Teradac make nice ready made linear supplies.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/TeraDak-DC-50W-Dacmagic-plug-12V-power-source-PSU-Linear-Power-Supply-/131112824783
Cheers George
Linear power supply for Arcam irdac
I recently purchased an Arcam irdac which I think sounds very good in my system. I am looking to improve it's performance further by replacing cheap switching power supply with an aftermarket linear supply. This makes sense to me since Arcam's own premium DAC uses two separate toroidal transformers, and one of the most common upgrade paths for Naim gear is to add external beefed up power supplies.
There are positive reviews on various sites for Teddy Pardo Linear PS, Main Cables R Us advertises their irdac solution extensively on eBay, Custom Hifi Cables makes an interesting looking 12VAC unit, and Paul Hynes who designed the regulator for the Empirical Audio Overdrive SE makes a stand alone power supply for the irdac as well. I have also been approached by a vendor for Best of Two Worlds Power and Precision - ECO linear supply system (built by Sbooster). All are in the same ball park in terms of cost (~$400 USD delivered), and all have champions on the Internet that swear these custom power supplies noticably improve performance of small DACs over stock wall warts.
One further consideration. Teddy Pardo claims that his supplies are super quiet. I find this compelling, but am thinking that current deliver may be just as or more important for DAC audio performance.
In terms of a linear supply to improve performance of my irdac, do you have experience and a specific recommendation?
There are positive reviews on various sites for Teddy Pardo Linear PS, Main Cables R Us advertises their irdac solution extensively on eBay, Custom Hifi Cables makes an interesting looking 12VAC unit, and Paul Hynes who designed the regulator for the Empirical Audio Overdrive SE makes a stand alone power supply for the irdac as well. I have also been approached by a vendor for Best of Two Worlds Power and Precision - ECO linear supply system (built by Sbooster). All are in the same ball park in terms of cost (~$400 USD delivered), and all have champions on the Internet that swear these custom power supplies noticably improve performance of small DACs over stock wall warts.
One further consideration. Teddy Pardo claims that his supplies are super quiet. I find this compelling, but am thinking that current deliver may be just as or more important for DAC audio performance.
In terms of a linear supply to improve performance of my irdac, do you have experience and a specific recommendation?
11 responses Add your response
Thanks George...I have a similar need approaching to replace a wall wart for an active speaker processor with a good regulated power supply. Ever heard of Swagman Labs out of Asia? The recommendation for the Teradac PS is the 2nd one I've seen in the last few hours. I'd agree with the OP that current delivery is just as important. I'm in need of similar power supply as follows; - detachable US power cord - power output, 2-3 foot lead with BNC connector - 12V-13.8V DC - 5amp - minimum 60W, 65W is ideal Many of the power supplies listed online seem to be 2A....not 5; is this critical? |
11-21-15: Jburidan http://www.teradak.com/products/102.html Cheers George |
| Post removed |
Thanks George. Have you tried this power supply with irDAC, Dacmagic or similar? On another forum I have gotten positive plugs for MCRU and Sbooster, while Paul Hynes and Teddy Pardo are heavy hitters in power supplies. My feeling is all well designed supplies will make positive difference over wall wart. Since going to trouble to order, trying to maximize returns. kn |
Many now have tried the TeraDak power supply with my Lightspeed Attenuator, and some say it's sounds better than the linear wall wart I supply. But many (even Sam Tellig of Stereophile) can't hear a difference between the linear wall wart and pure battery either. This is because I have very good power supply artifact rejection circuitry inside the Lightspeed Attenuator Depends on the power supply rejection components inside your irDac as well. Cheers George |
Just a note .. had the opportunity to talk to one of the Arcam head designers at RMAF in 2014 and asked this very question. He simply replied that they were aware of the aftermarket product(s) and claims, and said "do you think we would build this level of a DAC w/o addressing this issues of power input?" He really suggested saving my money (the one I was looking at was 400-) and some time upgrading to the FMJ 333 which I see has been becoming more affordable of late. That is were I am looking. I can say upgrading my SPDIF cable to Geistnote 75 Ω S/PDIF (RCA) Apogee Cable .5m (39-?) was a very reasonable upgrade over my AQ 1m VDX. |
Ok, I ordered a Main Cables R Us linear power supply from the U.K. for Arcam irDAC, upgraded at factory with rhodium IEC socket and fuse, and silver DC supply cable. It is currently connected to Wiremold power strip by a Nanotech 308 AC cable with Furutech gold plated plugs. The power supply has been powered up pretty much solid for 3 months. Cut to chase, this is a big improvement over stock wall wart. The power supply alone with stock AC cable offered smoother top end, more natural sounding voices, stronger and more defined bass, noticeably better soundstage, also improved the already very good tone and PRAT. I replaced the stock "parts bin" AC power cable with an Isotek Evo3 Premier cable recommended by MCRU as upgrade for this LPS. Startling sound explosion - sound level immediately increased by several decibels (!) with more snap to leading edges and greater top end clarity. Maybe too much top end. After giving this cable several weeks to settle down, I swapped out my Nanotech interconnects with rhodium RCAs that had been my favorites for the irDAC for the same type wire with gold plugs, and that helped things smooth out on top. But I couldn’t help thinking the MCRU power supply and IrDAC combo deserved an even better AC supply cable. Shopping around I stumbled onto the new Nanotech 308 in ad on Agon, and based on good experience with their interconnects I bought unterminated wire and assembled myself. This was a revelation. Lowered volume overall compared with the Isotek, but even cold there was so much more touch and detail with out sounding busy or fussy. Painterly and panoramic soundstage, closest I’ve heard to analog in my system yet. More and better bass too. Just a big improvement in all areas. Others who have listened to my system and were familiar before noticed the positive differences immediately without prompt. The combination of the irDAC with the MCRU power supply and the Nanotech 308 power cable along with decent interconnects makes for very rewarding (and extended) listening. I tried an Anker battery supply before the MCRU supply and did not like the sound of the battery as much as stock wall wart. The MCRU linear power supply on the other hand made a big positive difference, revealing full value and engineering of irDAC, and allowing further tweaking with various AC power cords. Very happy - highly recommended upgrade. kn |