Recommend linear power supply for Arcam irdac

knownothing

Novice Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2015
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Age
65
Location
Seattle, WA
I recently purchased an Arcam irdac which I think sounds very good in my system. I am looking to improve it's performance further by replacing cheap switching power supply with an aftermarket linear supply.

There are positive reviews on various sites for Teddy Pardo Linear PS, Main Cables R Us advertises their irdac solution extensively on eBay, Custom Hifi Cables makes an interesting looking 12VAC unit, and Paul Hynes who designed the regulator for the Empirical Audio Overdrive SE makes a stand alone power supply for the irdac as well. I have also been approached by a vendor for Best of Two Worlds Power and Precision - ECO linear supply system (built by Sbooster). All are in the same ball park in terms of cost (~$400 USD delivered), and all have champions on the Internet that swear these custom power supplies noticably improve performance of small DACs over stock wall warts.

One further consideration. Teddy Pardo claims that his supplies are super quiet. I find this compelling, but am thinking that current deliver may be just as or more important for DAC audio performance.

In terms of a linear supply to improve performance of my irdac, do you have experience and a specific recommendation?

I have a dedicated 10 gauge AC supply line on it's own breaker with good outlet In residential neighborhood, so power to system is decent.
 
Thanks larkone. I have to chuckle about your comment on diminishing gains made on a forum like this one. My experience is that above the very first tier in audio upgrades, the ratio of cash outlay to improvement experienced is completely non-linear, and many accept this proposition. But perhaps that is another subject for another time.

Back to the original topic:

1. Have you tried this Mascot plug in linear power supply with audio gear of any kind? If so what did you hear?
2. Do you know if this is available off the self with US plug set? Or is easily converted with inexpensive adapter? And if so, would this degrade perceived performance?
 
— As an Amazon Associate, AVForums earns from qualifying purchases —
Can be charged whilst powering the irdac but Anker don't recommend it, so I tend to disconnect it, easily lasts over a weekends listening. Not noticed any changes to the sound even when running it down to less than 5%.

There's an interesting (if lengthy) thread here:

High End battery solution for the TC-7533 Bushmaster MKII - Page 57
 
Can be charged whilst powering the irdac but Anker don't recommend it, so I tend to disconnect it, easily lasts over a weekends listening. Not noticed any changes to the sound even when running it down to less than 5%.

Thanks, that's helpful.
 
Update, I tried the Anker battery. Not for me in this set up. Battery ran down in 36 hours or less with irDAC. Had some problems with battery freezing up if charged while connected to DAC. Finally, sound quality with battery in line was not enough of improvement, especially in the bass which was lacking in weight compared to Stock switching supply. Perhaps not enough current on hand for this application. Now looking at larger linear supplies again.
 
You could try Mark Grant Cables.

They do a full range of power supplies, but at a cost. They are an excellent company to deal with however.

Personally I'm a bit of sceptic when it comes to expensive power supplies. I tried one of their sBoosters for my Squeezebox Touch a few years ago but could not detect any differences to be frank. I returned it to Mark Grant for a full refund no hassle.

Also at the same time I bought an expensive 6 gang mains block and a couple of fancy mains leads from MCRU. Again I could detect no differences whatsoever so back they went for a full refund.

However plenty of people do say that an upgraded Linear Power Supply does make a significant uplift in performance so who am I to disagree.
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom