Mark Labbett Posted February 4, 2021 Share Posted February 4, 2021 so i was wondering if i block the power pin in my usb cable for my minimax dac plus would it theoretically improve the sound? Windows 10 Link to comment
0 sandyk Posted February 4, 2021 Share Posted February 4, 2021 1 hour ago, Mark Labbett said: so i was wondering if i block the power pin in my usb cable for my minimax dac plus would it theoretically improve the sound? Windows 10 Provided that the DAC will operate and remain locked without the incoming +5V SMPS from the PC it normally will. This should be done at the PC end of the USB cable to prevent noise from the +5V in the PC inducing into the D- and D+ data wires in the USB cable. audiobomber 1 How a Digital Audio file sounds, or a Digital Video file looks, is governed to a large extent by the Power Supply area. All that Identical Checksums gives is the possibility of REGENERATING the file to close to that of the original file. PROFILE UPDATED 13-11-2020 Link to comment
0 sandyk Posted February 5, 2021 Share Posted February 5, 2021 2 hours ago, R1200CL said: Uptone USPCB 😀 Of course that would be very worthwhile, but that will cost $$$ to try , whereas a small piece of tape to block the 5V pin of the plug costs nothing How a Digital Audio file sounds, or a Digital Video file looks, is governed to a large extent by the Power Supply area. All that Identical Checksums gives is the possibility of REGENERATING the file to close to that of the original file. PROFILE UPDATED 13-11-2020 Link to comment
0 Mark Labbett Posted February 5, 2021 Author Share Posted February 5, 2021 Thanks i will give it a try, Some other people said it would make no difference! won't hurt to try. Link to comment
0 davide256 Posted February 5, 2021 Share Posted February 5, 2021 16 hours ago, Mark Labbett said: so i was wondering if i block the power pin in my usb cable for my minimax dac plus would it theoretically improve the sound? Windows 10 Not if it powers the USB chip of the DAC 😉 If the DAC doesn't work without 5v USB from source, you can purchase this USB cable insert to try a better 5v DC source with 2.1mm plug https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/various-adapters/usb-b-adapter-cable-for-55-21mm-female-power-supply-p-8332.html or if you have something like an Ankar battery with USB ports you can purchase this insert https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/various-adapters/usb-b-adapter-cable-for-external-usb-a-power-supply-p-8389.html replacing the USB 5v out from a computer can help but you will still have voltage noise internal to the computer that can make output to a DAC "misbehave". For that you have to clean up the hardware in the source computer and improve its power supply. Regards, Dave Audio system Link to comment
0 sandyk Posted February 5, 2021 Share Posted February 5, 2021 6 hours ago, davide256 said: replacing the USB 5v out from a computer can help but you will still have voltage noise internal to the computer that can make output I have an additional front panel USB 2.0 port where I have actually cut the red wire of the internal cable right next to the internal USB socket as the cable to the front panel is relatively long. Incidentally, it's often also possible to replace the internal +5V with a clean low noise supply using a +5V low noise supply , with best results if the +5V is regulated down from something like a 12V Li Ion battery. In fact, this sounds very little different to what can be achieved using a USB Regen with a low noise PSU . In fact, a USB Regen often ADDS a little HF detail due to the necessary use (space constraints) of small value PSU bypass capacitors internally . This is because the internal PSU has a lower output impedance at >100kHz than the audio band. How a Digital Audio file sounds, or a Digital Video file looks, is governed to a large extent by the Power Supply area. All that Identical Checksums gives is the possibility of REGENERATING the file to close to that of the original file. PROFILE UPDATED 13-11-2020 Link to comment
0 Mark Labbett Posted February 5, 2021 Author Share Posted February 5, 2021 so i tried it and the DAC(MiniMax Plus) works it does sound a little cleaner with a little high end and a better sound stage, weather this is all in my imagination or not i don't know but even if it is i don't care lol sandyk 1 Link to comment
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Mark Labbett
so i was wondering if i block the power pin in my usb cable for my minimax dac plus would it theoretically improve the sound?
Windows 10
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