Great inexpensive DC filtering for external SMPS

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jonbee

Great inexpensive DC filtering for external SMPS
« on: 28 May 2015, 02:15 pm »
I've been using a cheap HTPC as my music source for a couple of years with great success. However, it is powered by an 18v external SMPS like a laptop uses. This has always been a sore point, but I didn't like the price tags on an 18VDC linear PS replacement, which are nearly as expensive and as large as the PC. I've had my eye out for a cheaper solution.
TBI Sound, who make the wonderful TBI Millenia amps, one of which I own and love, has a legacy product I heard about and bought - the OFR-1 Scrubber reservoir and ripple filter.
The Scrubber is purely passive. The original purpose was to use with the Millenia's SMPS to smooth out ripple and EMI and isolate the SMPS from the amp and stiffen the PS output. They are out of production but they have some stock, so I ponied up $100 and got one yesterday which I simply plugged into my PC after the SMPS.
The effect was pretty dramatic. The apparent noise floor dropped very noticeably with a improvement in inner detail and spatial rendering. Everything just "popped" and sounded cleaner. No downside I've found.  It was the kind of improvement I would expect from a linear PS or battery PS upgrade, for much less $ and trouble. I don't know and can't claim whether the improvement is as great as a battery or a good linear PS provides, but it offers the same type of benefits. I use a linear Astron PS with my Millenia, and when I made that change the improvement was of the same nature as the OFR-1, but with some loss of maximum output due to the 13.8V output of the Astron.
Jan at TBI was super to work with.  If you have an external SMPS under 25 volts you want to improve for not much $, I recommend you try one before they are gone.

Info here:
www.tbisound.com/_pdf/UPFAwp.pdf
« Last Edit: 29 May 2015, 03:41 pm by jonbee »

jtwrace

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Re: Great inexpensive DC filtering for external SMPS
« Reply #1 on: 28 May 2015, 11:51 pm »
Interesting.  Your link says they're $200.  Are they selling off the stock at $100?

jonbee

Re: Great inexpensive DC filtering for external SMPS
« Reply #2 on: 29 May 2015, 03:29 am »
Interesting.  Your link says they're $200.  Are they selling off the stock at $100?
That's what he quoted me, plus shipping. It would still be a good value at $200, IMO.