Westlake says the supplied power supply is a POS.
He doesn’t like iFi iPower, either.
FYI 
I know, but from my own testing and what I heard from others, its still better than to let the DAC be powered by USB.
So, what power supplies are folks using with this DAC?
And does it work out of the Box? I don’t have a windows machine to install drivers or firmware upgrade.
Another question. I can’t tell if this comes with a remote. Switching inputs from the couch is desirable.
Not sure what firmware is included with new units.
I am using iFi iPower, but thinking about upgrading to a cheap linear one.
Which linear you considering?
I am currently using an Emotiva DC-1 DAC that has dual DACs and its own built in linear power supply. Kinda surprised this one doesn’t have a PSU built in.
https://emotiva.com/product/dc-1/
Looking to upgrade for DSD and MQA, but want to keep the transparent sound I have now and the remote for input switching.
It comes with a small infrared remote that allows input switching and works out of the box.
For firmware upgrades, while Pro-Ject doesn’t offer firmware upgrade software for platforms other than Windows, it ought to be possible to do a firmware upgrade with a generic tool on another platform, since the XMOS chip uses the generic USB DFU firmware upgrade mechanism. YMMV.
Maybe this one, cheap but read some good things about it, and comes with a USB power output:
http://www.ab-system.hk/index.php?route=product/product&path=73&product_id=64
Interesting. I wonder what’s out there that can provide power to a couple of devices, say a streamer and a DAC.
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Maybe I am cheap, but I just don’t see how $500 for a power supply is worth it. I guess I’d have to hear the difference in an a-b test.
If its a safe design (no reason it should not be) then it looks like a great PSU!
I’d buy one… 
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Can someone explain to me what the issues are with the iFi iPower? I use that for my RaspberryPi.
I just set up my Pro-ject S2. I am using the IFI 5v power supply. I also have a Marantz HD-DAC1 and loved the sound of the Marantz - never thought that the S2 would sound as good - but so far, it does. Currently, I am upsampling everything to 384khz and it sounds great, but I want to go DSD, which is what I was doing with the Marantz. Have not tried MQA yet, but I will get around to it.
I use the DAC with a Windows 10 PC through USB. One kind of weird thing I am encountering is when I go to HQ Player and do the settings, if I have my display set to UHD, the settings box is too tiny to see. I have reduced the resolution on the TV down to 2048X1600 and now I can see the settings. Would like to know how to fix that.
I still need to play with it a little bit - I had to install the drivers twice and it works, but no DSD yet. I am using it with HQ Player, so I still need to do some tinkering in the setup - any advice would be much appreciated. In Roon setup, I am using the ASIO setting.
So do I -
Explained, in part -
Cheers Slim.
John Swenson (of microRendu and Uptone Regen fame) has been talking on CA Forum about leakage currents for a while. Some DAC designers have also talked about it, so I’m not going to get into who’s started talking about it first (not even important) but I’ve read a lot of John S’s posts. His posts about leakage currents are in heaps of different threads on CA Forum but later I will try to find some and post here, where he explains what they are.
Here is one good:
Another here:
So the obvious next question then is, why are leakage currents bad?
He (and DAC designers) have found that leakage currents do affect sound quality. He has found that blocking them (blocking as much as possible - I don’t think it’s possible to block ALL) from getting into the DAC is a good thing.
What exactly is going on INSIDE the DAC with these leakage currents to affect sound quality is still being investigated but heaps of users (including myself) that have followed advice about blocking them have reported positive things regarding sound quality. Usually more bass is the first thing you notice but I’ve found more of everything - more clarity.
So if you can’t block them, he’s found using linear PSU’s is far better than SMPS’s. He’s found that linear PSU’s have lower leakage levels (in general) than SMPS’s.
I really am not an expert. I’m only sharing what I’ve read from John Swenson. And more detailed questions should be directed directly at John S on CA Forum - he’s super easy to contact and he shares to much information.
Of all the SMPS’s John S has tested, the iFi iPower had the highest levels of leakage current. I posted his direct comment in a link above.
That’s a really high level gist/summary of a very complicated thing that’s still being learned about. John Swenson is having to build his own custom gear at the moment to learn more about this stuff.
Now if someone thinks that is all a load of hogwash, that’s fair enough - but the designer of the DAC that this thread is about has also recommended a linear PSU for better performance for the same reasons (leakage currents).
If someone doesn’t believe the DAC’s designer, well I can’t help with that sadly 
It’s all way over my head but sometimes you just gotta trust the experts, the guys/girls that designed the stuff we buy!
I would love to ask you John @John_Westlake what you think these leakage currents are doing to affect the D-to-A process to affect sound quality.
Even though everyone is still learning/investigating the exact mechanisms and what’s happening, I would love to know what your gut feel is, for how/why these leakage currents are bad for DACs.
Cheers!
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Thanks, some clarity from the dark side.
If the designers think it’s bad, then it’s probably bad.
Still, disappointed about my iPower.
Something from Hans B. -
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LOL I’ve lost track of who was on the dark side - I thought it was you with your iFi iUSB3.0? 
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That is helpful re DACs. Why would it be bad for the Pi and other streamers? Same issue?
The streamer feeds the DAC so there can be a leakage loop through the streamer into the DAC.
So it can become a game of whack-a-mole quite quickly.
It’s important to not lose sight of the big picture. You don’t NEED a linear PSU with the S2 (or anything) to enjoy it’s performance. From all accounts it sounds fantastic as is, straight out the box.
It’s just about squeezing out more performance - if budget allows and if you can be bothered.