Hello, just wanted to share my experience with these devices.

I use MSI x870 on AM5, with RME-ADI-2 DAC FS.

I tried Synapse first, it worked great to break ground loop on powered monitors, but did not work so well with the combination of AM5/X870/ADI-2. Lots of handshake problems, not connecting after resume, random drop outs, etc. I tried many troubleshooting things, bios adjustments, windows power management etc. Never could get Synapse stable for daily trouble-free use.

HS02 has been extremely stable, but I have only had it a few days. The device works great to break ground noise loop. Despite it's 1NF coupling capacity it works quite well for this application. And appears to be "More compatible" for troublesome systems then other, cheaper options. Think partly because it has it's own PSU option, so can ignore weird USB power saving, or slow startup etc. Having it's own psu bypass motherboard "weirdness". Wish the coupling capacity was a bit lower, but Hifime and DSD tech lack the PSU, not sure they are as stable. I hear some complain of heat on HS02 but mine runs quite cold, barely warm. Probably because ADI-2 does not pull much.

Performance and cost of these products vary a bit, despite the use of same chip. Some are more compatible then others. buyer beware.

I use XLR(starquad, pro cable) to my Kali-in5 and when ADI-2 is "powered on" there is no odd noise, but when ADI-2 is "off" the noise (gpu hash/chirp) comes though to monitors, so this isolator gets rid of that. I don't hear any difference in sound, other then missing noise. System is gaming PC, with RTX 4080 so, noisy environment. Of course i have Furman pST8D, shielded power cables, and good usb cable (belkin gold) but the noise can still persist. You can do "Everything right" and still have this problem, though one could argue if it needs fixing since it's only audible when adi-2 off. Will try Meanwell GSM25B12 (50ua leakage)for adi-2 soon, only cost 12$, my adi-2 is 7 years old so smps could use replacement anyways.

Would have rather used Synapse, im a fan of JDS, but just did not work with my combination.

-Regards
Mike

Thanks for trying to post this useful information. But sorry to say that you partly failed. Most people reading this do not know what Synapse or HS02 is. And making people Google before they understand what a post is about will end in 80% just skipping it.

So why not start with two links and one sentence what this is about and what these two products are?

MC wrote:

Thanks for trying to post this useful information. But sorry to say that you partly failed. Most people reading this do not know what Synapse or HS02 is. And making people Google before they understand what a post is about will end in 80% just skipping it.

So why not start with two links and one sentence what this is about and what these two products are?

Thanks for the critic, i have updated original post with more information, so it may be easier for those searching to find it.

This noise has nothing at all to do with ADI-2 itself, it's the PC and Monitors that are culprit. Maybe next version SteadyClock implementation bring galvanic isolation to dac built in. To be fair, ADI2 probably not designed for a gaming system/ all in one / media device, though it is exceedingly good at such role. In mastering PC without high noise GPU and balanced connections everywhere, perhaps less a problem. I tried alot of gear over the past 20 years, in non-professional role, and ADI2 is the best devicve i have ever owned, it's not even close, even at it's high price it's still a great value.

Blaze_2026 wrote:

This noise has nothing at all to do with ADI-2 itself, it's the PC and Monitors that are culprit. Maybe next version SteadyClock implementation bring galvanic isolation to dac built in. To be fair, ADI2 probably not designed for a gaming system/ all in one / media device, though it is exceedingly good at such role. In mastering PC without high noise GPU and balanced connections everywhere, perhaps less a problem. I tried alot of gear over the past 20 years, in non-professional role, and ADI2 is the best devicve i have ever owned, it's not even close, even at it's high price it's still a great value.

Yes, you are right, it is no fault of ADI that the computer generates all kind of interferences.
But it is generally good to have galvanic isolation at the entrance of the dac unit. The problem is, when you have galvanic isolation, then you must have a FIFO buffer and perform re-clocking of the signal with the internal dac clock. I am not an electronics specialist, so I am not 100% sure, but from what I have read about ADI and SteadyClock, there is no classic FIFO buffer in the ADI architecture. So I do not know if galvanic isolation is possible in this case at all.

P.S.: I think that the price for ADI 2 is very reasonable.