New Power Supply for SqueezeBox from Welborne Labs

Wayne1 · « **on:** 13 Dec 2006, 08:44 pm »

Ron Welborne is now offering a very nice looking power supply for the Squeeze Box.

It is available as a kit for $185.00 or assembled for an additional $100.00

This looks like a good option for someone looking for a PS between the modded ELPAC and the Ultimate PS.

http://www.welbornelabs.com/images/squeezeboxb.jpg

ctviggen · « **Reply #1 on:** 13 Dec 2006, 09:00 pm »

Very nice! A kit would be fun.

fajimr · « **Reply #2 on:** 13 Dec 2006, 09:07 pm »

Kudos to Wayne for putting a competitors' product up!

JoshK · « **Reply #3 on:** 13 Dec 2006, 09:19 pm »

Quote from: fajimr on 13 Dec 2006, 09:07 pm

Kudos to Wayne for putting a competitors' product up!

I was going to say the same thing.

Ferdi · « **Reply #4 on:** 13 Dec 2006, 09:44 pm »

Great going Wayne!

This raises a question though: I have just built Welborne's PSREGHC power supply for my own squeezebox and the description and picture don't match with the kit I built and that is still on the Welborne site.

Hmmm. Maybe I should build a new PS...

I am enjoying mine a lot though!

Wayne1 · « **Reply #5 on:** 14 Dec 2006, 09:05 pm »

Thanks for the kudos, guys.

I consider the Welborne supply to compliment my offerings rather than any direct competition.

The supply Ron is now offering is similar to the Basic Rev 1 I used to build, but with a MUCH nicer case.

It might sound a bit better than a modded ELPAC, mostly due to the shielded DC cable. Having the option to replace the AC cable is a nice feature that the ELPAC cannot offer.

A local audiophile had me mod his SB3 for him. He built the Welborne PSREGHC to power it. He did compare his supply to mgalusha's Ultimate PS. The Welborne was not in the same league as the Ultimate.

NewBuyer · « **Reply #6 on:** 15 Dec 2006, 12:05 am »

Quote from: Wayne1 on 14 Dec 2006, 09:05 pm

...It might sound a bit better than a modded ELPAC, mostly due to the shielded DC cable. Having the option to replace the AC cable is a nice feature that the ELPAC cannot offer.

A local audiophile had me mod his SB3 for him. He built the Welborne PSREGHC to power it. He did compare his supply to mgalusha's Ultimate PS. The Welborne was not in the same league as the Ultimate.

I think I will just have to start saving for one of these Ultimate PS MKII's!

Wayne I'm wondering please, do you feel the modded Elpac would make an audibly positive difference to an unmodded SB3 unit? If so, would it audibly benefit just the analog outputs, or both analog and digital outputs?

Wayne1 · « **Reply #7 on:** 15 Dec 2006, 12:20 am »

Quite a few folks run the modded ELPAC with a stock SB.

They do tend to feel it does improve the sound on both analog and digital.

The latest review on Positive Feedback makes mention of it.

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue28/squeezebox3.htm

Feel free to ask this question on the BOLDER Cable Circle.

You should be able to get a decent response from more than a few members.

NewBuyer · « **Reply #8 on:** 15 Dec 2006, 12:39 am »

Quote from: Wayne1 on 15 Dec 2006, 12:20 am

Quite a few folks run the modded ELPAC with a stock SB.

They do tend to feel it does improve the sound on both analog and digital...

Thanks Wayne!

I really appreciate your advice.

alana106 · « **Reply #9 on:** 15 Dec 2006, 04:01 pm »

Has anyone out there replaced / compared this Welborne kit with the Bolder Elpac? Would love to hear your thoughts at to how much improvement it provided. I'm sure I would love the Bolder Ultimate... Everyone who's heard it, does.

Its just not in $ range for me at this time.

Alan

NewBuyer · « **Reply #10 on:** 18 Dec 2006, 12:03 am »

Hi Wayne,

What please would be your personal estimate, of how this new Welborne supply should fare performance-wise against your new modded WM220-1 Elpac offering (cost not considered)?

Wayne1 · « **Reply #11 on:** 18 Dec 2006, 05:23 pm »

The only true and honest answer I can give is I just don't know.

There are far too many variables. I have heard power supplies change the sound depending on what brand of capacitor was used in different areas.

The only thing I can say now, is that I HAVE ordered a kit from Welborne. I will assemble it and listen to it for a few weeks. Hopefully I will also have an ELPAC WM220-1 on hand to compare it with. I do have a modded ELPAC WM-075-1950, a BOLDER Basic Rev.1 and my prototype Ultimate MKII is in and out of the system, depending on auditions.

When I get it and have it "broken in" I will try to have a get together with some of the locals. Hopefully we can compare all the PS and everyone will post their impressions.

One very nice feature about the Welborne PS is that it can be used for 240 VAC input. I know there has been a lot of requests for a good linear PS from SB owners outside of US and Canada. Unfortunately. The ELPAC PS are only 120 VAC.

Frihed91 · « **Reply #12 on:** 18 Dec 2006, 10:32 pm »

If I have 230 V/50 cyc. power and I use a 5 Volt external power supply for the SB3 what is the max-min current range i should shoot for? There seem to be a larger number of multi-purpose external PSs available here (in the 25-60 euro range) in the EU than in the US and one of them just might fit.

Wayne1 · « **Reply #13 on:** 18 Dec 2006, 11:41 pm »

Any power supply rated over 2 amps should supply enough current. What it will "sound" like is up for grabs.

A lot of current power supplies are a switching design. This is the same thing as supplied with the SB. Quite a few people do not care for the "sound" of the high speed switching vs. a linear power supply.

The SB takes a 2.5 mm DC connector

Frihed91 · « **Reply #14 on:** 19 Dec 2006, 09:14 am »

Thanks, I am looking at linear PSs, but none quite fit. Maybe in Poland! They got everything!

Wayne1 · « **Reply #15 on:** 10 Jan 2007, 07:42 pm »

The kit for the Welborne Labs power supply arrived this morning.

Like a kid with a new toy, I had to drop everything and build it.

The assembly is fairly easy. There are a couple of resistors that have to be mounted on the underside of the board, so they do not short to the heatsink when it is installed.

The rest of the PC board assembly is very straight forward. The fit of the PC board into the case is VERY tight. You have to be careful when installing the PS caps not to leave ANY gaps.

The machining of the case is good. The parts quality in the kit is also very good. There is no "industrial" PS that uses anywhere near this quality of parts.

The screws that hold the end plates to the chassis are a bit too small to bite into the channels. I have contacted Ron to try to get these replaced with larger ones.

The PS powered up first time I plugged it in with 5.02 volts on the output.

I will let it power a SB or the TrendsAudio USB DAC for a few days and then compare it to the modded ELPAC WM075-1950 and the Ultimate PS. I do not have an ELPAC WM220-1 on hand right now, but I should be getting some in this week to mod.

If you are looking for a fun little kit to build to get your "feet wet" in DIY audio, I can recommend this kit.

ctviggen · « **Reply #16 on:** 10 Jan 2007, 09:54 pm »

Let us know how it goes. It does sound like a fun little project.

NewBuyer · « **Reply #17 on:** 17 Jan 2007, 04:32 am »

Quote from: Wayne1 on 10 Jan 2007, 07:42 pm

The kit for the Welborne Labs power supply arrived this morning.

Like a kid with a new toy, I had to drop everything and build it.

The assembly is fairly easy. There are a couple of resistors that have to be mounted on the underside of the board, so they do not short to the heatsink when it is installed.

The rest of the PC board assembly is very straight forward. The fit of the PC board into the case is VERY tight. You have to be careful when installing the PS caps not to leave ANY gaps.

The machining of the case is good. The parts quality in the kit is also very good. There is no "industrial" PS that uses anywhere near this quality of parts.

The screws that hold the end plates to the chassis are a bit too small to bite into the channels. I have contacted Ron to try to get these replaced with larger ones.

The PS powered up first time I plugged it in with 5.02 volts on the output.

I will let it power a SB or the TrendsAudio USB DAC for a few days and then compare it to the modded ELPAC WM075-1950 and the Ultimate PS. I do not have an ELPAC WM220-1 on hand right now, but I should be getting some in this week to mod.

If you are looking for a fun little kit to build to get your "feet wet" in DIY audio, I can recommend this kit.

Hi Wayne,

Just wondering please, if you have any updates on this?

Wayne1 · « **Reply #18 on:** 17 Jan 2007, 04:05 pm »

The power supply is still breaking in. In my experience it takes close to a month of 24/7 use before everything settles in.

I will say that I believe the Welborne PS is better "sounding" then the modded WM075-1950.

I have not had a WM220-1 on hand long enough to do any comparisons. THe Ultimate PS MKII is quite a bit better sounding than the Welborne. It has deeper bass, cleaner highs, more dynamics, etc.,etc.

I would put the Welborne's performance in line with it's price. At $300.00 assembled, you get quite a better sound than stock or a wall wart linear can give you. If you can assemble it yourself, you can save some money.

I am still having some problems getting the correct screws to fit the case. Ron sent me some replacement screws, but they had the same problem as the ones that came with the kit.

So for now, my "preference" of SB power supplies is:

Ultimate MK II with Bybees, Summit DC and AC cables.
Ultimate MK II, no Bybees, Nitro AC and DC cables.(or Summit)
Modded ELPAC WM220-1 (ranking unknown at this time)
Welborne Power Supply
Modded ElpacWM075-1950
Stock Elpac WM075-1950
Stock SB switcher

poseidonsvoice · « **Reply #19 on:** 18 Jan 2007, 05:24 am »

Wayne,

Thanks for the comparisons. Let us know how it compares to a Modded ELPAC WM220-1 whenever you get around to it. This seems to be a nice niche to fill if it betters the Modded WM220-1 as everybody can't afford the Ultimate Power Supply II

It might be interesting to see how the Welborne does with some Bybees installed as well.

Best,
Anand.