Im just listening to the fabulous Jon Faddis on Chesky SACD instead of thinking about stupid reviewersâŠI can recommend this! Great dynamic trumpet in a great soundstage and natural Chesky ambiance as always âŠ
sorry wrong thread
badbeef saidClearly you were out of the loop! LOL. Not that leather was a loop I cared about...Scolley - re: post 75 - thatâs hysterical, did not know Tandy was a leather Co. Around that time was when we all had Frye boots, and thick, wide leather belts with two large rings on the end you would thread the end through. Studly!
Around that time I actually got a leather hole punch with rotating multi-size punch head (itâs around here somewhere) to make new holes in my wide belts as the waistline got wider : )
Were you in that mailing list (for buying DPST relays, light sensitive resistors, or whatever) , youâd not have missed the opportunity to buy dyies, rivet punches, leather stains⊠you name it. It was hippie heaven! Youâd of had the tools too be hot sh*t. Too bad you missed that.
My own personal note to that is bit of nostalgia - given that I was just about half a decade short of being an true hippie or flower child - was that while I was THRILLED to see all the feathers they also offered for sale (in addition to leather)⊠I never gave a hoot for how they could be properly affixed to a head band or leather garment. To me, they were clearly designed to be attached to the back of a cork with a hook, to catch a bass on a floating fly line. More than one feather order was made. More than one good sized bass was eaten as a resultâŠ
LOL, that was another time. And the Tandy company (Leather AND electronic goods) were a delightful part of that era.
Granted, I donât need much advice around batteries. But I am none the less, saddened to see them go.
Hi all, I am an audio enthusiast from Turkey, i own a DS for one year.
Having read Minimalistâs post on power supply modification to the DS, i did a quick and dirty experiment on my DS. I disconnected the power connector of the analog PCB from the power supply and connected it to a 12V 12 Ah UPS battery. To my ears the change in sound quality was not subtle. The bass became tight and much less mushy, images more focused on the soundstage, and instruments more discernible. I went back and forth several times and my observation was the same each time. With more serious elaboration i think one may obtain even better results,
One Sunday tweaker i think should not be able to improve so easily upon a high-end audio component, which is a companyâs flaghsip product btw,
The performance of such an accomplished DAC being shadowed by suboptimal power supply is sad, and i think it should be dealt with by PS Audio, as an engineered optional modification maybe. I personally would not wait for the next iteration of the product,
Ted earlier mentioned that one of the compromises they adopted was to use the power supply from the PWD. Engineering another supply(s) would have cost more. Iâm happy the DS did not come in at a higher price point.
Welcome, Deniz!
Powering a component with a battery is an entirely different scenario than an AC power supply.
As minimalist notes, PS Audio made a design/cost/benefit decision with respect to the power supply in the DS.
Let us know if you conduct additional experiments.
I guess the âUltimate Directstreamâ is always going to be a âDirHackedStreamâ ; )
Even if they make a three-box version, folks will crack those open and noodle with them.
badbeef saidI guess the âUltimate Directstreamâ is always going to be a âDirHackedStreamâ ; )
Even if they make a three-box version, folks will crack those open and noodle with them.
So true⊠then that becomes a 6 box version !
deniz_salman saidHaving read Minimalistâs post on power supply modification to the DS, i did a quick and dirty experiment on my DS. I disconnected the power connector of the analog PCB from the power supply and connected it to a 12V 12 Ah UPS battery.
Make sure that the battery isnât ever much above 12V or below 12V. The analog card assumes a regulated 12V - it does a lot of filtering of the input voltage, but too high or too low is outside itâs design.
Hi Ted,
Thanks for your comment,
Indeed i measured 12.3V on the connector before the experiment, and the already partially discharged battery was at 12.25
Minimalist saidTed earlier mentioned that one of the compromises they adopted was to use the power supply from the PWD. Engineering another supply(s) would have cost more. Iâm happy the DS did not come in at a higher price point.
Hi Minimalist,
Could i kindly ask how much you spent for the custom power supply mod? You do not have to answer this of course,
Paul and Ted, itâs possible to launch PSA official upgraded PSU for DS? then Compromise on PSU cost no longer valid!
Itâs not clear that the power supply is the most cost effective upgrade to the DS (nor is it clear that it isnât.) When I can no longer get noticeable audio quality improvements with each new release then weâll probably look at the best things to upgrade the DS but still keep the price in line.
deniz_salman saidHi Minimalist,
Could i kindly ask how much you spent for the custom power supply mod? You do not have to answer this of course,
The parts cost for that mod alone would come to roughly $200-250 using the ones that sounded/measured best to me.
The far greater expense would likely be for labour. The parts must be assembled, and then the whole chassis needs to be disassembled for drilling and then reassembled, which is undoubtedly outside the comfort zone of most DS users. Oh, it will also violate the warranty.
The main obstacle for this particular mod, as I see it, is addressing the extra heat that the power supply adds. This is a particular issue for me since our power line voltage is higher than the range specified for the DS, making some parts run quite hot stock.
And with the extra capacitance in the power supply, the turn-on surge requires a larger fuse also.
How about an Ultracapacitor PS?
Expensive, yes - but we are talking about a cost no object solution here.
Ultracapacitors are better than a capacitor for energy storage, but worse than a battery.
Ultracapacitors are noisier than a capacitor and but not necessarily better than a battery.
They also need a lot of TLC if you need more than a couple of volts. Most people use a switching supply to get reasonable voltages from ultracapacitors. Doing careful charge and discharge balancing is necessary if you put them in series to get reasonable voltages without a switching supply.
Whether you use a battery, a set of ultracapacitors, or rectified AC power you still need similar filtering of the power, both batteries and ultracapacitors use chemical processes which arenât âsmoothâ, e.g. bubbles can form which add noise when the pop, etc. The advantage of not using a linear supply is being electrically isolated from groundloop issues which may not even be the case with batteries or ultracapacitors:
Both ultracapacitors and batteries require a charger and if that charger is in the same box you have at least part of the same groundloop issues as a direct linear power supply. (E.g. a safety ground by itself adds groundloopsâŠ) Especially if the ultracapacitor/battery isnât disconnected from the unit while charging via, say, a relay (not a solid state relay but a mechanical relay.)
Ultracapacitors arenât a panacea, and the particular features they bring to the party donât seem better than alternatives.
Ted Smith saidEven better in case you can make also such improvements upgradable ;-)Itâs not clear that the power supply is the most cost effective upgrade to the DS (nor is it clear that it isnât.) When I can no longer get noticeable audio quality improvements with each new release then weâll probably look at the best things to upgrade the DS but still keep the price in line.
I suspect you will, as thereâs probably a large customer base on todayâs DSâŠ
An ultra cap power supply is an interesting thought for the analog board, I have no doubt others are contemplating the logistics.
2 UpTone LPS-1s connected in series, 7 volt and 5 volt settings used to attain 12 volts.
Limited to a 1 amp output, but if I recall, the DS has a 1 amp fuse for the entire DS load.
Total investment with cable and adapter connectors would be less than a $1000US, would it be worth it?
Advancements in power supply technology have definitely been one of the factors pushing the boundaries of our hobby.
Or maybe;
Insert an ifi DC ipurifier inline into the analog board power cable, around a $120US investment with CCTV adapter connectors.
Ted Smith saidUltracapacitors are better than a capacitor for energy storage, but worse than a battery.
Ultracapacitors are noisier than a capacitor and but not necessarily better than a battery.
They also need a lot of TLC if you need more than a couple of volts. Most people use a switching supply to get reasonable voltages from ultracapacitors. Doing careful charge and discharge balancing is necessary if you put them in series to get reasonable voltages without a switching supply.
Whether you use a battery, a set of ultracapacitors, or rectified AC power you still need similar filtering of the power, both batteries and ultracapacitors use chemical processes which arenât âsmoothâ, e.g. bubbles can form which add noise when the pop, etc. The advantage of not using a linear supply is being electrically isolated from groundloop issues which may not even be the case with batteries or ultracapacitors:
Both ultracapacitors and batteries require a charger and if that charger is in the same box you have at least part of the same groundloop issues as a direct linear power supply. (E.g. a safety ground by itself adds groundloopsâŠ) Especially if the ultracapacitor/battery isnât disconnected from the unit while charging via, say, a relay (not a solid state relay but a mechanical relay.)
Ultracapacitors arenât a panacea, and the particular features they bring to the party donât seem better than alternatives.
I can appreciate this, but I think the Uptone LPS-1 has been engineered with the sole intent to remedy most of the flaws that you address.
I wasnât talking about any particular device - I was pointing out that the same amount of money probably could be used to do something better with other technologies.