Comments on Profile Post by Inoculator

The 24v model?

@RestoredSparda Yep! I saw @Soups had good things to say about it. I have had a couple of the stock Pi2AES PSUs and both have had some buzz (the unit itself, not in the audio signal), just enough that I always was hoping to find some solution to try out. With this, my Rega PSU wall wart will be the last switching supply I have left.

The ifi is still a switcher albeit extremely clean one. I would have recommended going the 5v route instead, it's noticeably better than running the 24v input.

@famish99 oh yeah? I did not know there was an option to go the 5V route. I will have to look into that.

I try not to think about how close the cost of the iPower Elite is to the Pi2AES, but having lived with the combo for awhile I can say it's an appreciable upgrade over the stock Meanwell switcher. The 5V option (from GoldenSound's blog) looked intriguing, but I do believe it voids the warranty.

I may or may not use a Shunyata Venom V14 Digital power cable with all my digital streaming devices (Pi2AES, Apple TV 4K, WiFi router). I also try not to think about how they cost as much or more than those devices, and how they’ve gone up like $100 in the last year or so. Thanks Covid.

@Soups has your opinion of the iFi switcher changed over time?

I recall reading opinions online that digital gear designed with switchers in mind does better with switchers, and to only get a linear supply if it was a very “fast” linear supply (think Sbooster was mentioned).

@zonto - I've had the iFi Elite for over a month now, and I havent' done any A/B testing between the switchers since the first week. Suppose that's a testament to the iFi and the improvements I've noticed - especially in extended listening sessions (e.g. relaxed, smoother treble, improved layering/separation).

Again, if I were to try to quantify the improvements, I'd put it in the +10% range, which I realize is enough to bankrupt some of us.

@zonto @Soups mine is arriving today, I will go ahead and put together a short playlist to round out my listening today with stock, then compare same playlist when I swap it and see what I think.

I've compared both Sbooster 24V (bought one since my previous phono also uses the rail) vs Allo Shanti with 5V mod. While minor, the Shanti still had a noticeable improvement in sound quality, both from noise and staging/imaging/etc standpoints. I only migrated off the solution when I got Crystek based DDC which further improved the previous areas.