I found a couple of stores in Toronto selling the Pyramid 13.8VDC power supply although it is more expensive than the US - almost double the price. Shipping it from the US would be even more expensive because of shipping charges, duty etc. I am unsure if this PSU worth the money and how much it may better the original wall-wart. I read a lot of posts from US complaining that this crappy PSU runs hot and might affect the life of the dac. However, I bought my unit directly from the UK and get the 220V version which performs pretty well with an AC transformer. After a couple of hours, the wall-wart just feel lukewarm on the hand and the dac runs cool as well. I tried a couple of my bigger 120V wall-wart units (12VDC) on hand with 1A output but they sound a little muddy in the mid and bass with less details.
 
The dac has been run in for ~ 20 hours and it did not disappoint me - great details with smooth high, solid mid and tight bass. The vocal and musical instruments have better separation and the sound stage also improved. Before the dac, I output signal via coaxial from PC to my Harmon Kardon receiver. I must admit that I was very satisfied with the internal D/A converter of the receiver but v-dac did bring my system to another level.
 
The dac sounds a bit edgy on high frequency at first but the harshness gradually faded away as time went by. I also found that putting some tiny transparent rubber feet under the dac improve the tonal balance and tame the edginess. Now the whole spectrum sounds more musical and I hear much decay and air on the highs. The interconnect I use is a pair of Audioquest Lapis which is a very revealing cable. This trick really helps. I am very happy with the purchase and hope the sound continues to improve as it hits the 40 - 50 hour milestone.
 

All I can say is the Powerking MW7H50GS mentioned in my previous post works brilliantly. It can run on 120v and comes with multi dc adaptors. Apart from the better sound quality, neither the adaptor nor the VDAC gets warm, now it has been in use for a while. But I would have thought that a manufacturer in Canada would produce something similar.

Test battery power vs. psu

 
I set up a system to test between battery powered and a requlated power supply on the V-DAC. I used an Arduino micro controller and two relays. When the battery holds sufficient power the V-DAC is connected to the battery. When the battery power is low the V-DAC is switched to the psu and de battery is charged. I used a battery from a hand drill and a 1 Amp regulated universal voltage adapter PSU10RC. 
 
Aim was a battery powerunit for the V-DAC that automaticly switches to the psu at low battery power. With this system functional and before I started work on the housing I wanted to hear the difference between Battery and psu power. So I programmed the Arduino to switch between battery and psu every minute. I have to confess I don't hear any difference. I tested with Rammstein for the heavy beats and with Morphine with the jazzy sax. It makes no difference to me.
 
When the V-DAC is battery powered the connection to the psu and charger are broken:

 
 
At 13 Volts the V-DAC uses 244mA (when there is no signal this drops to 175mA)
The LCD screen is fixed on the Arduino micro controller. The Arduino measures Voltage and Current to the DAC.
 
For sound testing the battery-DAC connection is broken and the psu and battery charger are switched on every minute:

On the white temporary box on the right the psu and on the left the battery.
 
 
Schematic:

 
For me this project has come to an end. I keep the regulated psu and find an other project for the Arduino.
 
Amplifier: Sonneteer Alabaster
Speakers: PenAudio Rebel 3
Apple Airport Express as digital receiver
Optical cable from AE to V-DAC
 
Greetings,
Jaap

I have V-DAC  it is one of the very best sounding devices even for the low price,. Good & chips and a not to *complex design.  Will mod mine to Rubycon Black Gate. Its now burned  a very long time and made my smile. I tired different powers sources even with symmetrical 380/380 to 230 V with stepdown trafos. Sound was not good but real DC driven this thing sings.... The powersources  AC has to much noise dirt distortion DC components wich are alien to digital. AC byproducts  kicking the whole  devicie all the time. With DC there is a much quiter enviroment for the DAC.
Had a long time used SLA but now I am disapointed, the wheel is spinnig forward...
SLA are old school LIPOE4 will give a much better sound. SLA and LA only 30% can be used LIPOFE4 80 % without influence  lifetime. 3-5 years 300 cyles vs 8 years 2000 cycles. Sound depends on the capacity of the batteries size deeper internal impedance = more control. LiFePO A123 are best and safest. LION is not as good has some protection circiuts wich gives a higher internal impedance. The secret of good sound with LiFePO4 big amount of current many amperes than any other batt type. Its the chemistry stupid.
Golden Rule single cells: If you break this rule, you are pulling the pin on the grenade. Absolutely NEVER Exceed 4.3v/cell, never Discharge below 2.7v/cell, never puncture the cells = NEVER discharge the pack beyond 80% of its capacity 20% remaining. If you do not keep at least 20% capacity in the pack, the cells will have a VERY short life! LIFEPO have 1.5 factor in Ah compared to lead. A battery is never linear, impedance changes with the Voltage. The chemistry changing the condition. Full loaded and below 1/2 down sound is not good.
 
Any battery technology must be appended with low ESR capacitors so that the transient currents dont sag the voltage. This is what sucks the life out of your music. Also, the wiring that you run from the battery pack or the capacitor bank to the circuit is critical. Keep the solid wire (not litz)  short as possible 8 inch is way too long....
Put several 470uF/16V Rubicon black Gate Low ESR in parallel. Recomended 20 Pieces or more 470uF/16V and cut of the plastic housing from the caps.
 
*My Hifiguru has a Mantra: Less electronic parts in component and improved independent powersupply (aka DC) is o lot betta than more tronics and (ac) less independent powersupp. YUP!
KISS Rule: Get rid of Preamps plug direct to Poweramp, less tronics more Music!
 
and one more thing: dont belive  all the stuff in the Forums ( even mine)  over the last 10 years the real value of posts infos is decresing. But the amount post rised up like crazy. Allways listen yourself with unbiased ears, not what you you think you will expect  to hear ...

Quote:

wernerfotograf said:

Its now burned  a very long time and made my smile.
....
 
Allways listen yourself with unbiased ears, not what you you think you will expect  to hear ...

Click to expand...

Yes Sirs you just stepped in the club  "dont belive all the stuff in the Forums" ... with your uninformed post
 
My  guess is you dont know anything about burnning-in ...
 
Burning-in  is requiered to bring the parts out of the factory condition into real world. It is simply physics. Music instruments, motors breaks  tires all the same. Even a brand battery needs 3-4 cycles bevore the  full capacity is useable. 
Lythic Caps need at lest 24 hours of use to be formed. Chips needs longer. Some DAC like Weiss Minerva need at least 500 hrs.
SMD need  a bit a bit less burn-in time, because the Reflow process is higher 200 Celius vs normal PCB 100 Celcius. The heat forms the Structure.
 
 
Q tips helps for better hearing
 
http://www.burninwave.com/
 
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/dhlabs/paul.html
Upon arrival, I installed all cables and allowed about a month of burn-in before I put on my critical reviewer's cap. 
 
[size=x-small]Dear Sirs [copied to Bill O'Connell at Morningstar Audio],[/size]

[size=x-small]Just wanted to drop a quick line about my experiences with the Eastern Electric M520 thus far. I received the amplifier on Thursday and have put approximately 70 plus hours on it. I have to say I am really enjoying it so far. It's clearly still burning in but there is much to like.[/size]

I've used my V-DAC daily (3 hrs/day average) for several months and the SQ hasn't changed a bit (and that's a good thing).

Hi all,
     I read so many good things about the V-dac that I decided to try it.  I'll be honest I'm really impressed in the change in sound when all internal processing is turned off in my receiver (pure direct mode).  But the one thing that I don't like is that it seems that any output from the unit does not include .1 signal so my subwoofer is not used.  The overall sound is so much better but it seems like it's lacking in bass a bit now.  I can bring the bass back in by changing the mode a bit (to direct) but that brings back in processing and the sound just isn't the same (actually it sounds terrible).  I was wondering if anyone's had a similar experience and what they did about it.  
 
My system is:
Receiver: Pioneer Elite vsx-91txh
Source inputs: Sony SCD-CE595
Speakers:
    Front - Klipsch SF-2s
    Sub - KSW-10
 
I know the speakers are a bit old and bass isn't really their strong suit, but upgrading those is a whole new project (and will cost too much).  Is what I'm writing about a function of the DAC, my receiver, both?  Any thoughts are really appreciated.  Thanks!
Jat

Jat,
 
I know what you meant since I tried Pioneer Elite receiver before. I loved its HT performance but it turned out not to be my cup of tea on stereo sound. I eventually ended up with Harmon Kardon AVR2600 which has a thicker and tube-like sound much more suit to my taste. It also seems to have a lower bass extension compared with Elite. HK receiver has the option of picking sub woofer or not in the Analog Bypass Mode - With Sub off, front speakers turn to "large", otherwise, speakers turn to "small". I don't notice sound difference in the highs & mids on both options except that bass becomes thicker with lower extension when the sub is on. That is what I pick in my system. My main speakers can go down to 36Hz but the sub does improve bass performance significantly.
 
I am not sure how "terrible" it sounds when the sub is turned on in your receiver and the sound acoustics in your listening environment. Have you tried running the MCACC again for 2 channels when the sub is on? Are there any other modes to try apart from Pure Direct for stereo playback in the Elite.
 
I have been using the V-dac for 2 weeks and still trying to fine tune the sound with interconnects amongst different input modes while waiting for the equipment to stabilize. Overall, I am very happy with the sound vs. the internal dac in my receiver, i.e. more details, refined with smooth mid range and tighter bass. Next step may be to replace the wall-wart with regulated linear PSU which is said to improve the bass and sound stage further.
 
Mike

New 1,0A adapter tested against standard wall-wart

 
Today I used my previous set-up to compare the standard wall-wart to my new 1,0A adapter. I used the Arduino microcomputer and two relays to switch between them every 20 seconds. I'm afraid I don't have audiophile ears. First I did not hear the difference between the adapter and a 12V battery. Now I don't hear a difference between the standard wall-wart and the new adapter. 
 
However I do measure the differences. The standard wall-wart has a highly unregulated output where as the new adapter shows a stable 12,2Volts.
 

 
Greetings,
Jaap

Get the Pyramid 13.8VDC power supply  and hook it up to your V-DAC and run it for 3 weeks.  I think you will be very pleased.  It took mine about 3 weeks to break in and settle into its final sound.
 
Quote:

mlai08 said:

I found a couple of stores in Toronto selling the Pyramid 13.8VDC power supply although it is more expensive than the US - almost double the price. Shipping it from the US would be even more expensive because of shipping charges, duty etc. I am unsure if this PSU worth the money and how much it may better the original wall-wart. I read a lot of posts from US complaining that this crappy PSU runs hot and might affect the life of the dac. However, I bought my unit directly from the UK and get the 220V version which performs pretty well with an AC transformer. After a couple of hours, the wall-wart just feel lukewarm on the hand and the dac runs cool as well. I tried a couple of my bigger 120V wall-wart units (12VDC) on hand with 1A output but they sound a little muddy in the mid and bass with less details.
 
The dac has been run in for ~ 20 hours and it did not disappoint me - great details with smooth high, solid mid and tight bass. The vocal and musical instruments have better separation and the sound stage also improved. Before the dac, I output signal via coaxial from PC to my Harmon Kardon receiver. I must admit that I was very satisfied with the internal D/A converter of the receiver but v-dac did bring my system to another level.
 
The dac sounds a bit edgy on high frequency at first but the harshness gradually faded away as time went by. I also found that putting some tiny transparent rubber feet under the dac improve the tonal balance and tame the edginess. Now the whole spectrum sounds more musical and I hear much decay and air on the highs. The interconnect I use is a pair of Audioquest Lapis which is a very revealing cable. This trick really helps. I am very happy with the purchase and hope the sound continues to improve as it hits the 40 - 50 hour milestone.
 

Click to expand...

So what actually 'breaks-in', the power supply or the DAC?
 
Quote:

kevinflippo said:

Get the Pyramid 13.8VDC power supply  and hook it up to your V-DAC and run it for 3 weeks.  I think you will be very pleased.  It took mine about 3 weeks to break in and settle into its final sound.
 
Quote:

mlai08 said:

I found a couple of stores in Toronto selling the Pyramid 13.8VDC power supply although it is more expensive than the US - almost double the price. Shipping it from the US would be even more expensive because of shipping charges, duty etc. I am unsure if this PSU worth the money and how much it may better the original wall-wart. I read a lot of posts from US complaining that this crappy PSU runs hot and might affect the life of the dac. However, I bought my unit directly from the UK and get the 220V version which performs pretty well with an AC transformer. After a couple of hours, the wall-wart just feel lukewarm on the hand and the dac runs cool as well. I tried a couple of my bigger 120V wall-wart units (12VDC) on hand with 1A output but they sound a little muddy in the mid and bass with less details.
 
The dac has been run in for ~ 20 hours and it did not disappoint me - great details with smooth high, solid mid and tight bass. The vocal and musical instruments have better separation and the sound stage also improved. Before the dac, I output signal via coaxial from PC to my Harmon Kardon receiver. I must admit that I was very satisfied with the internal D/A converter of the receiver but v-dac did bring my system to another level.
 
The dac sounds a bit edgy on high frequency at first but the harshness gradually faded away as time went by. I also found that putting some tiny transparent rubber feet under the dac improve the tonal balance and tame the edginess. Now the whole spectrum sounds more musical and I hear much decay and air on the highs. The interconnect I use is a pair of Audioquest Lapis which is a very revealing cable. This trick really helps. I am very happy with the purchase and hope the sound continues to improve as it hits the 40 - 50 hour milestone.
 

Click to expand...

 

Click to expand...

Just switched to Nuforce uDAC 2 for the USB Connection  to SPDIF V-DAC input it is more advanced musical USB reciever then the V-DAC
LIFEPO & Caps for the V-DAC.
Sonic heaven. Resolution, Speed, sweet sweet high`s extended crystal clear pure Joy to listen...
 
Chain:
V-DAC to Moded Panasonic SAX 70 with 380 Volt /230 symmetric Power. Speakers : Fujitsu Eclipse Ten 512 Near field High End Studio Monitor & all over silver wire Cotton isolation. The Nuforce uDAC2 drives even the hungry AKG 701.
I use this setup for my Computer Desktop Video CD Production workplace
 
check chek  bargain Nuforce uDAC2 SABRE ESS DAC 24 bit 96 KHzm 
NuForce Icon uDAC-2
 
http://www.eclipse-td.net/testimonials/index.html

Honestly, do you hear any improvement by replacing the wall-wart with the Pyramid PSU apart from placebo effects? I read that some users did not hear any difference. Not sure if it is worth to buy the Pyramid.
 
Mike
 
Quote:

kevinflippo said:

Get the Pyramid 13.8VDC power supply  and hook it up to your V-DAC and run it for 3 weeks.  I think you will be very pleased.  It took mine about 3 weeks to break in and settle into its final sound.
 
Quote:

mlai08 said:

I found a couple of stores in Toronto selling the Pyramid 13.8VDC power supply although it is more expensive than the US - almost double the price. Shipping it from the US would be even more expensive because of shipping charges, duty etc. I am unsure if this PSU worth the money and how much it may better the original wall-wart. I read a lot of posts from US complaining that this crappy PSU runs hot and might affect the life of the dac. However, I bought my unit directly from the UK and get the 220V version which performs pretty well with an AC transformer. After a couple of hours, the wall-wart just feel lukewarm on the hand and the dac runs cool as well. I tried a couple of my bigger 120V wall-wart units (12VDC) on hand with 1A output but they sound a little muddy in the mid and bass with less details.
 
The dac has been run in for ~ 20 hours and it did not disappoint me - great details with smooth high, solid mid and tight bass. The vocal and musical instruments have better separation and the sound stage also improved. Before the dac, I output signal via coaxial from PC to my Harmon Kardon receiver. I must admit that I was very satisfied with the internal D/A converter of the receiver but v-dac did bring my system to another level.
 
The dac sounds a bit edgy on high frequency at first but the harshness gradually faded away as time went by. I also found that putting some tiny transparent rubber feet under the dac improve the tonal balance and tame the edginess. Now the whole spectrum sounds more musical and I hear much decay and air on the highs. The interconnect I use is a pair of Audioquest Lapis which is a very revealing cable. This trick really helps. I am very happy with the purchase and hope the sound continues to improve as it hits the 40 - 50 hour milestone.
 

Click to expand...

 

Click to expand...

A few of us posted impressions above. I switch the power supplies from time to time (just for laughs) and find the bass a little tighter with the Pyramid, but nothing earth-shattering. Was it worth $17 + shipping from Amazon? Maybe... if only to get rid my power strip of the fat wal-wart plug. I also use the Pyramid with my V-LPS and may use it to run a cooling fan for my HD Radio tuner. Then I'll be getting my $'s worth, since it will be used for each of my three sources.
 
Quote:

mlai08 said:

Honestly, do you hear any improvement by replacing the wall-wart with the Pyramid PSU apart from placebo effects? I read that some users did not hear any difference. Not sure if it is worth to buy the Pyramid.

Click to expand...