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A novel way to massively improve the SQ of computer audio streaming


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On 6/24/2019 at 1:52 AM, austinpop said:

 

Great teaser post from Eric!

 

I have acquired a Farad Super3 12V PSU from Mattijs, and am burning it in. Given how long it took for my SR-4 to fully burn in, and the level of interest I'm sure there is for this comparison, please be patient. :) 

 

Once I feel the Farad is fully burned in, Eric and I will conduct a PSU shootout between the Farad Super3, the LPS-1.2, the SR-4, and the mighty SR-7, all set at 12V.

 

It's an exciting time to be an, um, LPSU fan.

Any news, austinpop? I'm quite anxious to find out more about the Farad Super3...

 

P.S. You can answer in any thread you like, of course. I don't want to start an OT discussion here!

Triangle Magellan Concerto 2 < AQ Everest < Vitus Audio SS-010 Mk2 < AQ Dragon High Current < AQ WEL XLR < Chord Qutest DAC w UpTone JS-2 & AQ Dragon Source < AQ Diamond USB < Innuos Phoenix USB w AQ Dragon Source < Aurender N100H & AQ Dragon Source < NetGear GS105GE Switch w UpTone LPS1.2 < Supra CAT8 Ethernet < Gryphon PowerZone w AQ NRG-Wild < Stillpoints UltraSS, Ansuz Darkz D-TC & D2, Omicron Harmonic Stabilizer, Gold Evolution SE & Classic < Furutech FT-SWS (R) < Synergistic Research Orange Quantum Fuse < Solid Tech Hybrid < GigaWatt G-16A 2P Circuit Breaker

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On 7/25/2019 at 6:26 AM, austinpop said:
A Mini Review of the Farad Super3 Power Supply
 
Here is my review of the Farad Super3 Power Supply. I know this has taken longer than anticipated, but I wanted to ensure that the PSU and all associated cables were fully burned in. In addition, as you'll see, Mattijs Vries (designer of the Farad) and I explored some more cable alternatives, and this took additional shipping and burn in time.
 
Why is the Farad Super3 PSU interesting? First, several listening reports on this and other threads have been very positive. Second, it is a supercapacitor LPS design, claimed to be designed for low noise and low output impedance. Third, it supports current up to a max of 3A, which is significantly higher than the 1.1A max of the Uptone LPS-1.2 and the 2A max of the Paul Hynes SR-4. Finally, at a base price of €439, it competes very strongly with these units.
 
This review is an attempt to do a systematic and thorough listening comparison of the Farad with these existing best-of-breed PSUs commonly in use for digital audio gear. As we on this thread know, the quality of a power supply in a digital component can be as important as it is in an analog component. Yet, the set of really high-quality power supplies is rather small. On the pinnacle of this range is the lofty Paul Hynes SR-7, which in its DR and XL incarnation has reigned supreme in all my listening tests. But this PSU is almost impossible to acquire, now that Paul has stopped taking new orders for his custom PSU business. Next in the spectrum are the Uptone JS-2, LPS-1.2 and the Paul Hynes SR-4, which are more accessible. These are excellent supplies in their own right, while not quite at the level of the SR-7. How does the Farad Super3 compare to these? While I no longer have a JS-2, I do have LPS-1.2s and SR-4s on hand to compare, as well as access to an SR7 DRXL unit.
 
I requested an evaluation unit from Mattijs, who very kindly and promptly shipped me one. By mutual agreement, this unit was configured for 12V. Farad supplies are designed to be configured for a specific voltage, as Mattijs feels the provision of voltage selectors degrades sound quality. In addition to the default DC cable with the unit, Mattijs also sent me his Level 1 (shielded quad core 18 AWG tin-plated copper), and Level 2 (shielded quad core non-inductive mil-spec 16 AWG tin-plated copper) upgrade cables. I picked 12V, since it allowed me to test the Super3 in several different spots in my chain.
 
Before attempting any critical listening, I burned in the Super3 and the Level 2 cable for 500+ hours. I know it took a long time for my SR-4 to reach peak SQ, so I afforded the same courtesy to the Farad. 
 
Listening impressions of the Farad Super3
 
Before getting into comparisons, I tried out the Farad in my system to get a sense of its sonic characteristics. I tested it in 2 separate locations in my chain:
  • powering the sNH-10G switch
  • powering the tX-USBultra
I also tried this both in my primary headphone system, and in @limniscate's speaker-based system.
 
From the get-go, I liked what I was hearing. The first impression with this PSU is one of tonal calmness. It has a smooth, relaxed character, with a black background, speaking to its low noise floor. The other characteristics that are immediately apparent are its tonal richness, the depth and slam of the bass, and great dynamics. Even without any comparisons, I was very please with the sound quality I was hearing.
 
A note about cables
 
As I was preparing for the comparisons, I realized that all of the other PSUs were using silver cables of one type or the other. Over time, I have gravitated to silver DC cables. Unlike analog silver cables, that can tend to add brightness and sparkle, I find silver DC cables to enhance clarity, neutrality, and depth. Here are the PSUs and associated cables that I was preparing to compare:
  • LPS-1.2: Audio Sensibility Signature, and a custom cable that a kind ASer from Japan sent me a few months ago, built with the Oyaide FTVS-910 cable. Both cables are terminated with Oyaide 5.5x2.5 barrel connectors. I've modded the AS cable with JSSG360 shielding.
  • SR-4: Paul Hynes fine silver DCFS3XLR 3A cable, modded with JSSG360. Terminators are XLR-4 to Oyaide 5.5x2.1
  • SR-7 Paul Hynes fine silver DCFS6XL 6A cable. Terminators are Jaeger to Oyaide 5.5x2.1
I didn't want cable quality and materials to affect the comparison, so I discussed this with Mattijs. At Pink Faun, they had shied away from silver, but he was open to the idea. In fact, he has been experimenting with a "Level 3" silver cable, which is still a work in progress. While he sent me a sample, I won't be talking about that until he's finished tweaking, and is happy with the result. In addition, he supplied me with adapters (GX16 to 5.5x2.5 and GX16 to XLR-4) that allowed me to use all my existing silver cables with the Farad - all but the SR-7 cable.
 
My cable findings? I preferred all 3 silver cables over the Farad Level 2 cable on the Farad PSU. Within the silver cables, the differences were very small. If I had to choose, I would rank them: 1) Audio Sensibility, 2) Oyaide FTVS-910, 3) Hynes DCFS3XLR.
 
I do understand that these adapters are suboptimal, and almost certainly increase the output impedance of the PSU. The fact that the silver cables performed better, despite this disadvantage, suggests that a properly terminated (GX16) silver cable for the Farad will sound even better. 
 
For the remaining comparisons, I used the same DC cable with the Farad as the PSU under comparison.
 
Comparison with the LPS-1.2
 
The LPS-1.2 is the go-to LPS for digital gear, and is a tough-to-beat combination of excellent SQ and reasonable price. I've had as many as 3 of these simultaneously in my system, and currently use 2 of them. For this comparison, I alternated between the LPS-1.2 and Farad, both with the AS cable, first powering the sNH-10G switch and then the tX-USBultra.
 
These two PSUs certainly have different sonic attributes! The LPS-1.2 sounds open and spacious, but also brighter, and slightly more in-your-face. The Farad, in contrast, is smother, darker, with deeper bass. Its resolution and rendition of fine detail is just as good, while being less fatiguing over longer listening sessions. I also felt it was a bit more dynamic than the LPS-1.2.
 
I'd say the Farad is the better PSU sonically, although it does cost approx. 25% more than the LPS-1.2.
 
Comparison with the Paul Hynes SR-4
 
For this comparison, I used the DC3FSXLR cable with both PSUs, with the Farad using a GX16 to XLR-4 adapter. 
 
This was a close one! I had to go back and forth many times to form a lasting opinion on this comparison. Tonally, both the SR-4 and the Farad share the dark tonality that I find so pleasing and fatigue-free. They were neck and neck on dynamics and bass. The one area where the SR-4 pulled  ahead - and only by a nose - was fine detail and resolution. The texture of instruments, the detail in fine cymbal and brush strokes was just a little clearer and better defined with the SR-4. 
 
However, the difference was very small, and let's keep in mind that the Farad was handicapped in the output impedance department due to the use of a GX16 to XLR4 adapter. It would not surprise me at all if the Farad closed the gap with a properly terminated cable.
 
I'm going to declare this a tie between the Farad and SR-4.
 
Comparison with the Paul Hynes SR-7 DRXL
 
Did I really expect the Farad to match or outperform the SR-7 DRXL? Not really, and it didn't. With the SR-7, there was just more of everything. Dynamics, bass, clarity, resolution, and texture - they were all there - and all emerging from an inky black background. You pay dearly ($1200+ per rail, plus the patience of Job to get a unit) for the SR-7 DRXL, and you do get what you pay for!
 
Other Use Cases
 
I haven't yet remarked on the 3A capacity of the Farad, which is in fact a great advantage it holds over the LPS-1.2 and SR-4. One concrete use case where this came in handy was in powering the Chord Hugo TT 2. When I reviewed the TT2 a few months ago, I had found that its SQ improved modestly over the stock SMPS when powered by an SR-7 DR rail at 15V. Since I received my own purchased TT2, and since I don't yet own an SR-7 DRXL, I've been using a PowerAdd Pilot Pro 12V to power the TT2. This battery improves SQ over the stock SMPS supply. However, that is the extent of my PSU experimentation. While the TT2 nominally consumes under 2A in steady state (unless powering speakers), it does have an inrush peak of 3A (per Rob Watts) for several seconds while the supercaps "charge." For this reason, I've been loath to try my SR-4 with it, although Paul Hynes has promised to run some tests with the SR4-19, set to 15V, driving a 3A load, to see if it can handle this transient.
 
However, the Farad, with its 3A capacity was easily able to handle this startup transient, and powered the TT2 beautifully. SQ was improved over the battery, and of course the stock SMPS. The main difference was the Farad sounded more relaxed and tonally richer.
 
Note that this experiment was performed with my 12V review unit. It remains to be seen whether a 15V unit would improve SQ even further.
 
Conclusions
 
The Farad Super3 is an exciting entrant to the world of high-quality LPSUs for digital audio gear. Its sound quality is essentially on par with the Paul Hynes SR-4 when used with a good silver DC cable like the Audio Sensibility Signature, while availability is - at least, for now! - much better than the 3-4 months current lead time for the SR-4. In certain applications, if your current needs exceed the SR-4's 2A, the Farad would even be the preferred option.
 
While the Farad Super3 does not match the sound quality of the vaunted SR-7, its easy availability and generous current capacity make it a very compelling choice for everything ranging from switches, DDC's, and clocks to NUCs and even certain DACs.
 
Highly recommended.
 
Next Steps
 
Mattijs will be shipping me a 15V unit soon to validate whether the Farad @ 15V is a better fit for the TT2. I plan to compare this with an SR7 @ 15V. The TT2 improves only modestly even with the SR-7, so the question here is whether the TT2 powered by the Farad is "close enough" to the SQ of the TT2 powered by the SR-7 DRXL.
 
I also expect to receive, in due course, Mattijs level 3 cable once he's perfected it. I'll be comparing this to my benchmark Audio Sensibility and Oyaide DC cables, and reporting back.
 
Stay tuned for an update in a few weeks.

Great review and a long expected one, Austinpop! :)
In a couple of words could you describe the differences between how each one (sNH-10G switch and then the tX-USBultra) reacted with the different PS? Was one of the SOtM's more susceptible than the other? Also, I understand that you have a tX-USBultra with a 12V input (as I do). Did you try to internally switch it to 9V? If so, does it sound better with the 9V or the 12V? Thanks!

Triangle Magellan Concerto 2 < AQ Everest < Vitus Audio SS-010 Mk2 < AQ Dragon High Current < AQ WEL XLR < Chord Qutest DAC w UpTone JS-2 & AQ Dragon Source < AQ Diamond USB < Innuos Phoenix USB w AQ Dragon Source < Aurender N100H & AQ Dragon Source < NetGear GS105GE Switch w UpTone LPS1.2 < Supra CAT8 Ethernet < Gryphon PowerZone w AQ NRG-Wild < Stillpoints UltraSS, Ansuz Darkz D-TC & D2, Omicron Harmonic Stabilizer, Gold Evolution SE & Classic < Furutech FT-SWS (R) < Synergistic Research Orange Quantum Fuse < Solid Tech Hybrid < GigaWatt G-16A 2P Circuit Breaker

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