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

School boy error FRā€¦ā€¦ā€¦just joking, in Spain, probably had one too many glasses of RiojašŸ˜‚

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Before it was not touchingā€¦.but now, socket 2 with socket 2 and the ps is under the first one, so more distance.
Enjoy the Spain. Maybe we will go to Majorca in October. Adios.

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I hadnā€™t read any of those reviews on the Hypsos before but Iā€™d say they are pretty close to what I was experiencing, particularly with regard to bass. The Sbooster bass was actually deeper and fuller but sounded a bit ā€˜thickā€™ and slightly slower in comparison to the Ferrum, which was just far faster and more tuneful. What I liked most about the Ferrum was its detailed delicacy and dryness. Not sure of a better words to describe it but there was absolutely no ā€˜smearā€™ to the sound. Notes just started and stopped or had exactly the right amount of attack or decay. Of all the power supplies Iā€™ve tried so far I think this is probably my favourite. On top of that itā€™ll pretty much power any device you can think of, which is a bit handy!

I still want to have a longer session with my dealers PN, plus Iā€™d like to get a listen to either the Ansuz A2 or D2 before I finally decide which way to go but the journey has been quite interesting.

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The Sbooster is back in and for sure opens up the sound compare to the original SMPS in the Bridge. More details, deeper and more powerful bass but I could benefit from a bit less bloom which come from Sbooster. Will buy a Ferrum to try out when one shows up.

:large_blue_diamond: Hi @frenchrooster :slightly_smiling_face:ā€¦

I prefer Sean Jacobs power supplyā€™s,.but think Ferrum Hypsoā€™s powersupplyā€™s are also really good.

BUT,.the designer from Sweden, which both I and @Lucifer mentioned in other threadsā€¦
His powersupplyā€™s beat even Sean Jacobā€™s powersupplyā€™s.
They are really, really goodā€¦!!

He has also built a powersupply for the EE8-switch,.described here on the forum.
That powersupply is the best Iā€™ve heard together with an EE8-switch.

Incidentally,.he has also modified approx. 33-34 EE8 switches for various hifi friendsā€¦
They become incredibly much better in dynamics,.timing and musical presentation after his work with them (EE8) :smiley:.

The mentioned powersupply for the EE8-switch is extremely large,.with the best components.
No toys in other words :wink:.

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I had the Sbooster for my SOtM sNH-10G switch.When I once changed the Sbooster for an ifi IPower X that I still had lying around,I didnā€™tā€™ know what I heard.The music was much faster and tighter.In short,the Sbooster was way too slow for my switch.Now I use a Ferrum Hypsos to my satisfaction.I experience the full sound of the Sbooster and the speed and tightness of the IPower X.

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I also like the Hypsos because you can change the voltage.If I would like to use the Hypsos for another device or switch with a different voltage in the future.In addition,you could also buy a Ferrum power splitter,and then supply two devices with the same voltage.

So the bass is roughly as big as with Sbooster but more well defined/more layers with Hypsos? Tight to me often means bit more slim bass response.

Hello Blackbird,
For me the tightness also has to do with the speed.I have not been able to compare the Sbooster directly with the Hypsos.But after changing from the IPower X to the Hypsos I experienced more bass.In my opinion,the Hypsos is the best of two worlds.As you would expect from a hybrid power supply.

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I would say bass on the Ferrum is far more cohesive and understandable. In fact I had a bit of a session with my mate on Sunday trying both the Ferrum and Sbooster on his ND/500/S800 system against the standard EE8 SMPS. Heā€™s also just changed from Catsnake to Shunyata Omega, so my first time listening to Omega.

Back to the Ferrum vs Sbooster comparison, his first comment after running the two on a couple of well know tracks was that Sbooster seemed a bit more vague in the Bass. I also didnā€™t think the vocals on one track were as good. They lost some emotional and breathy realism for me. Again, the depth seemed to collapse a little on the Sbooster. Listening to the Ferrum/Omega was just like walking into a jazz club. The realism of the music playing was quite palpable. If you looked away from the hifi youā€™d really think you were in the club.

As for Omega compared to Catsnake on bass, vocals, high frequencies etc. it was just in a different league.

What my mate loves most about the Omega is that he doesnā€™t have to turn the volume down to reduce that slightly edgy sound heā€™s been so use to.

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Which power cords are you using on Sbooster/Ferrum in those tests?

In my system I was using a bog standard Naim lead and in my mates it was the ones that come with the kit.

Ok :+1:The power cords on these devices do a lot to the final performance too. Iā€™ve played around with Powerlines and Ansuz A2 on different boxes and in my system there is a definite synergy having Powerline on Naim boxes and Ansuz A2 power cord on Ansuz D2 Powerswitch. Maybe not a surprise if you think about it. But Ferrum, Sbooster and other power supplies and switches will change their performance quite a lot depending on the choice of power cord to. Powerline on my Ansuz switch gives it a less pronounced bass that is more tight but doesnā€™t go as deep and it also makes the sound bit more narrow than with the Ansuz cable. Itā€™s a big puzzle this indeedā€¦

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I know what you mean and why I quite like the simplicity of the standard SMPS on the EE8. If you start messing with LPSā€™s then it soon pushes you down a rabbit hole of better 5v connection leads and power cables and before you know where you are youā€™ve invested a couple of grand! It all gets a bit crazy.

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Currently Iā€™m actually enjoying the original SMPS on my Lindemann Bridge II streamer more than Sbooster although Sbooster do some things better still. I believe the Ansuz A2 power cord on my Ansuz switch opened up the low end so the Sbooster sound bit too organic now.

I have decided to stick with the supplied SMPSā€™s for my Qutest DAC, EE8 switch and BT SH2. Not because I think they are necessarily impossible to better, but because there is no clear choice to upgrade to. It is a matter of trial and error. Apart from the expense, that means potentially months of experimentation, which is made more complex by the need for burning in before deciding. Itā€™s a rabbit hole that I donā€™t want to go down.

I recently constructed a new stand for my BT SH2. The BT SH2 is sensitive to the support in my system, sounding noticeably differnt on different supports. Much like any other component in fact - so no great surprise. The existing support was a 2cm thick acrylic platform supported by four M20 acrylic bolts attached through drilled holes as legs. I arrived at this after many months of trial and error with different materials.

I wanted to try using titanium M8 threaded rods as legs, thinking it might be better. So ordered a piece of 2cm thick drilled acrylic (in excess of Ā£60 for a 22cm square piece with polished edges!) and the titanium rods and the necessary titanium nuts and bolts to attach them. Cost all together in excess of Ā£100 and a complete disaster. Worse than the existing support. I sort of knew it was liley to end up like that, but curiosity got the better of me.

Thatā€™s one of the reasons Iā€™m reluctant to disappear down any more rabbit holes from which I may not emerge until well after Christmas.

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I certainly prefer the default little SMPS that comes with the Netgear GS108T switch over both a traditional linear-PS and an iFi iPowerX. Surprised me a lot. Especially since I am only using the GS108T to tone the sound a bit by going through ports 7/8 with nothing else on the switch. But the various PS was still audible - maybe some earthing thing.

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Did you move on from the Mano ultra? I was considering the Mano before going with the holo red.

Possibly. But I can vouch from my own experience that these effects are real and significant. And as you have found also, the outcome of experimentation can be surprising and perhaps counter-intuitive. Who would have thought that the supposedly cheap and nasty BT supplied SMPS that came with my BT SH2 would easily be far more musical than a Ā£300 LPS with upgraded mains cable? As the saying goes, sh*t happens.

I canā€™t buy into the BT SH2 being improved with changing supports, but if it has worked for you, then why not, maybe I should give it another try.

The BT power supply is a challenge for the average DIYā€™er as BT have a hard to find/adapt DC plug and getting that wrong can be fatal to the hub.
But with the limited experiments I did a year or more ago, I do agree that changing it doesnā€™t improve anything, either no change and not worth the bother, or a downgrade.