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The new generation UltraCap LPS-1.2: USER IMPRESSIONS and QUESTIONS thread


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On 2/23/2018 at 10:12 PM, austinpop said:

I want a meter too! Is this a DIY project requiring soldering or other materials, or can I just buy the Amazon part, and stick the wires into the 3 ports (GVI) in the back?

@austinpop - you have to do it!! It’s really great (looks cool,  it it’s also very useful! I was able to see how much each device draws and then how much both draw together with the Y cable ). 

I bought the device Alex recommended from Amazon (beware, it’s actually a 5 pack, I did t realize) and then you connect black wire into G, red into V and white into I. 

Then I have some of these little note holders on my desk (it’s a cube of lucite with a wire sticking up and an alligator clip on the top), turned out to be the perfect holder for the reader!! 

I’ll bet amazon sells these too and they’ll be very inexpensive I’m sure. I think I got mine from a wedding I attended and they had one on each place setting so you knew what seat you were assigned ? 

79CB8C3C-82E6-4A99-9018-3343F05B0D3E.jpeg

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On 2/24/2018 at 1:55 AM, Superdad said:

 

The wires of the meter line up nicely, with the voltage wire already being in the middle of the zipped three wires.  But the wire gauge is thinner than I had hoped, so the header socket—meant for standard 0.1” pitch pins—does not grip or hold the wires.  You might try stripping a bit more insulation off of them and folding/twisting doubled up ends to make them thicker for insertion.  Solder tinning the doubled up wires would help too.  Best of all would be soldering to a matching 3-pin male header, but that’s a bit more work.

 

John and I are still thinking about our own, similarly size display, designed in such a way that it would just peek up from behind the LPS-1.2.  But we are both busy with other things now, so the cheap Bayite displays will have to do for now.

The wires are much too thin.  I tried stripping and doubling them up as suggested, but really I think that made it worse. As of now if any disturbance at all to the wires or LPS 1.2, they fall out. I have been searching on Amazon for an alternative device, but honestly I don’t 100% know what I’m looking at / need (some have 4 wires , others mention needing a power supply in the path, etc. ). Alex if you have the time (I know you don’t!!) if you find any similar devices on Amazon that would also work, please post a link to them on Amazon for us. Particularly one of the models that comes in a small enclosure vs the bare open back on the Baylite would be preferred (there are a bunch that are enclosed on Amazon, I just don’t know which one of them will work. also, several of the enclosed models show Volts, Amperage, and power/ watt consumption simultaneously, if any of those would work, that would be really cool!! ) 

thanks!! 

@austinpop

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Update to LPS 1.2 listening impressions after system running for two+ days:

All I need to say is ..WOW! 

Definitely a huge improvement in my system! 

Better soundstage, airiness, bass definition and details and in general, my entire system is more musical!! 

Set up:

Autender -> Cardas High Speed 2.0 USB -> ISO-REGEN -> USPCB -> IFI Micro iUSB 3.0 -> Custom Split Cardas Highspeed 2.0 USB Y cable (usb A power only / usb A data only) * (both ISO-Regen & IFI Micro iUSB 3.0 being powered by the LPS 1.2 via a ghent Y JSSG DC cable ) -> Mytek Brooklyn DAC. 

Question :

Im currently powering the LPS 1.2 with the enclosed SMPS, I know it’s been said that what you power the LPS 1.2 with makes no difference in sound by some, but I’m curious if others have noticed any improvements by powering it via an LPSU ??? 

 

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5 hours ago, Superdad said:

 

The LPS-1.2 case does not get over 60C.  I will publish thermal photos with accurate measurements later today.

 

The supercaps are being run far below their rated voltage, so lifetime, even at high temperatures s not much of an issue.

Alex: 

FYI, since reading this , I’ve touched my LPS1.2 case and I can say that mine is also extremely hot (and my DAC / Aurender have both been in standby for about 12 hours too!) - definitely MUCH hotter than my original LPS-1 ever got, it seems so hot to the touch it’s almost concerning (but just based upon my touch, not a temp read out). 

I will lay a thermal thermometer probe on top of it now and see what the temp is after 10 mins or so (I have a digital thermometer probe with display , I’m assuming it’s fairly accurate?) 

What is the best voltage and Amperage to use to power the LPS-1.2 that would also perhaps lower heat output?  (7.5 vs 12, etc )? 

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  • 7 months later...
2 hours ago, JohnSwenson said:

Note that I do NOT have detailed explanations of everything right now, this is conjecture based on preliminary findings, there is a LOT more research to do before I can really say what is happening.

 

What I am going to be mentioning is what seems to be happening, NOT detailed explanations of mechanisms at this point, I can't give those yet.

 

All oscillators, some much more than others have what is called phase noise, this is a different way of looking at jitter, which seems to have a higher correlation with sound than traditional jitter numbers. The oscillators in inexpensive equipment (such as inexpensive network gear normally used in homes) are usually on the very large phase noise side of things. The data coming over any digital stream (Ethernet, USB, whether copper or optical) is clocked out of the source component by the oscillator in that component, thus the phase noise of the oscillator gets "baked in" to the data stream, the arrival time of the data edges varies slightly, ie jitter which is determined by the output clock. When that data goes into another device, some how some of that noise winds up adding to the phase noise of the local oscillator in that component. As I mentioned the exact mechanism for this is not known, I'm working on it.

 

So even if you have a very low phase noise local oscillator it can get swamped by what is coming in from upstream sources. This adding of upstream noise to the local clock seems to vary from device to device. I have no idea what causes the difference, that is one of the things I'm trying to figure out.

 

The passive Ethernet isolators are just transformers and have no impact on any clocking issues. They have a slight impact on leakage currents.

 

So the phase noise that make up this additive upstream noise can come from a router, a switch, and other devices plugged into the switch. In a normal "home network" it can be coming from all kinds of things, adding together in various amounts.

 

I can't give any definitive rules at this point, I don't know what the mechanisms are yet, so all anybody can do right now is try different things.

 

One thing to be careful about is coming up with your own theories and making large buying decisions based on those theories. There is a high probability any theories that are come up with right now will be wrong, that's just the way these things go. In a couple years things should be different. But for now it is the wild west.

 

John S.

Thanks John! 

This is very interesting information. 

So, it seems to me from what you’re saying, that it would be best (for sound quality), for me to unplug the Ethernet cable that goes into my Aurender server / streamer from my home router when I’m listening to music stored on its internal hardrive (the Aurender connects to my DAC via USB), and only plug it in when streaming from Tidal ? 

I know at this point you’re only making educated guesses on what causes the phase noise and how it effects downstream components, but if I’m not mistaken, it seems logical to at least infer from your findings, that my simply removing the Ethernet cable going into the Aurender while listening to locally stored music, I would be eliminating the potential for any negative effects from the network and router upstream? 

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35 minutes ago, R1200CL said:

 

I can’t see the logic ?

 

Cause the source is your HD, not your Ethernet.

 

John was saying (from my understanding) that anything attached downstream of a home network device (router, switch, etc), will most likely be negatively effected by the Phase noise from the oscillators in the home network device. 

So the logic I was using is that if I’m only listening to music stored on the Aurender’s internal hard drive, seems like if I disconnect the Ethernet cable that I currently have attached from my home router, that it would increase the sound quality. 

I always keep it attached (as of now), but I rarely even remember that I have Tidal!! 

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