part 1: the holy grail of computer audio

August2017

iGalvanic3.0Parts1-3

TechNotes

Part1:TheHolyGrailofComputerAudioIn the cavern full of cups scene (“The Last Crusade”),Indiana Jones had to choose theHoly Chalice used inthelastsupper.

In USB audio, similar propositions abound whenselecting the best device to improve USB computeraudio.Thearrayofchoicesismindboggling.

ItiswidelyregardedthatoneofthemosteffectiveUSBsolutions is galvanic isolation. However, its scarcityreflectsthetechnologicalhurdlesthatarenotwithoutissuesoftheirown.

Having spent the best part of two years researching, (hencewhywe did not bring it outearlier!), we wholeheartedly agree. The iGalvanic3.0 has been one of our more‘technologicallychallenging’projects.

Buttheteamat iFiaudioarenowoverthemoontoannounceitsarrival(albeitatadlaterthanexpected).

TheiGalvanic3.0isoneofakind-abletodelivergalvanicisolationonUSB3.0SuperSpeed.InaseaofUSBaudioimprovementdevices,theiGalvanic3.0reallyisthe‘holygrail’.

Wecouldhavestoppedworkthereandjustbroughttheproducttomarket.Yet,thisisnotinthe AMR/iFi DNA. From this starting point, we spent more time developing additionalfeaturesthattrulymakethisproducttheultimatesolutionforUSBcomputeraudio.

We believe the iGalvanic3.0 will elevate the quality of audio playback by an extrememagnitude.

TechNotesiGalvanic3.0Parts1-3

WhatistheiGalvanic3.0?

The iGalavnic3.0 is the one-stop USB audio enhancement solution for every computeraudiophile.ItofferstheUSBTrinityof:

I. REclock2/REgenerate2/REbalance2+

II. Audiophile-gradeUSB3.0/2.0GalvanicIsolation+

III. Super-lownoiseUSBpower**Measurednoiseis0.5uV(0.0000005V)@500mAload.Outperformsnon-iFiUSBdevices.BetteredonlybythemicroiUSB3.0.

Itisaground-up,dedicated,stand-alonesolutionthatelevatescomputeraudio.

August2017


TechNotes

WhobenefitsfromtheiGalvanic3.0?Everyonewho uses USB for computer audio butmore specifically, the iGalvanic3.0 is theidealsolutionto:

1) Breakgroundloops2) Avoidnoise-couplinginapplicationsthatrequirehi-speedUSBtransfers.

Thus,theiGalvanic3.0istheperfectsolutionforcomputeraudiophilesthroughtorecordingstudios seeking maximum sound quality from their USB digital audio system.


Part2:SomearecreatedExtra-OrdinaryTherearethreespecialaspectsoftheiGalvanic3.0thatinouropinionareunsurpassed:

I. ‘Double’REgenerate2/REclock2/REbalance2before&aftergalvanicisolation.

II. USB3.0andUSB2.0GalvanicIsolationontheiFiUSBplatform.III. Power Station° Stealth Converter super-low noise audiophile USB power with

PanasonicOsCons.

ThesearethethreestandoutfeaturesoftheiGalvanic3.0buttherearemorewhicharecoveredindetailinthissection.

I.‘Double’REclock2/REgenerate2/REbalance2

From thedevelopmentof the iUSB3.0devices,wehave the leading in-houseknow-how toimprovetheUSBsignal (andpower).This isreflected inthe iGalvanic3.0.EverydataflowisregeneratedsubjecttotheiGalvanic3.0’sownprecisionmasterclocksystem.We did not stop there. Internal and external auditions - with ONE and TWO stageREgeneration versions of the iGalvanic3.0 – saw listeners unanimously prefer TWO sets ofREgeneration.Not being able to settle for one stage, the iGalvanic3.0 has TWO stages (before & aftergalvanicisolation)hence‘REgenerate2/REclock2/REbalance2’whichgoes‘aboveandbeyond’othercommercialprojects.This is clearly more expensive to implement and to the best of our knowledge, theiGalavanic3.0 is the only galvanic isolation product that has DOUBLEREgenerate2/REclock2/REbalance2becausethiswastheONLYwayinourbook.

II. All-new USB3.0 galvanic isolation AND USB2.0 galvanicisolation

August2017


TechNotes

The iGalvanic3.0 is the only product in theworld to offer USB3.0 galvanic isolation.Withseparate transmitting AND receiving lines, it is superior to USB2.0 at handling high datavolumesandisfuture-proofed.The iGalvanic3.0 is the only galvanic isolation product suitable for Pro audio use wheremultichannelrecordingsystemsseesbandwidth‘hitthebuffers’onUSB2.0.The iGalvanic3.0 is fully USB3.0 (and 2.0) standard compliant,with support for all speeds(from1.5Mbpsto5Gbps)andalltransfermodes(includingisochronousaudiostreaming).

The iGalvanic3.0 featurestwodistinctlyseparategalvanic isolationstages -oneforUSB3.0andtheotherforUSB2.0.TheyCANNOTbethesamebecausethefundamentalarchitectureisdifferent:

- USB3.0hasseparatetransmittingANDreceivinglines.- USB2.0isbi-directionalononeSHAREDline.

BothUSB3.0andUSB2.0galvanic isolationstagesareground-up,newplatformsdedicatedforcomputeraudiophilesystemsandavailabletono-oneelse.USB2.0 Galvanic isolation technology (1st Gen) vs USB2.0 (AMR/iFiimplementation)

The 1st generation is based upon SerDes (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SerDes). This de-construction and re-construction of the USB signal is far from ideal. Latency (timing),amongstotherthings,suffers.Atanearlystage,AMR/iFiconsidered,thendiscarded,theSerDesplatform-anddevelopedabrandnewplatform.Inouropinion,thisistechnologicallysuperior.


AnAnalogy:USB2.0FirstGenvsUSB2.0NextGenFirstgenerationimplementation-SerDesImagine for amoment, selecting a route that has a bridge (galvanic isolation) that is toonarrowforalorry(USBaudiosignal)andcannothandletheweightofthelorry.Atthebridgethe lorry needs to be dismantled into pieces, the pieces need to be carried across and re-assembledontheotherside.TheNextGeneration-AMR/iFiimplementationThelorrytakesatotallydifferentroute,oneofaquiet,modern4lanebridgewherethelorryjustcruisesacrosseffortlessly.

TheadvantagesoverfirstgenerationUSB2.0are:

I. 100%transparentisolation-freefromallthedeconstructedandreconstructed,compatibilityissues/challengesinvolvedwiththeSerDes(USB2.0bi-directional)approach.

II. Just3stagesofUSBUpstream/Isolation/Downstream-insteadof7comparedto1stGenerationUSB2.0isolation.

III.Audiophilepowersupplysection,onboard.

Foreaseofuseandutility,theiGalvanic3.0operatesfromUSBBusPower.AUSB3.0portispreferredasitisbetterconstructedandsuppliesmorepower,0.9mA(comparedto0.5AonUSB2.0).When operating from a USB3.0 or higher port, the iGalvanic3.0 can deliver up to 0.9Aisolatedlow-noisepower.

Measured noise is 0.5uV (0.0000005V)@500mA load. This is bettered only by themicroiUSB3.0andcomprehensivelyoutclassesothernon-iFiUSBdevices.

Fortheultimate,wedonotrecommendanLPSastheyareverycostlyyetofferlittletonobetter noise performance. Instead, we recommend the iDefender & iPOWER (5v).Dependinguponthetypeofsystem,itispossibletoplacethehigherpowersuppliedbytheiDefender3.0/iPOWER combination BEFORE or AFTER the iGalvanic3.0 (see later formoredetails).

August2017


TechNotes

IV.GroundLinktoMajorHum.

Computer audio systems are a diverse lot. Different grounding schemes require differentconfigurations.KnowingthismeanstheiGalvanic3.0isdedicatedforseriouscomputeraudiouse–itisabletosuitdifferentGround/Earthsetupstoremovehum/buzzissues.Fromstarttoend,itisa‘ground-updesign’(punintended).

Specifically,theGroundlinkswitch*istooptimizeisolationinsystemswhere:

• FullIsolation (default–centreposition)• DCtoRFsoftground-link (avoidhuminsystemswithoutGround/Earth–upposition)• RFsoftground-link (avoidaudiodrop-outsinsystemswithoutRFEarth–

downposition)

*Earth/GroundloopsarecommonlyfoundandthisswitchdealswithNOorMultipleEarths.Itisbesttostartinthecenterpositionandthentotrytheothersettings.

IV.Unobtaniumcomponent?LetAMRsort.

The iGalvanic3.0 launchwasdelayedby severalmonthsbecausewe couldnot produce involumeoneatypicalbutintegralcomponent;aHigh-FrequencyPower‘HFP’Transformer.

Thisistheactual‘HFP’TransformerintheiGalvanic3.0:

Itisnoordinarypowertransformerbecause:

I. Operatingathighfrequencies,itoffersthebestcapacitance-to-noiseratio.ie.Being10xsmaller,itfilters10xbetter.

II. Itsnoisefloorissecond-to-none;negligiblecomparedtoregular-sizedcounterpart.


OurGermansuppliercouldnotproducethemtothetighttolerancesrequired.Wespentthepastfewmonthssearchingforatransformerthatmetourstrictrequirementsbutitseemsitdoesnotexist.

GiventheAMR/iFiphilosophy,wewereundeterred.Whenthegoinggetstough,thetoughgets…..making.Sowepurchasedthematerials,equipmentandhand-woundthemin-house.

Itisverydifficulttomanufacture:

I. Pure6NOFHCwiremustbeused.

II. ThewindingMUSTbehand-woundtoaspecialconfiguration.Machinewindingis

nighonimpossible(yup,wetried).

III. Withthewirecorecomplete,theshieldisfittedandaspecialresinisinjected.

August2017


TechNotes

IV. Thenovenbakedat120°Cforfivemins.Herearesomewemadeearlier.

Withawidthof10mmonly,itistinyandthereforedifficulttohandle. Wehadtocalluponourconsiderableexperiencewithaudiotransformers(startingwaybackwith the AMR 77 transformers through tomore recently, the Pro iESL) tomake a powertransformer that would work at the frequencies required for the Stealth ConverterTechnology.The result is the AMR High-Frequency Power Transformer which measures very nicelyindeed.

V.PanasonicOSCONs–ifgoodenoughforAMR…

For the iGalvanic3.0, we have pushed the sonic envelope just that ‘little bit’ furthercomparedtothepre-productionunitsthatmadetherounds.

At AMR starting from the CD-77 Compact Disk Processor in 2006, we have more than adecadeofexperiencewithcomponentsincludingthePanasonicOs-Con.


DigitalEnginefromtheAMRCD-77

Trickling down from the AMR, the iGalvanic3.0 is the latest to receive a ‘sprinkling’ ofPanasonicOs-Cons.

Theoriginalandbest.Sanyo/PanasonicOs-Con.

Panasonic/Sanyo Os-Con (Organic Semi-Conductor) – are the original made by Sanyo(subsequently acquired by Panasonic in 2009) and are widely regarded as the ultimatecapacitorfordigitalcircuitry.Weconcur.Visibly,theyhaveadistinctivepurplemarkingandbeingthebest(inouropinion)theyarealsothemostexpensive.Oftencostingmanytimesthepriceof normal electrolytic capacitors, they are seldom found in +US$5,000products,nevermindtheiGalvanic3.0at<US$400.

Os-Cons have been around for a goodwhile. Among the larger value capacitors useful inpower supplies, they hold a special place. In a ground-breaking series on capacitorperformancepublishedinthelateNinetiesandearlyNoughtiesinWirelessWorld,Cyril

August2017


TechNotes

Bateman showed they persistently outperformed all alternatives at high frequencies andweresecondinlow-distortiononlytotheElnaSilmic.

After the Panasonic takeover, supply chains were changed and they became difficult toobtain. Further, only more recently have Os-Cons become available in the smallvalues/voltages/sizes needed for the relatively miniature equipment in the iFi range.Sodespitetheirsteepcost,(around10xthatofcommonelectrolyticcapacitors),themicroiDSDBlackLabelwasthefirsttofeaturethem.

ThereareOs-ConsandthereareOs-CONS.

As a side note, a few years ago, when the ‘Organic Semi-Conductor’ patent expired, othermanufacturers jumped on the ‘Organic Semi-Conductor’ bandwagonwith their own attempts.Wehavetestedthesealternative ‘Os-CONS’offeredbyothermanufacturers.Weweresurprisedtofindtheywere little better then generic electrolytic capacitors and dramatically inferior to the originalSanyoproduct. It isreassuringtoknowthatwehavebeentempted,butneverswitchedandstayedtruetoPanasonicOs-Cons.

Andhere’showtheylooklikebothinsideandout.Purple=good,whereasanythingelse=mediocreatbest.


Asprinkleofthepurplemagic

ItisonlylogicalthatPanasonic/Sanyowitha16-yearstartovertheirlesscostlyimitations,isinouropinionstillthebestwhichiswhytheiGalvanic3.0featurestherealOs-Conincertainareas:

2xPowerSupplyforthedownstreamREgenerate2/REclock2/REbalance2section.

1xfortheOutputPowersupply.

VI.Aircraft-gradealuminiumforEMI/RFIshielding

TheiGalvanic3.0featurestheiFitrademarkaluminumblock.Thisenclosureactsasashieldagainstharmfulelectromagnetic interference(EMI/RFI) to furtherminimizenoise.BlockingallthenoisecomingfromaPCresultsinvastsoundqualityimprovements.Non-aluminiumdesignsofferlittletonoshieldingfromEMI/RFI.

August2017


TechNotes

Part 3 - How do the iGalvanic3.0 andiUSB3.0fittogether?Most,whorequirethe‘holygrail’ofgalvanicisolation,willusetheiGalvanic3.0stand-alone.UsingtheanalogyofaddinganexternalclocktoaDAC,themicroiUSB3.0complimentstheiGalvanic3.0inasimilarvein.AddthemicroiUSB3.0totheiGalvanic3.0forthosewhowishforthelast5%-10%ofsoundimprovementandadditionalenhancementoptions:

1) TheabsolutequietestpowersupplyAND2) Dual-headedoutputsforaudio+powertransmissionviaGeminiUSBcableAND3) Dual-ports:fordedicatedSSD/HDDandDACtransmissionlines.

For the perfectionist with a reference class, money-no-object system with a +US$10,000DAC striving for the absolute zenith to add the drop of performance, we recommend tocomplimentwiththemicroiUSB3.0.WhichaddsadditionalbenefitsoutsideofthescopeoftheiGalvanic3.0suchasDual-Portsandanoisefloorof0.1uV(0.0000001V).

The iGalvanic3.0 doesn’t really compare to others.OtherUSBgalvanicisolationdevicesarelimitedtoFullSpeed(12Mbps)andLowSpeed(1.5Mbps)transmission.

By comparison the iGalvanic3.0 represents the next generation as it is capable oftransmittingUSBHi-Speed(480Mbps)andUSB3.0Super-speed(5Gbps)aswellasthelowerspeedswhileprovidingfullgalvanicisolationofboththedataandthepower/groundlines.

Whereothers have stopped atUSB2.0 galvanic isolation,we startedwithUSB3.0 galvanicisolationandabsolutelyturbochargedthedevicefortheultimateinUSBaudio:

1) REgenerate2/REclock2/REbalance2‘doublestages2) USB3.0galvanicisolationandspecifieditforhigh-performancecomputeraudioonly3) PowerStation:StealthConverter–ultralow-noise,regulatedUSBpowerthroughout


SummaryWehopeyouenjoyedreadingthroughthetechnicalnotesonhowtheiGalavnic3.0cametofruition.ForanyandeveryUSBcomputeraudiouser,thesonicimprovementisnotsubtle.WithitsdedicatedUSB3.0isolationdevelopedfromtheground-upforcomputeraudioandGrounding settings, it is ready to be perfectly dialed into any and every computer audiosystemwithadvancementsthatothersjustdonothave.

Itisnotjustanamalgamationofchipsandcapacitorsfromapartscatalogue.Wereallytookourtimeandwenttoallthewaywithit.ItreallyistheholygrailofUSBaudio.

Forfurtherinformation,pleasecontact:[email protected]/+44(0)1704227204

AboutiFiiFi audio is headquartered in Southport, UK. It is the sister brand of AbbingdonMusic Research (AMR). Theyrespectively design andmanufacture portable and desktop ‘ultra-fidelity’ audio products and high-end audio‘home-based’components.Thecombinedin-househardwareandsoftwaredevelopmentteamenablesiFiaudioandAMRtobringtomarketadvancedaudioproductsoftenaheadofthecompetition,withseveral‘worldfirsts’intheirportfolio.

part 1: the holy grail of computer audio

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