good Power Supply for V-dac??

V-dac PSU

I've used the Pyramid 12V, 3A from Amazon - recommended by others here & Audiogon.

See: Amazon.com: Pyramid PS3 3-Amp 12-Volt Power Supply: Electronics

I'm using the above Pyramid PS3 for my V-LPS and I'm using the Tripp-lite PR-3A on my V-DAC. I've tried swapping them between each other and there are no differences at all. I think I paid about $20 for the Pyramid and about $25 for the Tripp-lite (use bing to search and buy and you'll save even more money).
DT

I also use the Pyramid with great results. Dynamics are now better and soundstage seems to be both deeper and wider than with the walwart. The Pyramid is a incredible bargain and is built like a tank - amazing at less than 20 bucks. Have fun with this great, inexpensive tweak.

Adding a Pyramid PS-3KS power supply to the V-DAC

I just hooked up a Pyramid PS-3KS power supply this weekend; which I bought from Amazon with the V-DAC (which ships from Audio Advisor). Thought I would pass along info for others considering this tweak.

Brought the wall wart with me to Radio Shack and matched up the appropriate plug. (Note that it was just a tad longer than the wall wart plug). Note that the center is positive(+) and the outer surface is negative(-). See photo. I'm sure you could get this from Parts Express for a fraction of the Radio Shack price, but I'm up and running.

I used a voltmeter to confirm the continuity and put a small line of nail polish to mark the positive side and to make sure if it gets unplugged for any reason, I can put it back together the same way.
Everything is working well.
The next tweak will be to upgrade the USB cable and interconnects.
I just have a low/mid end system (Denon AVR3300, Definitive towers, satellites, & sub, Sony CDP-CX220 CD player); but have enjoyed the improvement in sound quality.

FYI - the plug is NEGATIVE TIP polarity. Not positive as the wall wart plug would suggest, or maybe I'm just ignorant.

Is the tip Positive or negative.....Polarity is important, please advise.

Thanks,

Josh

I would not spend any money on PSU. You will hear no difference, I bet my hat, no difference. MF has optimised it with the stock PSU as far as possible. It is a nice DAC, no need for any upgrades.

Your wild guess probably dead wrong (that's my guess based on the reputation of MF) so you should be prepared to give up that hat of yours.

I would say that there's two reasons why a better PSU would make a difference:
1. MF is making their own to sell, the V-PSU (at least that's what it says on my V-LPS and V-DAC packaging), so I'd imagine they know the wall wart could be improved;
2. I have noticed a difference: stronger and cleaner bass, even if any other changes might be more subtle. I notice this with both my V-DAC and my V-LPS.

On the other hand, it's possible that with a good clean electrical system in new construction, this might not be true. In any case, in my 50-60 year-old apartment in NYC, the PSU made a noticeable difference, and it only cost me about $25 (for a tweak:value ratio that is very high!). No I don't have Tripp-Lite stock, but I do echo the experiences of others who've said more or less the same. And no, I do not notice differences in cables no matter how much they cost...

a linear regulated DPS always makes a hell of a diff over a SMPS wall wart, try it someday instead of making wild guesses on internet boards.

If you're not afraid of DIY I strongly recommend a TREAD

X2

A terrific cost effective solution that should have been used by MF (or something similar) for the V-DAC from the get go. I would forget about MF's V-PSU having owned an X-PSU V3 in the past. The X-PSU was grossly overpriced for what it was, simply a generic toroidal traffo with multiple secondaries in a fancy case. The same traffo could have been custom ordered from Avel Lindberg for 1/4 the cost of the X-PSU. In other words the V-PSU will likely be as much of a rip off as the X-PSU turned out to be. The irony being that the TREAD PSU will likely outperform the V-PSU at 1/10 the cost, in fact I'd be willing to bet waterlogic's hat that it does

Peete.

oh...so all those toroidal thingies you can see being used as internal PSU's are no good? I guess that they'd throw a lot of EMI onto the audio components anyway?

does the Firestone DPS look any good to you? it sounds amazing to me:

http://www.hifi4all.dk/content/artic...-supplier2.jpg

Beijing Chuang Si Fang Electronic Co., Ltd.

there's some photos of the 110V model here(different transfo but same layout): http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f6/diy...itfire-286131/

I also have one of those around, I'll try to put it to good use soon or later(there's an internal knob to go between 11>14VDC): http://www.velleman.eu/images/products/2/ps1303.jpg

I tried it on a phono preamp, and I liked it

No that's not what I said Lee. What I said was for the price of the X-PSU (inside the X-PSU is nothing more than that toroidal traffo,other than the IEC mains wiring and the multiple taps to the DIN jacks off the traffo secondaries) a brand name custom order toroidal from Avel Lindberg USA would be just as good for a lot less money. As long as you keep the traffo a few inches away from the DAC main board you should be alright from EMI radiation patterns. An R-Core is an even better design as it has no drawbacks that Toroidal's or laminated/split core types have to deal with.

You can easily shield the traffo by encapsulating it (copper sheet formed into a box) or having it done by the manufacturer using other methods equally effective. Since the V-PSU is outboard this extra shielding is overkill once you house whatever supply (traffo and reg board) you buy in a chassis anyway so....to your links....I think those two complete units would be ideal if the cost is reasonable. That one unit that has the red aluminum faceplate would likely be a very good match provided the Voltage and current are sufficient for the V-Dac's needs (better to have around 30% headroom in a PSU for any given purpose) . A lot of the data sheets will suggest not loading down a traffo/regulator board at more than 80% of max rated spec. Give's one an acceptable safety margin (since mains wall V can vary from country to country even town to town). The other obvious benefit is the PSU runs cooler and will last a lot longer. One of the warning signs of a poorly thought out supply is pcb scorching (form power resistors installed too close to the board and or spec'd barely above what is required). Good heat sinking of V regs (if needed) is a must. Some of the Chinese made encapsulated tarffo's can be arcy sparky so I'd look at ones rated for 115-230V primaries or higher). I've heard some horror stories about some of the cheap 110V/220V 50hz units failing rather quickly when used with 115/230+ mains V's.

I hope that helped Lee

Peete.