I don't have any digital components in my main system, but I understand that good practice is to feed them from a dedicated line separate from the line(s) powering the rest of the system. (I haven't gotten to your question yet). I know some power conditioners have isolated receptacles that may even be labelled for digital components- I suppose they are isolated in some way from the other receptacles, but my experience with power conditioners is dated and I no longer use any.
I do have a considerable investment in my AC power set up, including a robust 10kVA isolation transformer and heavy gauge (#4) feeder lines to the audio subpanel, which in turn feed multiple dedicated lines using #10 Romex to hospital grade outlets.
That said, I have two devices that I sometimes play around with that use wall warts of the switching type- one is an Acoustic Revive Schumann generator, the other is a small DSP unit for a pair of 15" subwoofers. For those, I bought a relatively inexpensive bench type multi-channel power supply with a toroidal transformer that allows you to adjust voltage and current. Some older style wall warts are actually transformers, but a lot of modern ones are switching supplies, and potentially create the same kind of noise that I suppose supports the idea of a dedicated line for digital devices. By using the linear power supply, you get rid of the wall wart part of the problem.
You could conceivably plug the warted device into an outlet that is not shared by the same circuit as your power supply, but who knows what else is on that?
Others who do use digital in their main systems may offer more insight into what they actually experience and the effects of the digital components themselves on system noise. |
Thank you whart. I too have a dedicated power line to my audio room, with a 4 plug furutech heavy duty outlet. My power conditioner has 2 seperate runs of receptacles...one set for digital the other for analogue. So I suppose that the wal wart plugged into the power conditioner defeats the purpose? |
I don’t know the answer. The noise from the wall wart may be ameliorated by the Shunyata. I had a bunch of Shunyata gear many years ago but can’t answer your question beyond what I’ve done with the linear supply for the wall warts. What was interesting to me, based solely on the read out of the power supply, was how little current the devices themselves- the Schumann generator and the DSP unit- actually draw. The linear supply was under two hundred dollars- you can make the cable yourself using switchcraft barrel plugs and appropriately gauged wire for the voltage and length- I can point you to the one I use. It offers more flexibility and is cheaper than some of the audiophile ones that are built for a single voltage.
I guess in theory, by keeping the wall warts plugged into the standard household electrical branch rather than the dedicated line, you are already isolating them to a degree. I don’t know how much of that digital noise is carried over a common ground, since even your dedicated line ultimately ties into the same grounding point as your main household system. |
Interesting. Deserves more looking into. Thank you |
I think it depends. Price matters! In the sense that don't overspend for a fix.
I have replaced the wall wart on my Squeezebox Touch and my Mytek Brooklyn (not exactly a wall wart) but to be honest I haven’t found a big difference. Maybe I should go back for a while. :)
I’m not really sure if they help the device perform better, or just reduce the amount of noise they inject back into the AC. Some of this may depend on your other components and which side of the AC conditioner they are on.
I try very hard to keep all network devices and their associated wal-warts "outside" of the power conditioner so any noise they generate will be cleaned before it gets to my preamp/amp/DAC.
Best,
E
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I am quite new at all this, and this is my first higher end audio system. I am trying to accomplish good clean power to my streamer component. I have had built a dedicated electrical power line and purchased a power conditioner (which retails for $2250) in order to provide that good clean power. I am just wondering if the things I have done have supplied the good feed of power that I need and if that is all I need to do, or does a wall wart disrupt what I have done and corrupt the supply of good power to the component. I don't want to purchase a power supply if it is not necessary based on what I have already done....but I don't want to undermine my investment either. |
I think @erik_squires got it right. The issue with the wall warts isn't so much that they don't supply the necessary power, but whether the switching type are creating a backwash of noise in the rest of your system.
With the Schumann generator, though most folks that reviewed it favorably seemed to believe it did "more" by using a linear power supply, I didn't hear much difference. In fact, the whole notion of this component is borderline voodoo- nobody can explain why it does what it does. Some can't hear its effect at all. The first time I turned it on, it made me queasy. I then heard differences in the overall presentation of the system in my previous room/house/set up. In my new house/set up, I haven't found it to have much effect- it is a much bigger room and the placement isn't quite the same relative to the listening position. Perhaps a poor choice as an example, since it isn't a 'component' that is part of the system, but an external tweak.
Ditto on the difference with the little DSP unit for the subs. It's drawing a few hundredths of an amp, and I can see the voltage fluctuate between 12.0 and 12.1 on the bench supply read out. Maybe with a DAC or streamer that is essentially a source, it might make a difference in sound quality of the component itself, but my impression was that getting rid of the wart was due to potential noise pollution as it affected the rest of your system. Perhaps I'm wrong.....
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It's not just about noise its also about the robustness of the power supply and a better power supply should always make an improvement. Regardless of the quality of the actual power you're supplying to it.
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Okay, sounds like....probably....the cheap wall wart would affect the SQ in the series of quality power leading to the component. Makes sense to me, and I suspected as much, but I wanted to see if anyone had any experience in this |
Also, you make an excellent point jond regarding the benefits of the power supply on its own merits |
Yes, jond is spot on.
Regarding interference produced by wall warts, some digital devices can backwash noise down their AC line. That's why their power supplies need to have good voltage regulation and a design to minimize this. It also helps to use a shielded power cord and isolate digital from the analogue power source. |
Yes, okay, I had forgotten to mention that, I also have several high end power cords.....and my power conditioner has seperate digital and analogue receptacles. But it does sound like, and this only makes sense, that you guys are ultimately saying that your power chain is only as good as its weakest link.....and that, in my case, would be the wall wart
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I would say that the component using a wall-wart is not living up to its potential. Even if it creates noise into the power line that may or may not be audible, a well built LPS will help your streamer perform at a higher level.
However, a company like iFi makes switching power supplies (SMPS) which are receiving good reviews. Still, I don't know if they would equal a LPS.
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Okay lowrider57. Sounds logical. So, I started this forum based upon the streamer I am considering, which offers an optional power supply to replace wall wart. So now, a power supply is for replacement of wall warts? Excuse my ignorance, I need some education as I don't know a lot about audio. I have power cords to go from component to power conditioner for cord hookup....so anything with a wall wart I should invest in a power supply? |
This may help get you started. My aim was to cover ancillaries, have a decent transformer, and the ability to adjust voltage and current (limiting) while being cheap. I'm sure there are some better grade units out there, but to power the DSP and the Schumann resonator, this is all I needed- it's been working fine for a couple years. @terry9 has recommended lab grade ones used. They aren't much more from the appropriate supply houses. At least this gives you some starting criteria: http://www.loneoceans.com/labs/tekpower/ |
easola, there are many components or devices that come standard with a wall-wart (a switch-mode PS) and offer an external LPS at additional cost. Some of these power supply upgrades can be very costly. That's why we've been discussing aftermarket power supplies as a cheaper alternative, many built in China. As whart has explained, a bench PS can cost less and have more features than so-called "audio" or "audiophile" linear power supplies. The better supplies use a toroidal or a Rcore transformer and very different filtering than SMPS. Some flaws of the SMPS design (from Wikipedia)... Noisier due to the switching frequency of the SMPS. An unfiltered output
may cause glitches in digital circuits or noise in audio circuits.Very low cost SMPS may couple electrical switching noise back onto the
mains power line, causing interference with A/V equipment connected to
the same phase. Non power-factor-corrected SMPSs also cause harmonic
distortion.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switched-mode_power_supply |
