Just got a lowish powered 12V 50W LPS from Small Green Computer. My i5 ROCK is now making my Gumby sing even sweeter. Looking forward to the Schiit USB upgrade that will land sometime soon - I hope.
Blind test?
Just to be sure:
Your NUC is connected to your switch
It is NOT connected to your player.
Right?
I just want to share my experience regarding the impact of the Intel NUC power supply on sound quality.
My setup is very simple and straightforward: Intel NUC with Roon ROCK, connected to the internet (for Tidal) through the router, and connected by direct Ethernet cable to the DAC (which is included in the amplifier). Intel NUC also has an SSD with my local music library (normal FLAC and studio master).
My initial belief (almost 100%) was that, in the case of my setup, the Intel NUC power supply cannot have a significant or even audible impact on the sound quality.
Today I had the opportunity to test 3 power supplies for Intel NUC:
- Intel NUC stock source (90 W);
- an older FSP source (150 W), significantly larger than the above;
- a linear power supply (100 W).
Well, my initial belief was wrong …
Each of the 3 power sources has different results in sound quality.
Obviously, the best results are those of the linear power supply.
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Did you do a blind test,level matched? Ethernet is galvanically isolated so there is that too.
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Lets’s not forget that the quality/cost of an LPS will make a difference. There’s no point buying the cheapest available on eBay and hoping for miracles. The Custom Hifi Cables DC3, designed and made by Sean Jacobs, the man behind the PSU for the two-box Innuos Statement, made a big difference to the performance of my Nucleus
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My two cents is that the switch will mostly decouple the ROCK/ROON device from the DAC and therefore any value will be lost.
I do suspect that a LPS is a good idea for locally connected ROCK/DACs and I plan to build one myself. The difference (admittedly a different beast) when i built my own franken-external supply for my old but excellent DAC was astonishing. I built two-in-one a digital and an analog regulated supply, externally, sharing only a switch to the AC line and a fuse.
Better everything - dynamics, weight, less grain, better inter-transient silence…just better.
I would have to know how the internal architecture of the switch is to be sure - how decoupled are the ports? how long is the cable from switch to ROCK and to DAC?
I might first (or also?) consider a LPS for the switch.
the more I think about it the less certain i become - but it likely needs both to be addressed.
EDIT: I’ll leave my entire post int he spirit of “show your work”.
But are you saying ROCK --> ethernet switch --> ethernet --> streamer (not DAC, but streamer/DAC)? if so i think the benefit would be small to zero. A great LPS at the streamer would be useful. Of course the manufacturer will claim they already built one. I replace THOSE all the time with my pwn designs. There’s “good at a cost pint” and then there’s “done to my satisfaction”. Power supplies are costly. Pay by the pound, among other annoying issues.
G
Here’s what i plan to build.
System chain: ROCK/NUC8i5BEH. --> USB --> various USB DACs and one legacy DAC with a Schiit EiTR --> preamp(s). Since i do contract design i have lots of odd but excellent prototypes around so the mix is ever changing. Consider the EITR the “DAC” in this case, it take sin USB, clocks it, and spits out tightly clocked SPDIF.
I looked at the NUC specs and the NUC power brick. I plan to build a regulated LPS that tales raw 22V DC --> regulated 17V DC with some analog (LC) filtering after that. 3A @ 17Vdc.
I expect with the local connection this will be an improvement.
I have more urgent projects, like ones that pay, so this may not happen for some months. I’ll report back.
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I second Henry’s comment. You need to distinguish between locally connected devices where noise and potential zero-crossing jitter may be improved, vs where you are simply sending network data to ANOTHER device such as a raspberry Pi or commercial endpoint, (which may well benefit from an LPS).
Try first an endpoint such as an ultra or Optical Rendu, or a SOtM 200 ultra connected to a good LPS.
You´ll see the difference…
I use a streamer DAC (Naim ND555) with a Cisco 2960 switch between it and a Nucleus+ and fitting a regulated LPS to the Nucleus made a massive difference
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A lot has changed since I posted in April 2018!
Back then my Roon core had its own connection into my ISP router, my home network off another connection into that router and my NAS another. My music room now has the Core and streamer off a single 5 port switch I am migrating my files on to the Core. In the original configuration an LPS made no difference. In the new configuration an LPS on the switch and on the core both make a positive contribution. My conclusion is 0.5 metre patch cables into a switch is sufficiently intimate for LPS’s to have an impact. Less so when additional switches and routers are in the mix. One aspect of this is that the streamer (Teac NT-505) is mains powered and is the variable I cannot change. In my old configuration I had super cap and battery options and spent a long time messing about with those.
To be clear, my opinion hasn’t changed but it isn’t as clear cut as a simple no!
I just found this thread. Thought it was interesting as I have Rock/NUC8i3BEH connected to both my AVR for multichannel (HDMI) and soon, a DAC via USB.
I visited the SBooster site, but was disappointed to see they didn’t have a distributor for the US. In addition the 19v version of PS didn’t come with an option for 110v input.
As for the “cheap” LPS on ebay - I am very hesitant to put something without UL or other safety certification plugged in 24x7 in my house.
Anyone have any other sources for suitable (19v 5A) LPS?
I use the HDPlex 200W unit. 19v and 12v at high current, up to 15v variable at 2a max times two.
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I use this one:
https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/hifi-power-supply/lpsu100-stabilized-power-supply-19v-525a-100w-nasintel-nuc-p-9644.html
Yeah, getting an uncertified power supply wasn’t my first choice. But after looking at the limited options (here in the US), I may go that route after all.
A LPS with a Music Server that is using Ethernet is a waste of money. Now if you are directly connecting a server via USB to a dac ,that is a different story and a LPS could easily benefit your audio quality.
Ethernet is galvanically isolated by its nature.
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I agree. In my case it’s going to be connected via USB.