“The USB Disruptor is one of those products that once its effect is heard, it’s hard to imagine not having in the system. Its effect was very positive, and for a measly $150, a no-brainer, since (to me) it’s easily worth five times the price!”
“The USB Disruptor is now a permanent contributor to the pleasure I derive in listening to great recorded music. Highly recommended.”
“In all honesty I was not prepared for the level of improvement the unassuming USB Disruptor would provide.”
“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. “
I’ve been using the USB Disruptor and DaBigGenius cable for about a month now. I thought I’d give my impressions.
After a month, I’m living in a “new normal”. I enjoy my audio system more than ever. The initial reaction was stunning. I can best describe it with a (probably poor) metaphor. Physicists talk about the behavior of subatomic particles in terms of (I think) probability “smears”. My initial reaction was that prior to the USB Disruptor I was hearing an acoustic smear, both spatially and temporally.
I should say that while I am not a high-level audiophile, I do have a nice system: Peachtree integrated amp, Gallo Strada 2 main speakers, and a single Gallo TR-3D subwoofer. The imaging of the Gallos has been described as “spooky” and indeed, that was how I felt.
Then I added the USB Disruptor and cable, and the imaging became more precise, even more spooky. Spatial location is more precise, even more three dimensional. Perhaps more noticeable, though, was the temporal precision: sticks on cymbals in jazz, Latin percussion instruments, even hands clapping in live performances are precisely place in time instead of this sense of temporal “smearing” — which, I should say, I never noticed before. As you say, there is more “air” between voices and instruments and the sharper placement in space. But, for me at least, the more stunning effect is the placement in time.
One last note: the Mapleshade website suggested moving my Gallos to a position 5 feet in front of my listening chair and 6-7 feet apart. I thought, “no way is that going to work.” (Prior to this, I had the Gallos about 10-12 feet in front of me, 3-4 feet away from a back, curtained wall.) But I tried it. Again the effect was stunning. My reaction was … “Holy s*#t!!!” Now not only do I have laser-like spatial and temporal precision, but I have a huge soundstage, and, as if by magic, the Gallos that are sitting right smack in front of my face (5 feet is NOT that far away!) have totally disappeared sonically.
I am a very happy customer.
Sherman W.
Rob: I received the USB Disrupter and DaBigGenius USB cable. I installed them in my system and was amazed at the improvement right out of the box. My wife (not an audiophile) was up on the second floor at the time, and commented on the improvement (unprecedented for her)!
Today, listening to Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, she told me she heard instruments (horns) in the background she had never heard before (again, not an audiophile) and she got “goosebumps” from listening!
My system consists of a Mac Mini (3.0GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i7 -Turbo Boost up to 3.5GHz) music sever with the music files stored on a Transcendent StoreJet 500 solid state drive using the Thunderbolt cable connection. I use a Oppo BDP-105D DAC (via the USB connection), feeding into a Audio Research SP-11 Mk II, a Krell KSA 100 and Vienna Acoustics Beethoven speakers. The previous USB cord was the Aural Thrills Audio Self Powered Bias Cable System, with the Audio Quest Jitterbug.
Thank you for such a great product. It’s taken my system one step closer to the music, for a very modest investment… bravo!!!
Chris I.
USB Disruptor & DaBigGenius are hands down the best improvement to my signal chain I’ve experienced thus far. In regards to resolving dirty USB power, lowering the noise floor, improving the soundstage and improving the articulation of the bass, mids and highs, nothing else compares, period! I won’t waste my time trying to convince you, I’m going to let the product do the talking for me! This is just my opinion, but I formed this opinion by actually trying the USB Disruptor myself, instead of guessing what would happen, then blurting that ignorance out on the forums! Most detractor articles I’ve read are from people who don’t know a lick about the fundamentals of electronics, have put no testing in of their own, and are therefore at an embarrassingly high disadvantage when scrambling with guesswork to make their points. Rob Priore, on the other hand, took the time, effort and money to experiment, test and resolve what so many audiophiles have been plagued with for years and we thank him for that!
Toby R.
Using the disrupter and usb cable now about 6 weeks….it has taken my sound to another level, in a very good and satisfying way. more tone, more body and spatial characteristics….wonderful product and the fast shipping was an unexpected surprise.
Larry Kennedy
I would say that anyone NOT using this cable [DaBigGenius] if they use USB is shortchanging digital music.
Cyrus
Hello Rob,
I received my Disruptor products and have them installed, a super fantastic product right out of the box! Simply put, just awesome. Let me explain further if you will …..
I bought new a pair of Snell C back in 1983-4 and let them go a few years later, always rued that fact until looking I found another pair at a very reasonable price, the upgraded Snell Ci models. They are as finicky now as they were originally in room placement and gear used with them, speaker wire too as I found out. Using a double run of Speltz #3 wire bi-wired sounded like crap so I dug out some older Tara Labs Quantum III+ cables which really transformed them with the tweeters on the inside of each and I have been very happy with them ….. until the Disruptor wire install, and here is what happened.
The Snell Ci are numbered L / R and designed across their sloped back front with the tweeters on the outsides and the midrange on the inner side by side, as I sat back to take a listen to your Disruptor products I was shocked, it sounded like the tweeters were fighting to get out and the midranges fighting to get in!!! Yep I forgot I had both speakers swapped so I shut down a moved both speakers to their proper L / R positions and started to listen again ……. Holy S*#t I said as the soundstage exploded in front of me, deep and wide with a new found clarity and instruments seemingly floating about the soundstage with very nice separation too. Articulation of vocals was quite telling now as well, I ended up listening very late into the night and didn’t want to quit!!! ….. I find the dynamics appear much improved now as well like a clean window VS a dirty one.
Anyone using a PC with a USB out to a DAC needs to hear these products, simply a no brainer and I give them both a *****+ rating. Totally a stunner!
PS: I did notice right away my normal attenuation settings were now lower in nature, probably because now all the added USB grunge was eliminated with its inherent distorted noise. One hell of a job Rob.
Sincerely, DW
Rob, I thought you might like to know that when I play classical music now, it might be softer at the setting I usually start at, but when I turn it up, it still sounds like music, and it blossoms.
In the past, it would start out louder, but when I turned up the volume, I’d get so much hash, that I couldn’t turn it up anymore.
And I’m using Voice of the Theaters.
Cyrus
ROB: That is excellent news Cyrus, it’s more proof of the problem, the electrification of the exterior USB shells in USB cables for audio interfaces is certainly problematic. I need to focus more marketing on this specific area. Would you allow me to use your email below as a testimonial?
CYRUS: Go ahead. I tried going back to the stock cable to compare. After the starts of two songs, I stopped the comparison.
Note: Cyrus is using one of our DaBigGenius™ Audio Grade USB Cables between his Bryston Media Player and his Hard Drive. The hard drive is sending interference to the Bryston along the outer shells of the USB cable. That is now disrupted with our cable and the sound has improved.
Hi Rob and nice chatting with you yesterday. I disconnected other USB ancillary devices last night from my iMac and PS Audio DSD DAC and used just the Disruptor. You are correct in that the sound only improved. Pretty surprising, but anything with computer based music systems and in particular USB, seems to be a surprise. The system sounds great with your product as a major part of the USB chain.
Best regards,
Frank G.
Cane Creek AV, Inc
www.canecreekav.com
North Carolina, USA
Rob, I finally got the opportunity to listen to my system with the USB disruptor inserted and it does indeed make digital sound more analog! Good job!
Hi Rob,
First let me say that I’m the worst person at articulating what I hear so if I don’t make sense, it’s me not you. Second, I quiet like their.. umm.. format. A similar thing I had before was an iFi iPurifier which is a rigid piece and I always felt it must have loaded my usb port funny (as in supplying a moment/torque where there’s supposed to be very little) so your seem more suitable for sticking on the back of a DAC and forgetting about it.
So what do I think of your disruptors sound-wise? I use them in 2 different setups. The first is my umm.. desktop setup using an Antipodes DX server into a Schiit Gungnir (old version, but USB gen 2) and then to a Cavalli Audio Liquid Gold headphone amp, ending up with a pair of LCD3’s or HD800. With this setup, (using LCD3’s) notes seem tighter. It’s only marginal, but there’s definitely more bite to guitars and drum beats. Definition seems better all-round which is nice. The changes are subtle, but then again, as far as USB sources go, I think my Antipodes DX is one of the better ones out there. (I’ve tried a few other USB tweaks and actually found no improvement at all, so well done!) Definitely “tighter”. Like everything went more “Dire Straits”, if you see what I mean.
The second set up is mac mini->PS Audio Direct Stream. This is a speaker setup but at the moment I’m using a really crap amp driving budget speakers so hardly fair. A $6k DAC into a $199 amp and to $299 speakers! On this there’s certainly an improvement again in simply the… “clarity” of the sound. I can’t really point out where it is in the frequency spectrum, but it really did make the speakers sound a touch less confused like they normally do. What I really noticed with this is a little long so bear with me. My PS Audio DAC actually has an ethernet input – this takes files from a DLNA server into the DAC’s i2s input and from a budget SYNOLOGY NAS, this is the best input for this DAC, imo. While USB for this DAC is pretty amazing, ethernet beats it quite clearly. What’s nice about your disruptor is that it seems to take USB quite a bit closer to the LAN route. It doesn’t quite beat it, but I am now happy to compromise and go with USB’s combination of sq and convenience.
So, sadly I can’t give you any jumping up and down with excitement type comments ? but I think for the price, these things are hard to beat. A complete no-brainer for anyone with a USB DAC and honestly, I think they will show themselves more clearly in lesser systems for sure. If I have the opportunity, I will try it on my lesser systems and see what they do.
Congratulations on making something really great value in hifi. Such things are rare indeed. Best of luck!
Chaiwat
Rob
I am a happy customer and I do believe that the disruptor took the sound of my server in a positive direction. However Ive made several changes in a very short time and cannot comment on exactly what happened.
Good luck!
Gil
Hello I bought your USB disruptor with much reservation thinking how can this improve my already good USB cable. That being said I did several blind tests with two there and at first it seems my volume is not quite what it is before I installed the disruptor ,but listening closely it lowers the noise floor and instrumental textures and stereo separation is better,a bit more relaxed analog presentation if you will . In reality just a notch more on the volume to compensate
For the cleaner presentation. For the record the majority of various priced USB cables I installed with the disruptor became much less of a difference in since sonic differences ,this alone shows something Is going on to clean up the signal throughout the 5 volt power feed on the cable An excellent value in bettering the musical signal, PJ Letteri.
Rob, thanks for checking. I am using the Disrupter with a Aurender XL100L, going into a PS Audio DSD. It is also plugged into a Regen. I did notice a small improvement in the overall space of the music. Thanks for the device. Ron S
Rob:
I have inserted the USB Disruptor between my PC audio server and my wonderful Antelope DAC. An immediate and obvious improvement. Better detail and a sense of darker space between the instruments. Vocals are more articulate without losing any emotion.
These effects did not require the dreaded 100 hour break in to hear. My DAC had no problems with connecting to the computer with the Disruptor in place.
The USB Disruptor works and it is a significant upgrade to USB based computer systems.
David Pritchard
Hi Rob,
Brilliant, simple and without a doubt the most cost effective system upgrade that I have ever experienced. Everything you mentioned, in your analysis about the effects of the USB Disruptor, is understated, at least in my case. From the moment I plugged it in it was like another veil had been lifted. All aspects of sound stage were improved. The beautiful overtones of instruments and vocals became organic and palpable not only aiding in the overall quality of the sound but also its profound impact on the sound stage. Micro dynamics are delivered without blurring. Additionally, the Disruptor clarified the bottom end by providing impact and additional weight with a sense of great agility and speed. All of these attributes provided by the disruptor reduce listener fatigue and increases the sense of space around individual instruments.
When auditioned by some pretty serious audiophiles they all commented on the improvements and some found new interest is digital audio. Everyone in my family immediately noticed the improvements. All in all the USB Disruptor has had a significant improvement on my system and I am grateful that you experimented and found a way to compile the needed components and deliver unbelievable improvements at a cost thats both affordable and a cost savings since you will not need a very fancy USB cable.
I’m not sure that anyone else will care but I’ve listed my component system here for your consideration.
Amp: Levinson No 27.5
Pre: Coda Fet 1p
DAC: Wadia 121
Wires: Nordost Frey
Speakers: Adam Tensor Delta
The USB Disruptor is inexpensive, very well built and delivers on the promise of improved USB sound!
Rob, thanks for creating the USB Disruptor and sharing this brilliant device.
My best regards,
Sam B., Richmond, VA.
Connecting a computer to a DAC is problematic because of noise introduced from the computer and its power supply. The USB disrupter does a great job of disconnecting the computer’s noisy supply from the DAC and helping it sound its best.
Paul McGowan, CEO, PS Audio. PS Audio invented the The Stereophile A+rated DirectStream DAC, arguably one of the best USB capable DAC’s ever developed.