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

[auricgoldfinger]

4 hours ago, George Hincapie said:

 

Is it possible to get a 19V output version to power my Audio Store Prestige MX?

 

Farad is expecting to release a 12A version of their power supply later this year.  It should have more than enough power for your Prestige MX, but there is also the question of cost.

[seeteeyou]

19V/9A version will come next year, therefore they didn't tell us anything about pricing yet

 

https://faradpowersupplies.com/shop/en/content/12-future-developments

 

12V/12A version should cost €999 ex VAT and we're talking about 144W to be shared by 3 rails here, there will be another triple-regulated 12V-to-ATX converter at some point.

 

Of course increasing sales will inevitably result in longer queues down the road, though we really don't have anything else that could be compared to SR4 while delivering enough current to satisfy the power requirements of Ryzen 3000 Series or i9-9900K etc. that could consume more than 100W during heavy workload.

 

Granted even Euphony+Stylus combo wouldn't get anywhere close to 10% CPU utilization, the whole point of paying for relatively high current ratings could very be something like this

 

https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/30376-a-novel-way-to-massively-improve-the-sq-of-computer-audio-streaming/page/403/?tab=comments#comment-890918

On 10/30/2018 at 4:16 AM, romaz said:

As the voltage goes up, current requirement should be less and I could probably get by with a 24V/3A rail but my experience has been that an over-provisioned rail sounds better.  Even if a tX-USBultra never fully draws a full amp at 12V, a 12V power supply with a 5A rating sounds better than a power supply with a 1A rating.  Having discussed this with Paul Hynes, he agrees and so with all of my SR7s, they are over-provisioned.

 

High core count, high clock speed, low CPU utilization.

 

Multiple regulations, high current output, low current draw.

 

No matter what we do, all that quality would still be impacted by DC connectors with poor conductivity followed by power regulations of the motherboard itself. Just wondering if such "necessary evil" were still holding us back or what?

[George Hincapie]

On 7/26/2019 at 5:43 PM, auricgoldfinger said:

 

Farad is expecting to release a 12A version of their power supply later this year.  It should have more than enough power for your Prestige MX, but there is also the question of cost.

 

I sent them an email yesterday morning, but no reply yet.

[justubes]

I corresponded about the Hynes supply, there is a version of his psu module rated for up to 10A which would would be a useable.

[Nenon]

11 hours ago, seeteeyou said:

though we really don't have anything else that could be compared to SR4 while delivering enough current to satisfy the power requirements of Ryzen 3000 Series or i9-9900K etc. that could consume more than 100W during heavy workload.

 

Sean Jacobs has custom products that can do that - http://www.custom-hifi-cables.co.uk 

[seeteeyou]

Really?

 

Dr. Jacobs seemed to offer up to 5A for each rail, did you mean combining two of them in parallel and reach 10A by any chance?

 

Personally I wouldn't believe Pinocchio Hynes until someone is actually receiving something (in a timely manner / responsive to questions AFTER payments are sent) with 10A output, and then good luck with warranty if stuff like regulator modules were going south.

[baconbrain]

On 7/21/2019 at 6:37 PM, austinpop said:

 

 

Obviously, we won't know until the ER is shipped and in our hands. Here is my experience with the sNH-10G, using not HQP but Roon.

 

It helps to think of the switch not for its switching functions, but as a cleanser/isolator. Obviously, you want to test multiple configurations, but the one I'd start with is this:

• upstream <-> (Ethernet port 1) bridged server (Ethernet port 2) <-> (dirty side) reclocking/isolating switch (clean side) <-> endpoint <- USB -> DAC
• if you have a NAS, it can either be somewhere upstream, or attached to the dirty side. This seems to be a personal preference thing. I prefer my NAS far away upstream in another room.

When used with Roon Core on the server and Stylus EP on the endpoint (both on Euphony OS), bridging the server definitely still sounded better. The unbridged case looked like this:

                                                _________

            upstream <-----------> | Switch |  <---------------> endpoint

                                                --------------

                                                      ^

                                                      |

            server <-------------------------|

 

When the Switch == sNH-10G, I found the bridged case to sound distinctly better. Only time will tell if this result holds for the ER.

 

Are you advocating a typical hub and spoke network topology with a sNH-10G switch as opposed to bridging?

[AnotherSpin]

2 hours ago, seeteeyou said:

Personally I wouldn't believe Pinocchio Hynes until someone is actually receiving something (in a timely manner / responsive to questions AFTER payments are sent) with 10A output, and then good luck with warranty if stuff like regulator modules were going south.

 

I received my SR5 from Mr.Hynes after couple of month wait (it was several years ago). After that I was sending it back for check/upgrade – it was done very fast. I've been communicating with Mr.Hynes couple of times by email, he is answering very fast (after couple of hours) with all required info/details. Last exchange of mails happened couple of weeks ago.

[your momo]

Lucky man, may I ask you to pass him my greetings and tell him if possible he could be so kind to reply to my e-mail from mid June. All regarding SR7 paid in advance build progress...

[Tommd64]

On 7/25/2019 at 4:26 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.

Thaks Austinpop foryoure great review! I,vehad for a couple of weeks the Farad3 and compared them with some other powersupply,s  The SotM sPs 500; the HDPlex 200; The Keces P8 8 amperes. All sounded different. If tested them in nearly the same  equipment like the Sotm sNH10g and the Tx usb ultra (sotm) as well on the mytek brooklyn plus. Al the powersupplys had their advantiges; that concluded was that the performance of the HdPlex didn,t catch up with the rest.The Keces had more power, a nice display. Was switchable in 9and 12v but sounded a bit darker with more bass. The sotm was also very good and came close to the farad3. Tight bass and rythm, very clear and detailled in the mid,s an good focus in the highs. Big advantige was switchable in 7-9-12-19v. De Farad though wins in a clean spacious highs, Wich was unique compared to the others.. please note that its very important to keep the power cable as short as possible..

[tapatrick]

1 hour ago, AnotherSpin said:

....I've been communicating with Mr.Hynes couple of times by email, he is answering very fast (after couple of hours) with all required info/details. Last exchange of mails happened couple of weeks ago....

Lucky you. This would be the exception rather that the rule these days.. I have emailed multiple times and received no replies. Last year my experience was more like yours i.e. replies within a few hours.

[George Hincapie]

2 hours ago, Tommd64 said:

Thaks Austinpop foryoure great review! I,vehad for a couple of weeks the Farad3 and compared them with some other powersupply,s  The SotM sPs 500; the HDPlex 200; The Keces P8 8 amperes. All sounded different. If tested them in nearly the same  equipment like the Sotm sNH10g and the Tx usb ultra (sotm) as well on the mytek brooklyn plus. Al the powersupplys had their advantiges; that concluded was that the performance of the HdPlex didn,t catch up with the rest.The Keces had more power, a nice display. Was switchable in 9and 12v but sounded a bit darker with more bass. The sotm was also very good and came close to the farad3. Tight bass and rythm, very clear and detailled in the mid,s an good focus in the highs. Big advantige was switchable in 7-9-12-19v. De Farad though wins in a clean spacious highs, Wich was unique compared to the others.. please note that its very important to keep the power cable as short as possible..

 

What are you using the Farad to power?

[AnotherSpin]

3 hours ago, your momo said:

Lucky man, may I ask you to pass him my greetings and tell him if possible he could be so kind to reply to my e-mail from mid June. All regarding SR7 paid in advance build progress...

 

Feel free to do it yourself. It will not harm to be nice and polite while writing and entertain your irony somewhere else. I am pretty sure it will help expedite your order as it did in my case. Paul Hynes is not a factory, it is one-person production by a man who may have all daily life issues, also with health, as me and you too. If you want boutique item you just can not apply the same expectations as in the volume production world.

[AnotherSpin]

1 hour ago, tapatrick said:

Lucky you. This would be the exception rather that the rule these days.. I have emailed multiple times and received no replies. Last year my experience was more like yours i.e. replies within a few hours.

 

I can not comment on this. Maybe, try fewer mails?) Be kind, it moves mountains.

[Nenon]

7 hours ago, seeteeyou said:

Really?

 

Dr. Jacobs seemed to offer up to 5A for each rail, did you mean combining two of them in parallel and reach 10A by any chance?

 

I've heard he offers a 10A LPS, but I don't see it listed oh his web site. 

[George Hincapie]

9 hours ago, Nenon said:

 

Sean Jacobs has custom products that can do that - http://www.custom-hifi-cables.co.uk 

 

How do his supplies compare to the variants from MCRU?

[Tommd64]

I,ve used it a couple of weeks from a friend who use it on his SotM sNH10g. I owned a Keces and a Sotm sPS500 and we borrowed the hdplex 200

[your momo]

3 hours ago, AnotherSpin said:

 

Feel free to do it yourself. It will not harm to be nice and polite while writing and entertain your irony somewhere else. I am pretty sure it will help expedite your order as it did in my case. Paul Hynes is not a factory, it is one-person production by a man who may have all daily life issues, also with health, as me and you too. If you want boutique item you just can not apply the same expectations as in the volume production world.

 

Oups, possible PH fanboy detected  ...let check this out here to avoid polluting this topic with such backstage story.

 

[Nenon]

1 hour ago, George Hincapie said:

 

How do his supplies compare to the variants from MCRU?

 

I don't know what MCRU is. Never heard of them. 

But the SJ LPS is out there competing with the best. In my system, it sounds significantly better than sBooster, LPS1.2, JS-2, and HDPLEX. A trusted source prefers it over SR-4. That's as far as I can help with comparison. 

 

It would be nice if @austinpop can test a Sean Jacobs  LPS given his recent review and exposure to treasures like the SR-7. 

[austinpop]

Just now, Nenon said:

 

It would be nice if @austinpop can test a Sean Jacobs  LPS given his recent review and exposure to treasures like the SR-7. 

 

I would love to. I've experienced his PSU design when I owned the ZENith Mk II SE. It's just one of those things that I've not had one of his outboard supplies on hand for a direct comparison with other supplies.

 

I will say that I have had several email interactions with Sean, and he has really impressed me with his courtesy, his timeliness, and his obvious technical skills. Hopefully at some point, it'll happen.

[austinpop]

9 minutes ago, your momo said:

 

Oups, possible PH fanboy detected  ...let check this out here to avoid polluting this topic with such backstage story.

 

 

OT, and yes, take this elsewhere.

[tapatrick]

7 hours ago, AnotherSpin said:

 

I can not comment on this. Maybe, try fewer mails?) Be kind, it moves mountains.

Thanks for the advice. I am very kind and always encourage others to do like wise... .

 

Anyways I have reluctantly had to move on from PH's great SR4s since not getting any response  (I have 2x 12v max ones, and wanted to buy a 19v version). I  have since found John Kenny's Ciunas Supercaps 7v PSU to be equal (i.e. effect on SQ) in quality to the SR4 driving a Sonore Ultradigital. I tried John's 5v Supercaps PSU powering my Aqvox switch which convinced me they are equal to the SR4. John is developing a variable 3amp 12-25v version which I will be trying out when it is available.

[George Hincapie]

4 hours ago, Nenon said:

 

I don't know what MCRU is. Never heard of them. 

But the SJ LPS is out there competing with the best. In my system, it sounds significantly better than sBooster, LPS1.2, JS-2, and HDPLEX. A trusted source prefers it over SR-4. That's as far as I can help with comparison. 

 

It would be nice if @austinpop can test a Sean Jacobs  LPS given his recent review and exposure to treasures like the SR-7. 

 

I am surprised; they are popular in the UK.

 

Have a look:

 

https://mcru.co.uk/product/mcru-linear-power-supply-for-roon-nucleus/?v=79cba1185463

[George Hincapie]

4 hours ago, austinpop said:

 

I would love to. I've experienced his PSU design when I owned the ZENith Mk II SE. It's just one of those things that I've not had one of his outboard supplies on hand for a direct comparison with other supplies.

 

I will say that I have had several email interactions with Sean, and he has really impressed me with his courtesy, his timeliness, and his obvious technical skills. Hopefully at some point, it'll happen.

 

What improvement did you notice using an improved supply with that server?

 

I want to replace the SMPS on mine, but there must be an improvement to justify the purchase or there's no point.

[austinpop]

12 minutes ago, George Hincapie said:

What improvement did you notice using an improved supply with that server?

 

He designed the PSU that ships in that server. So there was nothing to compare, just that the SE has excellent SQ.