[roker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Miths /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've used the Firestone Cute Beyond amp without supplier for a couple of months and I finally decided to order the Supplier earlier this week, even though I had a feeling it would be tantamount to throwing money out the window (around $150 from the, I believe, only Danish store with Firestone products. Only $80 less than the amp itself). Well, I obviously spent the first few hours after the Supplier arrived doing A-B testing, and with a fairly wide range of music, it was pretty much impossible for me to hear any difference with the Supplier replacing the basic 24V adapter that came with the Cute Beyond. But then again, I've also been struggling greatly to notice any differences when I've been comparing 320 kbit MP3s (or 256 and arguably even 192 kbit) to the original CD tracks - so I'm guessing I just don't have a very good ear for details (although with regards to MP3 vs. CD I guess it's possible that the DAC in my Playstation 3 is less than great. Though right now I can't really say I'm feeling inclined to take a chance on a DAC as well ).

I suppose it might have something to do with the quality of your power at home. Where I'm at, it's really bad. If my neighbors turn on their AC my lights dim. I had a GL issue I almost gave up on fixing.

I have to use a UPS and something else I bought for the wall socket to help. All of these reasons may be the reason why I noticed a difference. I used my Fubar II without the Supplier for a month as soon as I hooked it up I noticed a difference. I also saw heard difference in an "a and b" test.

P.S. Music is nothing without a good DAC.

 

[Tekno]

Anyone opened Firestone Supplier ?
Is it a regulated linear voltage supply with toroid transformer? Picture of its' guts would be nice

 

[ilovecables]

Yup, not a toroid, but still worth it's weight in gold as an upgrade.
 

 

[leeperry]

 

Anyone opened Firestone Supplier ?
Is it a regulated linear voltage supply with toroid transformer? Picture of its' guts would be nice

 
linear regulated I'd say, latest 220V version: 

 

[rasmushorn]

I also like the supplier. I used the original Supplier to drive my LISA III. It was a cheaper alternative then the one Triad Audio offered and it did an absolutely great job. 

 

[chips88]

Using it with my "I Love Taiwan" DAC + RCA->3.5mm + superlux 688B/Grado M1/Denon D2000
 
Used the stock A/C adapter for a month before plugging in the supplier.
 
There is an audible difference. Whether it is an improvement is a matter of personal preference.
 
Sometimes there is subtle or no difference on with lesser source material (128/160kb MP3), but it improves with better rips (320kb MP3s), and most definite, palpable differences are heard when you use loseless material like FLAC/playing a CD.
 
Better detail separation, more bass punch and  the midrange recess which so irks Denon D2000 sounds less noticeable. More congested, complex music passages/mixes holds better composure.
 
So yes, a worthwhile upgrade for merely US$60.
 
 
 

 

[tapeholder]

2 part post:

1.
What is it exactly that makes the Surestone Audio Supplier power supply better than the "wall wart" that seems to come with Surestone products?

I want to use Surestone Audio Cute Beyond headphone amplifier as an example. From what I have read, it comes with a 24 V 0,5 A AC "wall wart" adapter. The Supplier has 24 V and 0,25 A. Note the amperage. The current output capacity is only half of the rating of the wall wart, and yet it is advertised as providing more power, although maybe that's figurative speech, but still.

Is it lower ripple/noise and/or steadier voltage with different loads? Ignoring aesthetics, what is it technically that makes the Supplier better than the Cute Beyond's default wall wart for example?

2.
Can there be any harm done to the Cute Beyond if I were to use a different, higher quality regulated wall wart, as long as it has the same voltage of 24 V, and _at least_ as high Ampere rating (0,5 A)? For example if I would find a nice 24 V AC adapter with 2, or even 5 Ampere rating, could there be any problems with that? (I would assume not, because the amperage is only how much the adapter can output at most.)

 

[Headdie]

I own a Cute Curve. The included wallwart is bad. Anything else that I've tried was better. Don't hesitate to experiment. Share your findings.

 

[tapeholder]

I bought a new power supply, it's Mascot 9619, 24 volt model (www.mascot.no, it's Norwegian). It's supposed to be internally adjustable between 24 and 30 volts, it's rated to 1,3 amperes, and 39 watts maximum, so it's quite a bit more powerful than the one included with Cute Beyond.
 
By default it outputs 24,4 volts (as it should, according to the specs), but later, when I discover how exactly the power supply's output voltage is adjusted, I'll lower it to exactly 24,0 volts.
 
According to the specs its ripple/noise is less than 30 millivolts peak-to-peak, so it should be quite quiet, but I did hear a tiny bit of a crackling type background noise when I tested the amplifier on maximum volume setting. It's not audible at all on realistic volume settings. Even so, I'll get a ferrite choke for the DC output cable and see if it reduces that noise.
Edit: I put a ferrite bead to the DC output cable of the PSU, but didn't notice any effect on the background noise. Perhaps the faint "crackling" type noise originates from lower frequencies than the ferrite can effectively affect. The background noise is so minor though, that it doesn't really matter, so I'll just let it be.
 
As for the sound quality, I didn't notice any difference. That might be because the headphones I'm using are relatively easy to drive, so the amp doesn't have to work hard. At least I know the amp's performance won't be degraded because of lack of power from the power supply.