DC power supply reviews for AQVOX switch



This is a review for dc power supplies using the AQVOX audio grade switch. For those not familiar with the AQVOX here are details from the manufacturer :
http://www.myhifishop.de/Devices/AQ-SWITCH-Video-Audiophile-Network-Switch-8x-Giga::75.html?language...

It is only available directly at a cost of 390€. I have been using the switch for the last 6 months and can say that it does make for a more natural and open sound. It is connected via a LAN cable from your hub to the switch and another LAN from switch to server/streamer etc. Your shortest cable should be from the switch to your components. AQVOX make at a very good LAN cable which can also be bought directly. The switch houses a reclocker and isolator and has 8 ports. There has been a positive discussion about this switch on Devialet Chat. I have also written about it on Audio Shark with some good feedback from a AS member in Spain about using the standard ps compared to one by Kenneth Lieu, which is considerably more money.

After using the switch for a while using the standard wall mart style ps supplied with the switch, I wondered if i could find a better 5V dc ps.

This review is a work in progress since I would like to try other ps not covered in this review.
The ps used were as follows:

King Rex
Uptone LPS1 with feed as supplied
Uptone LPS1 with 12v MCRUS feed
Uptone LPS1 with 12v Sbooster

Others I would like to test in the future:
Sbooster 5v
Paul Hynes
HDplex
Sotm

The system: BT infinity hub, AQVOX switch, connected with AQVOX LAN cables, fidata NAS, Lumin S1 using digital output, Vovox USB, Mola Mola pre/dac, Mola Mola mono block power amps, HiDiamond XLR 3 interconnects, HiDiamond speaker cables, toetapaudio/Bybee speaker bullets, Boenicke W11 loudspeakers. All components and the switch and hub have Bybee Signal Enhancers underneath them. Room acoustic tuning devices by Bybee and SteinMusic Harmonizers. Dedicated mains spurs to each component. No mains switches or fuses in line apart from equipment fuse and RCBO in consumer unit.

Music: streamed from Tidal and downloads.

I started with the King Rex. This is made in Taiwan and retails for £350. It’s a small neat black box with a blue LED light on the front, IEC socket and switch plus XLR output which is a better connector than the usual 2.1 jack found on other ps. Compared to the AQVOX ps, this is better. The sound is more transparent, less grain, a bit more open and three dimensional.

The Uptone LPS1 needs a feed and comes with a small ps with IEC socket and flying lead with 2.1 jacket. The LPS1 with its own ps was better than the AQVOX ps but did not match the sound of the King Rex.

LPS1 with MCRUS feed produced better results about on par with the King Rex. This is a more costly set up LPS1 £450 and MCRUS £300 approx.

LPS1 with Sbooster (£260). This set up was better than the King Rex, producing a sound that was even more transparent, relaxed and free flowing. The Sbooster I match with the Lumin D1 for a much improved sound.

Conclusion.

The King Rex offers good results at a reasonable cost. The LPS1/Sbooster is the best sounding set up but costs twice as much. Unfortunately, I don’t have a 5v version of the Sbooster to try on this occasion, but will test this at a future date. I would also like to test a Paul Hynes ps at some stage (is there anybody that would like to lend me one?). Review to be continued.

Just another thought, I should include the Sotm sPS 500 in another test if possible.

toetapaudio
dgarretson, thanks for the info. I didn't realise that SPS 500 was not available in 5v.

About your SOtM switch, is that a regular product line, and did you find it made an improvement?
There's no complete all in one box solution out there at the moment. I'm looking at adding to my small box collection with a separate modem, router, wireless access point and then separate quality dc power supplies to each one. So let's see, that's at least 7 boxes. Then if I go optical I will need two more conversion boxes. That's 9. And that's not counting the grounding boxes and isolation transformers😼
The nagging question for me is, "Why aren't these guys and those like them producing a superior hub/router/modem?" There has to be low hanging fruit there compared to the flyweight plastic, consumer mass-market offerings with the faster products aimed at gaming.

Focus on protecting the signal from noise at the point of origin and perhaps buffering the data to eliminate dropouts should pay big dividends, rather that trying to "fix it" downstream.

Dave 
Toetapaudio may I ask why your using a Hub at all " its my understanding ( Im not IT expert )that Switches are far better especially for a home system and wouldn't the hub induce more noise into the whole system? 

I'm using a up graded ADSL cable to ISP's hub obtainable from Maplins here in the UK. From hub to switch I am using a fairly standard Ethernet cable of about 3m. I intend trying an upgraded Ethernet cable in place of it, at some point. Yet another experiment to try out.
Thanks toetap. I like the tip about grounding and have heard similar.

What are you guys using upstream of the switch to convert ISP's RG6 to Ethernet? Looks like that would be the place to address data loss - "jitters"?

Dave
Some tech answers here:


https://www.audiophil-online.com/test/aq-switch-8-by-aqvox/

This makes a big difference when setting up the AQVOX switch:

Take your input to port one and the output from port eight

Run a grounding wire from the screw at the back of the switch to an earthing post on your equipment or to a grounding box if you have one.
Interesting review. Thanks toetap.

I have recently wondered about whether there are "hi-end" offerings in the pre-streamer LAN equipment realm.

A couple of questions:
1) My ISP’s speed tests around 120Mbps consistently via Ethernet out of a Motorola MG7550 router/modem. Can this hub/switch eliminate the "jamming" often reported (and experienced by me) causing dropouts and requiring modem/router/Aurender reboot when streaming Tidal using an Aurender?
2) Why is a reclocker needed in the Ethernet (LAN) digital stream when streaming Tidal?
3) Is it advantageous to have a LAN reclocker before a streamer that only outputs via asynchronous USB (Aurender N100H)?

I am learning so go easy! ;)

Dave
Correction, the W4S PS1 HC is running my router and another W4S is running the Aqvox. 
Agreed, changing to a better PS for the Aqvox switch made an improvement in sound contrary to what Aqvox states. I use the W4S PS1 with the HC module and found similar improvements in transparency and a more natural flow to the music. 
Nice review.  I have a SOtM SPS-500 power supply with a switchable 7-19Vdc output, and a SOtM-modified D-Link switch with an external 10mHz master clock link input. Unfortunately the stock SOtM power supply doesn't provide 5Vdc, as needed for D-Link or AQVOX Ethernet switches.  I suppose that SOtM could do 5V as a special order or you could add an intermediate down-regulator to make 5Vdc.