AudioQuest JitterBug - FMJ USB Data & Power Noise Filter

I bought this to use in my Ford Explorer 2013 Limited with Premium Stereo. I upgraded my system to a Sync 3, changed all of the speakers and tweeters to Infinity Kappas, kept the OEM amp, and downloaded my music to Lossless files. I wanted to make sure I was getting the best sound, I wasn't hearing interference, or hums only it was hard to bare when playing the music loud due to the treble and bass, vocals sounding out of place, I just felt that this could improve the sound.And it did, I upgraded the iPod wire to an audiophile cord, connected this and it made a major difference. The Bass was tighter, the treble was calm and not over bearing, the mids finally matched up well. I did many comparisons with and without it, and I have no doubt in my mind and ears that it made a difference.I'm an audiophile, well anyone that mentions lossless files has to be 😂Will someone who uses mp3's notice a major difference, maybe not. But this indeed made a major difference to me.It was worth it....No, the seller I originally bought this from shipped it without placing it in an Amazon bag or box, so my first one was stolen from the box. Had to get another one, so be careful from which seller you buy this from.Other than that, it was worth it

I am 60 years old and have been an audiophile for 50. Always trying to improve the sound quality of my audio system. Although I never went crazy and purchased audio equipment in the 10K+ range, I have heard many hours of what expensive audio sounds like. I have found most of it out there is snake oil, but every once in a decade or so, you find a diamond worth it’s value. The JitterBug FMJ is a diamond, not snake oil. It really works. I’d actually pay 10x its value for what it does. It improved the sound of my digital music 25%-50%, along with an AudioQuest (Cinnamon) USB cable, a computer/music server, a DAC with a Saber chip and a Vac-Tube Amp. I have yet to compare headphone sound quality.Everything musical has:more stereo separation, clarity and imaging detail along all frequenciesmore realistic and open sounding (out of the speaker box sound)a little more soundstage (surrounding sound outside the speaker edges)most all Music Genres sounds more balanced and openMusical Instruments will have:more analog sounding realism, while still retaining its digital sharpnessless digital jitter and muddiness (its most noticeable feature)string vibration- can be heard more (guitar, piano)percussion- is clearer and stands out morevoices- have more authentic raspiness and realismSynthesized Waveforms- you will hear more-wobble during smooth wavy sequencesgraininess during distorted sequencesYou will also get Black as Pitch quite parts, with zero background noise. Your music collection will sound noticeably different…better.

It's not snake oil. It works. I think some of the negative reviews are reacting to the fact that the Jitterbug seems to reduce the overall signal by a couple db. I can't really explain it technically. When it comes to digital signals I was always under the impression that a digital signal is either on or off, you get all the packets or you don't.I've used this with a Schiit Bifrost 2 and a Chord Mojo through couple different laptops, desktops, and phones. The unfiltered bitstream without the Jitterbug is louder and has some forward frequencies depending on the source/monitor. Some people no doubt find the straight bitstream more pleasing to their ear. If you listen closely, though, you might hear jitter/noise particularly around vocals and dialogue. You might not even notice it unless you can A/B test what you are hearing against a clean bitstream.The Jitterbug solves the noise issue. As best as I can explain, it reduces jitter/noise and either by design or as a byproduct of reducing jitter/noise, also flattens the frequency curve a bit. If you are using an amp/headphones/speakers that you like because they emphasize some particular frequency, you might have a negative initial reaction to the Jitterbug results. It might flatten the signal in a way you don't like.It's most definitely a cleaner signal, though, even on a DAC that's supposed to have an isolated USB input. If you use the Jitterbug, you'll either love it, have to learn to love it, or use an EQ to get the sound you want. I'm in the love it camp.

Full disclosure, I was on the fence about this product for a long time. The Internet is full of back-and-forth debates on whether it does anything. My best advice is, everyone's situation and issue is different - try it without any prior expectations and return it if it didn't help.This solved an unstable-handshake issue I encountered with a high-end DAC (AudioGD R27-RE) connected to my PC that's physically quiet but spews electrical noise. The DAC was unable to decode any PCM streams with >48kHz sample rate until I added this to the chain. In the past solving this kind of issue would have required a full digital interface unit with galvanic isolation between the input and output ports, or changing the connection to Toslink (which can present its own issues because it adds electrical/optical conversion steps using mass-market components).I won't share my personal opinion regarding changes this made to my music quality. If the result of suppressing noise and jitter is your DAC getting a clean digital stream that decodes more accurately to the original encoded sound, then yes, the signature can change. But there are many factors involved in this that determine whether any difference will be audible.