[RDavidson]

I moved a few months ago and in the process I decided to make some system changes and shuffle some things around. Long story short I have a Sbooster 5-6v LPS that has worked perfectly with a microRendu I owned for a few years (recently sold). Fast forward to now. I still have the Sbooster and tried using it with my new (to me) Chord Qutest DAC. There’s info all over the internet from others using the Sbooster very successfully with the Qutest. The problem is, when I plug the Sbooster into my Qutest nothing happens.

Some things I’ve checked :

1. The Qutest works fine with the stock power supply. No problems there.
2. The Sbooster turns on. The last time I used it (~5 months ago) it worked fine. I’m pretty positive the light on the front wouldn’t light up if there’s a fault. It has internal protection (fuses and MOV).
3. I quadruple checked that the voltage is correctly set at 5v.

I’m stumped and I’m having a very difficult time finding any clues as to what might be wrong. Possible problems that I can think of :

1. Maybe the micro USB plug is faulty?
2. Maybe the barrel plug adapter (that connects to the micro USB plug) is faulty?
3. Maybe I’m missing the correct barrel plug adapter?
4. Maybe the output cable is faulty? Is there an easy way to check this with a multimeter?
5. Maybe I’m doing something wrong? Unfortunately the user manual is not as comprehensive as I wish it was.
6. Maybe I need the Ultra upgrade for the Sbooster to work with the Qutest? I didn’t think this was necessary, but I’m kinda clueless about it.

Hopefully someone here has experience with the Sbooster and the micro USB plug (and perhaps with the Qutest or other gear that uses the micro USB for power)

[RDavidson]

Well, I discovered the problem and Sbooster confirmed. I have an early production Sbooster mk2 that came with an unreliable USB B connector design. They have since remedied this with a new version USB B connector, which is what most people have. As it took a lot of time and troubleshooting here’s the skinny:

The old, original, USB B connector was a 2-piece affair. It uses a 5v pin connector to male barrel connector. Once this is connected to the main unit (with the pins), one piggybacks the USB’s female barrel connector onto the 5v male connector. This double connector design is the problem. With a lot of fiddling I could get it to work intermittently.

The new USB B connector goes straight from 2 pins to micro USB! Much simpler! I expect it will work without issue (once I receive it).

This is probably a weird and rare case, but hopefully this info is helpful to others.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

You will be impressed with the improvement in sound with the new power supply.  I bought an IFI Power X power supply for my son to use with his Qutest DAC and it made a very noticeable improvement in sound.  It brought out more detail and clarity.  The sound was more musical as well.  I bet that the Sbooster will be even better.  Post your impressions.