Exchanging noisy SMPS supplies for 'quiet' SMPS supplies

[brucew268]

I've been giving some attention to the dirty power in my house, and thinking about the cheap SMPS wall warts in various places: modem, wifi, router, powered USB hubs, wireless phones. Now it would be rather expensive to replace all these with linear PSU's, and the cheap linear PSU's for sale don't give statistics about Ripple & Noise, Noise/Line regulation, or Load Regulation. But at RS I can get pretty reasonable SMPS PSU's with Noise/Ripple under 1%, Line regulation of 1% or better, and Load Regulation of 3% (mostly Meanwell medical PSU's).

Now I wouldn't use such SMPS to power my DAC, but I wonder if these would really help clean up the power in my house circuits... which are all connected to my audio system in some way. I assume the cheap SMPS supplies that came with the wifi, router, and wireless phones have Ripple/Noise much greater than 1%, though I don't know that I have the means to measure that.

Thoughts?

One way to test the potential improvement is to unplug all these from the wall over night and find what I hear the next day. Unplugged from the phone and internet for 20 hours... that's scary!

[MikeMusic]

Well battery supply for your DAC, but a bit expensive for others unless you can find a cheapo battery supply

Be very interested to hear about your results

[Yomanze]

I've been giving some attention to the dirty power in my house, and thinking about the cheap SMPS wall warts in various places: modem, wifi, router, powered USB hubs, wireless phones. Now it would be rather expensive to replace all these with linear PSU's, and the cheap linear PSU's for sale don't give statistics about Ripple & Noise, Noise/Line regulation, or Load Regulation. But at RS I can get pretty reasonable SMPS PSU's with Noise/Ripple under 1%, Line regulation of 1% or better, and Load Regulation of 3% (mostly Meanwell medical PSU's).

Now I wouldn't use such SMPS to power my DAC, but I wonder if these would really help clean up the power in my house circuits... which are all connected to my audio system in some way. I assume the cheap SMPS supplies that came with the wifi, router, and wireless phones have Ripple/Noise much greater than 1%, though I don't know that I have the means to measure that.

Thoughts?

One way to test the potential improvement is to unplug all these from the wall over night and find what I hear the next day. Unplugged from the phone and internet for 20 hours... that's scary!

You could use a Tacima mains block like this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tacima-Conditioner-Frequency-Interference-Filter/dp/B000PS5700

I have a balanced mains setup for DAC / Turntable > Preamp > Power Amp in one socket ("clean power") and a Tacima mains block for PC, router, TV etc. ("dirty power")...

[brucew268]

I do have some mains filters which do a good job. But since electrical noise is pervasive, and it would seem more natural to prevent added noise rather than to counter it, I thought I'd consider this option instead of further treatments.

The house does somehow seem slightly quieter and more peaceful with this stuff off. Slightly odd, though subtle. I've yet to listen to music though.

[brucew268]

Hmm. Did a bit of listening, at first it is difficult to identify specific changes, as I can't say anything about the bass, or the HF detail, or the soundstage, or the warmth, etc. But the music does feel slightly... more pure, more organic. Perhaps slightly more ease, more liquid? No. The sense is hard to define whether aural or through other senses, but as if something on the edge of my senses was previously slightly agitating, and is now gone. Maybe it was distortions in certain harmonic levels, or maybe it is my bodies response to RFI hash in the air, I don't know.

At first it was subtle enough that I thought that replacing all my standard bog wall warts with electrically quieter ones and soldering the correct DC plugs onto them just didn't seem worth it. But when I plugged everything but the Wifi back in, the music slightly agitated me and felt less pure. (Not to be mistaken with what some call "pure, clean sound," which translates to cold, analytical, and unmusical.)

Obviously YMMV. The change is not as immediately obvious as say the fluctuations I find in SQ and musicality based on time of day. But... if I could get away with keeping all these wall warts unplugged for a week and going without internet, I'd be tempted to listen in more extended sessions. I could see it growing on me and becoming required. Or I could find that today I was fooling myself.

[pitadavespa]

Hi Bruce,

Any update on this?

I'm also interested in eliminating has many smps in my house has possible.

Everything that chargers using 5v USB it's easy to solve with something like this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/EC-Technology%C2%AE-22400mAh-Capacity-Flashlight/dp/B00F5Q4F0U/ref=sr_1_sc_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1425039955&sr=1-3-spell&keywords=battery+poewr+bank
It would be better to have only one smps connected when one need to charge the powerbanks battery than several always, right?

I'm mainly intested in an all in one solution that could power the wireless router, charge notebooks, phones, tables, etc. and power other gadgets that we all have in the house and don't even thought about them.
Any ideia?


Thanks,
Luis

[pitadavespa]

This would also be an option, since it also has 9v and 12v.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/20000mAh-Multi-Voltage-Portable-External-Technology-Black/dp/B00GSLRKJO/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1425042096&sr=1-1&keywords=anker+12v

But here I'd be interested in knowing the internal batterys voltage, since it probably is 12v and it will use some kind of switching mode to produte 9v and 5v, generating noise, right?
Although that noise would not be entering the mains, only the devices powered by it.


Thanks,
Luis

note: sorry if my writing seems confusing, but English is not my main language. :\

[brucew268]

Hi Luis,

I did end up changing nearly all the SMPS in the house for medical grade quiet SMPS (Meanwell, available from RS). I also found that DECT cordless phones put out a LOT of spikey RF and that only Siemens offers DECT phones that go into a low emission state when not in use (ECO Mode+). Since it didn't seem practical to rewire my house for corded phones on every floor and in both home-offices, I binned the old cordless and got some Eco-DECT Plus phones by Siemens. That made the biggest difference, also noticed when music is not playing. So, did all this lower the RF contamination Mains and thus result in better music... or did it lower excessive airborne RF noise that my body was reacting to? I don't know which. In either case I preceive the music as described above, whether the change was in the Hi-Fi circuitry or my own physical circuitry. It can't be bad to trade your power supplied for significantly lower noise versions, even if still SMPS. But first have a hard look at any cordless phones in use around the house... and see what works for you.

Regards,
Bruce

[pitadavespa]

Hi Bruce,

Thank you for your answer.

I have one of those Meanwell 12V power supply that I'll have to test. I should be better than most of the cheaper smps (at least).
All this wireless polution if something that bothers me, to be honest... :\


Regards,
Luis