Synapse

I received a new Element IV and it exposed a nasty ground loop. Despite my best efforts, I could not eliminate it, and pulled the trigger on this. A few days later, I am in audio heaven. The Element IV is incredible and the Synapse has silenced the noise. I might pick up another as a spare!

I’ve been dealing with an annoying usb buzz for years. Finally found this after ASR review and yes, it works exactly as advertised. Much like the rest of the JDS product ethos: no bs, just works for a reasonable price!

Purchased this to replace a Nobsound USB isolator. It did eliminate some noise that was making its way through the Nobsound. Another superb product from JDS Labs. My only prior experience with JDS is an Atom headphone amp, which has also exceeded all of my expectations. JDS Labs is a great supplier of quality gear.

I'm using it on my MacBook Pro, so I don't notice much difference in sound. The issue is that I want to run my Onix Alpha dongle through it. The Onix Alpha is rated at 5V 150mA, while Synapse has a maximum power delivery capacity of 5V 100mA. I connected it directly through Synapse, but within 30 seconds, Synapse became very warm. Sonically, the bass is significantly reduced (clearly due to insufficient power), but otherwise, the sound remains the same. I believe the marketing materials should emphasize that this device is not suitable for dongles or any other peripherals that rely on the same USB cable for both power and audio signal. Also i think it is expensive considering it is almost as much as a new amplifier. It's pretty though!

I had no idea the amount of noise that was coming through in my audio. I listened to my Element III right before plugging in the Synapse and after installing this small but mighty device ... my audio immediately sounded clean and it makes the whole listening experience crisp and enjoyable! Don't think about it just hit buy. Cant wait to try out my Element IV now!

At under $50 for the 3D-printed version, this is an essential tool that should be in everyone's toolkit. It works extremely well for suppressing ground loops and noisy USB outputs from laptops and computers. Be aware that it only sources 100mA of current; a future version with a higher-current supply would be more than welcome. My one complaint is that it has a white LED that is brighter than the sun, and because of the design you'll need to use electrical tape over the entire top of the device to fix it. It would be nice if this was toned down or there was a switch to turn it off. Using a red or orange LED would also be helpful as these colors aren't as obnoxious in a dark room.

This is the missing piece to eliminate all noise from USB digital sources. My source is an M4 Max MacBook Pro into the Atom DAC 2. Sometimes I need to connect a PD-powered USB C hub to my machine since the MacBook only has 3 USB C ports. When you use the synapse between the source and the DAC, there is ZERO audible noise. It’s pretty darn good looking as a piece of audio jewelry, as well.

JDS Synapse USB Isolator is an excellent solution for reducing EMI and ground loop noise. The isolation is highly effective (40~55 dBA noise reduction), and the low-noise LDO. However, it does not have reclock feature, meaning jitter from the source is still passed to the DAC. Overall, it's one of the best USB isolators for HiFi use. Highly recommended for users needing clean USB power(* 100mA) and EMI isolation!

I didn't really know I needed one of these. I bought it on a whim to try and holy moly it quietened everything that I didn't know I was hearing.

After building a top-of-the-line gaming PC for my birthday 2 years ago with no compromises, I was immensely frustrated by the USB noise that was spewing out of a $600 Asus motherboard into my JBL 305 monitors! I had to use SPDIF which is becoming harder to find these days and USB is much more capable. I wasn't sure if Synapse was built to address my specific type of noise but the legendary support from JDS Labs made this a no-risk experiment which absolutely paid off. Dead simple to install: plug in and enjoy silence. I thought my speakers might have turned off! The amount of relief this little device brought me is worth the price many times over. I'm listening to Little Wing right now and can actually hear the real authentic hum of Stevie's guitar amp without the USB noise hiding it. Absolutely incredible. I sincerely appreciate what you guys are doing <3 <3

This little thing is amazing. I was having a lot of issues with noise coming through my Marantz M1 from my DAC/PC. I saw the Synapse and decided to try it out because nothing else had worked for me. I’m happy to say that it is doing the job. It brought my noise floor way down and I can crank my volume way up!

What an amazing little device! I’ve been using a JDS element DAC/AMP for quite some time and never had any issue with noise due to them being mains isolated. I have custom computer set up that has a massive GPU. When I added a subwoofer to my new studio monitors, I had this really annoying, hissing, popping, and static noise that was coming from my PC. I tried grounding directly to the wall outlet, bypassing the power strips to changing audio cables, and USB cables without any help. My usb cable was now bringing in the noise so to adding the sub.  I started doing some research Online and came across the JDS blog post about the new synapse product. Literally, there’s nothing else that I could find what can do what this thing does. As soon as I plugged it in my speakers had zero hiss, zero static and zero ground Loop noise. I actually thought my speakers were not on until I played some audio. The synapse even fixed the issue with higher sample rates not working in the past to my computer. Great job JDS making products that are much needed in the industry.

Whenever I would connect my DAC/AMP’s USB input to my computer, my active speakers would start buzzing. I put the Synapse in line with the USB connection, and it completely eliminated the buzz!

When switching to active monitors, the EMI from my high-end computer was audible and distracting. A lot of the most popular options out there for fixing this are either expensive (sometimes upwards of 100 dollars) or inconvenient as they require modified cables and separate connections for power. I decided on the JDS Labs Synapse because it was reasonably priced and very convenient, and after plugging it in all of that EMI noise was completely gone. No fuss whatsoever. If you're doing your hi-fi listening on a high end computer and are either trying to get every last drop of performance out of your setup or are expecting to use active monitors, I'd consider the Synapse a must-have!

Hi, The little tool seemed really promising to get rid of my headset static noise coming out of the computer (Poly Blackwire 5220 usb headset). When plugged in, I still can hear the noise, maybe a micro step down. I throw away the box too soon for a return. Don't do the same mistake! The package, the quality is great, all the cable to satisfy everyone.

Hello, I received my Synapse order and both are working well. Including in an environment with multiple PCs, router and streamers that generated noise in other gear. I like the form factor and subtle peek into the interior circuitry. Very nice. Scott