Power supplies and cables - observations, considerations & commentary

[jbm0]

Dammit. I recently learned something potentially expensive.

 

I finally bit the bullet and ordered a JS-2. I bought it mostly for its flexibility: since I've noted that gizmos in various combinations with varying DC voltage requirements have featured in audio setups here and then sometimes had to make way for different gizmos with different requirements, I thought the increased utility of a single power supply with two outputs which could be set independently for any of the four most popular DC voltages would probably be worth it, even at 2-1/2 times the price of my accustomed fixed-voltage linear supplies. (And of course, I heard the voice of Alton Brown in my head, railing against "unitaskers".) I figured the quality of results I should be able to expect was safely into the realm of "known-good", but unlikely to make a clear sonic difference versus another known-good linear.

 

Yeah.

 

I dropped the JS-2 into our bedroom system, using one of its rails set to 7V in place of a 7V/2A Teddy Pardo which had been feeding the microRendu there (microRendu acting as a Roon zone, feeding the USB input of a Schiit Gungnir Multibit). Just quickly making sure things worked okay.

 

The difference wasn't even subtle.

 

With the JS-2, music from this lashup went a significant distance in that direction we all crave from "there's a nice stereo playing" toward "there's music in the room", and moved from being more lightweight to having more body.

 

So... casually lumping commercial audiophile linear DC supplies into the category of "known-likely-good" is sadly a massive oversimplification, and this could get expensive. Dammit.

 

Differences in the quality of (in both cases 7V) DC power from two different linear power supplies as supplied to a digital-to-digital device in the signal path makes a significant difference in perceived tonal balance. Dammit.

 

Depending on when the expected Uptone supercap gizmo hits the market, maybe when I get to hear it it can save me from filling my house with very expensive JS-2s, but this is all dangerous to the wallet.

 

Great for sound! But dangerous for the wallet.

[jbm0]

Ok, now I'm curious on the difference between the JS-2 and Sonore SPSU. Although I'm pretty happy with my SOtM mBPS-d2s.

 

Yeah, me too! Has anybody tried both of those high-flyers head-to-head powering a microRendu?

 

(Even though the Sonore SSPS is, ahem, a unitasker)

 

Here's me cheering on the march of the LPS-1 to production...

[jbm0]

i am using the microrendu and IFi power supply with a Schiit Yggy DAC. The output SQ is extremely nice. however, the unit gets very hot. too hot to touch for very long. I now keep it unplugged when not in use. Is this because of how the Schiit DAC handles it or something else? I am thinking about another power supply. Any thoughts? thanks

 

I assume the iFi power supply must be the 9V one. How much heat the microRendu has to dissipate will be related both to its having to regulate the supplied 9V down and to how much current the Yggy's USB input pulls.

 

If you replace the 9V iFi with a 7V power supply, heat generated in the microRendu will decrease dramatically, and I recommend that as a long-term fix. Per a hint from (I'm pretty sure) JohnSwenson either in this thread or another, orienting the microRendu so it's propped on its side instead of sitting flat can help a lot with heat dissipation - and it's something you can do immediately, before ordering and waiting for a 7V power supply.