Building a DIY Music Server

[Gavin1977]

Thanks @Nenon.  Yes, I suspect the predictions using PSUD2 are not accurate enough for ripple down at this level.

 

Would you be able to make comment on the use of two, vs a single choke and the chokes mH?  After all chokes are not a free lunch and do cause a drop in voltage.

 

Also interested in the more specific use expensive caps/bypass cap at the end of the chain.  You ever tried mixing it up to get a better price point, whilst trying to retain most of the perceived benefits.  Or does mixing the quality of caps just have a fundamental knock on effect that cannot be countered later?

[Gavin1977]

p.s what has prompted these questions is that this is just such an extreme PSU compared to the norm.  It just bring up lots of questions.

[Gavin1977]

Found my problem - I had modelled the 10mH choke as having 30Ohms of resistance, when the 159ZJ actually has 0.16Ohms!  Rather a larger error.

 

Anyway, things look more representative now - adding a second choke in does make things real smooth and a worthwhile addition.  So that answers that one.

 

Multiple different capacitors in parallel can cause impedance peaks and oscillations because of ESL and too low ESR - so avoid that.

Apparently its also not just a matter of having one bypass capacitor as a token gesture, it's a matter of bypassing at every active component and noise entry point.

 

So that was interesting research for me, and validates why Nenons v3 is designed as it is.  Any economising on parts will lower the performance.  Thanks @Nenon for your work - I have learnt a lot.

[Gavin1977]

8 hours ago, JJSim said:

IIRC it has been mentioned the Noratel transformer has its own internal soft start circuitry, hence the suggestion to omit the Hypex soft start module when using that transformer. This is an important clarification, as one should continue to utilize the Hypex soft start module with different transformer brands.

Can anyone expand on the "Build-in thermo switch" - not come across this before and it sound's like a great feature and potentially useful for other projects.  I assume it's just an NTC thermistor?

[Gavin1977]

23 minutes ago, elan120 said:

As a follow up, I have the Opto USB running for about two weeks, and it is setup as JCAT XE>Opto Sender>Opto Receiver>Phoenix>USB Cable.  This setup does help to elevate my system SQ up another notch, where the overall clarity, definition noticeably got better, and a level of harshness that I didn't know was there got removed.  Overall, a very good investment that is worth keeping.

 

I also tried removing and re-installing the Phoenix couple times, and I like it in the chain better, so this likely be the long term setup for now.  I also tested the power supply on the Opto Receiver with Keces and JS-2 I have available at the moment, and JS-2 is the better choice.

This is my current reference as well

[Gavin1977]

My Micro-Audio external power supply is complete.  Micro P5 with Toroidy Supreme to power my JCAT USB XE and SMPS440-TK3 to feed my HDPlex DC-DC.

 

 

Unfortunately no space in my HDPlex chassis to have a short run of cable between these, so the power supply had to be external.

 

Any ideas on choice of cable for the umbilical chord to my HDPlex?  I don't want to spend a fortune on this one, but will likely use Mundorf Angelique to make the DC cable from the Micra-P5.

 

Was thinking of something like this:

 

https://shop.sommercable.com/en/Cable/Bulk-Cable-Speaker/Lautsprecherkabel-Elephant-Robust-SPM840-490-0351-840P.html

 

 

 

[Gavin1977]

3 minutes ago, ASRMichael said:

I'm looking forward to you coming to visit me. 

Oh yes, Need to break it in first.  Do you have any thoughts on cabling?

[Gavin1977]

Thanks all.

 

Since the Taiko DC-DC and the HDPlex both use a six pin Molex as the only means of getting power into them, what’s the best way for me to connect to it?

 

1.  Maintain 6 wires continuously from the SMPS440 power supply using the 6pin Molex, which is then routed externally to the chassis via a 6 Pole Neutrik, into the 6 pin Molex on the DC-DC.

 

2.  As is currently the situation, use the pair of screw terminals on the SMPS-440 take a pair of wires, through the the chassis, then out via a Neutrik 4 pole.  Once inside the music server chassis terminate these 4 wires into the 6 pin Molex.

 

OR

 

3.  As above, but feed all 6pins of the Molex by using a commoning block (or similar) to provide a connection to all 3 positive pins and 3 GND pins on the Molex.

 

Thanks

[Gavin1977]

6 hours ago, IRS2092 said:

Hey!

 

That looks really good, my friend MICRA-P5 is running perfectly and improved the sound by miles.

My custom linear supply from MicroAudio is being made for the Chord Dave DAC at a very good price point!

I wont pay 9000$!

 

Did you test that supply for the HDPLEX DC DC ?

 

Thanks

 

 

I will be, it’s only just shipped out and I’ll have to make the umbilical cord as well.  Will post up my findings.

[Gavin1977]

1 hour ago, MarcelNL said:

@Johnseyeare you sure you want to have an upgrade this expensive on that MoBo? More direct power phases matter IME,

Thumbs up to this - I really don’t think a MSI B550 Tomahawk is the best option for considering an expensive clock upgrade to.

 

Once you have a clock upgrade (whichever MB you decide upon) you will have to decide through listening which PCI connection sounds best to you, but as a general rule CPU direct is the way to go.

 

Plenty of MB recommendations here on Audiophilestyle.

[Gavin1977]

New one... HDPLEX 250W GaN ATX PSU

 

https://hdplex.com/hdplex-fanless-250w-gan-aio-atx-psu.html

 

 

[Gavin1977]

Yes, I suspect it won't be close - but useful for some. 

[Gavin1977]

Anyone come across this before… flat cool pipes. Looks like a potentially nice solution :-)

 

https://amecthermasol.co.uk/product/?cat=aluminium-cool-pipes&family=flat-aluminium-cool-pipes

 

Someone has already tried it:

 

https://silentpcreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=555520

[Gavin1977]

4 minutes ago, MarcelNL said:

I've come across flat heatpipes on Ali, but never examined them closer. WOW acetone filled aluminium, why not copper?

Bit strange that the specs say the length does not matter for the max power transfer.

Yes the thermal resistance appears to be fixed, still ultimately limited by the thermal resistance of the final heat sink.  But these flat heat pipes could be used to join heat sinks on opposite sides together as well…?

 

A lot easier to DIY as well - opens up the ability to easily use any off the shelf heat sink.

[Gavin1977]

8 hours ago, MarcelNL said:

Their Ceramic heatsinks may also be interesting! Huge chunks of metal are not great for audio. Perhaps too small, unless you use a couple in parallel.

I’m completely up for this, they can be tiled.

 

https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/making-cases-and-heatsinks-using-ceramic-heatsinks.380763/

[Gavin1977]

2 hours ago, Gavin1977 said:

I’m completely up for this, they can be tiled.

 

https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/making-cases-and-heatsinks-using-ceramic-heatsinks.380763/

Looking further into this, Thermal Conductivity w/mk 5~6 is not so good for CPU cooling - really only good if you want to cool a 5-10w part.  Could have applications in other areas though.  

 

The flat heat pipes are still of interest though.

[Gavin1977]

Is HDPlex the only manufacturer who does a low profile chassis with 7x PCIe slots?

 

 

I don't need a fanless chassis, just something similar that will take ATX / eATX.

[Gavin1977]

On 6/5/2022 at 7:17 PM, Exocer said:

Speaking of actual listening, I’ve done just that with the Mundorf Angelique 15awg solid core wire over the last 24 hours. It is currently used between the ULPS (V3) and Taiko DC-ATX module.

 

There have been some changes over the last two days. I will say outright that the breakin process has been nothing but pleasant and it extracts a bit more detail than the Solid core Neotech Teflon insulated wire it replaced. Where it really walks away from the Neotech is dynamics. I am not saying the difference is night and day but worthwhile. Overall, the sound is more enjoyable with this wire.

 

Do I suggest replacing all Neotech with this wire? No, but in critical areas there are definitely some benefits in doing so. The Oyaide wire I’m using with the ULPS works really well but I have not compared it to other solutions in that usecase. Neotech Teflon Insulated solid core 15awg wire sounded better than the Oyaide wire in The few DC cables I built.

 

Do I think the Angelique dethrones Mundorf Sg? I can’t quite answer that yet since I do not have the right cables to test this yet. Keep you posted!

 

I am comfortable giving it a recommendation if SG is out of your league price wise and you want a taste of the magic sauce lol.

 

Also a pleasant surprise: Mad Scientist Graphene contact enhancer. I prefer it to the Furutech Nano Liquid. Particularly with my unplated copper contacts. I know others have suggested silver contact enhancer but I forget the brand. Will need to do some digging.

 

Happy listening folks! Let’s all listen and enjoy.

 

@matthias - what are you listening with these days? Do you have an Extreme? You know a lot about their gear 😎

Tip with the Angelique - purchase the bare wire and ptfe sheathing separately.  Way cheaper than factory insulated.

 

Also have a look at Antrans.

[Gavin1977]

14 hours ago, BOBO said:

I have a question regarding mobos. 

Are there any motherboards that have an onboard cpu that also have Optane support ?

Best bet is probably to look at NUCs for embedded CPU and optane support

[Gavin1977]

7 minutes ago, MarcelNL said:

the problem there is that Optane may not be enough to compensate for the drawbacks of using a NUC...19V power vs dedicsated CPU power, less computing power, MB not laid out and designed for high power... etc,

Oh indeed... and also that embedded processors are not likely to be the best options.

[Gavin1977]

Taiko Chassis is actually priced at a decent level 👍

 

Comment on wider socket compatibility and TDP per heat sink would be welcome.

[Gavin1977]

On 6/24/2022 at 7:22 AM, Gavin1977 said:

Taiko Chassis is actually priced at a decent level 👍

 

Comment on wider socket compatibility and TDP per heat sink would be welcome.

Any news on TDP?

[Gavin1977]

Micro-Audio SMPS440-TK3 and Micra p5 up and running.  Been a long time coming - I am super cautious to ensure that everything boots without fault (and sparks)!

 

I am already hear improved clarity and detail retrieval.  200hr break-in now for the Mundorf caps before any critical listening.

 

 

 

 

 

(Yes long leads I know, but design choice limits me to this).

[Gavin1977]

11 hours ago, RickyV said:

Wow Gavin what a beautifully assembled system you have, did you build the amps  , server+ and speakers yourself? Those speakers are from Troels Gravesen, right? Excellent drivers btw 😃.

Also those amplifier manufacturers are now added to my browser favorites, very interesting.

Really wondering how this unregulated switching power supply sounds in comparison to Nenon’s linear one. Do you have an idea of the switching frequency of this power supply and what the difference is to its TK4 1850 dollar brother? Big price difference.

The amp I built myself.

https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/modulus-686-380w-4o-220w-8o-balanced-composite-power-amp-with-extremely-low-thd.318372/post-7046197

 

I haven't really written about the Neurochrome 686 yet, but I have owned AHB2, Jeff Rowland, Pass Labs Aleph 3, F7, SIT3, XA25, Musical Fidelity, Naim, NCore, Purifi, FirstOne and have had lots of others in my system. 686, as I have built it, is the best yet.  I do mean to write an article with tips and tricks for a build.

 

Speakers are Troels own as shown on his website, unbelievably transparent.  I bought them direct from him.  I am looking to move up to something bigger, so they are up for grabs on the usual sites.  Crazy good value for what they are.

 

The Don Sachs Preamp I imported from America based on Nenons recommendation (and other very positive feedback on the web) - it's the fully tricked out version with the V-caps.  It's flipping amazing... one of most important pieces in the rack. Nenon has very nice tubes in his, I typically use Linlai elite 6sn7, but am awaiting replacements, so RCA's in use for the moment.  You need the very best tubes, then it sounds utterly amazing.  If you have a chance to hear Nenons I would jump at it.

 

SMPS440-TK4 - similar recipe to the TK3, but the TK4 is intended for people who run 125-165w (aka 10900 HEDT style) CPUs and run HQPlayer up-sampling to crazy DSD levels...  TK3 will do it, but much better performance with TK4 apparently.  TK3 should be fine for those of us with TSP ~85w and PCM playback (low system loads).  TK3 can still easily deal with current demands in these circumstances.

[Gavin1977]

9 hours ago, RickyV said:

Yes I know Nenon but I also respect the experiment and the creative outside the box thinking with regard maybe to the cost. I am sure Gavin could have build the linear version but for some reason went with the switching version. @Gavin1977 what made you go for this solution? Wasn’t there a shootout coming up between @ASRMichael’s supply and Gavin’s supply? 😺

 

Yep... to be honest $3,000 on a power supply is not palatable for me, especially when things move on so quickly.  I have better things to spend my money on and love the challenge of building a good value system (not necessarily the cheapest, but good value).

 

I also need to post up a review of the Network Acoustics Muon USB cable as some point... it might be expensive, but it's really worth it.  All of the feedback on WhatsBest Forum is right.  I've also just realised they've quoted my headline findings on their website:  https://www.networkacoustics.com/muon/.  I paid for it with my own money.