Intona User Forum

INTONA USB 3.0 isolator can't work with oyaide 5S V2 USB cable?

The isolator needs USB compliant cables. Often, "audiophile grade" cables have the screen or even the ground wire disconnected on one side. This is not compliant at all and this cannot work with galvanic isolation because the isolator breaks the shielding and ground by design and doing this twice is impasse. Sometimes those cables have a wrong wave impedance (more than 50% deviation of 90 ohms differential mode and/or 30 ohms common mode).

Further, disconnecting the shield within cables is just silly because it does nothing, nothing, nothing for "better audio" but it rather acts as a very good RF antenna for both receiving and broadcasting noise (and your data as well. So it will become easy to intercept or spy out your most intimate secrets within at least 100 meters).

thanks for your info!

I agree that cables are very important. I just bought a pure silver audiophile usb cable that does not work at all. The blue connection light will come on for about 3 seconds, then goes out. I subbed the cheap computer cable back in and voila! it works. Both cables are 18 inches and continuity tests indicate that the wiring is good with complete shielding. Just does not like the impedance, I guess.

I have same cable, it was working fine on my Holo Spring 3 KTE, then after few months I got a sound like a “Machine Gun” while playing music. I removed the Intona and it was fine. Then I switched another Intona I have from another DAC-60 and it was ok. I took it to check to Volent audio in HK and the Intona was working fine playing music long hours. Will do a cable change today and check. Just wondering why was working before? Thanks

Switched cable and is working fine!

I doubt that this cable (I mean that one that doesn't work reliable) is even USB 2.0 compliant.