Stuck a Linear Power Supply on My Switch - Blimey! šŸ˜±

Streaming Audio
549

Previously my modem was plugged directly into a wall outlet.

I moved the modem a bit closer to my stereo, and I plugged it into my Audioquest Niagara 5000 power conditioner.

Wow!

With the modem plugged into the conditioner, a layer of noise has been removed. Music has greater clarity and imaging is more precise.

This small change has taken my system to the next level.

2 Likes
550

My EE8 Switch is powered by a Ferrum Hypsos plus iFi DC Purifier. Great improvement, but expensive. The Hypsos stands on iso acoustics Mini Pucks, the Switch on small HRS absorber.

3 Likes
551

For the first time in a whole year i reverted back to the stock supply today, lasted no more than a couple of minutes i might add. The sound was immediately a little compressed, flat and edgy by comparison. Normal order was restored once the Farad Super 3 was reintroduced. Mind wholly made up here which supply is best in my system.

My next test will be to try the wifi antennae again, something which i havenā€™t done for two or three years now. All good fun.:sunglasses:

9 Likes
552

I thought the SMPS and LPS debate was pretty much sorted in my head. However, as with all things to do with streaming, I find myself even more confused. Iā€™ve tried a lot a ethernet cables and generally preferred Belden Catsnake, so this has become my default cable. Iā€™ve tried many LPSā€™s including the Farad 3 and PN. These were probably the best two I tried but they both sounded slow, smooth and gave the bass on my DBLā€™s too much energy. I always felt the SMPS lost a touch of three dimensionality but gained much better timing, speed and high frequency detail that the LPSā€™s couldnā€™t compete with. That is until I borrowed some SR Sigma ethernet cable. Stuck it in the system and thought it was nice but nothing special. In fact for the money I thought it was very poor value. That was until, out pure curiosity, I put an LPS in the chain. To say it was transformational would be an understatement. Three dimensionality, speed, detail, tonal clarity and a beautiful bass was the result. The combination was stunning. I couldnā€™t quite believe what I was hearing, so went back to Catsnake. The effect collapsed and I was back to listening to slow, smooth overblown bass again. Switched out the LPS for the the SMPS and everything was back to normal. Put on the SR Sigma/LPS back on and the sound was once again fantastic, so much better than the Catsnake/SMPS. So to me it looks like ethernet cable performance may have to be judged with different power supplies to hear the full effects of both and may explain why some of us prefer an SMPS over an LPS and vice versa?

5 Likes
553

Yes you may have a point, in possibly being a balancing act with all things considered here. I also run Naim speakers, however i can hear the same effects through my headphones also. FWIW i use a full AQ Vodka loom with Farad S3 into EE8, the result is superb, loads of speed & energy, without being tiring or relentless. BJC, CatSnake or even MeiChord in either supplies do not float me the same way in the synergy stakes through my system.

1 Like
554

Yes - it is a horrible game with the Ethernet componentsā€¦
I just browsed through this long thread and thought ā€žshall I try the ee8/smpsā€œ again only for fun?
No - not want to go back to fiddling arena.

I totally second all the information given here. When I tested LPS against smps at the ee8, I found the sound with LPs be calmer, more relaxt and full bodied. But missing speed and HF sparkle.
At this time I hunted for a more full sound (SBL were in the house). So I updated to PN and vodka ā€¦ which made sense.
Now system has changed to 500 with 606.
fiddled with cables and more and ended up in same setup as @Geko
SR sigma Ethernet on PN.
Diamond had more speed, so will ee8/smps have. Which does not mean that there is currently not enough speed! There is loads.
With more speed comes less 3D - it is some kind of balance you have to manage with your mind and ears :blush:

555

With vodka (being a bit edgy) smps will overdo the things. Vodka and smps into naim naim speakers (like wonderful n-sat) is perfectly balanced imho.

556

Totally agree about the balancing effect. Iā€™ve often heard people say they donā€™t like Catsnake because the bass is a bit funny. With an LPS I totally get it. However, stick the SMPS on and itā€™s a much lighter more agile type bass that seems to correct the lack of shape Catsnake portrays on the LPS. Iā€™m not sure which is correct just that one is revealing the others weaknesses or strengths. You just have to choose which combination you prefer.

2 Likes
557

And all is ever a compromiseā€¦
Yesterday I was a bit off with my system - at the evening it totally clicked in. This morningā€¦
As our systems are really similar - except, speaker, room and ears (which is a lot). I think I will gain similar results as you, if I put ee8 back in.
Catsnake on PN was dull - vodka and diamond better, as both are resolving good to HF.

3 Likes
558

Its a balancing act finding the right synergy when a system responds immediately to minor changes. Itā€™s easy to get crazy :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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559

That is what I underestimated a lot.
With a revealing system and speakers it can get a little PITA with the fiddle

560

We have to form that support group soon

AA (audiophiles anonymous)

4 Likes
561

The problem with all this is there are so many variables influencing what you hear and the changes you make may or may not be contributing. These discussions generate a lot of pronouncements from unscientific observations. This forum is great for people who feel the need or have the desire to be constantly tweaking. The boutique audio industry is at your disposal. Iā€™m thankful Iā€™m at a place where my system sounds right and I donā€™t feel the need to tweak. Itā€™s been a long time since I looked forward to listening to music everyday and Iā€™m going to ride this out for a while before I mess with the formula again.

562

Which LPS?

563

Itā€™s a Fidelity Audio LPS. A friend upgraded his, so I bought it at a good price just as a point of reference. I donā€™t think it was mega expensive to begin with, which is why Iā€™m keen to try the Farad again.

2 Likes
564

To be honest Iā€™m a bit like you. Iā€™m not a serial tweaker. I only make a change when I hear something significantly better. My system has been surprisingly consistent over the last few years with most of my attempts at tweaking just resulting in it sounding worse rather than better. What I do have is a good dealer, who knows what I like and feeds me the odd bit of kit when he thinks itā€™ll be of interest. Heā€™s usually spot on with his choices and isnā€™t influenced much by the flavour of the month or the next ā€˜raveā€™ bit of kit.

His knowledge and my previous audio experience seems to have kept me on the straight and narrow. I also have a system that gets played pretty much every day and can make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up within a couple of seconds.

I personally like the forums unscientific observations as Iā€™m not sure the scientific ones make much more sense. Thereā€™s something deeper going on and all or any observation made are like small clues to what it might possibly be!

3 Likes
565

Perhaps a Sean Jacobs CHC DC3 would be worth a try?

3 Likes
566

Isnā€™t that whatā€™s in the Phoenix Net?

567

Iā€™ve posted this before but the same info seems appropriate here. About 6 years ago I decided to build a dedicated system for local and remote streaming. I initially chose an Innuos Zenith MkII SE as my streamer and needed to build an appropriate network to move a data stream from my ISP modem/router in the lounge to a first floor dedicated music room. I tried lots of ways to do this and eventually landed on wi-fi to a wi-fi/ethernet bridge with ethernet into the Innuos. This worked extremely well and gave me performance that surprised me by just how good it was. From there I spend 5 years optimising my system and discovered many things along the way:

  1. Providing galvanic isolation between incoming internet and server/streamer is a good moveā€¦.so either a wi-fi or fibre-optic link
  2. In audio, the absolute quality of the network is a critical element. The less noise, jitter, vibration, EMI, cable losses, power supply noise, PS quality etc. the better the sound quality
  3. In IT the network is used to transport a data stream. In audio the network should also be used to refine the data stream such that the data stream reaching the DAC has the highest quality physical layer possible.
  4. In terms of the physical layer, ALL components on the network work on a better in = better out basis and of course the reverse worse in = worse out
  5. Everything in the network matters. Power supplies, cables, vibration control, oscillators (timing), component quality etc.
  6. Based on the above, the very best way to build a network is to ensure that the physical layer is improved at each stage as the data stream passes through. That means that power supplies, cables, vibration control, oscillators etc should all be better quality (have better performance) than the preceding components (where possible). The network is thus a cascade of improvements with each step making the physical layer better than the previous step.
  7. Where possible sticking with single brands for cables and power supplies is beneficial. I used SEan Jacobs power supplies and Synergistic Research cables throughout my system, thus making it easy to ensure the improvement cascade. With power supplies for example this ensures that the noise spectrum is as narrow and unvaried as possible, minimising harmonics between different spectra. It also takes away difficulties in knowing what to upgrade and with what.
  8. Minimizing network traffic is essential to good SQ. Ideally your hi-fi network should carry only audio related traffic and preferably not when music is playing, which means that a sever using a ā€˜pushā€™ based operating system and buffering to RAM for playing music is the lowest noise solution.
  9. Splitting off the household from audio network traffic should be done as early as possible, certainly before any galvanic isolation.
  10. Spending money on my network brought rewards at least as good as spending money on hi-fi components
  11. For network improvements I never found a law of diminishing returns following the above concepts
  12. To get the most for your updrade $$$$ you need to have a clear strategy and plan and as long as you are creating a cascade of improvements itā€™s hard to make a mistake.
9 Likes
568

The PN doesnā€™t literally have a DC3 inside it - but there may be circuits and components that are similar to those of a DC3 within the overall design of the PN.

You might power an EE8 with a DC3, but I doubt anyone would try to power an EE8 with a PN. :grinning:

The effect of a PN on SQ might beat an EE8/DC1 in one system and vice versa in another system - or even in the same system with a different ethernet cable into the ND555.

So as always I think itā€™s all about the entire system as well as user preferences.

I recall that @frenchrooster preferred the DC3 to various other separate LPSs he tried, including the Farad.

1 Like