Review: USB Disruptor and "DaBigGenius" No 5 volt

Let me begin this review and testimonial by saying that although I wanted USB Disruptor’s USB Power and “DaBigGenius” USB No 5 volt cable to work and work well, I had no expectation that they would be such a shocking improvement. Yes, shocking! Bear with me and I’ll try to explain my journey and the discovery of USB Disruptor and “DaBigGenius”.

I had always felt that USB audio was an inherently flawed method of transferring digital audio signal (as is S/PDIF for different reasons). From the inherent computer noise (signal and power) to the timing of signal within the computer to the receiver chips timing issues and accuracies. PCs are notoriously bad at keeping a stable clock and renowned for being highly noisy. In recent time with the advent of asynchronous receivers, the timing problems between the computer and the DAC’s receiver were improved (this thanks to J. Gordon Rankin and his development of asynchronous USB). Although this minimized a source of timing errors (jitter) it did not eliminate the noise from the computer’s USB power supply or the inherent noise of the USB cable which carries both the 5 volt supply and the digital signal to the USB receiver chip of the DAC.

It should be obvious that USB was designed as a great convenience for communications between a computer and a device that uses the signal and the also the available 5 volt power. This eliminates the device’s need for a plug-in power supply. Think of the myriad of devices that both communicate and are supplied power from the ingenious USB connection. So why is it flawed?  If we look at the current state of consumer USB DACs we find several categories, those that have an internal power supply for the receiver chip, and those that rely on the 5 volts power from the computer (through the USB cable).

So the question is: How to reduce or eliminate the inherent noises from the cable and the noisy 5 volt power from the computer? Numerous approaches have been taken. Some manufacturers use noise filtering, some use active power supplies other simply state that the problem is overstated!

This brings us to my shocking revelation.   I did expect an improvement with the USB Disruptor Power Supply. It provides 5 volt at the DAC USB connection and replaces the 5 volt computer supply (transferred through the USB cable). This eliminated the noisy computer 5 volts from the receiver chip and supplied a very high quality, regulated 5 volts. The shock was the intensity of the improvement to the DAC’s sound. I knew jitter was a sound that was hard to articulate verbally but from the very introduction of the USB Disruptor it was clear that this noise or distortion was present (without the Disruptor) and radically reduced with the Disruptor. The closest description of the change was the lifting of a vail that was obscuring or smearing details, tonal structure and timing cues. I was in awe of the improvement and realized that this was the most substantial upgrade that I had made to my digital music system. Historically that journey covers numerous DACs and countless USB cables all in an effort to reproduce clearer and more musical presentations.

All of this shocking improvement came at a cost of $100.00 (current price of the Disruptor). No USB cable upgrade had achieved this level of performance and some of those USB cables cost 16 times the Disruptor’s asking price. This included USB cables that physically separated the signal from the power only recombining at the DAC. So, when I saw that USB Disruptor had introduced a USB cable “DaBigGenius”, I took the plunge. Remember that old adage “success breeds success”, how bad could it be?  

Now I can’t tell you much about the design of “DaBigGenius” and I did email Rob to confirm which cable to choose for my DAC. The “DaBigGenius” USB cable comes in two versions, the first is a standard cable for both signal and power and at $25.00 is said to be a very good replacement for those very expensive audiophile USB cables that I have tried, owned and now have abandoned. Unfortunately, I did not try this standard cable. With Rob’s help and direction, I chose “DaBigGenius” No 5 volt since I already owned the USB Disruptor 5 volt power solution. The No 5 volt versions costs $10.00 dollars more (labor) for a total of $35.00 and most importantly, it does not carry that noisy computer 5 volt supply to the DAC or through the cable. In fact it is eliminated the connection at the computer thus providing a shielded Data cable with no internal power supply runs and no internal noise other than that of the signal cables itself. Nice!

The results of introducing “DaBigGenius” No 5 Volt into my digital audio system (that was already employing the “Disruptor” but with a very high quality (expensive) USB cable that carried the computer’s 5 volts) was again shocking but in a strikingly different way compared to the USB Disruptor. Yes the overall clarity, specificity and space increased (terms like: vails being lifted, less hash, less digital, more analog sounding, come to mind). Add to this the most unexpected effect: the overall perceived volume appeared to be less (at the same volume level it sounded less loud than before). This spoke to me as a possible noise floor improvement, it dropped and must have dropped by a perceivable amount!

Yea, right! As you might imagine I was not totally convinced that what I was hearing was something good. Loosing volume when adding a cable usually means loosing S/N and that would not have been a good thing. So, back to the old cable and then to “DaBigGenius” and then to an older cable and then … and then … and then, I kept coming back to “DaBigGenius”. It took me the better part of a week doing USB cable switching at the same volume levels and then, almost as if I didn’t believe it, I was convinced and well shocked!  This was an effect I had experienced years ago when I purchased a new preamplifier with very low noise floor and a dead quiet phono stage. Yea, you know that experience; things just sounded absolutely clearer and more precise and consequently allowed me to turn up the volume.

Now you might ask, what is he using, a $500 DAC and relatively inexpensive equipment? Well here is the lineup (you be the judge):

Speakers:           Adam, Tensor, Delta semi active

Amplifier:           Levinson No. 27

Preamplifier:     Coda Technologies 01p

DAC:                     Wadia 121

Analog:                 VPI Traveler with a Grado Reference cartridge on an air table by Townshend Audio, The Seismic Sink

Cables:                 An ever changing array of Nordost, Morrow Audio, and now “DaBigGenius” by USB Disruptor

In conclusion: The USB Disruptor (5 volt power supply) and “DaBigGenius” No 5 volt (USB cable), both under $150.00 are by a shockingly large margin the most cost effective improvements made to my digital audio system and have made digital audio as close to perfect as I have heard. Sure your equipment and results may vary but it is my sincere belief that this combination will go a long way to improve the sound accuracy of just about any digital system that employs a computer, USB, and an external DAC. Please give Rod a call or an email. He is a delight to speak with and as engaging in his beliefs and anecdotes as anyone I have spoken to in the audio world. But, the difference here is that the results speak so much more clearly than the metaphors we create to describe what we hear. In Rod, you have someone focused on solving problems and his commitment to resolve and understanding of these problems shows through in his products and their results. He believes in what he hears and now, so do I!

Great job Rob and thanks for your products. They represent real problem solving in the real world of digital sound reproduction. Most cost effective solution that I have heard to date. BRAVO!