iFi Announces iPurifier3 USB Audio Accessory
Ah, iFi, one of the coolest audio companies out there. Seriously, these guys really know their stuff. they’ve given us the fantastic xDSD, the absolutely epic Micro iDSD Black Label, as well as the phenomenal Pro iDSD (just to name a few products). But, among their vast product portfolio lies quite a number of accessories too, some specifically intended to ensure that your USB data transmission is squeaky clean. The latest addition to this accessory lineup is the iPurifier3.
Although the iPurifier3 is the next logical iteration of the iPurifier2, it packs in some upgraded hardware as well as a more refined and optimised version of iFi’s ANC (Active noise Cancellation) technology.
As far as the hardware is concerned, these new upgrades include:
· OS-CON capacitors – these have a low Equivalent Series Resistance (ESR), excellent noise reduction capability, ideal frequency characteristics and a long life span.
· Tantalum capacitors – these polarised electrolytic capacitors have superior frequency and stability characteristics, giving them a super high volumetric efficiency.
· High-precision MELF resistors – metal electrode leadless face resistors have excellent accuracy, stability, reliability, and pulse load capability.
· New copper-alloy shielding – this excellent EMI shielding isolates devices and cables to block radio frequency electromagnetic radiation.
Due to these hardware changes and upgrades the iPurifier3 has increased slightly (roughly 24%), as well as gained a slight bit of weight (33g vs 30g) compared to its predecessor.
If you’re unfamiliar with iFi’s ANC tech, they describe the ANC2 incorporated into the iPurifier3 as follows:
iFi’s ANC2® system is the key here. Emulating the way in which air defence radar technology works, it identifies noise frequencies then generates identical but opposite frequencies, which actively cancel all the incoming noise. In comparison to the Common Noise Filter, ANC decreases noise by 100 times – that’s 40dB – thereby enhancing the fidelity of background and inner resolution of audio recordings by several levels.
The other important tech that has gone into the iPurifier3 is their REbalance technology. The purpose of REbalance is to “remove the DC offset in a USB audio signal to ‘re-balance’ it. This noticeably decreases the threshold of background noise and helps to achieve an overall noise reduction of 40dB on the input signal and a levelling from 100mV to 5mV on the audio band through the USB signal. Then there is REclock®. Made for all downstream DACs, REclock® is a ‘3-in-1’ feature that re-clocks, re-generates and repeats the USB audio data stream to eliminate jitter.”
Availability and Pricing
iFi has stated that the iPurifier3 with the Type-B connection has already been made available, whereas the Type-A version will only be released towards the end of July. Both version come with a price-tag of $129 excluding applicable taxes or shipping charges.
