I have the official wall wart supply with all three of my RPi3s, so I've never actually tried any of their rivals. At this stage of the game, I just wanted to make sure my supply provided enough current to keep the RPi stable. That it does.
However, I'd like to try an audiophile supply, and will probably spring the £50-ish on the iFi iPower 5V.
It's interesting that plugnplay review samples of music players from several suppliers have not included the RPi Official PSU, yet it's readily available and not expensive.
I'm guessing the pi psu is a pretty standard smps affair. A really well designed smps should be better (ifi?), a nicely put together linear would be better but 2A might be pushing it a bit on value.
2A might not be required depending on how much load is being placed on the Pi. I use a 1.5A PSU with my Pi3 and it works fine, although I don't use any of the USB ports.
I obviously don't have experience of the Pi but where I have used good quality linear psu's (DIY) there has always been a noticeable improvement, be it better dynamics, more detail or WHY. Apart from amplifiers I've used them in sensitive digital areas like 5v and 3.3v for DACs, oscillators etc. I also have a dual "5vdc USB injection" (sounds a bit Vrooooooom!) which I use between any sound USB device and PC for both recording and playback and wouldn't be without it now. All of these also have simple ripple rejection circuits to improve their quality further, very handy if you're not a super sonic PSU designer like Colin for example!
If anyone wants pics you'll have to wait as they're on my main PC which is in transit and I have deleted my photo-racket account after they went from £0 to £400/A for 3rd party sharing! On which subject...
They must have really wanted to seriously clean out their servers. How many folk would actually go for that? A miniscule fraction of 1% maybe? If it was a cost thing a more reasonable, say, £25/A could have maybe seen 10% + sign up if the adverts died with it. I bet that would add up to some serious revenue. Then there's the advertisers, what will there reaction to costs be when they learn they're talking to a very reduced market after accounts have been closed/deleted/deserted? Mini rant over. (
Yes, I've pretty much always got a good hike in SQ from adding a better PSU - digital and amplification.
The iFi has had some pretty good things said about it, and TBH, I'm intrigued if is good as some people report. But, then I'id need to buy one of the others as a comparison...
I found a PIC of my diy DAC on an old digi-cam sd-card, lots of PSU stuff going on. It's basically 2 DACS in one. A heavily modified Silicon Chip DAC kit based on S/Pdif and then a USB DAC based on an Amanero USB to I2S converter with isolation board, and a DIYHK I2S DAC board (can't remember model). A single switch on the front to change between them.
How do you get pics hosted on flickr to show here?
I found a PIC of my diy DAC on an old digi-cam sd-card, lots of PSU stuff going on. It's basically 2 DACS in one. A heavily modified Silicon Chip DAC kit based on S/Pdif and then a USB DAC based on an Amanero USB to I2S converter with isolation board, and a DIYHK I2S DAC board (can't remember model). A single switch on the front to change between them.
How do you get pics hosted on flickr to show here?
Use the Insert Image button in the toolbar above. Click on it and paste in the URL for the image.
It was a fun build, getting better with each tweak to the basic design. It was a group effort on another forum. Just remembered that the I2S DAC is a Curryman from minidsp, not a diyhk. As long as you don't require super hires rates via s/pdif the sq is amazingly good. Possibly the most rewarding self build I've done. The USB side is no slacker either.
I listened to it for an hour or so last night, and there's some difference, but not a great deal. But I did fail to let the SECAs warm up before starting my listening - they need 1 hour to 1.25 hours to really come on song.
I'll probably have to wait until the weekend before I get enough time to really figure out what's going on, and then in a week or two, I'll switch back (did you see what I did there?) to the RPi standard supply.
That's me chewing contentedly on a corner of my hat. The little iFi PSU is coming on song, peeling back the oniony layers of complex mixes and finding playing nuances I hadn't noticed before.
Go brush your teeth, onion breath! Then report back...
I've listened a bit more. It seems to have pushed the noise floor down a bit and given be even more detail. Fr'instance, I'm now hearing low-level guitar effects on Jakob Bro's album Streams at points where I thought he was playing straight electric.
So it appears to be taking me along my detail/nuance route, which I know from previous conversations, may not be where you want to go, Alan.
The PSU seems to be still improving, or I'm becoming more aware of what to listen for.
As I've said before, the real test will be to switch back to the previous PSU, the official RPi 3 one.
I had a bit of time last night to listen properly (ie Sam was out!) and spent the time listening to the whole of Bill Evans' Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Waltz for Debby. These are the albums where you can almost follow the audience's conversations.
Where it's usual to fall victim to the urge to play this music slightly hushed, I played them loud - which may have coloured my thoughts about what's happening PSU-wise. The strange thing about these recordings is that fidelity-wise, they're decidedly dodgy - surely the Village Vanguard didn't insult its performers with a piano that bad! But the ambience is fantastic. It's a bit akin to being at a fantastic gig with a less-than-perfect PA; the sonic problems tend to melt away.
So, here I'm getting the detail, shape and nuance of Scott La Faro's acoustic bass even if the instrument sounds a bit weird.
I can hear Paul Motian's brushes clearly for the first time, even if the kit is lacking reality.
It's the most I've enjoyed these albums since the first time the music's brilliance dawned on me as it broke free of my cocktail jazz prejudices, many years ago.
I had a bit of time last night to listen properly (ie Sam was out!) and spent the time listening to the whole of Bill Evans' Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Waltz for Debby. These are the albums where you can almost follow the audience's conversations.
Where it's usual to fall victim to the urge to play this music slightly hushed, I played them loud - which may have coloured my thoughts about what's happening PSU-wise. The strange thing about these recordings is that fidelity-wise, they're decidedly dodgy - surely the Village Vanguard didn't insult its performers with a piano that bad! But the ambience is fantastic. It's a bit akin to being at a fantastic gig with a less-than-perfect PA; the sonic problems tend to melt away.
So, here I'm getting the detail, shape and nuance of Scott La Faro's acoustic bass even if the instrument sounds a bit weird.
I can hear Paul Motian's brushes clearly for the first time, even if the kit is lacking reality.
It's the most I've enjoyed these albums since the first time the music's brilliance dawned on me as it broke free of my cocktail jazz prejudices, many years ago.
It looks as if the PSU's 50 quid well spent.
Nicely written Dave.
Clearly a good news story about recordings of which you are very fond.
50 quid sounds like a steal for a "the most you've enjoyed" the albums experience.
I had a bit of time last night to listen properly (ie Sam was out!) and spent the time listening to the whole of Bill Evans' Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Waltz for Debby. These are the albums where you can almost follow the audience's conversations.
Where it's usual to fall victim to the urge to play this music slightly hushed, I played them loud - which may have coloured my thoughts about what's happening PSU-wise. The strange thing about these recordings is that fidelity-wise, they're decidedly dodgy - surely the Village Vanguard didn't insult its performers with a piano that bad! But the ambience is fantastic. It's a bit akin to being at a fantastic gig with a less-than-perfect PA; the sonic problems tend to melt away.
So, here I'm getting the detail, shape and nuance of Scott La Faro's acoustic bass even if the instrument sounds a bit weird.
I can hear Paul Motian's brushes clearly for the first time, even if the kit is lacking reality.
It's the most I've enjoyed these albums since the first time the music's brilliance dawned on me as it broke free of my cocktail jazz prejudices, many years ago.
It looks as if the PSU's 50 quid well spent.
Nicely written Dave.
Clearly a good news story about recordings of which you are very fond.
50 quid sounds like a steal for a "the most you've enjoyed" the albums experience.
Thanks Ben
It feels as if the PSU is a good improvement for a lot of the music I listen to, I still need to switch back to the original PSU to be absolutely sure I'm not imagining things.
Like the Raspberry Pi, itself, it looks like the PSU is a bargain. The whole kit and caboodle comes to around £120!
Well, earlier today (Friday), I did the deed and switched back to the standard RPi 3 PSU. I also asked Sam's opinion by getting her to listen to one after the other.
I'd better finish off what I started. Then the committee can come to its own conclusions.
I'm quite certain that it's £50 well-spent. To my mind, there's a clear benefit to be had from the iFi PSU. But there's a fly in the ointment.
I asked Sam if she'd noticed any differences to the sound of the system over recent weeks as I'd made a change. She hadn't, although she's picked up changes in the past.
So I asked her to listen to some music of her choice to compare the effect of the two PSUs. At first, she said there was no difference, but with three more tracks, she did find a preference.
Needless to say, it was for the original RPi PSU. She felt she could hear guitar strings more clearly and that the bass was better.
I see what she means. But I completely disagree as to which is better.
How so? The iFi PSU sets up more detail. There's more going on around a deeper, richer soundstage. The guitar strings stand out less because there's more 'on stage' than with the RPi PSU. Bass guitar sounds more direct, as there's much less of the strings' own sound and nuances on display.
To my ears, the RPi PSU sounds dryer and less organic, although no slouch in either dimension.
I believe we just have a personal preferences situation here and am not going to worry about it. I know I like the extra detail and nuance, as long as the rhythmic stuff doesn't become all flabby.
I nearly said: Maybe I'd better get me some valves and a turntable ;-)
I wanted a battery solution that covers running both my Pi 3 and DAC from 12V lead-acid batteries, having heard how successful running each from phone batteries had been. I now have this solution running and it sounds fab, with very low noise floor and a natural and dynamic presentation that sounds much better than using mains adapters.
Pi 3 with Allo DigiOne S/PDIF low jitter re-clocking add-on board Volumio software with volspotconnect plug-in (to make a Spotify Connect player) Beresford Caiman SEG DAC (set to Mode 3 re-clocking) Belden 1694A S/PDIF co-ax cable 2 x 2100mAH 12V lead-acid batteries (in parallel) Chinese DC-DC buck converter 12V to 5V USB (from eBay) 4 x snap chokes Battery charger on timer plug (set to charge only overnight)
The setup can run both devices for almost 20 hours, more than enough with a trickle charge each night. The batteries and DC-DC converter cost less than £30 all-in and another tenner for the generic charger.
Only the DigiOne, I buy most parts from eBay vendors. The DC-DC converter is an ace piece of kit for the price, provided you don't mind waiting for it to arrive. It's built like a mini-Pi between Perspex plates and with a voltage/current display.
Agreed, Colin, but I chose lead-acid to get away from the vagaries of Li-Ion or even potentially dangerous Li-Po. However, point made and I do trickle charge mine every night to keep them at their best.
Comments
Here's the one I use:
http://www.diyinhk.com/shop/audio-kits/89-08uv-ultralow-noise-dac-power-supply-regulator-3357v-15ax2.html
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Finished-65VA-Ultra-Low-Noise-linear-Power-supply-5V-9V-12V-15V-18V-etc-/121963519293?var=&hash=item1c65979d3d:m:m3nxjeKDwfuACl3NOPZSAZQ
Or this cheaper one
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/15W-Ultra-Low-Noise-Linear-Power-Supply-HIFI-DC-Regulated-PSU-5V-24V-Selection-/272255800477?hash=item3f63b5d49d:g:KuwAAOSwhQhYzEkt
If anyone wants pics you'll have to wait as they're on my main PC which is in transit and I have deleted my photo-racket account after they went from £0 to £400/A for 3rd party sharing! On which subject...
They must have really wanted to seriously clean out their servers. How many folk would actually go for that? A miniscule fraction of 1% maybe? If it was a cost thing a more reasonable, say, £25/A could have maybe seen 10% + sign up if the adverts died with it. I bet that would add up to some serious revenue. Then there's the advertisers, what will there reaction to costs be when they learn they're talking to a very reduced market after accounts have been closed/deleted/deserted?
Mini rant over.
It's basically 2 DACS in one. A heavily modified Silicon Chip DAC kit based on S/Pdif and then a USB DAC based on an Amanero USB to I2S converter with isolation board, and a DIYHK I2S DAC board (can't remember model). A single switch on the front to change between them.
How do you get pics hosted on flickr to show here?
Aha! gave up flikr, imgur works ok though...
Just remembered that the I2S DAC is a Curryman from minidsp, not a diyhk.
As long as you don't require super hires rates via s/pdif the sq is amazingly good. Possibly the most rewarding self build I've done. The USB side is no slacker either.
That's me chewing contentedly on a corner of my hat. The little iFi PSU is coming on song, peeling back the oniony layers of complex mixes and finding playing nuances I hadn't noticed before.
I wonder what happened to the rest of it?
:-D
Pi 3 with Allo DigiOne S/PDIF low jitter re-clocking add-on board
Volumio software with volspotconnect plug-in (to make a Spotify Connect player)
Beresford Caiman SEG DAC (set to Mode 3 re-clocking)
Belden 1694A S/PDIF co-ax cable
2 x 2100mAH 12V lead-acid batteries (in parallel)
Chinese DC-DC buck converter 12V to 5V USB (from eBay)
4 x snap chokes
Battery charger on timer plug (set to charge only overnight)
The setup can run both devices for almost 20 hours, more than enough with a trickle charge each night. The batteries and DC-DC converter cost less than £30 all-in and another tenner for the generic charger.
I may give it a go sometime.
You seem to be going through quite a few of the gadgets on the Volumio site.
"Now, dear, you don't mind if I have two car batteries and my red charger from the shed in the living room, do you?"
I could always keep her topped up with Soave :-)