted to use my recording software. And forget playing games and using the good speakers….I was relegated to headphones or switching to the built-in sound on my computer monitor.

I’d also tried multiple power conditioners and combinations of outlets in my house. This is the only thing that worked. Now I can shake the entire house with my studio monitors and subwoofer. I haven’t been this excited about sound in video games since I hooked up my guitar amplifier to my computer in 1996 to hear shotgun blasts in Doom at a convincingly real volume level.

I do mobile DJ work and I’ve always gotten a high-frequency noise from my speakers. Using this has completely eliminated the noise which is exactly what I needed. Powered it using a Samsung phone charger. Manufacturer was responsive to questions and very helpful.

It is cheap and good.
Works well after installation and is satisfied.

Plugged it in – obvious and annoyig hissing/crackling in my line 6 Helix when hooked to PC stopped.

Haven’t thought about it since.

I use this for my stereo setup, where a computer delivers sound to a DAC. I also have a AudioQuest JitterBug, but this is far better, according to me, on my setup. Compared to the JitterBug I got better: Dynamics, bass, high frequency, 3D placement of instruments and the ground floor for silence. I think it is worth every penny.

I was half-skeptical this product would magically fix my motherboard signal bleed issue – but it 100% DID. I was getting faint, but absolutely unacceptable high frequency “ticking” from my speakers during CPU idle and when I moved my mouse. This thing totally eliminated it as advertised. Total lifesaver.

was getting a lot of noise (fan from gpu when gaming, squeaking from my psu, and weird buzzing noises while scrolling through websites) from my headphones. long story short, i tried replacing a lot of things and wasted a lot of money when i should have just bought this thing in the first place…. all the noise is gone except when i use my mic/audio splitter with my mic plugged into my motherboard and my headphones plugged into my headphone amplifier off an external dac. with that plugged in, the crazy noises become worse than when not using this device. not sure how to fix that other than buying a usb mic, but i couldn’t be happier now that all that annoying, unbearable noise is gone. so don’t be like me folks, try this as one of your first troubleshooting steps if you’re getting freakish noise from your speakers or headphones.

I would get a ground loop buzz in the analog outputs of my BEHRINGER UMC404HD with the USB cable plugged in. This fixed it. Does what’s advertised.

Stopped my coil whine and interference coming from my pc and have noticed improved sound quality. Perfect. Using with a Scarlett 2i2 audio interface and presonus studio monitors.

I’m a journalist and voiceover artist. I use an SL150 mic into a Macbook and was increasingly frustrated by RF noise on my recordings, which I had to remove in post.

Without 5v power the iFi Defender didn’t make any difference, but plugged into the mains my recordings are now clean and interference free, It solved the problem so is well worth the expense.

Make sure you go into the same power source as the computer and BOOM! I’d say 97% of the noise is gone! Amazing! My ears thank this product for relieving me of such an annoyance for so long! It’s only audible to me because I am an audio engineer and I have to listen to this kind of stuff all day but nobody else hears it anymore at all haha. Thank you thank you THANK YOU!!! Amazing product!!!

It solves an issue with a ground-loop or GPU noise which I’m sure a lot of people might have.

Does exactly what it’s supposed to do. I had a ground loop issue over USB. My options were to remove the ground on my amp (which is unsafe) or to get a USB ground isolator. This worked! Plus, it came SUPER fast directly from the manufacturer with a nice little note, too.