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Squeezebox Touch Power Supply Upgrade


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Lack of WiFi connectivity shouldn't be an issue for a wired ethernet only device, since WiFi ethernet adapters or bridges are commonly available. The Bridge II device is of course not as versatile as the microRendu or the Auralic devices, as it can only stream audio files over the network from UPnP/DLNA media servers.

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Lack of WiFi connectivity shouldn't be an issue for a wired ethernet only device, since WiFi ethernet adapters or bridges are commonly available. The Bridge II device is of course not as versatile as the microRendu or the Auralic streamers, as it is only a UPnP supporting streamer.

 

Thanks, I hear you, but I called PS Audio about this exact issue some weeks ago and was advised against using a WiFi adapter/bridge with the Bridge II.

 

The SBT is virtually bullet-proof streaming TIDAL HiFi via WiFi, and I can connect it to my DAC via Toslink, coax or USB (having installed the EDO mod). The question in my mind is: Would I get more of a SQ upgrade from a nice PSU for the SBT or by switching from the SBT to something like the Auralic Aries Mini (which is cheaper than some of the SBT PSU's under discussion here when you factor out the value of one year of TIDAL HiFI that comes with the Mini)? Thanks.

Melco HA-N1ZH60 Mk. 1 --> USB --> Matrix X-SPDIF 2 --> I2S --> PS Audio DirectStream Sr. DAC --> XLR --> Mark Levinson No. 326S --> RCA --> JL Audio E-Sub e110 (active crossover @ 100 Hz) --> RCA --> Bryston 4B3 (Cubed) --> Magnepan .7

 

 

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Bolder modded Elpac with ByBee music rails added is what I used with my Bolder modified Touch. The PS made a very noticeable upgrade. I really noticed the change after the ByBees were added but they are costly.

 

Wow, that sounds great ... Did Wayne of Bolder Cable fame install the ByBee music rails? I understand that Wayne is out of the electronics modding game. If I were interested in having music rails installed in my ELPAC, whom should I contact? Thanks.

Melco HA-N1ZH60 Mk. 1 --> USB --> Matrix X-SPDIF 2 --> I2S --> PS Audio DirectStream Sr. DAC --> XLR --> Mark Levinson No. 326S --> RCA --> JL Audio E-Sub e110 (active crossover @ 100 Hz) --> RCA --> Bryston 4B3 (Cubed) --> Magnepan .7

 

 

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The question in my mind is: Would I get more of a SQ upgrade from a nice PSU for the SBT or by switching from the SBT to something like the Auralic Aries Mini

 

This is pretty much where I'm at too, although my system isn't anywhere near the same league as yours. I worry about over-buying for my humble system. I think the Teddy Pardo is reasonable for me to try and if that doesn't cut it, maybe the Aries Mini with the nicer PSU. Maybe the full sized Aries. It sure would be nice to be able to demo one. I have an Auralic dealer in town but I just don't think they keep demo units on hand.

Creek Evolution 100A / Schiit Gungnir Multibit / Squeezebox Touch with Teddy Pardo PSU / Marantz SA8005 / B&W CM8

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Yes, Wayne at Bolder did it. You might want to talk to Modwright. If Dan isn't real busy maybe he would do it but thats just a guess. Put out a wanted ad for a tech and maybe you will find someone with the qualifications.

 

Great suggestions, thanks! I will await the OP's report on his upcoming Teddy Pardo TTouch PSU and then try to decide which way I want to go.

Melco HA-N1ZH60 Mk. 1 --> USB --> Matrix X-SPDIF 2 --> I2S --> PS Audio DirectStream Sr. DAC --> XLR --> Mark Levinson No. 326S --> RCA --> JL Audio E-Sub e110 (active crossover @ 100 Hz) --> RCA --> Bryston 4B3 (Cubed) --> Magnepan .7

 

 

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This is pretty much where I'm at too, although my system isn't anywhere near the same league as yours. I worry about over-buying for my humble system. I think the Teddy Pardo is reasonable for me to try and if that doesn't cut it, maybe the Aries Mini with the nicer PSU. Maybe the full sized Aries. It sure would be nice to be able to demo one. I have an Auralic dealer in town but I just don't think they keep demo units on hand.

 

FWIW, Audio Advisor (no affiliation) is an AURALiC dealer and has a pretty liberal return policy.

 

I am looking forward to your report on the Teddy Pardo PSU. I hope you find that it makes a really nice upgrade over the stock PSU, which is what I found with my Bolder-modded ELPAC PSU.

Melco HA-N1ZH60 Mk. 1 --> USB --> Matrix X-SPDIF 2 --> I2S --> PS Audio DirectStream Sr. DAC --> XLR --> Mark Levinson No. 326S --> RCA --> JL Audio E-Sub e110 (active crossover @ 100 Hz) --> RCA --> Bryston 4B3 (Cubed) --> Magnepan .7

 

 

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Teddy's in the haus. Ordered it last Saturday night after dinner and it showed up this morning. Arrived much faster than I thought it would.

 

Build quality is nice. Not as heavy as I thought it would be. Doesn't come with a power cord, which I knew. I'm using a cheapy right now.

 

It's still very new. The sound is definitely different. More bass, but it's a little boomy right now. The mids sound different and not especially pleasant. My brain automatically equates "different" with "worse", so I'm trying to take this with a grain of salt and give it time.

 

How much should I expect the sound to change as it burns in? The 1 page manual that came with it says burn in should take a week, and the sound will continue to improve over the first month.

Creek Evolution 100A / Schiit Gungnir Multibit / Squeezebox Touch with Teddy Pardo PSU / Marantz SA8005 / B&W CM8

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Now we're getting somewhere. I've been doing some listening, and some just leaving my Squeezebox Touch on playing music with my amp turned off.

 

Bass has tightened up and the mids are straightened out. Compared to the stock SBT PS, the Teddy Pardo gives fuller sound with more "slam", detail and presence. The stock SBT PS sounds flat and uninspired compared to the Teddy. The Teddy sounds more alive and exciting.

 

Also, good recordings sound better, but mediocre recordings sound WAY better.

 

I'm very happy with this purchase. I'm getting better sound and I get to continue on with my Logitech/SlimDevices investment. For now, the itch I was trying address has been scratched.

Creek Evolution 100A / Schiit Gungnir Multibit / Squeezebox Touch with Teddy Pardo PSU / Marantz SA8005 / B&W CM8

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Now we're getting somewhere. I've been doing some listening, and some just leaving my Squeezebox Touch on playing music with my amp turned off.

 

Bass has tightened up and the mids are straightened out. Compared to the stock SBT PS, the Teddy Pardo gives fuller sound with more "slam", detail and presence. The stock SBT PS sounds flat and uninspired compared to the Teddy. The Teddy sounds more alive and exciting.

 

Also, good recordings sound better, but mediocre recordings sound WAY better.

 

I'm very happy with this purchase. I'm getting better sound and I get to continue on with my Logitech/SlimDevices investment. For now, the itch I was trying address has been scratched.

 

Good news, thanks for the update and congrats again on the upgrade!

Melco HA-N1ZH60 Mk. 1 --> USB --> Matrix X-SPDIF 2 --> I2S --> PS Audio DirectStream Sr. DAC --> XLR --> Mark Levinson No. 326S --> RCA --> JL Audio E-Sub e110 (active crossover @ 100 Hz) --> RCA --> Bryston 4B3 (Cubed) --> Magnepan .7

 

 

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I've had the Teddy Pardo for a week now, and I'm just blown away at how much better my SBT sounds with it. It's gotten steadily better since the last time I posted. The bass is tight, clear and low, and the mids are so much more detailed and airy. In the latter part of this first week the highs have really started to shine. Not sure if this makes sense or not, but it seems like I'm getting so much more performance out of my DAC now that I have a decent digital source.

 

Honestly, I always dubious about aftermarket power supplies. But not that I'm a week in, I've found this is easily one of the best and most cost effective upgrades I've ever done to my system. I use my SBT to stream music for 95% of my listening and I'm thrilled to that I've managed to find a solution where the SQ rivals my SA8005.

 

I would readily recommend this upgrade to any current Squeezebox owner using the stock PSU.

 

And no, I have no relation to Teddy Pardo, financially or otherwise. Just a really satisfied customer. :)

Creek Evolution 100A / Schiit Gungnir Multibit / Squeezebox Touch with Teddy Pardo PSU / Marantz SA8005 / B&W CM8

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A while back my son loaned me a battery pack designed for charging smartphones. Puts out 5v DC and 2.5a, just like my SBT requires. I purchased a USB-A to 5.5mm barrel connector for $5 to hook it up. I have to admit I wasn't really expecting much of a difference, and felt making the comparison to the original wall wart would be tedious. I was wrong. The difference was easy to hear and major. Everything was better - lows to highs, dynamics, and quietness of the presentation. The music was more musical.

 

At that point, fully understanding how important the power supply is, I purchased the $50 iFi iPower unit. It made a noticeable difference but not a big as the battery. So I shopped around and found a 12,000 Ma model for just $20. It works great. I get about 20 hours out of a full charge. Only downside - when using EDO USB output, the Touch draws the same amount whether playing music or idle. So I unplug it when not in use. A bit of a pain - but it sounds oh so good.

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  • 5 months later...
I've had the Teddy Pardo for a week now, and I'm just blown away at how much better my SBT sounds with it. It's gotten steadily better since the last time I posted. The bass is tight, clear and low, and the mids are so much more detailed and airy. In the latter part of this first week the highs have really started to shine. Not sure if this makes sense or not, but it seems like I'm getting so much more performance out of my DAC now that I have a decent digital source.

 

Honestly, I always dubious about aftermarket power supplies. But not that I'm a week in, I've found this is easily one of the best and most cost effective upgrades I've ever done to my system. I use my SBT to stream music for 95% of my listening and I'm thrilled to that I've managed to find a solution where the SQ rivals my SA8005.

 

I would readily recommend this upgrade to any current Squeezebox owner using the stock PSU.

 

And no, I have no relation to Teddy Pardo, financially or otherwise. Just a really satisfied customer. :)

 

This is interesting for me, I have a Touch and can't help feel that I can get more out of it so looking at either upgrades like this or moving away to something else....

 

How is your Touch connected to your DAC?

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This is interesting for me, I have a Touch and can't help feel that I can get more out of it so looking at either upgrades like this or moving away to something else....

 

How is your Touch connected to your DAC?

I have a cable that's coax on the Touch side, and BNC on the DAC side.

 

I highly recommend the Teddy Pardo.

 

If I ever moved away from my Touch, I'd probably go with a microRendu. I've been so happy with the PSU upgrade for my Touch, I'd get some sort of upgraded PSU regardless of which way I went.

Creek Evolution 100A / Schiit Gungnir Multibit / Squeezebox Touch with Teddy Pardo PSU / Marantz SA8005 / B&W CM8

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  • 2 weeks later...

I just got the Pardo TeddyCap power supply hooked into my Touch in my main system. Got a combo deal for the supply and a used nearly new Touch for 300 bucks. It makes a significant improvement in presentation of all files I stream through it. It took some glare out that I now attribute to efi/rfi that was sneaking back in with the old switching wall wart supply. Vocals are much more natural with proper sibilants. I do think the 3D soundstage has improved as well. If you look at the test reports that compare performance of each vs the reference power line measurements there is no doubt that the Pardo supply is much more linear with respect to that curve. I have a highly resolving system in which the improvement was immediately apparent. Very happy with this upgrade.

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I just got the Pardo TeddyCap power supply hooked into my Touch in my main system.

 

Glad to hear your experience - I've just had a look at the Teddy Pardo site under psu's but can't seem to find a unit named like the one you mention, could you point me to the specific unit please.

 

Many thanks.

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https://www.teddypardo.com/powersupplies/ttouch.html is the direct url to the unit I have. It is nicely built and makes a huge difference in performance. This sounds so trite but you can hear much more deeply into the mix. Over the past few days since installing the Pardo ps into my system, I have done a lot of listening to digital from FLAC files and Tidal. No fatigue. I am convinced this was a layer of grunge that just got wiped clean. Less flat and more 3 d. Imaging wide to thee sides. Analog like.
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I've been using a CIAudio VDC-SB with my Touch for many years. I had originally bought it for my SB3. It's been solid from day one even though it's only 2A as opposed to the newerVDC-5 MKII which is 2.5A like the Touch's stock SMPS. I believe the higher amperage is necessary if you intend on hooking up a hard drive to the Touch.

Based on the numerous positive comments around here the $395 Sonore LPS-1 might be a good choice however I'm not sure its 1.1A would be sufficient for the Touch.

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In

Hi: The UltraCap LPS-1 is from UpTone Audio not Sonore, and it indeed powers the Sqeezebox Touch marvelously. [emoji846]

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile

You need the extra amps to power an external HD if you attach one to the Touch. That's why it's spec'ed like that. Otherwise the LPS- 1 is a good choice.

Main listening (small home office):

Main setup: Surge protector +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Isolation>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments.

Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three .

Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup.
Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. 

All absolute statements about audio are false :)

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