HiFi Subjectivist ¦ Audio Forum ¦ NVA User Group

That's certainly interesting. I have been considering trying out my AQ Dragonfly on the Huawei phone I now have. Might be fun.

Following the massive improvement the JB brought to my phone I think I need to upgrade the basic AKG headphones I use for out and about with a Dragonfly Red. The Oppo PM3 tops my audition !ist after reading some very positive reviews, apart from What HiFi whom I presume they don't advertise with.

Check out B&W P7, excellent SQ and isolation.

Fretless wrote: ↑Wed Feb 14, 2018 6:45 pm Check out B&W P7, excellent SQ and isolation.

I don't think they are still available.

That would explain why I got them cheap. Still some available online.

I think the jitterbug would be a bit difficult in a full metal jacket.

Surfing the net I discovered that Audioquest had improved the JB without increasing the £49 price. Don't know when the new FMj (Full Metal jacket) version first appeared. It is the same size but metal and has a hinged rubber flap designed to be of benefit when plugging a vacant USB port.

As I only have one of the old plastic ones I put in an order. One of the previous ones gave up the ghost years ago. I think the rigours of out and about use were too much for its construction.

The JB FMj arrived on Friday and I was immediately impressed by its solid construction, similar to that of the Dragonflys. The fittings are a lot firmer than the old version, both into the OpticalRendu and the DH Labs USB cable. I was expecting a subtle improvement in sound quality, but it is a bit more than that. No particular aspect stands out, it is an overall sense of increased smoothness and ease. Had the house to myself for most of yesterday and played a lot of music. I don't know if it is the reduction of jitter, RF or both, but I think the tighter connections are playing a part. The router is located a long way away, but the Sky Q box is a lot closer and this could be an issue.

When I plugged the JB into the DF Red on my phone it was a game changer. So much so I have ordered another FMj as I am sure the robust construction will stand up to out and about use as do the DFs. This could have been something AQ had in mind when they brought in the FMj. I tried the device with the Mojo and it was hard to detect any difference to the sound. I am sure this is because the DF is powered by the phone and picks up a lot of nasties where the Mojo is not. It is interesting that on their website AQ say the FMj might not improve the performance of the more expensive Colbat which is also a passive device.

The old plastic JB is now connected to the second system and I thought it would produce more of an improvement than it has. When it was connected to the MicroRendu in the main system the benefit was a lot greater. This could be due to the greater transparancy of the main system magnifying the improvement. Also I would have thought RF was more of an issue with the second system as although there is no Sky box the extension router is close to the system.

All credit to AQ for improving a product in construction and SQ without raising the price. In the right application it is a bargain in the extreme. With a DF and quality headphones it is a must.

Thanks for that CN, I hadn't heard abou the FMJ Jitterbug.
Will investigate.

The JB FMJ for my phone took a long time to arrive. I could not be more pleased after some hours of listening. Through the DF it seems like a head phone upgrade. Everything is clearer, sharper and more engaging. The DF Red is seriously compromised without it, through my phone anyway. The muck which was degrading the sound was coming from the phone which powers the device. Wifi or anything in the house could not have played a part as my listening was outside. I am sure that the improvements on the hifi systems are very subtle in comparison is because the Sonore streamers are far better at eliminating digital muck than a Sansum Galaxy. I am likening the improvement on my portable set up at the start of 2022 to that on the main system at the start of last year with the addition of the Network Acoustics Eno ethernet filter. From experience I have learnt that the purity of the signal is extremely important with all things digital and smart phones and ethernet cables are major sources of problems.

Not to sure if you have mentioned the Network Acoustics Eno before CN, not cheap, but what did you think about the improvements it made. I see they also do a 'system' which includes their own ethernet cable, here's a link for others to see what I'm talking about.
https://www.networkacoustics.com/shop/e ... et-filter/

antonio66 wrote: ↑Thu Jan 06, 2022 11:23 pm Not to sure if you have mentioned the Network Acoustics Eno before CN, not cheap, but what did you think about the improvements it made. I see they also do a 'system' which includes their own ethernet cable, here's a link for others to see what I'm talking about.
https://www.networkacoustics.com/shop/e ... et-filter/

I bought the ENO a year ago and my very favourable impressions are on P46 of the Tinker, taylor, streamer thread. Not cheap but worth the money in my system. Exceeded expectations by a long way and opened my eyes to the extent RF etc can degrade SQ. I have discovered that ethernet cable is far more suseptable to picking up "muck" than USB and BNC cables. I bought a short length of quality Audio Quest ethernet cable to connect the Eno to the switch as it was a lot cheaper than the Network Acoustics equivalent and similary specified. Since the arrival of the OpticalRendu it now connects the router to the first switch in the chain.