UltraCap™ LPS-1 LISTENING IMPRESSIONS thread

[earnmyturns]

2 minutes ago, Superdad said:

Funny you mention Bobby Hutchinson as he was a friend of my family when I was growing up (my step-father was West Coast Editor of Downbeat magazine in the '70s so I got to me a LOT of jazz luminaries), and I remember him coming for dinner a couple of times.  Was sad when he passed last year.

Wow, that must have been a treat! I never heard Hutcherson live, which is a shame given that he was often at SFJAZZ in his last decade and I get to lots of shows there, and I listen frequently to the new generation of jazz musicians he influenced through the SFJAZZ Collective (Eric Harland, Joshua Redman, Miguel Zenon, ..).

[watercourse]

1 hour ago, Superdad said:

 

Glad to know you are enjoy the addition of the LPS-1 to your system.

 

Funny you mention Bobby Hutchinson as he was a friend of my family when I was growing up (my step-father was West Coast Editor of Downbeat magazine in the '70s so I got to me a LOT of jazz luminaries), and I remember him coming for dinner a couple of times.  Was sad when he passed last year.

 

Wow, that must have been great to have Bobby as a friend of the family! We saw Bobby's quintet play on *his* birthday in 2011, at Yoshi's Oakland - he honored us with awesome set, health issues notwithstanding. They don't make em like that anymore!

Being on this coast and near the Bay Area, I'd assume you probably got to meet Joe Henderson too? Just moved to Portland in September, and got to see/meet Dave Holland and his band a few weeks back, and just learned that Chuck Israels lives here in PDX... have to see the greats while they're still around!

[Mike Rubin]

1 hour ago, earnmyturns said:

Wow, that must have been a treat! I never heard Hutcherson live, which is a shame given that he was often at SFJAZZ in his last decade and I get to lots of shows there, and I listen frequently to the new generation of jazz musicians he influenced through the SFJAZZ Collective (Eric Harland, Joshua Redman, Miguel Zenon, ..).

I often saw Bobby Hutcherson at SFJazz (not to mention dozens and dozens of times over the years before then) but, even when the Center opened five years ago, he was an ill man, wired to oxygen for emphysema, unable to play at anything like previous levels.  Still, whether in duet with the aged McCoy Tyner, in a quartet with Joey DeFrancesco and the oddly-cast David Sanborn, or with the SFJazz Collective, his slowed-by-age skills exceeded in brilliance of thought and execution all but the very brightest of his current acolytes. 

After he passed, SFJazz and his family organized a memorial concert at the SFJazz Center that surely will be one of the most memorable evenings in my more than fifty years or attending live jazz concerts.  On the stage at various times were the Collective, the Cookers, Joey DeFrancesco, Billy Childs with Hubert Laws, McCoy Tyner with Gary Bartz, John Handy with Bobby's son Barry and otehrs, and Mary Stallings.  It was evident every single moment of that concert how loved Bobby Hutcherson was by his fans and his fellow musicians.  It's a shame that such sadness was the impetus for such a remarkable celebration.

The last two vibists in the SFJazz Collective, Stefon Harris and Warren Wolf, both have incorporated Hutcherson -- and others -- into their vocabulary.  I think they both are worth your ear if you are not familiar with them. 

And sorry for hijacking the thread.  I loved seeing Hutcherson over the years.  He seemed not only a once-in-a-lifetime master of his instrument, but, also, a great man. You got me to pull out "Waiting" just now. It sounds great even on my computer desk system.

[watercourse]

3 minutes ago, Mike Rubin said:

I often saw Bobby Hutcherson at SFJazz (not to mention dozens and dozens of times over the years before then) but, even when the Center opened five years ago, he was an ill man, wired to oxygen for emphysema, unable to play at anything like previous levels.  Still, whether in duet with the aged McCoy Tyner, in a quartet with Joey DeFrancesco and the oddly-cast David Sanborn, or with the SFJazz Collective, his slowed-by-age skills exceeded in brilliance of thought and execution all but the very brightest of his current acolytes. 

After he passed, SFJazz and his family organized a memorial concert at the SFJazz Center that surely will be one of the most memorable evenings in my more than fifty years or attending live jazz concerts.  On the stage at various times were the Collective, the Cookers, Joey DeFrancesco, Billy Childs with Hubert Laws, McCoy Tyner with Gary Bartz, John Handy with Bobby's son Barry and otehrs, and Mary Stallings.  It was evident every single moment of that concert how loved Bobby Hutcherson was by his fans and his fellow musicians.  It's a shame that such sadness was the impetus for such a remarkable celebration.

The last two vibists in the SFJazz Collective, Stefon Harris and Warren Wolf, both have incorporated Hutcherson -- and others -- into their vocabulary.  I think they both are worth your ear if you are not familiar with them. 

And sorry for hijacking the thread.  I loved seeing Hutcherson over the years.  He seemed not only a once-in-a-lifetime master of his instrument, but, also, a great man. 

 

I'm going to miss SFJazz performances... but the LPS-1/Regen combo brings em home!

 

... and we're back on topic ;-)

[Superdad]

To anyone here who has had an UltraCap LPS-1 on order for the last couple of weeks, we are shipping all  your orders in the morning--one week ahead of the April 27th promised date you saw on the web at the time of ordering.  Shipment notices with tracking numbers get sent at 2:00 p.m. (California time). 

[jamesg11]

Clearing the decks ...

[asdf1000]

Hi Alex @Superdad

 

Thinking of getting a 2nd LPS-1 for a LANRover + ISO REGEN combination. 

 

Can one single Meanwell (the one you supply with the LPS-1) drive a pair of LPS-1's, if I use a 2.1mm Y-cable on the Meanwell DC output cable?

 

Cheers!

 

[JohnSwenson]

46 minutes ago, Em2016 said:

Hi Alex @Superdad

 

Thinking of getting a 2nd LPS-1 for a LANRover + ISO REGEN combination. 

 

Can one single Meanwell (the one you supply with the LPS-1) drive a pair of LPS-1's, if I use a 2.1mm Y-cable on the Meanwell DC output cable?

 

Cheers!

 

No it can't, the 7.5V Meanwell that comes with the LPS-1 or REGEN can just power one LPS-1.

 

John S.

[asdf1000]

9 minutes ago, JohnSwenson said:

No it can't, the 7.5V Meanwell that comes with the LPS-1 or REGEN can just power one LPS-1.

 

John S.

Understood, thanks John

[E-Stat]

Another new enthusiast for powering my uRendu.  Purchased it last summer before LPS-1 was available.  Not a fan of SMPS units, I purchased an HDPLEX 100 instead.  The combination was clearly superior to the SB Touch it replaced in many ways. Now, however, it is even better. 

 

I commented on my first impressions over at AA here:

 

"https://www.audioasylum.com/forums/pcaudio/messages/16/165017.html"

 

[Superdad]

4 hours ago, E-Stat said:

Another new enthusiast for powering my uRendu.  Purchased it last summer before LPS-1 was available.  Not a fan of SMPS units, I purchased an HDPLEX 100 instead.  The combination was clearly superior to the SB Touch it replaced in many ways. Now, however, it is even better. 

 

I commented on my first impressions over at AA here:

 

"https://www.audioasylum.com/forums/pcaudio/messages/16/165017.html"

 

 

Thanks very much for your nice report over there at AA!  Much appreciated. 

[Middy]

If the incoming live is filtered ...mains block extension... balanced isolation ect is the noise coming from a device filtered also acting on the neutral?

Only since coming to CA and Johns insights make me question these things.

Is keeping noise out of the mains possible or is  the method the greater of 2 evils.. Impedance resistance...Or other terms Iam guessing? 

Is return isolation possible?

Apologies for not understanding basic Electrickery. ..

 

[Johnnycopy]

John, interested in hearing your thoughts on this power supply driving your bottlehead dac.  I own your very fine BH and want to know what differences you hear.

 

thanks 

Johm

[JohnSwenson]

10 hours ago, Johnnycopy said:

John, interested in hearing your thoughts on this power supply driving your bottlehead dac.  I own your very fine BH and want to know what differences you hear.

 

thanks 

Johm

I definitely use the LPS-1 with the BH DAC. Since I just have one LPS-1 I run a microRendu and the BHDAC off a Y cable from one LPS-1, it is probably not the best configuration but it is what I can do. Well right NOW I'm in the small apartment so the BHDAC is packed up in a POD, so I can't do anything with it right now.

 

As to how the LPS-1 improves things? Well the music just sound much more REAL, subtleties of intonation are much more readily apparent, the emotional content of some one playing or singing comes through much better. There is a change in how a lead singer relates to the rest of the musicians. Without the LPS-1 the lead singer stands out clearly and everybody else kind of seems blended together in the background. With the LPS-1 the background musicians don't blend together in the same way. You can clearly hear the individual musicians, it's not that they "stick out" but they are not artificially blended together.

 

The upshot is that I rarely listen to the sound, I just get caught up in the music.

 

John S.

[asdf1000]

6 hours ago, JohnSwenson said:

I definitely use the LPS-1 with the BH DAC. Since I just have one LPS-1 I run a microRendu and the BHDAC off a Y cable from one LPS-1, it is probably not the best configuration but it is what I can do. Well right NOW I'm in the small apartment so the BHDAC is packed up in a POD, so I can't do anything with it right now.

 

As to how the LPS-1 improves things? Well the music just sound much more REAL, subtleties of intonation are much more readily apparent, the emotional content of some one playing or singing comes through much better. There is a change in how a lead singer relates to the rest of the musicians. Without the LPS-1 the lead singer stands out clearly and everybody else kind of seems blended together in the background. With the LPS-1 the background musicians don't blend together in the same way. You can clearly hear the individual musicians, it's not that they "stick out" but they are not artificially blended together.

 

The upshot is that I rarely listen to the sound, I just get caught up in the music.

 

John S.

 

Hi John, I saw pics of the BH DAC and the power input is labeled 9V dc. So a single LPS-1 set to 7V output is ok?

 

I saw one of these DACs for sale 2nd hand somewhere (as they're no longer in production) - may give it a try :-)

 

[Superdad]

31 minutes ago, Em2016 said:

 

Hi John, I saw pics of the BH DAC and the power input is labeled 9V dc. So a single LPS-1 set to 7V output is ok?

 

Yes, 7V for the BottleHead DAC is just fine.

[asdf1000]

13 minutes ago, Superdad said:

 

Yes, 7V for the BottleHead DAC is just fine.

 

Great, thanks Alex. Might try one until that Uptone ethernet input DAC comes. Fall of 2017? 

 

I made that up people (jokingly). Please don't swamp them with questions. 

[Altabay]

Is it feasible to build a LPS-1 like power supply that can drive a full size DAC or a solid state preamp?  I am very impressed with the SQ improvement from powering the Singxer SU-1 DDC with LPS-1, and I'm wondering what it can do for the next components in the chain.  Would it be cost prohibitive?  I am using Holo Spring L3 DAC, and Schiit Freya preamp with the tubes removed.

[Superdad]

28 minutes ago, Em2016 said:

 

Great, thanks Alex. Might try one until that Uptone ethernet input DAC comes. Fall of 2017? 

 

I made that up people (jokingly). Please don't swamp them with questions. 

 

Glad that you edited your post Sean.  Starting a rumor like that is a good way to have your ISO REGEN get "lost in the mail." 

 

Bur fall 2018? UltraCap powered and many far more radical techniques?  One never knows...

(But John and I have an interface more interesting in mind than just Ethernet.)

[asdf1000]

1 hour ago, Superdad said:

Glad that you edited your post Sean.  Starting a rumor like that is a good way to have your ISO REGEN get "lost in the mail." 

Oh no! That's not very nice!

 

1 hour ago, Superdad said:

John and I have an interface more interesting in mind than just Ethernet.)

Now this IS very nice...

[Trabb]

I replaced IFI 9V/2A powering my LPS-1 with a stock meanwell.

 

IFI in fact is a kind of filter and I dare to say a strong one.

 

IFI definitely creates the 3D dimension WOW effect, and blacker background. And is not expensive too.

 

But.

I find vocals more-less similar in texture and overall presentation is less airy.

Combination of both, in my setup, effected in more fatiguing, analytical presentation that was hard to change down the chain and kept me thinking of what to do as a next step. 

I had this feeling I always miss some small parts of music content.

 

I would continue my research for a different, this time linear power supply for my LPS-1. One is yet on my way.

 

And yeah, one more thing. LPS-1 I use for powering SMS-200.

 

Just share my observations.

[ElviaCaprice]

A linear power supply for the linear power supply?  Why not just power the LPS-1's on a separate circuit, along with any other switching power supplies?  Or get an isolation transformer to power those direct AC supply components.

I doubt your LPS-1 itself is effected by what powers it.  But possible the switching power supply, powering the LPS-1, is effecting other components on the same circuit.

Another solution.  Get all the digital streaming components off the direct AC grid unless powered by a quality power supply that allows no AC leakage.

Otherwise I think your just chasing ghosts and next you will want to get a linear power supply to power a linear supply to power a linear power supply.   Where does it stop?

[Trabb]

1 hour ago, ElviaCaprice said:

A linear power supply for the linear power supply?  Why not just power the LPS-1's on a separate circuit, along with any other switching power supplies?  Or get an isolation transformer to power those direct AC supply components.

I doubt your LPS-1 itself is effected by what powers it.  But possible the switching power supply, powering the LPS-1, is effecting other components on the same circuit.

Another solution.  Get all the digital streaming components off the direct AC grid unless powered by a quality power supply that allows no AC leakage.

Otherwise I think your just chasing ghosts and next you will want to get a linear power supply to power a linear supply to power a linear power supply.   Where does it stop?

 

Where does it stop ?

That’s a good question. 

 

We all need a power supply to power the LPS-1. IFI iPower affects the sound and it is not by a margin. The second transformer I have is a stock Meanwell impuls type – and this one I use now. I keep try one more power supply and see what happens.

 

Where does it stop ?

Sometimes it suddenly stops. It does.

Not too long ago two separate transformers powered my DAC and amplifier. My audiophile friends opened my eyes (ears) pointing out the degradation of piano tunes. Both transformers were changing the sound in more/less the same way as I described IFI iPower. I was “oversmoked” with 3D effect and black backgroud. They are gone now (transformers not my friends  ) and my system simplified.

Does it stop ? Yes it does.

 

I had a refined USB chain:

 1. USB 20cm stock cable, 2. JCat USB Isolator, 3. Sbooster Vbus2,  4. Transparent Premium USB,  5. UpTone Regen with LPS-1(LPS-1 is actually No. 6) , 7. USB hard adapter, and … finally … Lampi DAC.

A new USB cable was recommended to me.  

This cable transfers signal best without ANYTHING in the chain. Would you believe ? Just a pure cable without all "the stuff"? Again my system were simplified.

Does it stop ? Yes it does.

 

All of these observations are personal dependent, and I can easily imagine other audiophiles making different choices.

[Trabb]

Hello ElviaCaprice.

 

Thank You for the reply. I try to connect your suggestions with my setup and my findings, but didn't come to any new conclusion. Maybe there is something I cannot understand or see ?  

 

I power DAC and amplifier on seperate audio-only circuit.

LPS-1 is powered on a different circuit along with router (linear power supply) and TV gear.

That’s it.

My system only consists of a digital source (Tidal) , DAC and amplifier.

 

Regards,

 

 

 

[Cool3r King]

2 hours ago, Trabb said:

 

Where does it stop ?

That’s a good question. 

 

We all need a power supply to power the LPS-1. IFI iPower affects the sound and it is not by a margin. The second transformer I have is a stock Meanwell impuls type – and this one I use now. I keep try one more power supply and see what happens.

 

Where does it stop ?

Sometimes it suddenly stops. It does.

Not too long ago two separate transformers powered my DAC and amplifier. My audiophile friends opened my eyes (ears) pointing out the degradation of piano tunes. Both transformers were changing the sound in more/less the same way as I described IFI iPower. I was “oversmoked” with 3D effect and black backgroud. They are gone now (transformers not my friends  ) and my system simplified.

Does it stop ? Yes it does.

 

I had a refined USB chain:

 1. USB 20cm stock cable, 2. JCat USB Isolator, 3. Sbooster Vbus2,  4. Transparent Premium USB,  5. UpTone Regen with LPS-1(LPS-1 is actually No. 6) , 7. USB hard adapter, and … finally … Lampi DAC.

A new USB cable was recommended to me.  

This cable transfers signal best without ANYTHING in the chain. Would you believe ? Just a pure cable without all "the stuff"? Again my system were simplified.

Does it stop ? Yes it does.

 

All of these observations are personal dependent, and I can easily imagine other audiophiles making different choices.

 

Sorry mate, but I'm not quite sure what you're saying here. It's probably me being a bit thick! So do you use an iFi to power the LPs-1? Or did you get rid of it? Do you use the meanwell?

 

My iFi iPower sounds loads better than the meanwell powering the LPS, this is a recent revelation for me btw.