Installed the UpTone JS-2 LPS Today WOW!

[jtwrace]

The mini uses switching DC-DC regulators, so the input current will increase as the input voltage decreases. There are various tradeoffs when doing the design, one approach uses a high input voltage which means a low input current, which allows a cheaper lower current regulator chip. Or you can go with a lower voltage higher current chip, lower voltage usually means lower cost, but the higher current makes it more expensive. It seems the designer has gone for the higher voltage lower current chip.

 

The higher the current the more heat gets generated inside the chip, and these chips are usually very small with very small thermal interface (power pad), so the chip could easily get too hot as the voltage decreases, even though electrically it is fine.

 

John S.

 

Also one must remember the price point as well as the actual physical space of this unit...

[jtwrace]

That said, it would be just one tiny resistor change next to one of the JS-2 switch settings to give you a 14V output. Max current at that voltage would probably drop to about 3.5 to 4 amps, but that is plenty for the Aries mini requirement of 1.2A at 14V.

 

Ciao,

 

--Alex C.

Yes, of course. I'd be hesitant to start doing that though unless you're going to offer custom engraved cases with the proper voltage. Otherwise it's a matter of time until one is sold on the used market and someone thinks it's 12Vdc and they manage to fry their piece of equipment. Not good. ;-)

[jamesg11]

Hi Alex, Jason, et al,

 

Just noticed this on the sBooster site, re their evaluation of powering new Mytek Brooklyn:

"Conclusion

A part of the sound related issues were caused by using a PSU with multiple outputs and the related ground current*. In addition, in our opinion, the used 4-output 160W power supply does not match the power demands of the Mytek Brooklyn. For high res music playback you need a power supply that is capable of supplying ultrafast and uninterrupted current. Especially in digital audio it is crucial that a power supply can handle peak-loads without any delay.

 

Conventional power supplies and especially (car) batteries are lacking this fastness. The advice of Mytek to use PSU’s with 10 – 14A output current or 1K Amp car batteries is not correct. This advice is probably based on a persistent misconception on how power supplies work. As (shortly) explained in our post on the Australian Stereonet conventional high current PSUs and batteries are too slow to handle peak-loads immediately and should therefore not be recommended for digital audio devices.

 

* Within 1-2 weeks we are going to publish the white paper “Single output vs Multiple output PSU’s". In this paper we will talk about the disadvantages of multi-output PSUs on the sound quality. Due to ground current issues of this type of PSUs, they are a no-go for high-end audio playback. Stay tuned..."

[Ultrarunner]

Hi Alex, Jason, et al,

 

Just noticed this on the sBooster site, re their evaluation of powering new Mytek Brooklyn:

"Conclusion

A part of the sound related issues were caused by using a PSU with multiple outputs and the related ground current*. In addition, in our opinion, the used 4-output 160W power supply does not match the power demands of the Mytek Brooklyn. For high res music playback you need a power supply that is capable of supplying ultrafast and uninterrupted current. Especially in digital audio it is crucial that a power supply can handle peak-loads without any delay.

 

Conventional power supplies and especially (car) batteries are lacking this fastness. The advice of Mytek to use PSU’s with 10 – 14A output current or 1K Amp car batteries is not correct. This advice is probably based on a persistent misconception on how power supplies work. As (shortly) explained in our post on the Australian Stereonet conventional high current PSUs and batteries are too slow to handle peak-loads immediately and should therefore not be recommended for digital audio devices.

 

* Within 1-2 weeks we are going to publish the white paper “Single output vs Multiple output PSU’s". In this paper we will talk about the disadvantages of multi-output PSUs on the sound quality. Due to ground current issues of this type of PSUs, they are a no-go for high-end audio playback. Stay tuned..."

 

I seem to remember Alex mentioning that the JS-2 has this multi-output ground issue covered. I certain hope so since mine is being shipped next week! I also have an HD Plex so I'm curious about the performance difference between the two.

[Superdad]

I seem to remember Alex mentioning that the JS-2 has this multi-output ground issue covered. I certain hope so since mine is being shipped next week! I also have an HD Plex so I'm curious about the performance difference between the two.

 

The choke-filtered JS-2 is a very different kind of LPS. Very much built for speed. The big choke and Schottky diodes allows us to use one pair of big caps before the regulators and just a small cap after the regulators. Transient current capability is great.

 

And unlike any other LPS on the market, our output ground is 100% isolated from mains ground.

 

I promise that versus the HD Plex you will be in for a treat. Especially if you are powering a DAC or other audio component.

 

I am still puzzling over Mytek's recommending a crazy high amperage supply when the Brooklyn draws barely 12 watts. Draw 5 times that before the 88W (@12V) JS-2 even notices it's there...

[sandyk]

And unlike any other LPS on the market, our output ground is 100% isolated from mains ground.

 

Alex C

I am surprised that many more manufacturers don't at least give you the option to isolate the output from mains earth.

Then again, how many use the more expensive choke input, and possibly higher voltage output transformers to help compensate for the lower input voltage to the regulators ?

Even an inexpensive and much lower value choke will help to some extent with rectifier artifacts etc. getting back into the A.C. mains sewer.

How many other commercial PSUs also have a very desirable Kelvin Sensing option ?

 

Regards

Alex K.

[Audioseduction]

Alex, after owning the JS-2 for over a year now powering my C.A.P.S. it still performs EXCELLENT! I had a friend over recently for a listening session and he said I had the blackest noise floor he has ever heard from a system. He owns a high end audio business and attends many of the high end audio shows like CES, RMAF and so on every year. I contribute part of my 2ch playback success to the JS-2. Still loving it!

[Superdad]

Alex, after owning the JS-2 for over a year now powering my C.A.P.S. it still performs EXCELLENT!

 

I certainly hope so! A quality LPS should perform well for decades…

 

Thanks for your kind words. So should I expect to be hearing from your friend soon?

 

Have a great weekend,

 

--Alex C.

[Esprit]

Last month it was France,

Do you have all the required certification for the european market?

Export.gov - European Standards and CE Marking

[Superdad]

Do you have all the required certification for the european market?

 

You mean, do I have declarations of conformity on file for ALL of the following EU/IEC directives?:

 

--Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU (To current versions of EN60950)

 

--EMC Directive 2004/108/EC (Including test standards to current versions of EN55022, EN55024, EN61000)

 

--IEC 61558-1 (IEC:2005+A1:2009; SAFETY OF POWER TRANSFORMERS, POWER SUPPLIES, REACTORS AND SIMILAR PRODUCTS)

 

--Directive 2005/32/EC (Ecodesign requirements for standby and off mode electric power consumption of electrical and electronic household and office equipment)

 

--WEEE Directive 2002/96/EC (Waste of electrical and electronic equipment)

 

--RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU (Restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment)

 

Sure, but we charge $1,800 for the version of the JS-2 that comes with all of those certificates.

 

Just kidding, but no, while the product is quite carefully and safely designed--and I have reviewed most of those directives in mind numbing detail--other than having RoHS compliance docs and CE compliance on the TE/Corcom voltage inlet/fuse/switch/voltage selector, the R-core transformer, and the Hammond choke--we have not drawn up self-certification documents or paid an outside firm for testing.

 

Since we do not use dealers/importers, each end-user assumes responsibility--and risk--for purchasing this power supply. People must judge the design, quality, and workmanship themselves. Compare the JS-2--which after assembly by my assistant I personally test, burn in, and retest every unit--with any LPS from China, and then decide. I'd be far mode afraid of any toaster or hair dryer.

 

After building and shipping over 250 JS-2s worldwide--and having just one single output failure in the field (not a safety hazard, just an inconvenience), I think people can have a lot of confidence.

 

And we have yet to have any problems with JS-2s going through customs. That's more than I can say for USB REGENs going into some places where the Mean Well SMPS--plastered with a dozen safety logos that are backed by certificates right on their web site--have been rejected a few times (because of the SMPS, not due to the REGEN itself).

 

Hope that helps.

 

Have a great weekend,

 

--Alex C.

[Esprit]

Hi Alex,

If I buy and import in Europe goods without the certification:

1) The customs can stop the delivery and destroy the goods: I lose the goods and money;

2) If I have a fire due to an electrical problem caused by goods without certification the insurance does not pay me: I lose my house and money.

 

Have a nice weekend

[Solstice380]

Hi Alex,

If I buy and import in Europe goods without the certification:

1) The customs can stop the delivery and destroy the goods: I lose the goods and money;

2) If I have a fire due to an electrical problem caused by goods without certification the insurance does not pay me: I lose my house and money.

 

Have a nice weekend

 

I'm surprised that they still allow forks to be sold for eating food in the EU. I mean, you can poke your eye out with one of those! [emoji854]

 

Of course safety is a concern, but the CE certification is a money grab and a joke. A company can self certify, and you still have to pay about US$35K for it. I know, the company I work for makes industrial electrical and electronic products and we deal with all of the certification agencies. So, if a customer requires a certification we charge them for it. Simple. Ready to pay?

[Superdad]

Hi Alex,

If I buy and import in Europe goods without the certification:

 

Hi Silvio:

Well let's go ahead and look at what you worry about a bit more closely...

 

1) The customs can stop the delivery and destroy the goods: I lose the goods and money;

 

This is not true.

All JS-2s shipped internationally go via FedEx Priority door-to-door service ($95 for 2-4 day service anywhere in western Europe). FedEx has their own "customs cage" in each country, and the packages are shipped with instructions for "return-to-sender" in case of not being deliverable.

But more to the point:

a) Over half of the more than 250 JS-2s sold were shipped overseas (virtually all the European and Asian countries, plus Australia, S.America and elsewhere)--and we have not had a single rejection by customs in any country;

b) The goods are covered by transit insurance, and I personally back them. No one will ever loose both goods and money when purchasing a product from UpTone.

c) Despite the myth, seizure and destruction of goods is not something that regularly happens with shipments of quality goods from the USA to Europe (and as above, FedEx covers this and either returns or pays for loss).

 

 

2) If I have a fire due to an electrical problem caused by goods without certification the insurance does not pay me: I lose my house and money.

 

Well here is where each person must use their judgement and common sense to make their decision, but I will offer these points:

 

a) The only points of attachment to the AC mains supply (almost the only place in a DC power supply where there is enough current to cause any hazard) is via the certified mains power module--containing IEC inlet, switch, voltage selection, and fuse--and power cord to your wall. The fuse we install in JS-2 units going to 220/230/240V countries is just 0.5 amp. In ANY over current situation or mains short, that fuse will blow and nothing more will happen.

 

b) The JS-2 enclosure is virtually sealed (the holes seen along the left and right edges of the top panel are above the exterior of the heatsinks and do not open into the unit). Let us imagine an extreme situation, where an electronic component on one of the circuit boards in such a way as to get some part hot enough to flame (such things can and do happen in audio components, though we have never seen it in ours). The circuit boards themselves are of an ISO-rated flameproof variety, and aside from the fact that there is not much else that a single flamed part can ignite, there is not enough air inside the JS-2 chassis to feed a fire (to prove this, I took an old JS-2 enclosure, put flammable fluid on a rag, lit the rag, tossed it into the chassis, and put the cover plate on; the flame went out in less than 20 seconds--before the top panel even got particularly hot).

 

c) The outside of the JS-2 chassis does not get hot in normal use. At 12V output setting driving a continuous 7(!) amp load the chassis and heat-sinks stay at 25 Celsius (77 Fahrenheit). And even at the much more challenging 5V at 5 amp continuos load (who would ever have that voltage/load to put on it)--which is what I run-in EVERY unit at--the top cover gets to 38C (100F) and the left side heatsink where the regulators are attached gets to 50C (122F).

(I once wrapped the entire chassis in tissue paper and ran the JS-2 at 5V/5A(!) for an hour. No fire.)

 

 

Given all the above, I'd be much more concerned about leaving your house with a coffee maker, toaster, or phone charger left plugged in. We take safety quite seriously, and having carefully read both the USA and EU safety standards, it is clear that the JS-2 exceeds them in all areas. (That's much more than can be said about some of the Chinese LPS units we have seen where they do not even attach the mains ground pin to anything.)

 

The EU permits self-certification by firms, or I can cough up a few thousand dollars to pay some outside company to write up the paperwork (very little actual testing is required--it is mostly just a document racket), but given that we sell direct, there is no importer requirement to go to the trouble just yet. And there are other product alternatives out there for those who are worried and need the paperwork to allow them to sleep.

 

Thanks and regards,

 

--Alex C.

 

P.S. There are still about 4 JS-2 spots left in the batch we are building now for May 6th shipment. Contact us to make a reservation.

[Esprit]

This is not true.

I'm sorry for you, each electronic component sold in Europe MUST HAVE CE certification. The law is the law

FedEX isn't the customs. You may also pass the drugs through customs but this does not mean that it is legal.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ce-marking

Export.gov - European Standards and CE Marking

http://www.ce-mark.com/cedoc.html

https://cemarking.net/do-your-products-need-ce-marking/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CE_marking

[Esprit]

Ready to pay?

I'm sorry you did not understand what I wrote but Europe is not the United States.

You prefer to live there, I prefer to live here and be protected by the laws in favor of consumers.

Bye

[Solstice380]

I'm sorry for you, each electronic component sold in Europe MUST HAVE CE certification.

 

Sorry that you put your faith in a meaningless certification instead of relying on your own intelligence. I sell products into the EU, spend time there, and know it's totally a nanny state place. Enjoy

[skatbelt]

I'm sorry you did not understand what I wrote but Europe is not the United States.

You prefer to live there, I prefer to live here and be protected by the laws in favor of consumers.

Bye

 

Products in certain categories (which include almost all electronics) cannot be commercially traded (!) within the EU (!) without a CE marking. EU citizens on the other hand are free to import electronic products without CE marking for own use. So no problem for you to buy products directly from Uptone Audio (or any other company whose products are not CE compliant).

[Esprit]

OT: I prefer a "nanny state": http://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343%2815%2901030-X/fulltext

Have a good Sunday

[sandyk]

Sorry that you put your faith in a meaningless certification instead of relying on your own intelligence. I sell products into the EU, spend time there, and know it's totally a nanny state place. Enjoy

 

Comments like that are totally out of place here, especially when related to 230VAC mains components where the insulation and safety requirements need to be much tighter for safety reasons especially.

 

N.B.

I am NOT saying that equipment designed by a highly experienced Engineer like John Swenson wouldn't meet those safety requirements with ease.

[Tand]

I posted this on another tread but I think it its relevant here too

 

 

"I just upgraded my 2011 mini 8 gb ram, 2.0 qhz i7 with all the UpTone goodies (MMF and JS-2) to a 2012 16 gb ram, 2.6 ghz i7 - the Holly Grail of minis . I use a FMC (fiberethernet) between my mini and Rednet 16 R.

 

First of there is a big difference using MMF and JS-2 even when using ethernet / FMC compared to a original mini with original power supply. The original mini sounds "greyish" / less dynamic than the UpTone upgraded mini.

 

It was easy to compare as I boot with a SD card. It took less than 10 sec to hear the 2011 mini with UpTone goodies was better than a original 2012 mini with SD boot and ethernet to Rednet 16 R.

 

The same night I moved the MMF and JS-2 over to my 2012! and the 2012 mini took sq a notch further."

Happy Holidays.

 

 

Tommy

[No Disc]

On 3/19/2016 at 7:09 AM, Superdad said:

 

The choke-filtered JS-2 is a very different kind of LPS. Very much built for speed. The big choke and Schottky diodes allows us to use one pair of big caps before the regulators and just a small cap after the regulators. Transient current capability is great.

 

And unlike any other LPS on the market, our output ground is 100% isolated from mains ground.

 

I promise that versus the HD Plex you will be in for a treat. Especially if you are powering a DAC or other audio component.

 

I am still puzzling over Mytek's recommending a crazy high amperage supply when the Brooklyn draws barely 12 watts. Draw 5 times that before the 88W (@12V) JS-2 even notices it's there...

 

Currently powering my Mac Mini (MMK) with HD-PLEX and wondered if moving to the JS-2 would yield any sonic benefits?

 

Already using the ISO-Regen / LP1 output from the Mini. 

 

- T

 

[savjam]

On 9/25/2017 at 8:13 AM, No Disc said:

 

Currently powering my Mac Mini (MMK) with HD-PLEX and wondered if moving to the JS-2 would yield any sonic benefits?

 

Already using the ISO-Regen / LP1 output from the Mini

 

Haven’t tried the HD Plex but everything I have read seem to imply the JS-2 is a higher quality performer.    I have the JS-2 driving a base Mac Mini and couldn’t be happier.  It is really excellent all the way around, dynamics, clarity, tonality, naturalness, everything is all there.

 

Good luck!!

[Padawan38]

Hello,

 

A friend loaned me Uptone JS2 DC cable that work very weel, do you know whether we can buy this cable , seems Uptone does not sell it as standalone.

 

Thank you very much

Rgds

P

 

[Superdad]

1 hour ago, Padawan38 said:

A friend loaned me Uptone JS2 DC cable that work very weel, do you know whether we can buy this cable , seems Uptone does not sell it as standalone.

 

Hi:

We do offer our grey Oyaide/Belden star-quad (4*18awg) shielded cable separately, it just does not have a web page as it is mostly included/sold with our JS-2 power supply.

 

We offer it in only 3 configurations:

1.5 meter with 5.5mm x 2.5mm plug both ends ($75)

1.5 meter with 5.5mm x 2.5mm one end and 5.5mm x 2.1mm other end ($75);

0.5 meter with 5.5mm x 2.1mm plug both ends ($70).

 

All three are in stock for quick shipment.  First Class Mail postage is $3 in USA, $9 to Canada, and $13 to rest-of-world.  Priority Mail and fast FedEx shipping are also available (we have a special contract with FedEx, so the cable, which can fit in a FedEx envelope can often be sent overseas this way for about $20, depending upon country).

 

To purchase, just sent a short note to us via https://uptoneaudio.com/pages/contact-us.  If you include your delivery address, phone number, and choice of cable termination we can respond promptly with a web invoice.

 

THANKS,

—Alex C.