Synapse Max

I wish I heard about the X before purchasing the Synapse less than three months ago. It would help if jdslabs advertised them together on their homepage, in the event a customer didn’t know about the X, like I didn’t until recently. I Like the synapse performance, now waiting for the arrival of the X which I just ordered.

The Synapse max I have makes a huge difference when using my laptop with a high end desktop dac and amp or my JDS labs atom 2 stack ....much more nuanced details/resolution and black background. A must have component!

Well worth the price - makes my SMSL SU-1 sound like a $400 DAC - bigger soundstage and instrument separation, and maybe even improves the sound of my Mojo 2.

Paired the Synapse MAX with the Topping DX1 II, and they work flawlessly together. No external power supply is needed—even the USB 3.0 port on my old PC provides more than enough power. The background becomes black-hole quiet, and the music is clean and pure. I never knew sound could be this pristine. I've tried more expensive options, such as the USB iPurifier Pro and iPower X combo, but the Synapse MAX is still way superior.

I am using the Synapse Max with a Windows 11 laptop. It effected a slight reduction in background noise and as a result, musical details and nuances were more noticeable. It also seemed to add some overall smoothness and body to the sound. It is not a huge upgrade but it is definitely worth every penny of the price I paid and I highly recommend giving it a try. I tried it with two different dacs in two different systems and it improved the sound in both instances. The usb cable it comes with also seems to be competent. I tried two other cables: a cheap throw away cable from another component and a pure silver cable. The JDS cable had better clarity and bass compared to the throwaway cable and it sounds smoother and just as resolving as the pure silver cable.

I have a Schiit Mimir and Valhalla 3 stack and I would get audible noise on high gain and no feedback (10x gain), especially whenever my graphics card was under load. With the Synapse Max plugged in, it has removed all the noise when on high gain, and only a barely audible amount when on no feedback mode while nothing is playing (it's a pure tube amp so I don't expect the noise to completely disappear on no feedback). More importantly, the noise stays down even when the GPU is running and dumping a bunch of electrical noise into my system. My motherboard doesn't have an optical out so my only option is USB, and this product has handled the problem beautifully in my case.

Attached the Synapse Max in my setup and tested the volume and quality of sound amazing!!

Bought the Synapse Max on recommendation. I haven't tested the Element IV without it to tell how it helps, but I'm happy with how the combo sounds.

I'm running budget Chi Fi-- FOSI dac, Douk A5, into custom Monitor Audio speakers. The speakers are remnants of my audiophile days (Maggies, Adcom, Cary, etc). Anyhow, the Synapse Max has re-introduced musical reality back into my downsized system. The sound is outstanding. Spending hundreds of dollars on a dac might give the same result, but all it took was about 80. Amazing product.

The JDS Labs Synapse Max USB isolator works extremely well in my system to clean up USB noise and reduce the noise floor to the music. It helps add more clarity and detail to the sound. I've purchased several Synapse Max units for each of my usb dacs, and the performance of the units exceeded my expectations. Ordering from JDS Labs was simple, packages were mailed very quickly and arrived promptly. I'll be looking to add additional products, and I highly recommend JDS Labs.

Had a ground loop present using usb from laptop and JDS atom 2 DAC and O2 amp that was presenting a very high frequency hum (~16.5kHz) in the background. A-B tested the Synapse Max against normal usbC cord with a friend and it was an immediate difference: total silence background and more importantly, across the range the music was TIGHT. The attack (especially mid bass) was sharpened dramatically and vocals/string instruments/piano sounded crystal clear and natural - a real symphony hall clarity. The removal of usb noise allowed the DAC to do its job more efficiently and targeted imo the only flaw in my setup. Truly enjoyable!

My friend complained my usb-c mic was making weird noises whenever I had high gpu load, I tried plugged my mic into synapse max and he hasn't made any comments about the weird noises since.

Thank you, the Synapse controlling the noise to the material extremely well.

I'm hearing details that I had never knew existed from music I listened to a hundred times or more, if you have a DAC with no galvanic isolation and/or a noisy source like a PC, You owe it to yourself to get a Synapse, as it completes your system and future-proofs your setup against noise from dirty audio sources, your mileage may vary depending on how transparent your gear is and your hearing sensitivity, In my case, I’m using a FiiO K17 with Beyerdynamic DT 880, and adding the Synapse between my PC and the K17 noticeably improved the resolution.

I’ve noticed that my Chord Hugo 2 sounded better through coax than USB, so I started testing the coax input on other DACs as well. The result was the same, richer tonality and a greater sense of expansion. The downside, of course, is the limitation on sample rates over coax, and the fact that some DACs don’t support MQA through that input. While researching online and on YouTube, I came across a reviewer who recommended the JDS Labs Synapse as a way to improve USB sound quality. I decided to give it a try and ordered two Synapse Max units for a couple of my desktop setups. The improvement was immediately noticeable on both systems! Now I’m ready to order a third Synapse Max for my reference system, where it will be installed between my HiFi Rose RS150B streamer and my Chord M Scaler + Hugo TT2. I’m confident it will make the listening experience even more enjoyable. I highly recommend the JDS Labs Synapse Max for elevating the USB performance and sound quality, also, I appreciate that it can be purchased directly from the manufacturer. Cheers!

Its built well, looks good, accessories are enough and it works!

Definitely a must have if your running any dac straight from you pc, i used it from usb to topping e70 velvet and from usb to fiio warmer and just get clear audio now and haven't ran into any problems yet. The build quality is really nice to plus it comes with a short usb cable with it if you need it.

I got interferences with my MOTU M2 and my Shure SM7B on my MacBook Pro and my Computer through the USB C Ports. I measured the Power needed with a powerbank tester for the MOTU M2 DAC with and without a Microphone, so i get the correct Synapse. In this case i choose the MAX Version because of the 1.0 A. The MOTU M2 without a MIC needs USB powered 1.5W (0.3A) and with MIC it needs 2.1W (0.4A), so the 1.0 A of the Synapse MAX is perfect fitting or my Setup doesnt get the power it needs with 0.1 A. I would recommend the Synapse (MAX) every friend. Thank you :)

Since having so many bus powered synth modules and audio interfaces I frequently notice some ground noises. NO MORE. This absolutely keeps troublesome USB devices from making any noises. In the studio and on stage. Thanks for such a great product.

Synapse Max complelely solves USB ground noise issue between my ROON server and DAC and resumes my music enjoyment. Also, JDS Labs customer service and delivery are top class.

After searching online of what could be causing my constant hum/buzz when I launch a video game on my pc. Come to find out with my new tube amp and dac, that it was picking up the coil wine/power of my gaming GPU, making it audible and quite annoying. I looked around, and found out that JDS had a little device that could possibly help me with this issue. I have bought from JDS before, so I had no concern about the quality of the Synapse Max. The price was align with others, if not, it was cheaper. I like how they sell 2 versions, one which is 3d printed enclosure or the metal enclosure. I went with the metal to keep everything contained. I also went with the Synapse Max just to be able to power any other device in the future, and I wont be limited. When I received the device, I connected it, and it has cleared away the audible noise from my GPU. It is perfect and worked like a charm. I have no complaints about it. I would definitely recommend this product if you are having the same issues as I was.

I didn’t know I needed this until I plugged it in. It was an immediate difference in treble quality and soundstage. It gives that extra oomph that any USB connected system could benefit from. It’s a must have.

Never really had any ground noise and got this as an experiment to see what it was about but even though I never had any ground noise it definately improved my overall experience with my setup and it has some how enhanced the sound combining out of my Jds element 3. If you still sitting on the wall on whether to get one or not it's definitely a recommended!

Have two DAC's in a PC-centric setup that was previously very noisy when using analog out on my internal PCI-e sound card. I assumed it was EMF/EMI adversely affecting the sound card. ChatGPT led me to consider trying a USB isolation transformer. So I purchased the Synapse and wow, problem solved after years of frustration. I also changed the spread spectrum setting in BIOS from disabled to auto. Between the Synapse and enabling spread spectrum, I cannot hear any noise from my internal sound card, even turning up the volume to 100%. Truly incredible. Very highly recommended.

Sounds like an obvious marketing line huh? Yes but it's also the honest truth! I've tried 1 and now daisy chained 2 and there is absolutely no going back. Only forward! At 2 Synapses I'm understanding Oscar Peterson better than ever, now I can get onboard with the recording engineering decisions better. I always wondered why did they deliberately capture the piano and other instruments in such unclear quality as if sabotaging it. Not so anymore. With 1 Synapse I heard things more clearly. With 2 the improvement is... I'm trying to wrap my head around it. Call me nuts I'm ordering 2 more Synapses. If they don't net enough improvements I can always use them on other setups because I know you need 2 at a time. They should make a 2-in-1. Or 3-in-1. Heck make them stackable so they snap together.

Bought a new gpu for my system but it introduced a lot of electric interference to my audio interface. This got rid of it completely; in addition I could set my interface to 100% and made my preamps completely quiet. If your a musician I recommend this or just want clean audio get this.

Pros: It works. The clicks and noises are gone from my Merlin Dac. It seems to sound better but that might be in my head. Actually available in a bright color so you can find them amid the wire tangles in back of your equipment. Cons: I wish the LED was not as bright and it adds some latency noticable on some videos. I wished I had purchased 2 more.

This works great at cleaning up the background hash of a USB only powered DAC I've used that can be problematic using various other charger adapters. Some introduce more noise than others, but the Max does a remarkable job at bringing down that noise to a near silent background.