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This particular Zerozone linear power supply with toroidal transformer found on eBay is outstanding, with true audiophile performance. I use two of them: a 5V version and a 12V version, and in both applications the particular Zerozone PSU sounds excellent from top to bottom, with no sonic downside, and very good build quality especially for a low-cost $62 PSU. The only issue I found is the stock DC umbilical sounds mediocre when compared to other DC umbilicals I've tried. However, it's not so much the materials used, including silver plated copper with Teflon dielectric conductors, nor the stock DC connectors per se, it's the fact that the geometry of the stock build is poorly done. Rather than a proper twisted pair, the construction simply involves two wires run in parallel through the outer sleeving. This issue can be remedied by disassembling the DC umbilical, pulling the wires out of the sleeving, twisting the wires properly, then re-terminating the cable with the stock DC connectors. Doing so substantially improves performance, with no added expense. That said, while the stock DC umbilical when tweaked performs quite well, I would suggest a DC umbilical upgrade at some point if higher-performance is sought. The stock rubber feet should be replaced with audiophile-quality footers, as well. Another option is to install a 0.1uf Wima MP3-X2 capacitor across the L&N of the IEC inlet for RFI suppression, but it's not a must-do tweak, IMO.
Six different output voltage/current rating options to choose from:
1. 5V/3A
2. 9V/3A
3. 12V/3A
4. 15V/2.7A
5. 18V/2.5A
6. 24V/2A
I experienced no shipping issues when purchased from this eBay seller:
See link:
Follow Ups:
At last. After a 31 day wait my Zerozone ps arrived from China via ePacket (eBay). I unpacked it and connected it to my system using the supplied umbilical cable for a quick check. It checked ok. So on to da mod.
Here we go.
Replacing the DC connector with a speakON NL2MP 2 pole chassis mount connector on the Zerozone Linear PS (as mentioned by Duster)
Remove the 4 screws at both ends which will enable you to remove the top half of the enclosure. Desolder the IEC connections and the DC connections. Remove the 2 screws holding the IEC connection to the back plate. Remove the nut holding the DC connector to the back plate. You now have the back plate free of restrictions enabling you to work freely on enlarging the mounting hole for the new speakON NL2MP connector. The diameter of the replacement connector is 24MM. When you're finished with the hole slip the connector in and center punch the back plate for drilling holes for the 2 self tapping screws or nut and bolts you'll use to mount the connector to the back plate. Now work in the reverse and resolder you wires and triple check what you've done and close it back up. As you can see their is plenty of clearance for the new connector.
I reconnected the Zerozone to the Wyred 4 Sound Recovery "Black Box" using my diy umbilical cable and let it warm up for an hour. The enclosure was room temperature warm and stayed that way overnight. The first thing I noticed on playing my favorite test files from Memoirs of a Geisha was the clean and clear sound. Next was the deeper and solider bass. To my ears the entire frequency range that my ears can hear was well represented. and had much more dynamic impact than the iFi iPower ps (wall wart) that I had been using. Great value for a modest price and a fun mod with the potential for increased performance.
FYI
Diameter of speakON connector is 24mm.
pixelphoto (Marvin)
Yet another well-done DIY project, Marvin!
BTW, what tool and tool bit did you use for the hole enlargement?
Duster, I used a handheld rotary tool with a diamond cut off blade and a semi round metal file. I first found a 25mm round washer and used it and a scratch al to indicate the new cut out location. I removed as much aluminum as I could with the rotary tool and finished with the file. A drill press and 25mm drill bit would have been perfect but I have to work with what I have and that's usually good enough for government work. Still it was a clean job. FYI, don't make the hole to large because you need enough metal for the 2 screw holes.
Nice work, Marvin. Professional looking job!
My attempt to purchase the Zerozone didn't go well -- seller claimed he hadn't received the funds, yet refunded the money (that he insisted he hadn't received) within 10 minutes of my dispute submission to Paypal. Then he suggested I try and order again (!).
I decided to build the AMB Sigma 11 unit that the Zerozone copies. Haven't put it together yet (waiting on a few last parts from Mouser), but when I got to the DC cable connector, I figured that since the power supply will be dedicated to my Wyred Remedy reclocker, why use a connector at all? The best sounding connector is usually no connector. :) I'm going to run the cable straight into the terminal blocks on the circuit board, and just use a clamp/strain relief (link below) where the cable goes through the back wall of the enclosure. If I was going to move the thing around a lot the connector would make more sense (less flexing on the wiring), but I envision it just sitting there once I get done with it.
Hey Duster, it should be made clear that the 100VA power supply is based on AMB's Sigma 11 power supply and AMB has said these ebay versions use lesser quality parts and are not authorized. The ebay listing copies the description straight from the website.I know the latter almost goes without saying, but should still be mentioned - especially as it is a current product that they still offer, albeit for diy only (YMB custom builds them, but it is much more expensive than the ebay).
Just FYI
Edits: 10/21/16 10/21/16 10/21/16
I built this eighteen inch cable of 16 AWG twisted pair mil-spec PTFE silver plated copper wire for the Zerozone ps. The source connector is a Oyaide DC-2.1G and the ps connector is the miniature microphone connector seen elsewhere in this thread. From what I recently read about burn in of Teflon It's going to take approx. 1k hrs. to do so. Is their a burn service available for cables with such connectors?
That's a good choice for the application, and it looks to be a well-done termination project, pixelphoto! I think you'll find that it takes 150 hours for the first stage of the burn-in process, with no more than 400 hours for 'relatively complete' burn-in time, with further improvements over a longer period of time. Otherwise, alan m. kafton showed an interest in obtaining the proper interface jack for the particular DC umbilical cooking task.
On a 2-pole microphone jack is pin one the positive?
Topic: Zerozone DC jack pinout.
Image: To the left: Inside view of Zerozone PSU enclosure. To the right: Rear view of 2-pin male jack with a 2-pole female connector plugged into the jack:
Pin 2 negative (-) is located on the left (blue wire), pin 1 positive (+) is located on the right (red wire).
---
This type of jack is called a GX16-2 a.k.a aviation or Cobra microphone jack. I can't find official information, but by visual inspection this is what I found:
For the Zerozone PSU DC output jack, pin 1 is positive, pin 2 is negative.
Another way of determining which pin is which without looking inside the enclosure:
The Zerozone DC jack has a protrusion within the connector entry point oriented at the top for proper polarity. When viewing the DC jack from the *outside of the enclosure*, the right pin corresponds to negative (-), with the left pin being positive (+).
Thanks Duster. I presumed pin one was positive and went ahead and built a cable for the Zerozone LPS. I'll file this info away for reference. After two weeks since ordering it it's finally in transit to the U. S.
pixelphoto (Marvin)
Neutrik speakON NL2MP 2-pole Chassis Mount Jack
Neutrik speakON NL2FX 2-pole Cable Connector
A nice thing about the particular DC jack is it could be easy to upgrade it with a potentially better-sounding DC umbilical interface, since the chassis cut-out for the DC plug is a somewhat large diameter opening, that might accommodate a number of options, including an easy-to-do mod if necessary. I'm interested in trying an inexpensive Neutrik speakON Loudspeaker connector/jack combo, since I find the larger Neutrik powerCON AC plug/connector combo performs very well as an AC power line conditioner/AC power cord interface. The Swiss-made design helps to provide very good, coherent-sounding AC delivery, along with a solid locking mechanism. I've not measured the Zerozone DC jack cut-out dimension, including interior clearances, as of yet.
Neutrik speakON NL2MP 2-pole Chassis Mount Jack:
http://www.neutrik.com/en/speakon/speakon-chassis-connectors/nl2mp
Neutrik speakON NL2FX 2-pole Cable Connector:
http://www.neutrik.com/en/speakon/nl2fx
See link:
Oh goody, I see another project in my future! When my ps arrives I'll be able to measure the jack mounting hole. If it requires enlargement my handy rotary tool will take care of that.
Thanks for the advise and info Duster.
pixelphoto (Marvin)
Perhaps you'll let me know about the cut-out measurement and clearance for the back of the Neutrik jack when inserted into the enclosure area...
You bet I will Duster. Hopefully my ps will arrive sometime next week.
pixelphoto (Marvin)
For DIYers who can solder and provide their own case work the low voltage PS kits from K&K Audio are worth looking into. Kevin uses Linear Technology LT-3080 & LT-3083 regulators and low noise Schottky diodes in his kits. More information here:
"It is better to remain silent and thought a fool, then speak and remove all doubt." A. Lincoln
Duster, since the umbilical cable needs to be twisted should the two (blue and red) wires in the interior at the DC connector also be twisted? Can you recommend a better quality DC connector, male and female?
I'm not concerned about the parallel wiring to the DC output jack, although it might be worthy of experiments that I'm not inclined to do for my wants/needs. That includes fiddling with other internal wiring, for that matter. It's an enjoyable high-performance PSU, especially for the price. That said, I would fully enjoy reading what others might find via various tweaks and upgrades. I suggest trying any Herbie's Audio Lab footer, or the DIY carbon fiber footer design.
Sorry, I don't have that information at this time. User manuals and technical data sheets are rare in these cases. Perhaps a web search or questioning an eBay seller might be productive.
That is indeed true, and most tech sheets and user manuals wouldn't give that information anyway.
Perhaps the next time you have the lid off of one of yours, you wouldn't mind taking a look.
Thanks.
Duster, the link you provided is for a 18 volt ps. Were you given a choice of selecting the voltage you wanted after clicking on the buy now button? I sent a email to the seller with the same question but the response indicated they didn't quite understand my enquire.
pixelphoto (Marvin)
There is no provision to choose a particular voltage via the eBay checkout process. Before you buy the item, you should ask the seller if they can send the proper voltage you require via an eBay message. The seller should reply with a yes or no confirmation. If they don't respond, ask them again. The eBay sellers who offer various voltage options are aware of the need for a buyer to tell them what they want. In fact, since I forgot to indicate the voltage required for a particular eBay purchase, the seller sent me an eBay message shortly after the transaction.
Here's an excerpt from the eBay message thread:
-snip-
New message: OK
eBay
New message from: zhufan2015 (113Turquoise Star)
OK
Reply
Your previous message
12 Volts DC
Thanks!
zhufan2015:
Hello,
Please tell us how much DC voltage you need?
best regards
-snip-
Got it, thank you!
Ever since I installed a Wyred 4 Sound "Recovery" doohickey I've been wondering if a linear ps could improve on the wall wart that came with it and the iFi iPower wall wart that replaced it. After researching as best I could prior to your post Duster it appears that the Zerozone which I missed in my research is the ONE. So I'll be ordering one tomorrow. And of course I'll perform the tweaks you suggested.
Thanks much,
pixelphoto (Marvin)
I was wondering the same thing...I have the Wyred Remedy reclocker, and replaced the stock wall wart with an iPower. :)Heard some improvement when I added the iPower, but it wasn't monumental by any means. So now the burning question: is the Remedy not terribly sensitive to the power fed to it, or is the iPower just not that much better than the stock supply? Be very interested in your impressions with the Wyred once you get it, Marvin.
Edits: 09/27/16
I'll get back after I receive it and install and exercise it for a few days.
pixelphoto (Marvin)
I look forward to your findings, Marvin. Even more so than how well the PSU performs for a full-frequency application, the clincher that compelled me to recommend it is how good the bottom end sounds when its used to power the outboard active low-pass crossover for a stereo subwoofer system. There is nothing loose or woolly about it; the performance sounds tight as a drum, with good slam factor, and allows the output gain of the electronic crossover to be increased a bit without skewing the integration of the subwoofers with the main loudspeakers. Just how well the bass performance is improved when evaluating just about any audio device tends to be a key factor in the overall scheme of things.
Very nice find. So....for use with a component using a 2.1mm or 2.5mm input plug (to replace a wall wart), one would have to fashion an umbilical with the 2-pole connector (as shown in the pictures) on one end, and the male 2.1mm or 2.5mm connector on the other end. Would I be correct?
Image: Zerozone Stock DC Umbilical
You are indeed correct, Alan. I haven't had a chance to compare the stock 2-pin microphone connector with another type of interface, but it's safe to assume it's better than the typical DC barrel (a.k.a coaxial) interface at the load end of the DC umbilical. I've considered replacing the stock 2-pin microphone connector with a high-performance XLR interface for a critical listening application, but feel confident that the stock connector interface is sufficient. The stock DC plug at the load end of the cable is good; better than a Radio Shack DC plug, but I think a Switchcraft DC plug is superior, while an Oyaide DC plug is worth the extra expense for critical listening applications, or to splurge on for any audio application, for that matter.
....thanks for that.
Their cable looks pretty decent for the job. One could always cryo-treat it for a bit more performance. The Switchcraft and Oyaide idea is a good one as well.
I may go ahead and order one to give it a try. Thank you again for the heads-up.
Before the conductors became a tightly twisted pair, I found the presentation to sound notably flattened, lacking detailed spatial cues. Perhaps after the stock DC umbilical is cryo'd and cooked, the cable might perform better, but the basic effort of twisting the wires together provided a clearly improved performance level.
I would have to make special adaptors to Cook this umbilical, but there is no doubt the performance would be improved with proper conditioning. Added to that, your suggestion about creating a basic twist is most valuable.
Image: 2-pole microphone jack
I believe this is the correct output jack for use with the DC umbilical.
See link:
If the umbilical has a 2-pole female connector, then the jack pictured above will work. The pic of the unit online doesn't show the chassis mount connector pins.
Is this the case? Female connector on the umbilical....chassis mount male?
Yes, the cable-mount connector is a 2-slot female connector, while the chassis-mount output is a 2-pin male jack.
.
Image: VH Audio V-Quad cable and Oyaide DC-2.1G DC plug
For low-current or medium-current applications if the use of a 21 AWG aggregate gauge DC umbilical involves acceptable voltage drop, this configuration offers SOTA performance. Even the most basic audio device can benefit from this DC umbilical, IME. The VH Audio V-Quad cable is a SOTA 4-conductor star quad cable featuring a self-shielding noise cancellation design; it does not require a foil or braided shield in order to provide very effective, better sounding noise rejection characteristics, with no sonic downside. The Oyaide DC-2.1G DC plug involves the same quality as other Oyaide products, with a direct conductive path for the center contact, as well as a superior strain relief clamp that can grip a relatively large cable OD. There is no better DC barrel connector within the audiophile marketplace that I'm aware of.
Very nice, Duster....and the Oyaide (disclosure....I am a dealer) plug looks to be a 2.1mm model, which is perfect for my needs.
I would probably build the cable using an Acrolink model, as I really enjoy their "formula" considering all the power cables I've built over the years. Either way, this build would be a super-high quality cable for the LPS.
Thank you so much for being so helpful.
Thanks, Alan. I take this hobby pretty seriously, and enjoy sharing various findings and insights in AA :-D
Audiophile quests never end; I'm thankful for that. Peeling away even more layers of the audio onion is still a fascinating thing, after all these years...
What particular model is the Acrolink cable you have in mind?
Cheers, Duster
....since I have some quantity on hand. After assembly with the Oyaide 2.1mm connector, I would also double-cryo treat, then condition the new umbilical on the HI-POWER Cable Cooker for 5 days, assuring its best performance.
Edits: 09/29/16
Geez, Alan...you just had to shout HI-POWER to make those of us with, um, "classic" Cookers feel inadequate, right? Well, I'm an old fashioned kinda guy....tubes, LP's and all, so old is good and I'm not fazed. :) :)
Hey, Bill....your posts validate just how good the original unit is, albeit without the Extended Frequency Sweep. Yours is still delivering the goods 16 years later.
I use the HI-POWER unit for customer's products and anything of my own since it works faster and more thoroughly. It was primarily designed for very heavy-gauge power cables & speaker cables, since those take the longest to condition. Prior to that, I used a combo of 2.5 PRO's (and now 3.5 units) over the years. They are fine and dandy as well.
I have taken a few trade-ins here and there....(hint, hint).
The Zerozone looks like a nice power supply Duster at a great price.
I have had good luck using the HD PLEX supply that offers a variety of fixed and adjustable outputs, including a 5V USB output. Two of the outputs can be used simultaneously. More flexibility but, even though it is not that expensive by audiophile standards, it is still 6x as much as the Zerozone.
Image: Zerozone 100VA high-current linear power supply
The HD PLEX power supply looks to be a nice one, mitch2. Since it's a full-featured, high-current PSU, it's natural that the HD PLEX PSU costs considerably more than the medium-current Zerozone PSU. I also found a relatively inexpensive 100VA high-current Zerozone with dual outer heat sinks like the HD PLEX which is a must-have for high-current applications, and for medium-current applications if excessive heat is generated by a PSU. It's only $129 via eBay, so I'm considering buying one for my new Xfinity X1 CATV box audio configuration project. The outboard PSU I'm currently using for the X1 is a Newmar high-end marine communication and navigation 3.5A PSU, which is a nice sounding product, but it's running so hot for the 3A maximum load of the Xfinity X1 CATV box, I decided to mount a whisper fan on the PSU for peace of mind. I'm likely to get the audiophile itch to evaluate the Zerozone 100VA high-current linear power supply vs. the Newmar PSU for the particular application.
See link:
The Ebay seller "zhufan2015" is excellent...
I have made three recent purchases and all have been processed and shipped in a timely manor...
Thanks for the encouragement, RadioWonder. I think I'm going to pull the trigger and buy the high-current Zerozone 100VA linear power supply, even though a filtered IEC inlet of questionable quality is involved in the design. However, it may help filter digital backwash from a potentially noisy digital CATV terminal, if that is the case.
Somewhat different parts selection but the prices of the Zerozone units are great for what you are getting, especially for those of us who are simply replacing wall-warts with LPS.
The HDPLEX uses a 160VA R-Core Transformer and a bank of ELNA capacitors but I have no idea how those choices may affect sonics or noise.
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