dgarretson

I have a few hundred hours on a JCAT Femto NIC card powered by an ebayed Zerozone 2A LPS. In agreement with Austinpop, the JCAT is a game-changer--- compared to a standard EN port in my QNAP TVS-882 NAS. The $130 Zerozone was a gamble, but seems to have paid off. A second one made a major improvement relative to the wall wart I had been using to power a SOtM-modified D-Link hub. Everywhere else I'm SR-7, but the Zerozone seems to be a reasonable compromise. I'll probably get a third one to power my Verizon router.

@greenleo The DIY version of the Lessloss Firewall sounds better, whether installed inside the chassis or molded into a high quality DIY power cord. I just finished a pair of PCs with DIY boxed versions and shielded 10awg silver conductors that kills with Pass XA-160.8 monoblocks. The connectors are a mix of IeGo and Furutech. All soldered connections and compression fittings are coated with Perfect Path Total Contact graphene contact enhancer. BTW, I've had good results with this graphene paste on the pins inside molex connectors of SOtM devices and other digital components-- though one must take care not to over-apply it at the risk of shorting the pins.

I've been using a Signal DU-5 5 kva balanced transformer to power the SR-7 and also all line-level analog & digital components-- except for the Pass phono stage, which hums due to a grounding issue when handed balanced AC.

Regarding the Lessloss 64x Firewall, before purchasing the DIY version, I went for one finished, boxed version with AC pigtails that can be mated up in series with any AC cord and moved around the system for evaluation. The only issue with the DIY installation is that you need a hot solder gun and low-temp solder in order to work quickly without distorting the clear epoxy that covers the center section of the Firewall element. I used Wondersolder and a 150W trigger operated Rat Shack gun. https://www.lessloss.com/firewall-module-p-216.html Here's another one inside a Pass XP-25 phono stage power supply chassis.

Austinpop, Thanks for reporting on the JCAT Net Card Femto. I was unaware of this product. I'm thinking of one for my QNAP TVS-882 i5 NAS, which hosts Roon core and serves the SOtM trifecta synchronized to an SRS 10mhz clock, all powered by SR-7. I recently modified my SR-7 with a Less Loss 64x Firewall at the IEC inlet. In DIY form, the Firewall just fits inside the case between the traffo and the rear panel. I was quite surprised by the meaningful improvement of adding the Firewall to the SR-7. I've also deployed them in Esoteric K-01X, Pass XP-25, XA-160.8, and Atmasphere MP-1. They are not cheap, but have made more improvement across the system than any power cord or conditioner that I've tried.

Austinpop, Sorry, I should have directed my question to auricgoldfinger. Dave

Austinpop, for both sMS-200ultra and tX-USBultra, I've been planning to replace the stock internal DC harnesses with silver-- by removing the headers altogether and soldering direct to the PCB. Also the cap for NEO upgrade. Can you provide details on the Evox cap model and capacitance? I'm considering replacement of all electrolytic caps on the PS board with Panasonic FM or FC, but may order an Evox for comparison.

That was my post on Audiogon post regarding DIY thick .999 dead soft silver DC cables on SR7. Since then I have made some 10awg pure silver AC power cords as well, and am surprised how much better they sound on the SR7 than the several Synergistics and Furutech PCs I have on hand. I would have guessed that the superb Hynes SR7 would benefit little from a fancy PC, but this is not the case.

I haven't personally worked with mu-metal, but my understanding is that it loses much of its permeability when bent and needs to be heat-annealed thereafter to restore permeability. From Wiki: ""Mu-metal objects require heat treatment after they are in final form—annealing in a magnetic field in hydrogen atmosphere, which increases the magnetic permeability about 40 times.[4] The annealing alters the material's crystal structure, aligning the grains and removing some impurities, especially carbon, which obstruct the free motion of the magnetic domain boundaries. Bending or mechanical shock after annealing may disrupt the material's grain alignment, leading to a drop in the permeability of the affected areas, which can be restored by repeating the hydrogen annealing step."

One thing I like about the SRS rubidium master clock and the Antelope LiveClock distributor is their ability to accept external 12Vdc power. I've been using a Hynes SR7 for this. It does make an improvement relative to the stock SMPSs, and should be a consideration for comparisons at the high end.

Cybershaft seems like a good choice. There is an Audiogon thread in which a few guys with high end DACs reported excellent performance and good customer service at Cybershaft. IIRC the Cybershaft seller packages a used Rubidium core with his own power supply and chassis. I'm not sure about the lifespan of a rubidium core, but they do need to be factory recalibrated once and awhile.

That depends on whether your future 10mhz master clock has a 50 or 75 ohm output. 75 ohm is common in Pro studios, 50 ohm in lab equipment. I ordered 75 ohm SOtM units to match the SRS Perf-10 master clock that I was already using to time an Esoteric DAC and an Antelope LiveClock frequency divider into a Tascam DA-3000 DSD recorder. All have 75 ohm clock connections. Including the SOtM-modified D-Link switch, that's six devices synchronized to the same master clock. So when choosing the connector impedance, it's wise to think about where your system is headed.

The comparison was made alternating between a Synergistics Master Coupler PC and a DIY PC of Furutech Alpha III bulk cable and high-end Furutech AC plugs into a Signal DU-5 balanced power transformer.

I've had enough run-in now to compare powering the sMS-200Ultra and USBultra on the sMS-500 at 9V, to a double-regulated 7V rail on my Hynes SR7. The comparison is a bit unfair: the sMS-500 uses their standard copper Y-umbilical, as compared to a more heroic .999 solid silver umbilical with Oyaide connectors that I made for the SR7. Each conductor in the thick trunk portion is a twist of eight strands of 20awg(totaling around 11awg.) The trunk divides into two tributaries of four strands each(totaling around 14awg) into two Oyaide DC-2.1G plugs(2.1 x 5.5mm.) I particularly like the Oyaide DC connectors for their oversized solder points relative to standard Digikey items. In this configuration, the SR7 is an obvious step up from the sMS-500. More clarity, separation, depth, airiness, general refinement, on a dead- calm background. Of course there is a huge difference in price between these power supplies.