alternative LPS for sotm sms-200

[davide256]

On 11/19/2017 at 2:22 PM, jcn3 said:

That is not true. You need a power supply that works within the published specs of the individual devices. For instance 9v is the max for the microrendu.

You do want to keep close to the recommended voltage for the renderer. Voltage over the recommended voltage causes additional heat generation in the device,

which can shorten the service life of the device. Not to mention making it very uncomfortable to pick up ;<)

[CharlesY]

On 20/11/2017 at 9:33 PM, sandyk said:

 

 This one , with the superior,  and higher rated (65VA) R-core transformer, would appear to be a good choice. It also uses 10,000uF filter capacitors for greater short term current demands.

The photos of the others aren't very clear, but at least one of them (perhaps all) have heat sinks that are too small for continuous high currents, and are likely to get quite hot at >500mA continuous load at the higher voltages.

Alex

Should I go for the 9v 2.5A or 12v 2.3A or 12.6 2.3A wrt suitability for the sms-200?

[sandyk]

1 hour ago, CharlesY said:

Should I go for the 9v 2.5A or 12v 2.3A or 12.6 2.3A wrt suitability for the sms-200?

 

 Unless the 12V PSUs have an adjustable output, perhaps via a  trimpot for User Adjustment , there is no guarantee that their output won't exceed the recommended maximum of 12V, although a small amount above 12V shouldn't be a problem.

I wouldn't recommend the 12.6V 2.3A PSU for this reason unless it has a User adjustable trimpot , and you have a DMM to lower the output voltage to +12V.

 

 

[LTG2010]

The 12v 3Amp zeroone or equivalent looks fine, it might sound good but is a bit of an unknown quantity. The Teradak I posted previouly is quoted at only $10 more (and open to offers). Its quite a well known company for good budget supplies. Whats the difference.... R core vs toroid its all in the implementation but ive seen similar transformers to the Zeroone in Teradaks cheaper supplies.

Teradak is rated at 5Amps 90w- more power on tap usually a lower impedance because the transformer is able to charge the smoothing banks quicker, this will result in better sound quality faster attack, dynamics, bass control, etc.

Dual regulation (as opposed to single) meaning both the AC supply and DC is filtered, less noise a cleaner sound allowing more detail through, the sms 200 is a bit on the bright/ edgy side the cleaner the supply the better.

More  smaller caps instead of 2 big caps, again lower impedance as multiple caps can charge and discharge faster leading to better sound as above.

Just for $10  extra

 

[beerandmusic]

i don't know if 1.6a is enough but here is another by same mfr for much less....

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/ZEROZONE-Hifi-LPS-DC-Linear-Power-Supply-2-way-Output-PSU-50W-transformer-/111916059847?_trksid=p2349526.m4383.l4275.c1

[sandyk]

Incidentally, some PSUs may not have very well adjusted output voltages. If you intend using a 12V PSU to power some items such as the Uptone LPS-1, then it would be advisable to check their output voltage, and adjust it down to 12V if possible.

Uptone has reported several destroyed LPS-1 PSUs due to excessive voltage being supplied, with the large Teradak PSUs being the main offender.

 Yesterday a friend measured the output voltage from the +12V rail of his 300W Teradak PSU which he uses to power his LPS-1  and it was too high at 12.43V.

 

Alex

[CharlesY]

The popular SBooster LPS sms-200 is also rated at 12-13.2v  so I guess a 12V is OK?

https://www.sbooster.com/botw-pp-eco-12v-132v/

[LTG2010]

11 hours ago, CharlesY said:

The popular SBooster LPS sms-200 is also rated at 12-13.2v  so I guess a 12V is OK?

Yes 12V is fine ( for the sms200 ). The SBooster has more refined regulation and a switch which toggles from 12V, 12.5V and 13.2V.

The point that @ sandyk has made is that a supply such as the teradak might exceed the 12V by a bit, I dont think this would cause a problem ( I recently mistakenly ran my 9V ultra at 12V for a couple of weeks without problems, forgot to move the switch back to 9v on the sps500) but a quick email to May @ SOTM would confirm how much tolerance the sms200 has, also you could ask your supplier to measure the ouput before dispatch to make sure 12V is 12V and not 12.5V.

[CharlesY]

I have contacted both Sotm and Sbooster re power supply. From Sotm, they recommended as 9v/2A+. From Sbooster, their 12v-13.2v LPS has 35w power which is suitable for the sms-200 as they informed me.

 

Just wonder if the higher power (watt) output (than the sms-200's power requirement i.e. 20w) of the LPS will has pro/con effect id even damage the device if its much higher e.g. 100w such as this one (which has been discussed and well received in head-fi). I am thinking of getting the 9v/5.7A option. Is higher the power )watt) the better?

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/100VA-Ultra-low-Noise-100W-LPS-R-core-Linear-power-supply-DC-5V-24V-With-display-/131867485038

 

[jcn3]

24 minutes ago, CharlesY said:

I have contacted both Sotm and Sbooster re power supply. From Sotm, they recommended as 9v/2A+. From Sbooster, their 12v-13.2v LPS has 35w power which is suitable for the sms-200 as they informed me.

 

Just wonder if the higher power (watt) output (than the sms-200's power requirement i.e. 20w) of the LPS will has pro/con effect id even damage the device if its much higher e.g. 100w such as this one (which has been discussed and well received in head-fi). I am thinking of getting the 9v/5.7A option. Is higher the power )watt) the better?

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/100VA-Ultra-low-Noise-100W-LPS-R-core-Linear-power-supply-DC-5V-24V-With-display-/131867485038

 

the voltage of the power supply needs to match the specs for the device.  if you get the 9v version of the sms200, then you need a 9v lps.  if you get a 12v version of the sms200, then you need a 12v power supply.

 

bigger transformers provide the ability to deliver more current capability.  if you have a 9v/5a lps, the 9v is delivered constantly to the device, the current is the maximum current the lps can deliver.  so a 9v/5a lps is more than enough for the sms200 since it will only use 2a.

[CharlesY]

OK but how about the power (watt) output of LPS? Is higher the better provided that the voltage (e.g. 9v/2A+) is within the recommended range?

[CharlesY]

Als, should I opt for the higher voltage version (i.e. 12v/5.5A) which is still within the sms-200 recommended power input requirements.

[Karin]

Hello Charles,

 

There is no relation between the output rating of a PSU and the sound quality improvement you will get from a PSU. The sound quality improvement of an audio grade PSU depends on multiple factors from the power supply design. In general high rated linear power supplies, which are only used for a very small load, have a very poor efficiency. This will result in an unnecessary waste of energy. The (unnecessary) energy waste over 5 years from a (i.e.) 5 x overrated power supply can be as high as the purchase price of a more efficient power supply, which is i.e. only 2 x overrated.

 

When selecting a proper PSU two things are important:

1.  the output voltage of the PSU has to match the input specification of a device. In case of the SOtM sMS-200 this is flexible and the unit runs on a power supply voltage from 6.5 – 12V. However in most cases only a fixed input voltage is allowed. Selecting a higher voltage, than the allowed voltage will damage the device.
    
2. the output current rating: this has to be equal or a bit more, say 2x more, than the specification of the device. For the specification you have to check the actual power consumption figures of a device, not the rating of the stock supplied SMPS adapter. The maximum power consumption of the SMS-200 is 15W, so in theory a 12V - 1.5A power supply would be sufficient, but for an audio grade PSU 2 -3A would be advisable.

 

For the SOtM sMS-200 Ultra you can only select a 9V or 12V power supply. Please check the stock supplied adapter for the matching PSU voltage.

 

I hope this helps you further to select your power supply.

 

Enjoy more music………

 

Wiebren

[CharlesY]

Thanks for the info Karin. So for a LPS with 9v/5.7A (approx 50watt) is it too high for comfort and will it damage the sms-200 do you think?

[Karin]

Hi Charles,

 

It will probably not damage your sMS-200, but it will make you poor  (waste of energy).

Regards,
Karin 

[CharlesY]

Sure Karin. Btw, with my tube headphone amp and power amp switched on - don't think I will need the heating on in cold winter days

[Karin]

1 minute ago, CharlesY said:

Sure Karin. Btw, with my tube headphone amp and power amp switched on - don't think I will need the heating on in cold winter days

... LOL  

[CharlesY]

Karin,

Am I right that the Sbooster 12v-13.2v LPS for sms-200 is rated at 12v/2A (or higher)?

[Karin]

Hi Charles,

 

The BOTW P&P ECO 12-13.2V is rated as follows:

• 12V - 3A
• 12.5V - 2.5A
• 13.2V - 2.25A

[CharlesY]

OK. So 12v-3A is more than adequate for the sms-200 with 36w power output?

[Karin]

Absolutely!

[Superdad]

8 hours ago, CharlesY said:

OK. So 12v-3A is more than adequate for the sms-200 with 36w power output?

 

The SOtM smS-200 draws only about 0.55A during normal use, while the sMS-200 Ultra draws about 0.9A.  Both at 7V.

There are a large number of UltraCap LPS-1 units being used by SOtM streamer owners so we know this.

[beerandmusic]

58 minutes ago, Superdad said:

 

The SOtM smS-200 draws only about 0.55A during normal use, while the sMS-200 Ultra draws about 0.9A.  Both at 7V.

There are a large number of UltraCap LPS-1 units being used by SOtM streamer owners so we know this.

and barrows says they don't know what others are doing...but you know how much amps it draws...i didn't want to challenge barrows on what he said, but I would think competition would check out competing products....it would almost scare me if competitors didn't see what others are doing....glad you are knowledgeable about the SOTM (wink)

[Karin]

Alex, 

 

As Charles mentioned in one of his first posts, he is thinking of attaching his external USB HDD drive directly into sMS-200.

 

So as said above, to determine the compatibility of a power supply you have to check the actual power consumption. For the correct calculation of the total power consumption of a device, you also have to take into account the power that can be drawn from the device by the USB ports when connecting for example USB powered DAC’s and external USB HDD.

 

The SOtM sMS-200 has internal DC/DC converters, so the input current rises when the power supply voltage drops. As mentioned by Alex, the sMS-200 draws around 0.55A @ 7V and this drops to around 0.3A @ 12V. These figures are for the sMS-200 as streamer unit only. When you connect a USB powered DAC and/or an external USB HDD to the sMS-200, the drawn current will become higher. With DC/DC converters you can calculate the worst case current draw as following:

 

Official specs SOtM: 15W (this figure includes all possible powered USB devices)     

Current @ 7V:   15W / 7V =  2.14A

Current @12V:  15W/12V = 1.25A

 

Therefor we would not recommend a PSU that only outputs 1A, without the warning that you cannot use any of the non audio USB ports of the sMS-200.

 

And we know this, because we have sold many Sboosters to users of the SOtM sMS-200 with an USB powered DAC and/or external USB HDD connected... :)))

 

Regards,

Karin

 

[CharlesY]

Thanks guys for the info.

The followings are advice from Sotm when I asked them for advice for a third party LPS for the sms-200 ...

 

"I recommend using the 9V/2A(above 2A will be fine) would be good for sMS-200 and you can use upto 12V power to the sMS-200, above 12V can’t be used. And Amphere should be at least 1.5A.
The voltage could be acceptable between +6.5 ~ 12Vdc, but we recommend 9V. And above 2A is no problem. but below 1.5A would cause an issue because of low current."

 

The reasons that I what to get a third party LPS for my new sms-200 are:

1) My budget constraint (although there are positive feedbacks on the two well-known brands mentioned here - I budget just simply cannot stretch to that atm) - no disrespect of them but its just my budget constraint and nothing elase

2) I would like to invest on a good quality LPS (with audiophile-grade components) that I maybe able to reuse it for other devices in the future

 

Hence I started this thread and I think a 12v LPS is a very common and popular one for most DACs and similar devices. I am interested in this LPS rated at 12v 5.5A which I understand is within the recommended voltage limit but not sure if the higher current will do any good (or possibly bad) to the sms-200 - with the USB HDD attached.  Please advice.

 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100VA-Ultra-low-Noise-LPS-HI-END-R-core-Linear-power-supply-for-audio-DC5V-24V/32691902812.html?spm=2114.search0204.3.2.hk7zHm&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_2_10152_10065_10151_10344_10068_10130_10345_10324_10342_10547_10325_10343_10340_10341_10548_10192_10541_10190_10562_10084_10083_10307_10301_10303_10539_5080015_10312_10059_10313_10314_10184_10534_10533_100031_10604_10603_10103_10594_10557_10596_10595_10142_10107,searchweb201603_12,ppcSwitch_7_ppcChannel&algo_expid=9e9c179f-7fb1-4fbb-9e90-1b7db5f57665-0&algo_pvid=9e9c179f-7fb1-4fbb-9e90-1b7db5f57665&rmStoreLevelAB=4

 

This LPS (from Zerozone) has been discussed in many forums and is very well received  and with some minor mods that will become a killer LPS (??!!) ...

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/audio-power-supplies-part3-smps-lps-supercap-battery-diy-route-new-devices-opens-up-new-options.822160/page-8