[dac64]

My concern with NiMH was what happens as the voltage drops during use below 5V.

No sound from the qutest after 4 hours and ~4.2V left, from 5.4V, when fully charged.

 

[uzi2]

No sound from the qutest after 4 hours and ~4.2V left, from 5.4V, when fully charged.

So the Qutest still runs even after they are deeply discharged. As I understood it a single NiMH cell will run from 1.2V to 1.4 or 1.45V fully charged. The 4pack would be 4.8V - 5.4V). I would have expected the Qutest to power off at just below 4.8V. My question was whether this behaviour is healthy for the Qutest as it is designed for a sudden complete loss of power. What capacity NiMH batteries were you using? I did try a similar arrangement for a Pi4, but I only had old 1600mAh batteries. It powered on, but didn't boot. I guess you have 2500mAh or maybe more. To get a longer run time you would need a 4pack of Ds.

 

[dac64]

So the Qutest still runs even after they are deeply discharged. As I understood it a single NiMH cell will run from 1.2V to 1.4 or 1.45V fully charged. The 4pack would be 4.8V - 5.4V). I would have expected the Qutest to power off at just below 4.8V. My question was whether this behaviour is healthy for the Qutest as it is designed for a sudden complete loss of power. What capacity NiMH batteries were you using? I did try a similar arrangement for a Pi4, but I only had old 1600mAh batteries. It powered on, but didn't boot. I guess you have 2500mAh or maybe more. To get a longer run time you would need a 4pack of Ds.

Qutest didn't power off after 4.2V, just not sound.

Rod said 5V 1A is sufficient to get Qutest moving.

Its a Panasonic envelop pro, 2450mAh each.

Yes, 4 Ds of 10000mAh each can last for 16 hours playtime.

 

[uzi2]

OK thanks for clarifying - so the lights are on, but nobody is at home
My worry is what affect this has on the Qutest.
For the benefit of others - the total output of the pack is AA 2450mAh and D 10,000 mAh - only the voltage is x4
NiMH AA are commonly available up to around 3000mAh and slightly above. The 10,000mAh D size is not common, but I have seen them up to 12,000mAh
I didn't pursue the NiMH option as I ordered a LPS from Ciunas and following John's decision to close and on his recommendation the Allo Shanti.
I asked him what he considered to be 2nd best power supply for my needs

 

[Zzt231gr]

I ordered a LPS from Ciunas and following John's decision to close and on his recommendation the Allo Shanti.
I asked him what he considered to be 2nd best power supply for my needs

John said that?Cool!

When are you expecting it?

What is your psu experience level and what psu will you test it against?

Thanks!

 

[uzi2]

John said that?Cool!

When are you expecting it?

What is your psu experience level and what psu will you test it against?

Thanks!

It should be within a week, but that's also how long the Ciunas order should have taken, so I am prepared for delays. At first he was awaiting components that were taking much longer to arrive than expected and then decided to close down. Very efficient with the refund once that happened.
I haven't tried anything other than stock with Qutest. I was going to try a NimH pack, but didn't pursue it once I'd decided to order the LPS.

 

[RobertSM]

I'm using a Sbooster 5v LPS for my qutest. I'm really loving it. To me it seems to have added a smoother presentation to the music. Also a deeper bottom end. I think it was a worthwhile addition and an absolute upgrade to the stock PS.

 

[Triode User]

I'm using a Sbooster 5v LPS for my qutest. I'm really loving it. To me it seems to have added a smoother presentation to the music. Also a deeper bottom end. I think it was a worthwhile addition and an absolute upgrade to the stock PS.

Yes, I have one as well. Agreed that it is good, are you using it with the Ultra MkII?

 

[RobertSM]

Yes, I have one as well. Agreed that it is good, are you using it with the Ultra MkII?

Yes. I ran the stock Sbooster for a week and really liked it. I then went ahead and ordered and installed the Ultra MKII. I think it added a small improvement. So overall I think it's great.

I think regardless of what brand LPS owners add, we all seem to agree that qutest does respond well and shows improvement to the stock PS.

 

[RobertSM]

One thing I wanted to add about the Sbooster. I think it's actually a really well engineered LPS. I think it's of Dutch design and made in Bulgaria with high quality parts. With all of these parts and with it's design, I think the LPS itself needs and benefits from usage, and burn in. I mean, all of those parts really need electricity to run through. I think after owning the Sbooster now for about 3 weeks, it's just now settling down and sounding even better.

 

[Triode User]

One thing I wanted to add about the Sbooster. I think it's actually a really well engineered LPS. I think it's of Dutch design and made in Bulgaria with high quality parts. With all of these parts and with it's design, I think the LPS itself needs and benefits from usage, and burn in. I mean, all of those parts really need electricity to run through. I think after owning the Sbooster now for about 3 weeks, it's just now settling down and sounding even better.

but have you tried theUltra MKII with it?

 

[RobertSM]

but have you tried theUltra MKII with it?

Yep, I have the Ultra MKII

 

[Zzt231gr]

Yes. I ran the stock Sbooster for a week and really liked it. I then went ahead and ordered and installed the Ultra MKII. I think it added a small improvement. So overall I think it's great.

I think regardless of what brand LPS owners add, we all seem to agree that qutest does respond well and shows improvement to the stock PS.

I am one of some members who tried an aftermarket psu with negative results....

I tried MCRU and the sound was undoubtly better until I discovered that it sounded a tad bright and being tiring in the end.

This is the reason I want to try supercaps for my second try-out.

 

[uzi2]

My Shanti arrived today and I have given it a good work out and I am very pleased with the results. I t has a double benefit for me as it replaces the switching power supplies of the Pi4 and the Qutest. The Pi4 is connected to the 3A output and Qutest to the 1A. All traces of harshness in the treble are gone and I am more inclined to turn the volume up rather than down. It has a full bass, delightful mids and very clear highs
For those looking to replace only the Qutest power supply, I tested with an alternate source and found similar improvements.
For those looking at a Pi setup, I am running a very much underclocked beta version of DietPi running NAA.
The Shanti appears to have quite thin DC cables, in contrast to those that would have been supplied by Ciunas Audio and they are hardwired, but does come equipped with power lead and a full selection of adapters.

 

[DecentLevi]

Sounds like you got excellent results with the Shanti. I'm inclined to say you could have even better results with a more robust aftermarket DC cable (thicker gauge wire, more isolation, etc.). When Ciunas was in business and I got their LPS, yes their supplied DC cable was great sounding and durable, but I was surprised at how big the difference was with another cable. That was the Gotham cable from Ghent Audio, and unfortunately it didn't work out for me, sounding just as harsh on the highs as others had experienced with it., so I got the other cable recommended recently on the Qutest thread instead, which I haven't gotten to try yet. I do believe the flimsy non-removable DC chords was a reason I chose not to go with the Shanti. Perhaps the only way to do that with yours is to open it up and replace the DC chords with female barrel sockets. (I'm not endorsing this, just a thought).

My Ciunas Audio LPS experienced an issue, and while it was only 1/2 my fault, the other issue was relating to internal/external build issues. While I choose not to get into specifics out of respect and an agreement I had with the owner of said company, I will just say I was far from alone on aforementioned matter. I sent my defective Ciunas back for a replacement but in the meantime they went out of business so they instead refunded me. Luckily I was able to find somebody to build a better quality replica of sorts, but for the time being, my source has to remain confidential until I'm told otherwise. Hopefully I'll have the new custom LPS in a week or so.