Improving Digital Noise and SQ

[obsydian]

Interesting given the claim the ND555 is immune to all this noise.
The best way to determine is swap back after a while.
It is also environment dependent, if you have a noisy mains more benefit

[Richieroo]

The diffence was amazing … like a naim psu upgrade - background low level detail is now incredible … very much like a turntable with a really good moving coil…this has been one of the best upgrades I have done in my naim journey to a 500 system.

[Richieroo]

I will be going through the rest of my network changing psu’s … Asus router, nas drive and another switch…I will report back.

[Xanthe]

Not immune, just better protected against noise on the network connection.

[nbpf]

I’m new to the digital world of streaming and have to admit I’ve felt buried sometimes under the pile of new terms, new acronyms, and new gadgets with strange names that seem to be necessary for equipping and listening to a digital stream.

Currently I’m struggling to shop wisely for a power supply. I’ve learned that LPSs are mostly superior to SMPS for getting good SQ. (Notice there are three acronyms in that one short sentence and in the beginning I had to look up every one.)

Here are some purposes of a power supply which helped me get started:

A better power supply will reward you with:

• A lower noise floor
• Tighter outlines and a more fleshed out sound
• A much smoother, refined, and gradational sound
• A more natural soundstage in both size and atmosphere
• Improved timbre

But they aren’t really helpful when it comes to zeroing in on which one to start with. Would one from Uptone (for example) contribute to better SQ with opera or classical music, while one from Paul Haynes might be better with rock? Or looking at the problem from a different point of view, which one would be a better match with my Sonic Transporter and Audio Alchemy DDP-1 DAC?

How do you go about choosing a new “gadget”?

I have found that the site thewelltemperedcomputer is a good starting point, both to learn the basic notions and avoid getting getting stuck with intimidating acronyms and to save time and money. There tend to be a lot of noise on audiophile forums and from time to time I find it refreshing to go back to thewelltemperedcomputer site.

With respect to your concrete question about a suitable power supply for your Audio Alchemy DDP-1 DAC: I can recommend the Uptone Audio power supplies without reservations. The build quality is very good and the service is excellent. But, of course, there are valuable alternatives that could be more or less attractive depending on where you are located. Custom HiFi Cables, for instance, is located in the UK and make very interesting products. I am using their power distribution block and I would expect their power supplies to be very good. Ifi, TP and of course Paul Haynes are other names that come to mind.

I do not know the power requirements of your DAC and, without this information, it is difficult to recommend a specific unit. It also depends on whether you are looking for a power supply with fixed or variable output voltage. Perhaps you can try to also post your question on the Computer Audiophile forums where power supplies for, among others, different DACs tend to be discussed more thoroughly than here.