What is the latest greatest USB add on device?

Love the IFi Micro USB 3 with a good linear power supply for it. Nice improvement in my rig. Less noise and greatly reduced digital artifacts. Music flows more naturally with improved musicality. Also need a couple of good USB cables with it.

I bet it does.  Nice stuff for sure. Much more costly for sure.  Love the SoTM line.  

Impossible to say Ethernet on any other method is better than usb as there are just too many factors and options. We’re are just in the infancy of this medium.  Here are just two areas that transform your digital front end.  

Those expensive power suppliers just talked about in the previous post will be beat handily by a $130 Teradak with a few smart mods. The biggest mod is to add one of these LT3045 power supplies ...

https://www.mpaudio.net/product-page/s-hpuln

The LT3045s circuits are amazing in what they will do for your sound. 

Also, the DC cable used on the all important linear power supplies is absolutely critical. Read this and build one. Your sound quality will be improved ways you never imagined. 

https://www.usaudiomart.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1465

Just so many variables we are just beginning to learn about  that turn “computer or digital based front ends” into beautiful music makers rivaling any big dollar analog rig.  

Well I mod these regularly for customers.  I happen to have one available.  Here is what you can do or tech you trust.  Buy a Teradak DC30 and replace all the electrolytic caps with long hour Nichicon HW caps. Add chassis dampening, Perfect Path Contact enhancer in key areas. Replace cheap resistors with Mills MRA.  Peplace filter bypass caps with Sonicaps. 

Build one of the Poe cables as outlined in the link I gave and at the end of that cable place the Mpaudio or similar unit like this just before feeding the device you are powering.

If the device needing power is spec’d for 1.5amps or under, then this more affordable LT3045 power supply is great. The $95 one in a nice case. 

http://www.ldovr.com/category-s/123.htm

Well the starquad DC does not come close to the more difficult to build Poe DC cable.  However they are much better than stock. 

These are not that easy to build, however the OP of that thread will make you properly wired 8 port Poe units. It involves cutting unwanted traces and soldering short wire jumpers to the board.

I ordered mine from the OP as I am too busy to mess with it right now. I am going to build the same cable without all the Poe connectors and see if it sounds as good. I won’t be able to get to that for another month however.

I made starquad DC cables for folks just like Ghent’s and with better wire. However, my customers tell me the Poe based cables are just another big step up!

I read through most of that thread to understand what the OP did.
My first experience with Poe to be frank and it took me awhile to get it.

Yes it is. 

I get it.  I will compare my more aesthetic version of the Poe and comment.  

Jaybe, are you using the better Dual Cat or the lesser single Ethernet cable with those pigtail style Poe injectors? I am using the Dual Cat with two 8 port Poe injectors, Monoprice Ethernet cables and a final starquad Mundorf silver/gold 6 inch DC cable into the powered unit. The impact of this was immediately heard. Lower noise floor, improved resolution etc.., I thought it was a bit thin sounding however so I made a Duelund starquad six inch DC cable for both ends of my Dual Cat. One coming out of my SOTM 500 power supply into the Poe and a second coming out of the Poe into my SOTM TXusbUltra. Wow! Wonderful now.

My rig is as tweaked out and dialed in as any I have heard and the benifit is real and immediately discerned. Now the thread creator states the more simple single Cat with those cheap Poe pigtails is not nearly as good as the Dual Cat. The Dual Cat squared is even better I understand.

This whole topic has so many options and levels of improvement that it can be hard too keep up. The language is also confusing as I am finally getting my head around it.

Yes this takes a lot of effort.  No doubt. Tons to read through and understand. I am into DIY and am intentionally curious so I will plow on. 

I am building a cable without all the Poe connections and junctions. We will see.  

I can you this Ozzy. The Duelund 20 gauge stranded copper in cotton make a fine DC cable. I used 4 runs with two on + and two on - in a starquad configuration. I double shielded one with two layers of copper braid tubing and compared it to an unshielded one. Both sound fantastic and much better than the DC cables that came with my SOTM units. Hard to tell that much of a difference between the shielded and unshielded. However, I have learned that sonic gains are to be found with upgraded DC cables. The Duelund wire costs $6 per meter. So very affordable and avoids the whole birds nest mess found with the top end Poe Configurations such as the Dual Cat and Dual Cat Squared.

I frankly do not find the Dual Cat Poe to sound any better than the Duelund DC cable on its own as I listened today. However both are a nice jump over stock DC cables and DC cables made with the popular Canare starquad bulk cable.

The DC cable used on LPSs is critical.  More important than even the PC used on the LPS. The POE based DC cable I mentioned above is even better than the various starquad cables out there. They are just a pain to fit into your rack! Sound-wise they are the best I have heard.   

I also have the SOTM TX USB Ultra as well as the 500 power supply.  I ended up using my DIY Duelund starquad double shielded DC cable.  It sounds fantastic, but not quite as good as the Dual Poe.  It is amazing what a good DC cable can do for your rig. Everything matters in digital audio.