The new generation UltraCap LPS-1.2: USER IMPRESSIONS and QUESTIONS thread

[Geoff1954]

As Alex knows, I tried to do exactly that and was not successful. For whatever reason, in my particular setup, the Sonicorbiter web page that is needed to establish a network connection to the microRendu, "saw" it but could not connect.

Instead I use my LPS 1.2 to power both my Pro-ject Pre Box S2 and my Uptone Audio ISO REGEN. I use the SMPS that came with the ISO REGEN to power the microRendu. Alex says this is not the ideal way to power the microRendu, but it is working for me until I can purchase a better power supply for the microRendu.

[Superdad]

48 minutes ago, seaharp1 said:

Can I safely and effectively power my both Project Pre-Box S2 and microrendu with one UltraCap LPS-1.2?

If so, where would I get the Y cable?

 

Current-wise I think it is works fine.  We do have a few people using that combination (still not sure why it does not work for Geoff above; he gets results that are not consistent with my testing with the microRendu).

 

As for good quality 'Y' cables, Ghent Audio in China makes a wide range using Oyaide plugs and Canare wire.

[seaharp1]

Is this the correct cable for my equipment?

DC19 Oyaide DC Series-Mode Y-Cable.

 

[Superdad]

26 minutes ago, seaharp1 said:

Is this the correct cable for my equipment?

DC19 Oyaide DC Series-Mode Y-Cable.

 

No, not at all.  That cable is special for making series connection of two UltraCap units to obtain a higher voltage.  It wires them +/-/+/- like a battery to achieve single output of the sum of whatever voltages you have the units set for.  You just want a normal 'Y' cable "splitter."  Here is the one you want: http://www.ghentaudio.com/part/dc11.html

 

Secondly, please mind the DC barrel plug sizes.  With Oyaide plugs, the ones with the red tip ring are 5.5mm x 2.5mm and the ones with the black tip are 5.5mm x 2.1mm (the second figure is the size of the hole in the plug and the size of the pin in the jack).  

The UltraCap supplies, the Sonore Rendus, our REGENs, and many other devices have a 5.5mm x 2.1mm jack.  So you likely want that all around.  

The DC power connection on the Project Pre-Box S2 DAC is a microUSB jack.  So you will need DC barrel>microUSB plug adapter like this:

 

Oh wait, stop the presses!  I just realized that you are wanting to power both a microRendu (which needs at least 6 volts and won't run from 5V) and the Project Pre-Box S2 DAC which requires just 5V via its microUSB port.  Of course a single UltraCap supply can only be set to one output voltage at a time.  SO YOU CAN NOT DO WHAT I SAID YOU COULD!

Sorry, I got confused and was misremembering other Project Pre-Box S2 DAC owners' configurations.  

 

So you can either let your microRendu power the Project DAC entirely via the 5VBUS from its output, or you can get another power supply to power them separately.  Because unless John Westlake (designer of that model Project) comes out and says 7V is okay for his DAC, I don't want people risking their DACs.  And I am pretty sure that the microRendu will not boot from just 5V, so you can't go down in that direction.

 

Again, sorry for the confusion.  (Busy day here and I got distracted.) 

[seaharp1]

Whew!!!...No worries.

 

So right now I'm using iFi @ 5v to power Project Pre-Box S2 DAC separately (with adapter) and LPS 1.2 to power microrendu.

 

Thanks,

[Geoff1954]

2 hours ago, Superdad said:

So you can either let your microRendu power the Project DAC entirely via the 5VBUS from its output, or you can get another power supply to power them separately.  Because unless John Westlake (designer of that model Project) comes out and says 7V is okay for his DAC, I don't want people risking their DACs.  And I am pretty sure that the microRendu will not boot from just 5V, so you can't go down in that direction.

Alex, I'm afraid now I am even more confused. Is it possible the reason I am not able to "let your microRendu power the Project DAC entirely via the 5VBUS from its output" because I have a USB REGEN in between the two?

Or is there another explanation that has to do with the ethernet connection and nothing really to do with the LPS1.2? I do not have a hard wired connection between my microRendu and my router. Instead I am using  Zyxel’s Wired LAN Adapter Series with Powerline Technology. These two devices are plugged into wall sockets in two different rooms, one where my router is located and one where my microRendu is located. Could this explain why Sonicorbiter "sees" my devices but cannot make the connection unless the microRendu has its own separate power supply? Which is the way I have it set up now, using the SMPS you sent with the ISO REGEN. And that works with Zyxel connection. But using the LPS 1.2 alone to power the microRendu and the Project (with the ISO REGEN in between) does not.

 

[seaharp1]

2 hours ago, Superdad said:

And I am pretty sure that the microRendu will not boot from just 5V, so you can't go down in that direction.

I think what he is explaining is the microrendu needs a "mimium " of 7 volts to power it and the Pro-ject needs 5 volts to "safely" power it.If you set lps 1.2 at 5v (safe for Pro-ject) but not enough for the mr to run.

[Superdad]

50 minutes ago, Geoff1954 said:

Alex, I'm afraid now I am even more confused. Is it possible the reason I am not able to "let your microRendu power the Project DAC entirely via the 5VBUS from its output" because I have a USB REGEN in between the two?

Or is there another explanation that has to do with the ethernet connection and nothing really to do with the LPS1.2? I do not have a hard wired connection between my microRendu and my router. ...

 

Hi Geoff:

The REGENs are just as capable of providing 5VBUS power to DACs as the Sonore Rendus are (they even both have the same 1A regulator dedicated to providing clean VBUS power).

You know from our long phone calls that I am happy to explain and experiment with you.  But given your set up and the permutations you are attempting, I would ask that we work together again offline so as not to confuse the general populace that come to this UltraCap LPS-1.2 thread.

 

The UltraCap LPS-1.2 is a marvelous single output 1.1A supply.  While we do not object to users trying to power more than one device with it (accepting what compromise comes with that), you can see from my my above exchange with @seaharp1 that even I can get confused when speaking of the vagaries of multi-unit connections.  So I really would prefer to work with folks one-on-one about such things.

 

Thanks and regards,

--Alex C.

[Geoff1954]

Understood Alex and apologies.

I don't think there's any need to work together any further. We've tried and in my setup we've come up with the only solution that seems to work. Sorry to take the thread off on a tangent.

[http404]

I'm not sure whether anyone else has tried this, if so file this under "very worthwhile improvement" and move on.

 

I'd been enjoying my Ultracap 1.2 for a few days and trying to decide whether I could repurpose my Ultracap 1 or if I should sell it ... long story short, it's not going anywhere!

 

Despite the fact that it only goes to a rated 7v and the supplied wall wart is rated as 9v, I figured it would be worth trying the Ultracap 1 on the business end (HiFi end) of one of my fiber media converters. Wowza!

 

I had been using an ifi power supply, which I will now move further upstream to the router side fiber media converter to see whether it makes a worthwhile improvement.

 

Every time I think there's nothing that can feasibly make a pair of LS-50s sing better, they defy that expectation. Now, from HiFi end fiber media converter, through Ultrarendu, LIO + VR120 and all the way to the LS-50's moving air, everything except the subwoofer is off the grid.

 

If you use fiber converters and have an Ultracap 1 knocking about, give it a try!

 

 

[soares]

20 hours ago, http404 said:

I'm not sure whether anyone else has tried this, if so file this under "very worthwhile improvement" and move on.

 

I'd been enjoying my Ultracap 1.2 for a few days and trying to decide whether I could repurpose my Ultracap 1 or if I should sell it ... long story short, it's not going anywhere!

 

Despite the fact that it only goes to a rated 7v and the supplied wall wart is rated as 9v, I figured it would be worth trying the Ultracap 1 on the business end (HiFi end) of one of my fiber media converters. Wowza!

 

I had been using an ifi power supply, which I will now move further upstream to the router side fiber media converter to see whether it makes a worthwhile improvement.

 

Every time I think there's nothing that can feasibly make a pair of LS-50s sing better, they defy that expectation. Now, from HiFi end fiber media converter, through Ultrarendu, LIO + VR120 and all the way to the LS-50's moving air, everything except the subwoofer is off the grid.

 

If you use fiber converters and have an Ultracap 1 knocking about, give it a try!

 

 

I confirm the improved SQ with the LPS-1 feeding the fiber media converters over HDPlex or iFi adaptors. Actually I am using just one to feed the 2 media converters with a split cable from Ghent. Please note that you need to wait for the green light in the LPS before connecting the MC's. Otherwise it won't work. I also have a Pinkfaun lan filter that also uplift the SQ. I am very satisfied with it.

[gstew]

Over the last 2 years I've tried LPS-1s & LPS-1.2s on both my switches and FMCs with success.

Then in the last year, based on recommendations here on CA and at the urging of my friend Ryelands (who posts here too and had tried them), I switched to Delock FMCs and ZyXEL switches and preferred them over the TP-Link & Trendnet FMCs and Cisco & Netgear switches I'd used earlier.

THEN again following Dave, I added a 3.3V regulator board at the power feed input of the Delocks (I used an ADM715x-based regulator, Dave used an LT3045-based one) and changed my input connection so I could easily feed it from an LPS-1/1.2. Both were definite improvements and currently I power my ZyXEL switch (unmodified) with an LPS-1 and my Delock endpoint FMC with an LPS-1.2.

Definite improvements.

AND I'm eagerly awaiting the new Uptone EtherRegen!!!

Greg in Mississippi

[pas]

2 minutes ago, gstew said:

Over the last 2 years I've tried LPS-1s & LPS-1.2s on both my switches and FMCs with success.

Then in the last year, based on recommendations here on CA and at the urging of my friend Ryelands (who posts here too and had tried them), I switched to Delock FMCs and ZyXEL switches and preferred them over the TP-Link & Trendnet FMCs and Cisco & Netgear switches I'd used earlier.

THEN again following Dave, I added a 3.3V regulator board at the power feed input of the Delocks (I used an ADM715x-based regulator, Dave used an LT3045-based one) and changed my input connection so I could easily feed it from an LPS-1/1.2. Both were definite improvements and currently I power my ZyXEL switch (unmodified) with an LPS-1 and my Delock endpoint FMC with an LPS-1.2.

Definite improvements.

AND I'm eagerly awaiting the new Uptone EtherRegen!!!

Greg in Mississippi

Which Zyxel switch are you employing?

[gstew]

@pas, ES-105 as recommended by Ryelands. They were made in 3 distinct versions and Ryelands says the original ones were the best.

Greg in Mississippi

[pas]

6 hours ago, gstew said:

@pas, ES-105 as recommended by Ryelands. They were made in 3 distinct versions and Ryelands says the original ones were the best.

Greg in Mississippi

I am using the GS105S V2 powered by an LPS-1 with excellent results. Thanks for the reply.

[Ryelands]

On 8/26/2018 at 10:59 PM, gstew said:

The ES-105 [was] made in 3 distinct versions and Ryelands says the original ones were the best.

 

Switch-wise, the best results, at least for me, came from upgrading the 3.3v Vreg in the ES-105. The mod is effective and all but negates the differences between the versions (I've tried versions 1 & 3 but not 2). That said, it's slightly easier to fit the Vreg to the v1 board.

 

I can confirm Greg's finding that powering a Vreg-modified DeLock with an LPS-1 sounds significantly better than using a linear PS. Until recently, I'd had to use the latter.

 

Other LAN-related upgrades include stacking two or even three ES-105s in series though that one is probably no longer worthwhile given the imminent(ish) Uptone EtherRegen.

 

Still well worth trying is removing the redundant pairs from the LAN cable - 100BaseT uses pins 1&2, green & 3&6, orange but not the blue or brown pairs. Though easy to do, it can make a dramatic difference. Decently-made CAT5 cables (e.g. Excel, BlueJean) are IMHO the best choice. Also, where practicable, try running the LAN at 10MB/sec, not 100MB/sec.

 

Dave

[Gnnett]

Currently using a mains powered linear power supply for my Rendu, which I switch off when not in use. As the LPS-1.2 only uses mains supply for charging, is it normally permanently on, or can it be switched off when not in use? Not sure which, if either would be best for the little Rendu, on all the time, or just when listening.

 

Cheers

 

Grant

[Superdad]

8 hours ago, Gnnett said:

Currently using a mains powered linear power supply for my Rendu, which I switch off when not in use. As the LPS-1.2 only uses mains supply for charging, is it normally permanently on, or can it be switched off when not in use? Not sure which, if either would be best for the little Rendu, on all the time, or just when listening.

 

Hi Grant:

 

Welcome to CA!    Your question is a good one.  Here is how it works with the UltraCap LPS-1.2:

The LPS-1.2 has a power switch.  When it is off, it is not drawing any current at all from the 36W SMPS charging brick.  With no current being drawn, the SMPS brick, while technically still "on" is drawing near zero AC current from the wall.

 

As for powering on and off as desired: Sure that is fine.  Just a couple of things to keep in mind.

a) The Rendu, like all devices equipped with an oscillator clock, will sound slightly better when its clock is warm and stable.  Takes perhaps a few hours of being on to reach that fully.

 

b) The ultra-low-noise/ultra-low-ouput impedance LT3045 voltage regulators at the output of the LPS-1.2 have a ramp time (after the entire unit's start-up boot charge/diagnostic cycle completes) of a few tens of milliseconds.  This is of no importance to any device, with the exception of the microRendu (the ultraRendu does not care).  The microRendu will not properly boot from a connected LPS-1.2 being started with the power switch.  That is, to use the LPS-1.2 with the microRendu, you must power on the LPS-1.2 with the DC cable not yet connected to the microRendu.  When the LPS-1.2 LED gets to green, then attach the DC cable to the microRendu (of course does not matter which end was disconnected--matter of physical convenience), and the microRendu will boot just fine.

 

Hopefully I understand your questions correctly and that the above answers them in a way that makes sense.  If not, feel free to restate your question or ask other questions.

 

Thanks,

--Alex C.

[Gnnett]

Hi Alex

 

That answer is perfect and I have the uRendu.

 

If/when I go 1.2, I would switch it on when I am home and switch it off when I am not.

 

I would probably unplug the SMPS when away for more than a weekend as well, I am a risk averse geotechnical engineer. ? Simple and thanks.

 

Cheers

Grant

[lumos]

I have a couple of LPS1 and a 1.2 and before I buy another 1.2 has anyone got any experience comparing it to the JS2? Assuming that I just need a single power supply for an ultra rendu which will give the best performance?

[Ryelands]

1 hour ago, lumos said:

 Assuming that I just need a single power supply for an ultra rendu which will give the best performance?

 

I don't have a JS2 but I did for several years use John's original C-L-C circuit (published on Audio Asylum in 2009) to power a DIY'd Network Audio Adapter. AFAIK, the 2009 circuit is essentially identical to the JS2 though the latter may have been refined. (It's certainly better built - it even comes in a case . . .)

 

My DIY effort was much better than the conventional linear PSU it replaced and is still in use in an RIAA pre-amp. The same goes for two more builds of the circuit which for some time powered my TDA1541A DAC.

 

But they just don't compare to using LPS-1s  in the same role, as I do now. I have no hesitation in recommending you use one for your ultraRendu. The JS2 is a fine circuit that addresses the LPS-1.2's power limitations but, where they provide enough power, the LPS-1/LPS-1.2 are superior devices sonically.

 

HTH

 

Dave

[lumos]

Thank you so much, that is really helpful. I was a power supply sceptic until I first attached an LPS-1 to my Ultra Rendu. I cannot recall an upgrade that had such an impact on my enjoyment for the money.

[charlesphoto]

Many of us have found that it’s the dc cable between the two can make a huge difference. You may (or may not) want to go down that rabbit hole. My DIY works great for me, but plenty of options on the open market now. 

[lumos]

I went with the Ghent Audio connections that John S recommended on this site. 

[Ryelands]

 

1 hour ago, charlesphoto said:

it’s the dc cable between the two can make a huge difference. 

 

I'd say that decent cables bring the best out of any PS but especially out of the likes of an LPS-1. There's little point in spending big money on an ultra-low output impedance circuit only to connect it to its load with an over-long lead of highish impedance.

 

John's by-now-notorious JSSG quad-core design has repeatedly proved in my system to be superior both to conventional cables and to quad-core unscreened cables. As you say, they're not hard to DIY if you know how to use a soldering iron.( I've yet to try the "360 degree" version.)

 

Today's hot cable tip: if the target device needs a lower voltage than the LPS-1/1.2 can provide, set the LPS-1x to a higher voltage and mount a decent Vreg (LT3045 or equivalent) at the remote end of the cable, as close as possible (closer, even) to the load. I did just that to both my WaveIO USB>I2S board and Intona isolator with excellent results. Ditto for my DAC. (H/T to GStew for making me try it.)

 

Swallow the extra cost, call it a HyperActive Link and show it off to your friends . . .