News

iFi Audio’s iSilencer and iDefender thumb-sized sticks, designed to remove the electrical noise that distorts the signal between computers and components, have been updated. The new iSilencer+ removes electrical noise (including EMI/RFI) at source, enabling bit-perfect transfer of audio data to the DAC by combining passive filtering with its ANC II (Active Noise Cancellation II) circuit. ANC II works in a similar way to active noise-cancelling headphones by generating a signal identical to that of the incoming electrical noise but in the opposite phase, actively cancelling it out.

The iSilencer+ is also designed to reduce jitter and re-balances the signal so that what comes from the DAC is identical to the original source.

While the iSilencer3.0 was only available with USB-A connectors, the iSilencer+ comes in three versions to include the latest USB-C port: USB-A-to-USB-A, USB-C-to-USB-A and USB-C-to-USB-C. All versions support the ‘SuperSpeed’ USB 3.0 standard, together with USB 2.0 for backwards compatibility, and incorporate high-quality gold-plated connectors for optimal signal transfer.

The iDefender+ is specifically designed to tackle ground (or earth) loops that can cause serious issues with some computer-based systems, typically resulting in an irritating buzz or hum from the speaker. iFi says when plugged into the source device’s USB socket, the iDefender+ detects whether there is a ground loop problem, caused by the presence of multiple earths that add noise.

Available to buy now for £49, you can find out more about the iDefender+ here and the iSilencer+ here.