An RME uses an off-board power supply. You can use a cheap wallwart or upgrade to something better. I run my RME off a 12v Li battery, which is orders of magnitude better than any power on the planet. It made a dramatic difference in sound. Whether it sound better than the custard I don’t know, but it sounds a lot better than it did with a wallwart. |
Also DIY audio’s desription of the F6: The article is referring to output transformers, not power transformers. Huge difference. Neither the Gustard nor the RME will sound like a tube unit. Neither has tubes, neither has output transformers. |
No doubt the RME choice of power supply is not critical ... I switched from the cheap wallwart to a 12v Li battery and the improvement was nothing less than astonishing. Whether the wallwart's feedback back into the mains played a role I cannot say. My wallwart is plugged into my mains 24x7 as I use it to charge the Li battery when not listening, so there has to be more than just that. Perhaps the wallwart causes less issues when it does not have a load on it? I'll pull it out and see if I hear a difference. I did try a friend's linear power supply and it doesn't match the battery. I think I left the wallwart plugged in while using the linear power supply but I cannot say for sure. Long story short, the battery beats all comers. |
@recluse The battery I used was this one Amazon.com : TalentCell 12V Lithium ion Battery PB120B2, Rechargeable 38400mAh 142.08Wh Li-ion Battery Pack with DC 12V/5V USB Output and Wireless Charging for LED Strip, CCTV Camera, Mobile and More : Home Audio & Theater I have to admit I never read the manual other than a cursory glance for the basics |
