[mshan]

Do you think there would be any audible differences of reproduced music (not fan noise levels) between the stock Antec TruePower 380S power supply in my Antec Sonata case and a PC Power & Cooling Silencer 400?

They both appear to be quality power supplies, but apparently the PC Power & Cooling power supplies have rock solid voltage stability.

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

All I can say is that moving from a TTGI (superflower) 520W to a PC P&C Turbo-Cool 510 definitely improved the sound quality of the RME cards. I don't know about the EMU's since they have much better power filtering.

 

[GokieKS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iron_Dreamer All I can say is that moving from a TTGI (superflower) 520W to a PC P&C Turbo-Cool 510 definitely improved the sound quality of the RME cards. I don't know about the EMU's since they have much better power filtering.

You sure that's not just because you had to turn the volume up to compensate for the noise of the PC P&C PSU?

(Sorry, couldn't resist. They make the best quality PSUs in the business, but I'll be damned if they're not too loud for me.)

~KS

 

[mshan]

Could you elaborate more specifically on what types of sound quality improvements you perceived? Increased purity, lower noise floor, firmer sound, etc? (I currently own an RME Digi96/8 PAD and M-Audio Revolution). Can you provide some sense of degree of improvement percieved (~ price / performance ratio)

Also, any idea how a Seasonic Super Silencer 400 stacks up against a PC Power & Cooling Silencer 400 vs. my current Antec TruePower 380S (in Antec Sonata case)?

And other than sound quality improvements, did you notice any other improvements (e.g. DVD playback) or general computer use (smoother, faster , etc?)

Theoretically, what should rock solid voltage stability translate into during gaming, audio playback, DVD playback (HTPC), and general computer use?

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Honestly, that was a while ago, and I really don't remember quite what the differences were, but they were definitely there. I don't know that it was worth a $190 PSU for sound quality alone, but once you consider their build quality, warranty, and the positive effects on computer stability and overclocking, it was worth it for me.

And regarding the noise, I put in a Panaflo, so it is nowhere near as noisy as it was stock (which wasn't as loud as a lot of people make it out to be).

 

[mshan]

Any guess on how a stock PC Power & Cooling fan stacks up against the stock (temperature controlled) single 80 mm fan in an Antec TruePower 380S (standard in an Antec Sonata case), both in terms of noise level and how distracting the particular quality of fan / bearing noise is?

 

[lan]

Some things that I ponder about are:

- Will the better supply filter incoming noise better?
- Will the better powersupply pump less harmful noise back into the line?

 

[richx]

I thought the figure to look out for is the voltage ripple - Over here the best I can find so far gives me 50mV ripple on the +5 and +3.3 lines, and 120mV ripple on the +12 line ...

 

[bg4533]

The Antec Truepowers are very good PSUs. While maybe not quite as good as PC P&C I think the quietness and price of them make up for this. I have a Truepower 430 that I have modded with quieter fans and it has been rock solid. I rarely ever see the voltages fluctuate by more than 1% measured by both motherboard and multimeter.

I would say if you have a generic PSU or overloaded one than an upgrade might be a good idea, but otherwise it is likely a waste.

 

[Wodgy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by richx I thought the figure to look out for is the voltage ripple - Over here the best I can find so far gives me 50mV ripple on the +5 and +3.3 lines, and 120mV ripple on the +12 line ...

Both those values are extremely large. (I'd hate to imagine ripple+noise?) Here are some typical ripple+noise measurements for a few common power supplies:
Elpac WM080 -> 1.8mV
Creek OBH-2 -> 0.26mV
STEPS prototype (2003.10.05) at 32V -> 0.24mV
Velleman K1823 kit at 24V -> 0.18mV

Just goes to show that excellent on-card power supply regulation is critical.

 

[richx]

Thank you Wodgy - LoLz any tips when doing a DIY power supply? More filtering caps?

 

[Glassman]

you can feed soundcard with external low noise power supply, for the rest of the PC switched supply is the only way to go..

 

[adhoc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wodgy Both those values are extremely large. (I'd hate to imagine ripple+noise?) Here are some typical ripple+noise measurements for a few common power supplies: Elpac WM080 -> 1.8mV Creek OBH-2 -> 0.26mV STEPS prototype (2003.10.05) at 32V -> 0.24mV Velleman K1823 kit at 24V -> 0.18mV Just goes to show that excellent on-card power supply regulation is critical.

actually, it's a pretty good figure for a switching psu - all those in your list are linear power supplies.

 

[adhoc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iron_Dreamer ...I don't know about the EMU's since they have much better power filtering.

how do you know this?

 

[Wodgy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by adhoc actually, it's a pretty good figure for a switching psu - all those in your list are linear power supplies.

That's why switching power supplies aren't used in high-end audio without heavy filtering.