The ultimate Power Supply Units for music servers (and other devices for cleaner power source)

[Ralf11]

4 hours ago, Soothsayerman said:

By using a power conditioner or battery backup to provide juice to a supply a lot power supply noise can be eliminated.

 

 

That's true - you'd have to use battery operable DACs however.

[sandyk]

5 hours ago, jabbr said:

So you are looking to make a proclamation and the only responders are intended to be people who agree with your beliefs. Nice.

 

Jon

 No, the OP is asking for information about the best performing various types of PSUs available, with hopefully reports from other members about which ones perform better than others in their various applications.

At least, that is how I read the title of this thread.

 

If you wish to dispute that the PSU area of a PC or Server is able to affect, (both for Audio and Video),  how a recording sounds , or in the case of Video, how it looks , then this is not the thread to do it. 

 

 I am however willing to discuss this area with you via PMs, and provide details (FYI ONLY ) of the reports from several other prominent A.S. members who have already recently confirmed my reports , along with the methodology required for you to be able to verify this for yourself.

 

Alex

[Soothsayerman]

16 minutes ago, Ralf11 said:

 

 

That's true - you'd have to use battery operable DACs however.

 

Well that would be a different setup. What I'm talking about is the DC power supply connected directly to the DAC but the power supply running off of a power conditioner or battery backup.   That method is used in large data centers so the power supplied to the equipment is very very clean which cleans up a lot of noise.

[Ralf11]

oh, I see

 

but that chain is used pretty frequently by posters on here; one common item is the Topaz

[Soothsayerman]

1 hour ago, Ralf11 said:

oh, I see

 

but that chain is used pretty frequently by posters on here; one common item is the Topaz

Oh, that would make sense. I would think it would be the ideal setup but I haven't tried it.

 

[Ralf11]

just search on 'Topaz' for a big, big thread

 

I posted a tentative summary somewhere in the middle...

[Soothsayerman]

1 hour ago, Ralf11 said:

just search on 'Topaz' for a big, big thread

 

I posted a tentative summary somewhere in the middle...

Are you familiar with Torus Power? I know a lot of recording studios use their stuff.

[Ralf11]

not really - I've heard of it is all

 

I was interested in a Topaz until I had noise measurements made of my AC at the meter, then decided to buy a new amp instead

 

I expect to buy a new DAC to upgrade the two I have before revisiting the AC line noise issue.  I -do- keep LEDs turned off while doing critical listening.

 

And I am waiting for some new products from some of the usual suspects...

[Soothsayerman]

Yep, I've lived places where the AC was clean and places where it was very noisy and not a constant voltage at all.  When it's really bad, you can hear it.  Well good luck!

[sandyk]

49 minutes ago, Ralf11 said:

I -do- keep LEDs turned off while doing critical listening.

 

 Modern LEDs are low noise devices that are frequently used as low noise voltage references. e.g. the Walt Jung Low Noise Voltage Regulator.

They will not generate noise unless they are multiplexed (switched) as in a typical numeric display.

 

 However, if the brightness of the LEDs disturbs you ..….

[Chopin75]

11 hours ago, jabbr said:

 

Perhaps I’m old fashioned but when you use the term “server” in the title of the thread, that implies there is a client, hence network. 

 

 

So you are looking to make a proclamation and the only responders are intended to be people who agree with your beliefs. Nice.

 

In my world, I use different power supplies for different applications. 

 

Carry on.

Does it mean I have to use ‘music player’ ?  Computer that decodes or plays music? 

U may be right:

 

https://www.moon-audio.com/aurender-a10-dac-music-server.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6bOMtanj4wIVw5-zCh1nmApaEAQYAiABEgLlcPD_BwE

 

the one box commercial products don’t treat player ans server the same. i thought streamer is when it is connected to network. And server is both streamer + player. So what is a server then?

 

Should the title of this threat be music server/player/streamer ? Though i did state (other devices)

[marce]

9 hours ago, sandyk said:

 

 Modern LEDs are low noise devices that are frequently used as low noise voltage references. e.g. the Walt Jung Low Noise Voltage Regulator.

They will not generate noise unless they are multiplexed (switched) as in a typical numeric display.

 

 However, if the brightness of the LEDs disturbs you ..….

Modern LED lighting is controlled by high frequency drivers though... Many produced to a price, I have one to replace with a squealing capacitor.

[Summit]

I like to try a Keces Audio P8 Linear Power Supply

http://www.kecesaudio.com/

 

Some basics about PSUs

https://audiobacon.net/2018/06/29/linear-power-supplies-for-audiophiles-getting-closer-to-live/

 

Btw Steve Nugent and PH believes that a PSU should have very quick transient response and it’s especially important for digital audio gear (contrary to the more common believe).

[marce]

A main PSU cannot react fast enough to the digital switching requirements on its own, a main PSU should provide clean steady power to the on board power delivery system, this is especially important on complex designs such as motherboards,  and other digital digital/analogue designs with multiple point of load power requirements and fast switching.

The front end could be linear or SMPS, as long as its a good clean supply.

[sandyk]

8 hours ago, marce said:

Modern LED lighting is controlled by high frequency drivers though... Many produced to a price, I have one to replace with a squealing capacitor.

 

I see that Ralf11 has taken comfort in your reply, but we both know that I wasn't talking about LED Lighting

[sandyk]

6 hours ago, marce said:

A main PSU cannot react fast enough to the digital switching requirements on its own, a main PSU should provide clean steady power to the on board power delivery system, this is especially important on complex designs such as motherboards,  and other digital digital/analogue designs with multiple point of load power requirements and fast switching.

The front end could be linear or SMPS, as long as its a good clean supply.

 

Agreed, and I still use an SMPS in my PC, but further clean up the +12V and +5V rails to supply the peripheral devices such as BR writer and internal SSDs.

[Ralf11]

43 minutes ago, sandyk said:

 

I see that Ralf11 has taken comfort in your reply, but we both know that I wasn't talking about LED Lighting

 

you often talk about things no one else has mentioned

 

 

[str-1]

I'm in between servers at the moment (not yet decided on the successor to the one I've just sold) and have been making do with a temporary system that has no connection to mains power.  That system is a Chord Electronics M Scaler/Hugo TT 2 combo, which is fed from an AK380 DAP via optical. 

 

The identical smps supplied with the Chord devices were good enough to give me some insight into what the M Scaler and TT2 could do but it was soon clear that swapping out those supplies for a pair of Poweradd Pilot Pro 2 battery packs brought clear benefit in terms of a noticeably cleaner sound with less grain and unnatural brightness.  Things sounded more natural. 

 

I bought a couple of these (hard to get in the UK) battery packs only because the Chord DAC's designer, Rob Watts, let it be known that those were the ones he uses with his M Scaler and TT2 when travelling.  They are clearly general purpose power sources intended primarily for charging phones, laptops and laptops and I expect they do not represent the best that this type of power source could in theory bring to high-end audio.  So I have two questions.

 

Does anyone know of better off-the-shelf battery packs for audio with dc output in the range 12v-15v (the two voltage settings most useful to me)?

 

With current materials and understanding, how much scope is there to design an audio grade battery pack that would be significantly better than general purpose packs like the Pilot Pro 2 that could challenge the very best linear power supplies?

[seeteeyou]

Not a battery pack but it could be fed by Pilot Pro 2 (or AC output of Pilot Pro 4 with a decent A/C adapter) in order to stay off the grid

 

https://www.ciunas.biz/ciunas-audio-dac-converter

https://pinkfishmedia.net/forum/threads/supercapacitor-power-supply-tour.223681/page-14#post-3744616

https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/30376-a-novel-way-to-massively-improve-the-sq-of-computer-audio-streaming/page/585/?tab=comments#comment-976576

On 7/29/2019 at 4:23 AM, tapatrick said:

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.

 

Patrick also tried another battery pack as follows, perhaps pay someone in UK to build that for you?

 

https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/30376-a-novel-way-to-massively-improve-the-sq-of-computer-audio-streaming/page/560/?tab=comments#comment-952897

https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/30376-a-novel-way-to-massively-improve-the-sq-of-computer-audio-streaming/page/560/?tab=comments#comment-953027

https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/56670-more-power-to-you-ac⚡dc-forever/?tab=comments#comment-969061

 

Alternatively, 16V output of Pilot Pro 2 could be simply single (16V → 15V) double (16V → 15V → 14V) triple (16V → 15V → 14V → 13V) quadruple (16V → 15V → 14V → 13V → 12V) regulated with LT3045

 

https://www.ldovr.com/product-p/dxp-1a5s.htm

https://www.ldovr.com/product-p/lt3045-1a5io.htm

[wittao]

Has enyone tried Core Audio DAIDO Barebone Entry before? 

 

https://www.coreaudio.eu/en1/products/coreaudio-products/daido-music-server/daido-barebone-entry/

[tapatrick]

On 8/25/2019 at 6:26 AM, seeteeyou said:

Patrick also tried another battery pack as follows, perhaps pay someone in UK to build that for you?

 

https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/30376-a-novel-way-to-massively-improve-the-sq-of-computer-audio-streaming/page/560/?tab=comments#comment-952897

https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/30376-a-novel-way-to-massively-improve-the-sq-of-computer-audio-streaming/page/560/?tab=comments#comment-953027

https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/56670-more-power-to-you-ac⚡dc-forever/?tab=comments#comment-969061

Thanks CTU

An update on where I got to with battery packs. The board mentioned made by Ian Canada was not practical for running NUCs at 12-19v as it only lasted a short time due to the current demand. BUT the SQ was amazing!

 

So this drove me to research battery packs and I ended up making my own with 8x A123 li-po batteries. This configuration is called a 4S2P - 4 in series 2 in parallel, giving 13.2 volt out, enough to power an NUC. Current depends on accumulated value of batteries in this case 4.2amps.

 

You can buy battery packs ready made online and there is lots of info available for DIY also which I did.

 

Example of a ready made pack (you would need to buy their recommended charger as well).

https://hobbyking.com/en_us/zippy-flightmax-4200mah-4s2p-30c-lifepo4-pack.html.

and batteries:

https://www.ecoluxshopdirect.co.uk/by-brand/a123

It's important that the battery pack has a BMS for protection  and charging (battery management system board) This protects against overcharging or undercharging and keeps batteries within a set input and output zone. This ensures the batteries will last as they do not like over or under charging or depletion. This is my pack which I topped/charged up each night with a standard laptop charger and runs an NUC amazingly well with really great SQ.

 

[Cazzesman]

As always I am late to the party, 10 pages into this thread.   I am after some thoughts please on whether the HDPlex 200w LPS is a worthwhile purchase for my current system.

 

System - CAPS (Lagoon - Intel MB DN2800M ) - WS2019 - Audiophile Optimizer v3.0 - Fidelizer 8.4pro -128 gig & 2tb SSD + Sotm USB exp card - Synology NAS DS416 Slim (Backup only) - JRiver Ver 25 - USB Curious Cable (Aqvox LNPS each end) into Mutec USB 3+ reclocker.  Ortofon 110 ohm AES into Kii 3 speakers with Kii Controller.  All Into 2000 VA IsoTran.  

 

The Iso Tran is seen below.   And yes, before anyone asks,  the IsoTran does have all the appropriate electrical Certs in case of house fire and insurance claims.

 

My Caps  and Mutec run off the IsoTran.    Within the Caps I have to power the MB, 2 SSD's and Sotm USB Card.    The current Caps PS is a standard PC unit.   12v - 5.85amp.

 

Is there any SQ benefit in running a HDPLex 200 LPS to power the 3 items in the Caps, either from a 240vlt wall plug or from the Iso Tran?

 

Regards Cazzesman

 

 

 

[George Hincapie]

I have recently bought a new power distribution block for my main system components; the sockets are electrically filtered. On first listening, my perception was that the presentation was less 'musical'. Veiled in other words. Not massively, but I noticed it immediately upon first use and that sense hasn't really gone away after a few days.

 

Has anyone else experienced this? Can I please have views on electrical filtering and it's impact upon SQ?

 

Really not sure if it is a positive or negative change. As in, it has got rid of something I perceived to be 'normal' before that shouldn't have been there and I just don't like it, or whether it's robbing the music of something.

 

It's this: http://tomanek.net.pl/tomanek-tap8-z-dc-blockerami-listwa-zasilajaca-do-sprzetu-audio-z-filtrem-oraz-dc-blockerami.html

[Chopin75]

2 hours ago, George Hincapie said:

I have recently bought a new power distribution block for my main system components; the sockets are electrically filtered. On first listening, my perception was that the presentation was less 'musical'. Veiled in other words. Not massively, but I noticed it immediately upon first use and that sense hasn't really gone away after a few days.

 

Has anyone else experienced this? Can I please have views on electrical filtering and it's impact upon SQ?

 

Really not sure if it is a positive or negative change. As in, it has got rid of something I perceived to be 'normal' before that shouldn't have been there and I just don't like it, or whether it's robbing the music of something.

 

It's this: http://tomanek.net.pl/tomanek-tap8-z-dc-blockerami-listwa-zasilajaca-do-sprzetu-audio-z-filtrem-oraz-dc-blockerami.html

Hmm, it is in Polish, correct? So I can't really tell what it is supposed to do. But perhaps you need to have it burn in for few wks. (300-500 hrs ?). Is it now the music is cleaner and thinner, more lean? This can happen when  dirt in the PS/line is cleaned up. And may have a perceived lack of warmth. Or it is merely unmasking defects in the sound system. 

[Chopin75]

3 hours ago, Cazzesman said:

As always I am late to the party, 10 pages into this thread.   I am after some thoughts please on whether the HDPlex 200w LPS is a worthwhile purchase for my current system.

 

System - CAPS (Lagoon - Intel MB DN2800M ) - WS2019 - Audiophile Optimizer v3.0 - Fidelizer 8.4pro -128 gig & 2tb SSD + Sotm USB exp card - Synology NAS DS416 Slim (Backup only) - JRiver Ver 25 - USB Curious Cable (Aqvox LNPS each end) into Mutec USB 3+ reclocker.  Ortofon 110 ohm AES into Kii 3 speakers with Kii Controller.  All Into 2000 VA IsoTran.  

 

The Iso Tran is seen below.   And yes, before anyone asks,  the IsoTran does have all the appropriate electrical Certs in case of house fire and insurance claims.

 

My Caps  and Mutec run off the IsoTran.    Within the Caps I have to power the MB, 2 SSD's and Sotm USB Card.    The current Caps PS is a standard PC unit.   12v - 5.85amp.

 

Is there any SQ benefit in running a HDPLex 200 LPS to power the 3 items in the Caps, either from a 240vlt wall plug or from the Iso Tran?

 

Regards Cazzesman

 

 

 

Assuming this IsoTran is some isolator or transformer that helps clean the power line ?  I think the HDPLex should still be used, and yes plugging into the Iso tran, to supply the 3 separate components.  I also am doing similar - 5V to SSD, 5V to USB PF bridge and 19V to MB. Ideally if one can separately power the CPU it may be even better. 

It should improve things a lot more. But people feel the best is too have separate PS for each components but it then you would need buy  more so it costs more. That would be my next step to have completely separate PS for each component.