Does anyone use a dedicated power supply for their Hifi?

[chasefrench]

I have a Chord QuteHD and a Plinius 9200, I m wondering whether people use power supplies for such equipment.

I know there are DC power supplies for the DAC available which I imagine do help a lot, but I m wondering more about AC power supplies for the Plinius.

My kit is currently plugged into 8 plug multiplug along with 2 monitors, a printer, 50in LCD, and an overclocked desktop rig.

Has anybody gone down this route and found benefits? I do find there are differences depending on the time of day and certainly the UK is much better than Hong Kong where I used to live!

However, I m not sure about power cables.

I presume the Plinius is AC and Chord is DC and that there is no such psu that could help both at once?

Looking for an educated opinion on what opportunites are available, assuming that I do believe clean excess power is beneficial!

Thanks in advance.

 

[hifikrazy]

Like a lamb to the slaughter

 

[ellisdj]

I think you will find products from isotek of particular interest.

The SMPS power supply in your PC will be feeding back noise into the multi plug as will the TV and Printer smps - first try unplugging that and the printer and LCD and see if you hear a difference. If you do you might want to look into the Isotek range and see if there is anything there for you and your budget.

I can personally say in my system the Titan has made a huge difference powering my sub and power amp - I also have a link which powers several items only 4 can be plugged in but what ever I plug its performance is improved including my TV.

You will hear a lot of negative comments on here - but trust yourself and try for yourself.

 

[Superaintit]

I would plug the amp directly in a wall socket and keep the pc on a seperate block like the lindy mains block.

if that's not possible just seperate the pc and hifi/tv

 

[ellisdj]

Amp straight into the wall was a no go for me sounded terrible, my mains is obviously not good which doesnt supriose me with lots of noisey products on it - a Tacima CS9299 improved my playback - but destroyed the amps full performance.

The Titan improved on the Tacima and lets doesnt hold the amp back at all - my amp is very power hungry though - much more so than the majority of integrated amps

I have since learnt that while the Tacima is decent for the money - there are much better products out there.

This is just my opinion and why I suggest looking into the Isotek lineup - the Aquarius is supposed to be a sweet spot between performance and price

 

[Vladimir]

I use a 1000VA power stabilizer for the amp (nothing pricey just 30 euros), which I bought from a computer shop. Planing on getting a big 3kW+ UPS with stabilizer, filter, battery and better surge protection.

It is important to get a unit with much bigger VA rating than your gear. You want a lot of headroom. Example if your gear has power consumption of total 2kW, you should look 5kW and up.

A power conditioner (aka voltage stabilzier) regulates the incoming power to be a stable value in case of undervoltage and overvoltage. IME and many others say that sometimes stabilizers aka power conditioners "choke" the amps, reducing their current draw capabilities, making the sound thin and tizzy. In such current sensitive systems best to use just power filters. Filter the DC and noise crap, just deliver clean AC to your gear and it will continue on its own from there since it was already designed to do its own voltage regulation.

For something more audiophile and higher grade I'd recommend DeZorel filters, which are made by order only and customers system is taken in consideration before making the unit. They make some pretty robust stuff which are suited for labs, not just expensive hifi.

 

[ellisdj]

In terms of the Qute HD it appearsd to require 5V from the 2.5mm barrel connector on the back which is pretty standard.

I dont know what psu they supply for it - I am guessing a £2 Wall mart style for a product at that retails price.

There are a lot of people who believe replacing such wall mart supply with a much better Linear Power supply bring sonic benefits - however this is not the forum for advice on this subject.

I would start looking on computeraudiphile I think there will be a lot of info on there to help you in this regards.

There are a few linear power supply specialists about. I ahve bought several from this chap and they have been excellent such as his price and service. The link is to the DC3 a variation of which I own but for the Qute I think a DC2 would be fine

 

[toyota man]

Hi chasefrench I installed a 20A radial circuit for my amp and cd player it has made a difference bigger sound stage and no pops and clicks etc when

heating + fride freezer came on .Its even better now as I installed a new ring main in the kitchin and we have a new boiler

 

[chasefrench]

Thank you for honest feedback and direction.

Ideally I m looking for something that would provide benefits to both the DAC and the amp like the acquarius but not quite as expensive!

The Isotek Evo3 Polarius 6 seems interesting as I could plug it straight into the wall, and have the AMP and DAC through that.

Then what I m currently using could power the PC and monitors and TV?

Will the Polaris provide the sort of functionality I m looking for? I m only familiar with the benefits of quality ATX cpu power supplies. I sometimes find my AMP is struggling to properly power itself and the music can sound a bit flat/ lifeless

 

[Gazzip]

Hi chasefrench I installed a 20A radial circuit for my amp and cd player it has made a difference bigger sound stage and no pops and clicks etc when

heating + fride freezer came on .Its even better now as I installed a new ring main in the kitchin and we have a new boiler

Does that give your HiFi a warmer sound?

 

[kitkat]

Yes, I have a Caterpillar diesel generator in the living room that just runs my hi-fi,, its very noisy and I can't hear the music from the hi-fi but at least I know it should sound better having its own power supply.

 

[Covenanter]

This could run and run.

Chris

 

[Vladimir]

Yes, I have a Caterpillar diesel generator in the living room that just runs my hi-fi,, its very noisy and I can't hear the music from the hi-fi but at least I know it should sound better having its own power supply.

Are you sure thats not just the kitty purrring? If it is, you've been feeding her diesel instead of milk.

 

[pauln]

Yes, I have a Caterpillar diesel generator in the living room that just runs my hi-fi,, its very noisy and I can't hear the music from the hi-fi but at least I know it should sound better having its own power supply.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEz2M5egxvw

 

[abacus]

Do not use computer equipment on the same power block as audio equipment, if you need both together, have a double socket fitted to the wall (If it’s not already) and use 2 Anti surge power blocks (Easily picked up from places like B & Q), 1 for the Computer stuff and 1 for the audio stuff.

In most cases that’s all that’s needed, however if you suffer from very bad mains or the voltage varies a lot, (Common in houses that have been converted into flats) then a regulated power supply can help. (Just get a voltage regulated UPS of a large enough size from your local computer store, as this will also provide good isolation from surges as spikes)

As usual steer clear of Audio manufactures products (And a lot of Hi Fi dealers) as they will charge you well over the odds for what is a pretty simple piece of equipment)

Hope this helps

Bill

 

[nopiano]

There are various options, some already mentioned, including:

1. Installing a new spur off the mains for audio use only

2. Buying a mains regenerator, where i think PS and Isotek are the leaders

3. Adding some sort of filtering to your distribution block

4. At the very least separating your noisy PC gear from your hifi.

Though there are detractors, I think Russ Andrews provides some very sage advice on mains which you can download for free from his website. They also sell cheap to v pricy mains solutions, but you can try them for two months.

Some years ago I gad a dedicated mains spur and have hankered after it ever since. It was easy when refurbing the lounge, but might be tricky otherwise. Worth doing if you can, though I used standard fittings, not silver plated or anything.

Beware, some here will say all mains makes no difference, but that is not my experience.

PS. And of course, individual upgraded power supplies for each component!

 

[lpv]

Yes, I have a Caterpillar diesel generator in the living room that just runs my hi-fi,, its very noisy and I can't hear the music from the hi-fi but at least I know it should sound better having its own power supply.

Hi kitkat,

that's exactly what I've got.. music is irrelevant when you got this sort of / proper I should say/ power supply. 24 bits downloads sounds terrific under this diesels.
A dynamic, detailed and entertaining presentationExcellent bass performanceCrisp, articulate and massively detailed soundSmooth, solid and punchy sound[/list]
5 diesels easily *****

 

[chasefrench]

I have only ever lived in old london houses that have been converted to flats.

Is a Uninterruptible Power Supply and a Main Regenerator the same thing? or do they provide the same effect?

A UPS seems to be much cheaper than a lot "audio" branded mains regenerators.

Does anyone have a link to a good UPS? I imagine that the Plinius 9200 and Chord DAC would draw no more than 300W at load, so a 500W UPS/ Mains Conditioner would be sufficient?

 

[TrevC]

All my hifi equipment has dedicated power supplies built in.

Mains nonsense, whether leads, conditioners or spurs don't make any difference to performance.

 

[nima]

Hi-fi nonsense, whether amps, preamps, DACs, speakers, turntables, cables or headphones don't make any difference to performance.

My trusty Dansette makes the same sound as any hi-end hi-res system out there.

 

[TrevC]

Hi-fi nonsense, whether amps, preamps, DACs, speakers, turntables, cables or headphones don't make any difference to performance.

My trusty Dansette makes the same sound as any hi-end hi-res system out there.

Perhaps getting your ears syringed will help you.

 

[nopiano]

Is a Uninterruptible Power Supply and a Main Regenerator the same thing? or do they provide the same effect?

A UPS seems to be much cheaper than a lot "audio" branded mains regenerators.

I think they are quite different. A UPS is for something like a computer system that need to be backed up and data saved before shutting down, so needs protecting from power cuts. You seem to need better mains full stop.

If keeping your computer gear away from your audio fails to make the improvement you seek then switch off all the computer stuff and unplug it. If there us still a problem then possibly you need something more expensive. Or an electrician!

I've heard of places in London where HiFi picks up interference from taxicab radios, and these days there is lots of wifi around so possibly that us a factor.

 

[ellisdj]

I think the.gun has been jumped syggesting electrician

Try your system.straight alone no computer straight from the wall then try it with a tacima cs929 or lindy - investment of £30

If you think it sounds better you may want to look at better products from ps audio or clearer audio or isotek etc

If not you might not need anything - however i find this unlikely and its worth investigating.

Linear power supply for the qute is.also worth a look into

 

[Vladimir]

UPS has batteries and will keep running during power shortages. They also have a voltage stabilizer and surge protection incorporated.

 

[chasefrench]

I dont think the issue is with noise but more with inconsistencies in the voltage, possible from having over 10 devices plugged into a 2 wall socket and being in an old london house with 3 other appartments. I think my best bet is to isolate the hifi from coputer as suggested and buy something like this

http://www.powerinspired.com/ag500-ac-regenerator-500w-p-1723.html

If I dont think it s helping I can just send it back.