As Williewonka mention if the component has a separate power supply it may not be useful to use a dual head usb cable . I have a m2 tech YOUNG DSD DAC with a out board power supply and m2 tech say the usb buss needs power from the usb cable makes little sense to me.
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@givin2u - are they worth it? - well that depends on your component that is being connected. If the component uses the USB power provided by the cable - then yes - they are worth it! Take a look at https://www.ebay.com/itm/Power-supply-and-USB-cable-separate-audio-signal-cable-/251589388236 I think Pangea also makes a dual cable Separating the signal and power eliminates noise being induced across the conductors, which ultimately contaminates the USB interface circuitry with noise. The Doukmall/Pangea cables above will prevent this. Sound quality will be improved If the component has a separate power supply then a dual cable may not be required But it is not quite that simple - My Bifrost had it’s own power supply - however, the USB interface card actually used the USB power. The later versions have rectified that design to use the on-board power supply. Also, some devices like the Musical Fidelity V-link192 successfully deals with the power issue internally - so you really have to delve into the deign of the component - or simply spend the money and see if sound quality improves - or call the company and ask them Hope that helps - Steve |
There are a few out there besides the iFi Gemini... Doukmall on Ebay Audiocadabra Pangea all make a dual headed USB cable that allows separation of power from signal carrying wires. There are other brands too. Worth it? Only if YOU can hear a benefit that justifies the cost. Buy from Music Direct (iFi) or Audio Advisor (Pangea) and you can return if there’s no improvement. From a technical point of view (and I’m no EE) it does seem like a good approach. |