Qutest LPS upgrade

@plain_fan

That was one of my migration paths. Bluesound N130 was my first streamer running standalone then running to a Schiit MM2. The MM2 was a significant upgrade to the Node internal DAC & the Qutest a significant upgrade from the MM2.

I later upgraded my Node to my current Aurender N150, a good upgrade, but less significant than the Qutest

The Node is a good streamer with excellent software. I never put an LPS on mine (putting a $400+ LPS on a $500 unit didn’t made sense to me), but many are very happy with the combo. I still use the Node / MM2 combo in my Family Room system.

To your filter question Incisive neutral is my go to. With Incisive HF rolloff second, as they both sounded more natural to my ears. Now with the Sbooster Ultra, I will only use my go to Incisive neutral.

Voltage output needs to match your preamps preference. With my Rogue 2V. With my BHK (it likes 1.3V, so their support said whatever sounds better), I preferred 1V as it sounded more natural & all else equal, prefer the amplification to come from the higher cost unit (my BHK). During yesterday’s A/B test, I went back to 2V to more closely match my vinyl volume when switching. I plan to play with that today, to see if the LPS addition changes my preference. Hope this helps.

@signaforce , which filter and voltage output settings are you using with your Qutest?  About a month or so ago I added a Qutest to my setup coming from a Bluesound Node N130 and I’m still listening and collecting thoughts before I provide an update to some forum members that are thinking of doing the same.

Prior to the Ultra upgrade arriving, I was A/B’ing my digital & analog side (Hana ML > Rega Aria). I was playing Steely Dan Gaucho vinyl vs the same via Qobuz 24/192. While there are volume differences Vinyl was the clear winner… close but no cigar. More slam, and slightly more clear.

The Ultra arrived this afternoon. After listening for a while, I thought I heard improvement in bass & clarity. I decided to do the same A/B test. With the Ultra the differences between my analog & digital were only sound signature. Clarity was equal. My Hana is warmer. My Qutest had more sizzle. I can honestly say my digital is now the equal (or if not equal very very close) to my analog, only separated by differences in taste. Outstanding!

The Ultra upgrade, like the base Sbooster is highly recommended.

No Qutest here but I have a Weiliang 15W 5V linear power supply here (also sold on Aliexpress) which is very similar to the LHY mentioned by lanx0003 in the above post. I also have a couple of Sengterbelle 50W 5V R-Core power supplies here and they are a major step up in performance to the Weiliang for what it's worth and still quite inexpensive. Probably around $100-$110 U.S. 

I use a high quality shielded power cord (also from Aliexpress and very inexpensive) with both of these to power a Topping E30 MK II dac and and Wiim Pro Plus that feeds that dac. And a couple of upgraded DC cords that came in around $25 U.S. each.

The second Sengterbelle was a recent acquisition and replaced the Weiliang on the Wiim. It was a pretty major step up in performance there, just as it was on the dac. 

Highly recommended and a pretty major bang for the buck IMO. 

There's also a review of the Sengterbelle Linear Power Supply on youtube for anyone that might be interested. It's a dual output version there; I'm running 2 separate single output versions and the one I have has a voltage display on the front panel but is otherwise quite similar to the one in the youtube review below. 

I believe there are some comments in the youtube review suggesting that there is a hi fi dealer in the UK selling the Sengterbelle at around 400 British pounds which is about $500 U.S. Not sure if that's the case but I've seen similar Ali merchandise (power cords for example) being resold here at substantially higher prices by dealers so it would not surprise me. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7Unni0ny3o

@signaforce  Please report back with your experience with the Ultra.

At almost the same time, I ordered the LHY 15VA (5V/3A) LPS from AliExpress. I’ve heard good feedback from both reviewers and end users. Vinshine has used it for several upgrades as well, such as with the Eversolo and Bluesound Node. Anyway, it is relatively much cheaper and, in terms of ripple noise measurement, outperforms most of its Chi-Fi peers (17µV at empty load and 150µV at full load).

Anyway, I pulled the trigger, and it quickly arrived (within 8-9 days). Both of my streamers (Wiim Pro Plus) and DAC (Schiit Modius; AKM version) were powered by 5V. I tried it on my DAC first. Immediately, I heard noticeable improvements in several aspects, though not significant. First, the upper bass/mid-range was less congested. Second, there was more separation without sacrificing decay. The background was quieter too. Bass remains the same. Again, it’s not night and day (just because it’s not), but it’s noticeable. For $65, including shipping, I’m pleased with the outcome.

The power block I replaced it with is the iFi iPower 2, which is an SMPS but with extremely low ripple noise of 1µV. So, I infer that the benefit I was getting mainly stems from the reduction of switching noise and possibly more stable current.

An interesting thing happened. I was thinking that if I used the LPS with the source (streamer in this case), it might perform even better, since a cleaner signal would start from the source. It turns out that the magic I mentioned earlier was gone. I tried more songs I’m very familiar with, but it only confirmed what I had felt at the beginning.

Does this mean the DAC will benefit more from cleaner power than the streamer in my case? I don’t want to over-generalize, but it seems to be the case.

I will try this combo on my ’first tier’ system tomorrow to see what happens.

@lanx0003 I am not sure why I have such a profound improvement… but it is real. I am ordering the Ultra today.

@toronto416 Given the significant improvement, I can only surmise they would prefer me to upgrade to a TT2 & you to a Dave vs buy an LPS & be happy.

@t-bon3 Potentially in the cards for the future. Would have to figure out where to put it as space is an issue. All reviews and forum results have been very positive. Next is a new TT.

Thanks!

Wait until you try an M-Scaler with your Qutest!

I have a Chord TT2, and I replaced the supplied crappy switching power supply with an Sbooster and was similarly impressed with the effect t it had on sound quality.  It begs the question as to why Chord is against using anything other than their supplied switching power supplies.

The Qutest is a hugely capable DAC that some say is more musical than the TT2.

I am not suggesting anything; I just wonder from which package you receive your experience.

Just FYI, acording to a reliable source, the BOTW P&P ECO provides a ripple voltage of less than 0.5 mV (= 500 µV) under full load conditions for 5-6 volt LPS. When paired with the Ultra MKII upgrade, ripple and noise levels are further diminished to much lower levels ~10 µV, making this combination highly suitable for audiophiles seeking optimal audio performance.

For most high-performing LPS units I have seen, the typical ripple noise is filtered or controlled to within 10-20 µV.

I am curious—does the main benefit you experience come primarily from noise reduction due to the much lower switching frequency (20 kHz–500 kHz in SMPS to 50–60 Hz in LPS), lower ripple voltage, or a combination of both?

@lanx0003 

Just the base LPS. Do you recommend the Ultra upgrade? Thanks!

congratulate!  Do you have ultra added on or just eco?