M2Tech Evo; Power Supplies options under $100

[TS0711]

OK so I took the Evo plunge and must admit it sounds substantially better than the stock Hiface, even with the cheap wall wart power supply. Having read the various posts I wanted to see just how good it could sound, with a new power supply (that won’t break the bank).

 

First up was the rechargeable 9v NiMH battery;

 

2 Tenergy 9V 250mAh NiMH Rechargeable Batteries w/ charger; cost under $20 on eBay.

While the sound quality was superb and far superior to the wall wart the 9v rechargeable batteries get a failing grade due to the short play time and long recharge time. It takes over 12 hours to fully charge and runs dry in under an hour of playing time.

 

Next up was the 9v (switchable) Li-ion battery;

 

DC 5V 9V 12V Portable Rechargeable CCTV Li-ion battery w/ charger; cost approximately $40 on eBay.

Here too the sound quality is superb plus the battery has a much longer life. Not sure of the exact number but it lasted for 2 sessions both about 2 hours long. Additionally it can be used while charging (haven’t tried that yet). Overall it gets a strong passing grade.

 

Last on the list was a 60W linear power supply;

 

60W Linear Power supply for T-AMP TA2024 TA2020 DAC ; cost just under $100 w/shipping from eBay

The sound quality is most certainly better than the wall wart (by far) but I’m not sure that is surpasses the battery powered options. Interesting to note, that while this is sold as a 12v power supply it can be easily modified (lowered) using just a multi meter and a very small screw driver. I currently have it set at 10.25V. Overall it gets a passing grade both on sound quality and ease of use.

 

I’ll do some more comparisons over the weekend but I’m leaning toward using both the linear power supply for casual listening and the Li-ion battery for detailed sessios.

 

So there you have it, substantial power upgrades for under $100…

Hope that helps.

 

Tony

 

 

[Oystein]

As most companies who sell power supplies as finished products especially as an upgrade for wall wart types another option can be interesting.

Most finished units costs around 200 EUR/USD.

 

Teddy Pardo sell the assembled PCB as sub assembly for 50 so you can make a finished product for below 100.

Only interesting for the DIY crowd ... Like myself ;-)

 

[Zzodhi]

I'm also on the hunt for the same thing. I find the LiPo battery solution lacks dynamics. A very quiet linear supply should be a good option. Please give us the updates...

 

[sq225917]

Gents you might want to consider the importance of low impedance vs absolute low noise levels when looking at these supplies.

 

[Thomas J]

and pair it with a transformer. You'll have the best PSU on the block, something you can brag to your friends about.

 

[TS0711]

@sq225917

 

Google didn't help much, so why is this important in Layman terms if you would be so kind? Thanks.

 

For now I'm enjoying the easy of use with the linear ps.

 

Tony

 

[Oystein]

@TS0711

 

The internal resistance of a voltage source (aka impedance) has an impact on it's performance.

With a car battery you can see your light's dimm when starting the engine.

Due too the internal resistance of the battery the voltage drops a few volts when it needs to deliver a (high) current.

Lead batteries tend to have rather high resistance although the newer Lithium or Nickel/Cadmium seems to perform better here. There are many more modern variants with lower impedance.

 

A well designed electronic power supply manages to keep the voltage stable under all loads as is the ideal. As you may realise by now this regulation stability is a different parameter than the noise it might have in the output voltage.

 

If you use a Hynes or Teddy Pardo power supply it will probably be not much of a difference although the best choice can be system dependant.

It all depends on the electronics behind it if it benefits most from the lowest possible noise or best stability.

But in general a linear power supply is a good start compared to a standard wall wart with a switch mode power supply unit inside.

 

 

[apops]

Has anybody tried this:

 

http://www.squeeze-upgrade.com/squeezeupgrade-linear-power-supply-m2tech-hiface-p-1609.html

 

or any product from them. Look promising and very specialistic.

Andrea.

 

[fmak]

'DC 5V 9V 12V Portable Rechargeable CCTV Li-ion battery w/ charger; cost approximately $40 on eBay.'

 

You will find that these 'batteries' have switching compoenets inside to get 5V. They are also not very reliable 'cause of the poor quality build. Strip one, and you'll see.

 

If you use a lab supply, you'll need to add bypass caps if you want very low noise and low output impedance.

 

 

[TS0711]

I've gotten spotty results with the ceapo switching battery. Sometimes a charge is good for hours, and other times minutes. But sonically battery power does have an advantage over the inexpensive linear ps.

 

I remember a gentle swearing by some batter made for musicians... Sanyo maybe. I may have to look into it further, as the built and noise level should be quite good.

 

Thanks for the tips guys... Only wish I had the time and tools for DIY.

Tony

 

[Lece]

http://www.m2tech.biz/evo_supply.html

 

[MartinC700]

If you are into DIY you could build a Placid supply from Twisted Pear Audio for around $100. Unfortunately their stuff is quite often out of stock. I use one and it is FAR better tan the supplied wall wart. I posted a thread a year or so ago, if you are interested let me know I can send you the details.

 

Regards

 

Martin

 

[Lece]

Martin - If you could post the link to your thread, that would be great - Lece

 

[MartinC700]

Lece,

 

Looking it up, the post was actually on the Pink Fish Media site. I don't know if I am allowed to provide links but of you Google pink fish media, go to the forums, then dearch for 'evo' and 'placid' you will see my thread. Any questions please let me know. One complication of that the Placid I used is being replaced by a new Placid HC, which appear to be a fair amount larger and also out of stock!

 

Regards

 

[TS0711]

I saw their power supply the other day on their website. I asked about availability and pricing but I haven't heard back yet. If I do I'll post it here.

 

I mostly use the linear power supply, however I did pick up the Sanyo Peddle Juice battery which provides about 7 hours use...

 

[Guest Bína]

Power supply for Evo from M2tech will cost almost same as Evo, it should be around 450$.

 

[Lece]

I have been using the CI Audio 9V power supply and it has been working very well. I am curious however, to the benefits that a battery powered power supply would bring. Any thoughts?

 

[travisontech]

I use the Red Wine Audio Black Lightning.

 

[barrows]

Battery supplies have the advantage that they are pure DC from the beginning with no AC component whatsoever. The typical drawbacks of battery supplies have been that they require recharging, and that they have relatively high output impedance in comparison to a stout AC based supply.

AC supplies always have some residual AC component (ripple) after rectification to DC, but sophisticated supplies like shunt regulated supplies can reduce ripple and all noise to vanishingly low levels.

New battery technology (Lithium) has gotten rid of the output impedance problem of batteries, as the Lithium batteries have almost limitless current capability. If you do not mind charging, I would go with a LiFePO4 battery supply for the Evo, and just keep the DC cable as short as possible. I still like a pre-regulated supply though: LiFePO4s feeding a good regulator, followed by a bank of good caps (Silmic II). This approaches stabilizes the supply and should allow the onboard regulators to work their best.

 

 

[pfarthing]

There is also the AMB Sigma 11 supply which is a well-regarded DIY option and should fit in your budget:

 

http://www.amb.org/audio/sigma11/

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=88634.0

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=84790.0