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Just picked up my new upgrade power supply (12VAC) for the DacMagic. Nothing but a nice British made toroid, a Furutech IEC inlet, a fuse, a nice box and a yard of wire. I will soon find out if it does anything to the sound over the original wallwart, but it certainly looks cool!
Follow Ups:
Hi. I would like to buy, or build one of the PSU's that you made for the Dacmagic - where did you get the box?
May I ask for a parts list?
Nigel
The new toroid PS has been in the system for 2 days now. At first, I had to "steal" the Nanotech 301 power cable from my phono stage as the S/A Lab (a Japanese brand) that I intended to use was too stiff to be routed correctly. Eventually, I did find a way to route the S/A Lab cable and I therefore was also able to compare the two cables' effects on the Dacmagic.
My original feeling about the PS remains intact. The new PS has given the Dacmagic better stability and a much bigger dynamic envelope. Voice and instrument textures sound finer and more tactile. With the old PS and playing high res (24/48) flacs, I always felt that while the detail content is quite obviously better than 16/44 counterparts, the sound seems to be somewhat constrained as if there is some invisible shelter blocking the sound from blooming. With the new PS, things have improved a lot and high res flacs now sound really good. Comparing the two cables, the Nanotech (with Oyaide 079 plug) has a finer treble and a more open sound, but I find that it was a touch bright for my tastes with the lower treble/upper mids being a little emphasized. It could be that its bass, while dynamic, was not "big" sounding. This is kind of my impression with most first generation Nanotech cables (the Nano3 series seems to have improved on this front. I have both versions of the interconnects). The unwieldy S/A Lab cable (with Oyaide 046 plugs), while arguably less open and transparent, has better body and sounded "right". Furthermore, I have little interest in going through the ordeal of rerouting this snake, so it will probably be staying there. So far, I am more than happy with this little new PS and I find little point in spending more money in tweaking the humble Dacmagic.
Base of advices that a linear PS will do better for the Squeezebox Duet (even if I am using digital out only), I bought a generic regulated 9VDC 1A linear PS (size of a hand) for the SB Duet for about US$15. At first listen, the sounds seem less detailed. However, a couple of tracks down the road, I found that it was in no way less detailed. In fact, I am hearing more air, nuance and soundstage. It was simply less digital sounding(or is it less "switching"?). If you have a SB Duet, I think this tweak should be a no-brainer. I have a feeling that the difference at the analog out would be even more obvious.
In conclusion, the two little PS significantly improved the sound of the Dacmagic and SB Duet, and the combo, which is already amazing for the price to begin with, has ascended to another level. No, it is still not a match for my Esoteric CD player, but it represents a source component that I can happily listen to. I would equate it with a $2.5k CD player. Definitely money well spent. However, for those of you who don't have a fancy power cable with Oyaide plugs sitting around, spending so much money on the power cable with this humble combo would be kind of unreasonable.
Happy Listening!
Paul McGowen got into the audio power biz by hearing that a beefier PS made a lot of sonic difference. Triad makes a wall wart PSU with same specs although not a toroid.
"E pur si muove...And yet it moves"
I had a hard time setting up the thing as the power cable that I thought I would be using was too stiff to be maneuvered into position (a very hard to reach place). Ended up using another cable and spent more time than I should have with the set-up. I only had about 15 minutes with it before I had to leave for work.
Initial feeling is that it does what the same tweak did to my Densen phono stage (also originally powered by an AC wall wart transformer). Generally, there seems to be a better sense of stability and solidity, as well as slightly finer texture. So far, Well worth the about US$100 that I spent on it (I asked a tube amp hobby shop to build it for me). I will need to give it more time to break in as well as more careful set-up (isolation, wire routing, etc.)
Will further report once everything is settled and more in-depth listening occurs.
Please report the finding. I am also interested in getting a better power supply also.
What is the VA rating of PSU.
Where did you buy it and how much did it cost?
If I remember correctly, it should be a 6+6V toroid in the 30-50VA range.
The factory PSU is rated at 1500ma = 1.5 amps
At the low end of your new PSU, 30va = 2.5 amps
That is almost twice the power.
Did you provide output fuse protection of the PSU for the DAC? Or does the DAC already have it internally?
Looking forward to your review.....
"That is almost twice the power." should probably read
"That is almost twice the available power."
Maybe I'm reading your e-mail wrong, but putting a higher current transformer in place of the original does not mean that the higher current is entering the DAC.
Cheerswelly
It is no coincidence that in no known language does the phrase 'As pretty as an Airport' appear.
My comments were in regards to power the PSU only.
And yes I understand that is available power.
Cambridge does not supply any info for the actual power draw, power consumption, of the DAC so we have no way of knowing for sure how closely the PSU is sized for the DAC. I would imagine there is some reserve built into the equation.
Increasing the size of the PSU, the 12Vac power cord, throw into the mix an IEC connector for experimenting with different power cords that feeds the torid xfmr has to be a big improvement over the stock PSU. I assume you would agree.........
Yes, I totally agree that increasing the power supply capacity could have a positive effect on the performance of the DAC.
The reason I highlighted the difference to your statement was that not all people who read the forum are aware of the fundamentals of electronics, and I have read instances in the past where people obviously do not fully comprehend what is happening when power supplies or power devices are changed. I don't know of your level of expertise and I am not saying that you have a lack of understanding in these matters, I just wanted to clarify the point for other readers.
Cheerswelly
It is no coincidence that in no known language does the phrase 'As pretty as an Airport' appear.
The guy put a fuse there as well. So far, totally cool (literally) and quiet. I am not totally fond of the twisted solid core wires he used as output wires of the PSU though. I may change it into something beefier yet more manageable.
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