Best (sane) choice to power micro/ultraRendu?

[davide256]

I've been powering my micro Rendu for the past year off the adjustable 9V tap (set to 7.5V) on an HDPlex LPS power supply.  I see in window shopping

that Sonore recommends 7V for both micro and ultra Rendu so I'm feeling pretty good about buying a better (quieter?) power supply that I can  use

for now with the micro and later make the upgrade to the ultra Rendu.  Has anyone compared the different flavors of power supply, if so for under $1K

what are your thoughts, advice?  Looking for comparisons please, not owner loyalty statements.

[Speed Racer]

The UpTone Audio UltraCap LPS-1 is an obvious choice and probably what I will get for my ultraRendu when I decide to get a proper power supply for it.

 

There is also (from Sonore web site):

 

iFi iPower power supply - 9VDC

CIAudio linear power supply - 9VDC

Teddy Pardo linear power supply - 7VDC

Uptone Audio JS-2 linear power supply - set to 7VDC

Vinnie Rossi LIO with microRendu/ultraRendu output stage

Sbooster - 9VDC

Sonore Signature Series linear power supply - 7VDC

[m3lraaHnevetS]

ask @vortecjr to look for a second hand Sonore Signature PS, should be able to get one for 1K one day...I compared this with mR 1.3 and uR against Sbooster, Ifi iPower, LPS-1 and Sonore Signature Rendu SE. Only the SE bettered the Signature PS. the rest was blown far away.

 

So try to get a Sonore Signature PS or save up for a SE would be my advise

[davide256]

1 hour ago, m3lraaHnevetS said:

ask @vortecjr to look for a second hand Sonore Signature PS, should be able to get one for 1K one day...I compared this with mR 1.3 and uR against Sbooster, Ifi iPower, LPS-1 and Sonore Signature Rendu SE. Only the SE bettered the Signature PS. the rest was blown far away.

 

So try to get a Sonore Signature PS or save up for a SE would be my advise

 

I found this article echoed your experience but it does appear the off the shelf price of the signature PS is $1300. Interestingly enough its not listed for sale on Sonore's web site?

 

https://positive-feedback.com/audio-discourse/sonore-microrendu/

 

If you couldn't afford the  Sonore PS, the reviewer seemed to like this next best, wonder if anyone on the site has tried it...doesn't look like he had the Uptone supply or Sbooster. As always trying to spread those audio dollars as far as I can. If for example there's really little difference between the HDPlex  and others below $1K, that $1K gets me halfway to a Yggdrassil

 

https://ciaudio.com/product/vdc•7-mkii-upgrade-power-supply/

[Solstice380]

On 11/14/2017 at 5:29 PM, davide256 said:

 

I found this article echoed your experience but it does appear the off the shelf price of the signature PS is $1300. Interestingly enough its not listed for sale on Sonore's web site?

 

I believe that SE PS has been discontinued.  I think that's why @m3lraaHnevetS recommended trying to locate a used one.

[Speed Racer]

I am intrigued by the CIaudio linear power supply. Does anyone here have any experience with it? I have read good things about the product and company. I like the idea of not having any SMPS in my audio rack!

[Speed Racer]

I just found out about this power supply:

 

https://www.smallgreencomputer.com/collections/custom-units/products/200w-linear-power-supply?variant=22466785860

 

The unit can power multiple devices and is very low noise. Using the variable plug set to 7VDC would have 2mV of ripple noise.

[sandyk]

4 minutes ago, Speed Racer said:

I just found out about this power supply:

https://www.smallgreencomputer.com/collections/custom-units/products/200w-linear-power-supply

?variant=22466785860

 

The unit can power multiple devices and is very low noise. Using the variable plug set to 7VDC would have 2mV of ripple noise.

 

 Seems like a pretty decent PSU at a bargain price. A 200W R-core transformer wouldn't come cheaply either.

 

[Speed Racer]

18 minutes ago, sandyk said:

 

 Seems like a pretty decent PSU at a bargain price. A 200W R-core transformer wouldn't come cheaply either.

 

 

That is exactly what I was thinking.

[m3lraaHnevetS]

5 hours ago, Speed Racer said:

I just found out about this power supply:

 

https://www.smallgreencomputer.com/collections/custom-units/products/200w-linear-power-supply?variant=22466785860

 

The unit can power multiple devices and is very low noise. Using the variable plug set to 7VDC would have 2mV of ripple noise.

that is HD plex which the OP and I both have. I never used it on a mR or uR tough...and it can actually power 5 devices simultaneously, there is also the 5v usb-c output

the 100 watt v3 version is doing a fine job in my system powering a switch, a ssd, jcat femto usb and jcat netcard.  

[m3lraaHnevetS]

12 hours ago, Solstice380 said:

 

I believe that SE PS has been discontinued.  I think that's why @m3lraaHnevetS recommended trying to locate a used one.

the PS in the SE is an upgraded version of the discontinued Signature PS (SPS) so if you want the ultimate SQ from your mR or uR a used SPS is the way to go .

If you want the ultimate SQ from a Sonore renderer get the SE. imho and experience

[Speed Racer]

I am not really interested in an HD flex solution....

 

Okay, I have narrowed it down to these 2:

 

https://www.teddypardo.com/powersupplies/teddy7-2.html

 

and this:

 

https://ciaudio.com/product/vdc•7-mkii-upgrade-power-supply/

 

The Teddy Pardo is $369 and the CI Audio is $329. I don't have specs yet on the Teddy Pardo but the CI Audio PS runs at about 2 microvolts of noise. That is pretty damn quiet.

[Speed Racer]

Teddy Pardo says his power supply noise level is below one microvolt. That's impressive!

[sandyk]

17 hours ago, Speed Racer said:

Teddy Pardo says his power supply noise level is below one microvolt. That's impressive!

 

That's all ACADEMIC though, isn't it ??? (at least according to you)

You claimed elsewhere that you only needed >60dB rejection, and rejected an HDPlex PSU that didn't measure well enough !

[Speed Racer]

3 hours ago, sandyk said:

 

That's all ACADEMIC though, isn't it ??? (at least according to you)

You claimed elsewhere that you only needed >60dB rejection, and rejected an HDPlex PSU that didn't measure well enough !

 

You have me confused with someone else. I don’t recall ever saying anything like that. I rejected the HDplex because I don’t need 4 power outputs. I want one output for a very specific purpose. 

[sandyk]

You have me confused with someone else. I don’t recall ever saying anything like that. I rejected the HDplex because I don’t need 4 power outputs. I want one output for a very specific purpose.  

My apologies if I attributed something to you that another member said.

[Speed Racer]

6 hours ago, sandyk said:

My apologies if I attributed something to you that another member said.

 

No worries. I just need to figure out which 7vdc 2A linear power supply to buy......I am leaning toward the Teddy Pardo. 

[sandyk]

19 minutes ago, Speed Racer said:

 

No worries. I just need to figure out which 7vdc 2A linear power supply to buy......I am leaning toward the Teddy Pardo. 

 

https://www.teddypardo.com/diy/teddyreg.html 

IRC, the original design (above) originated in Pink Fish Media. It uses a capacitance multiplier, as does the John Linsley Hood PSU add-on.

[Speed Racer]

40 minutes ago, sandyk said:

 

https://www.teddypardo.com/diy/teddyreg.html 

IRC, the original design (above) originated in Pink Fish Media. It uses a capacitance multiplier, as does the John Linsley Hood PSU add-on.

 

Are you presenting this as a positive, negative, or just informational? 

 

The Teddy Pardo PSU I am looking at uses the "SuperTeddyReg".

[sandyk]

2 minutes ago, Speed Racer said:

Are you presenting this as a positive, negative, or just informational? 

 

The Teddy Pardo PSU I am looking at uses the "SuperTeddyReg".

 

Informational.

I knew that the Teddy Reg started out as a DIY project in  Pink Fish Media.

A DIY oriented member could build this earlier version, as it is fully documented.

[firedog]

1 hour ago, sandyk said:

 

Informational.

I knew that the Teddy Reg started out as a DIY project in  Pink Fish Media.

A DIY oriented member could build this earlier version, as it is fully documented.

 

I don't think Teddy intended it as a DIY project. He used the community at Pink Fish (which he participated in anyway) to help him refine the design. He then released the final design to the DIY world, with the request that it not be used commercially to compete with his own commercial products that use the design (he didn't patent it for that reason). 

[davide256]

The current draw of the micro/ultraRendu isn't really that high, and the strength of the devices are the low component noise levels of the board. DAR posted a recent article

 

http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2017/11/allos-59-boss-dac-is-a-super-tasty-delicious-pi-maker/

 

Halfway down the article he says

 

" Moreover, I’ve heard it from more than one DAC manufacturer that a USB receiver chip will engage additional layers of otherwise dormant circuitry when faced with a super-jittery incoming data stream. Circuitry that when engaged introduces more electrical noise to the system. "

 

and then says pretty much the same argument about Ethernet frame errors. So power supply quietness seems key for best performance, the question is what's the valid comparison metric to judge a power supply by and is there more than 1?

[sandyk]

7 hours ago, firedog said:

 

I don't think Teddy intended it as a DIY project. He used the community at Pink Fish (which he participated in anyway) to help him refine the design. He then released the final design to the DIY world, with the request that it not be used commercially to compete with his own commercial products that use the design (he didn't patent it for that reason). 

 

Yes, he says that at the link I provided.

Actually, I don't see anything too special in that original design that would be worth a patent.

A LM317 voltage regulator followed by a Capacitance multiplier isn't anything new.

[sandyk]

4 hours ago, davide256 said:

So power supply quietness seems key for best performance, the question is what's the valid comparison metric to judge a power supply by and is there more than 1?

 

Basically, the key ingredients for a good power supply are very low noise over a wide bandwidth, and a very low output impedance over a wide bandwidth . They should also prevent voltage spikes from being generated at their output due to sudden load changes.

The original generic Positive and Negative supply voltage regulators such as the LM317/337 (adjustable) and 78xx/79xx  (fixed voltage ) don't have a wide enough bandwidth to prevent SMPS ripple at 25kHZ and higher,  and it's harmonics, from almost sailing right through to the output; although a choke ( inductor) at their input in combination with the voltage regulator's input capacitor can be used to markedly reduce the level getting through.

[Speed Racer]

So, is the Teddy Pardo a really good unit for the ultraRendu or is the CI Audio a better choice?