[viggen]

Say you have a laptop or a SFF PC that utilizes an AC adapter, will upgrading it improve the overall sound?  And, is there such a thing as "higher quality" AC adapter?

[DTB300]

Say you have a laptop or a SFF PC that utilizes an AC adapter, will upgrading it improve the overall sound?  And, is there such a thing as "higher quality" AC adapter?

Higher Quality Power is always a plus with audio.  Seasonic is talked about over at CA (Computer Audiophile), but most are using some kind of LPS to power their music servers/laptops.

There are the ones from China people are using  - TeraDak, Keces, ZeroZone (good measurements) to name a couple.  Locally there is the JS-2 from Uptone Audio, HD-Plex, and others.  Make sure the one you get supports the voltage (19v probably) of your laptop, the wattage  and the amperage required.

Here is a link to a ZeroZone LPS that is 19V and 100W - some of the cheaper ones have less wattage support

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ZEROZONE-100VA-19V-Ultra-Low-Noise-LPS-HI-END-Linear-Power-Supply-for-Audio-/111981559186?hash=item1a129efd92:g:98IAAOSwzvlW96K~

[viggen]

Thanks!  Most I've seen so far are ATX PSU not in the form of an AC adapter.  But, the one you linked seem to fit the bill.

[Vincent Kars]

Even if you use a linear PSU , on the mobo there are all kind of voltage regulators as different components need a different voltage.
These are switchers indeed (SMPS).
Hence if you are using a linear power supply to power the PC, the components are still powered by SMPS.

[srb]

The quality of motherboard regulators can vary quite a bit.

Driver MOSFET VRMs such as found on premium motherboards including many Gigabyte models can have much lower noise output than garden variety switching regulators commonly found on cheaper motherboards, and in some cases may approach the noise levels of linear regulators.

[viggen]

Thanks for the heads up guys.

I am planning on using the PSU with a Lenovo Thinkcentre M700, so I don't have say in the matter of components.  That said, I really like the sound with said PC which has Jplay and VB Audio Bridge installed.

[viggen]

ending up paying a bit more for a:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/121996730768

[srb]

ending up paying a bit more for a:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/121996730768

The power supply you linked to is a 12VDC model.  Isn't the DC supply voltage for a Lenovo ThinkCentre M700 20VDC?

Edit:  I see further down in the listing they have other voltages to choose from, so I assume you specified 6. 19V@4.2A.

[viggen]

My AC adapter is 20v 3.25A.

I asked for: 7. 24V@3.3A

Should I change it to 6、19V@4.2A ?

edit:  just googled and found higher voltage is bad.  so just messaged seller to match output rating to that of my ac adapters. 

[srb]

Should I change it to 6、19V@4.2A ?

edit:  just googled and found higher voltage is bad.  so just messaged seller to match output rating to that of my ac adapters.

24V is 20% over spec.  Most circuits should be comfortable within a +/- 5% voltage range which would be 19V - 21V, so if I couldn't order a 20V supply, 19V would be my choice.

[viggen]

Received the PSU lastnight.  There was a slight delay as seller was on vacation due to national holiday in China during the week I made the purchase. 

I asked for 20v output.  Seller said the amp is about 3.8 output. 

Just installed the PSU maybe 15 mins ago.  First few songs I played.. I am blown away at the midrange's visceral. 

Since the PSU is used on an off-the-shelf PC, I wasn't expecting this huge jump.  However, so far, it's perhaps the second best audio upgrade I ever did.  The best would be an upgrade to my turntable's motor's transformer.  And, the PC's PSU upgrade does have similar improvement attributes but slightly less in scale.  My third best upgrade is probably my former Nixon dac's PSU upgrade.  Weird that my best upgrades are all PSU/transformer related.  But, that's what gave me confidence to get this LPS PSU from China.

For a product I knew very little about, I did rather little research before purchasing.  So, definitely thank this forum for helping me find this product as well as alerting me to the voltage/amp issue.

Now, it's hard to go upstairs to bed.. the music is very very good.

One observation though:  before the PSU, I was enjoying music on youtube more than music I play off flac via foobar.  After some research, I learned that it's perhaps the lower res music required less work from the PC to play hence less PC noise.  And, after PSU, flac via foobar is superior.. now the youtube music sounds boring in comparison. 

And, the PSU will improve with burn in?  I hope the sound doesn't change.  Sometimes, some components and cables sound better before burn in.  I hope this isn't the case with the PSU. 

Last observation for the night.  I was thinking about upgrading my dac.  Compared to my friend's $10k Esoteric dac from the 90's, my dac pales in comparison although it's 15 yrs newer.  The Esoteric has a full range output that comparably made my dac sounded thin.  However, with the PSU, the overall sound now is very strong from bottom on up through the mids, no thinness at all.  I would say the NOS battery powered dac is sounding the way it's supposed to sound now, smooth, articulate and analogy (sp). 

Comparatively, this PSU is not cheap, but, now that I am not wanting to upgrade the dac, I am ahead $ wise.