Does Improving PC PSU and Reducing PC EMI/RFI Improve SQ?

[manisandher]

Yes, this is one of the things I used to like about using a laptop - the SQ went up audibly on unplugging the SMPS and running on battery.

I still think a laptop can be a 'good' solution... but I no longer think it can be the 'best' solution.

Mani.

[Marcin_gps]

I know of a company who just put into production a linear PSU at the size of a matchbox, especially made for PCs (ATX connections). No fan in that matchbox as well, hahaha.

I am not sure it is too early to tell about though, and I don't think they have a sales channel for it yet. But since I am a customer there already ... who knows. The price is (don't laugh) around a 100 euro.
The "inventor" of it is an audio freak himself ...

I don't know how good it really is, as I didn't have it in my hands myself. IIRC 5Amps can be drawn from it.

That's great news!!! Update us if you find out more 

pedal,

you could always buy a Pico PSU and feed both, p4 and p24 with the linear psu like Peaktech 6080 through the pico psu. It's very easy to implement and quite cheap as well. I would probably go with Pico+Peaktech combo myself unless Peter reveals some revelations about linear ATX psu available soon 

[Marcin_gps]

Yes, this is one of the things I used to like about using a laptop - the SQ went up audibly on unplugging the SMPS and running on battery.

I still think a laptop can be a 'good' solution... but I no longer think it can be the 'best' solution.

Mani.

A laptop isn't that good solution IMHO. The components inside are very close to each other (noisy environment).

[pedal]

About PeakTech:

I googled a little and it seems like it's a German company. Here is their website: http://www.peaktech.de/products/kategorie/dc-netzgeraete.html

They are specialized in "hospital grade equipment". Seems they have DC PSU in 2 categories: Linear and Switching Mode. (Maybe they sell linear to hospital enviroments which are sensitive to RF radiation?)
Judging from their product range, there are several options. To replace a ATX psu I have to buy 4 pcs PeakTech 6080? Is that so? Or maybe another model?

Anyone with some experience here?

[Marcin_gps]

You need one Pico PSU (preferably 150xt) and one Peaktech 6080 to power P4 and P24 sockets on your motherboard. Use your old SMPS ATX PSU to feed all the "dirty" components like hard drives and optical drives.

PS
I got response from VirtuaVia. They say that the PCI-E to PCI expansion case isn´t powered anyhow by the pci
extension cable or motherboard's pci slot.

[Telstar]

I use the Winmate dc-dc psu with a switching psu (gateway 150W). It's not linear but i think it improved things comparing to the internal psu i was using before.
I'm going to build an OUTPUT filter/distributor for all the switching-equipment that I have to isolate the audio chain (i.e. the amplifiers and the dac).

RFI is produced by the computer itself, isolating it with a transformer or other means is very important IF a digital or analog signal comes from it.I'm waiting to find out the NOS1 computer interface before mumbling further.

[manisandher]

I try to isolate my sound card as much as possible from PC's noisy environment and came up with an idea to buy sth like this for my Cantatis Overture sound card:

- http://www.virtuavia.eu/shop/pci-express-to-pci-expansion-box-p29809.html

Marcin, thanks for posting this. I've just ordered one of these and will let you know how it works.

I went for the low-powered version because I think 38W is enough to power my single RME AES card. Also, I want to use a linear AC-DC 12V supply, which itself will be powered by an AC-DC-AC regenerator. All this with a view to getting the cleanest 5V AES signal out of the RME card.

Including shipping and VAT, this solution has cost more than I was hoping for - around €275! But it might be worth every penny...

Mani

[Marcin_gps]

It might be, but there is another factor - long cable. I don't know if it's such a good thing for audio. Anyway, I'm looking forward to your impressions. 

[AUDIODIDAKT]

Whats the difference with this one, I believe this is already on Peter's pile of audio stuff.
http://www.startech.com/item/PEX2PCIE4L-PCI-Express-to-2-PCI-Full-Length-2-PCIe-Single-lane-Expansion-Box.aspx

I though this topic started of with this one.

[PeterSt]

Oh boy ... Roy is right. And I didn't respond to Marcin's post about it because I thought he clearly suggested that I had it (a bit fuzzy because it was under another brand name).

What do you think about it? I know that Peter considered sth like that...

So Mani, you could have bought mine ...

If you replace the PSU it will work allright, unless it stops working. This happened to me, and I never got any replies to my emails. I must honestly say I never called either, something to be done with real troubles of course.
By now I forgot what exactly happened to my PC at the time, but some crucial OS driver had removed itself, and this couldn't be noticed by something else. Only the exclamation mark in the hardware list indicated it, which I really didn't notice because I often have some of those. .
By the time you have problems with it, I will be able to help I think, because in the end I made pictures of settings and things.
But maybe it won't happen to you at all.

I think by itself this is a nice solution for these kind of things, because it is affordable. A year back it was not. But change that PSU (you can assemble one in the box itself).

Peter

[Marcin_gps]

Peter, were there any noticeable improvements with this case?

I'd really appreciate your response.
M.

[PeterSt]

Hi Marcin - How to answer this ...

Like Mani, I bought it as soon I learned it was there. And, at the time I thought to serve you all to test it and see what can be done with it, just because I (think I) have the experience at investigating these kind of things longer ago (deeply). I could measure, etc. So, I got it running at first which lasted two days before it died on me; I never got round to any testing in those two days. Then I waited for a couple of weeks on answers from the supplier, which I never got.
This all was at the time I was using Vista, and of which I noticed in the end the not-working driver for "something". When I went to W7 (already a few months later), the exclamation mark had gone, and for fun I tried the box again. And surprise, it worked again.
But I really lost my interest in it, and never did anything with it anymore.

The only thing I can tell is when you use it as is, switching on the television may reboot your system. So, when I had it working in the beginning (the two days) I had a sufficient amount of reboots which I could dedicate to switching on something, that I judged it as "no good". However, since I planned to use a linear PSU for it, I didn't care all *that* much about this, assuming this caused it.

All 'n all you can say I never tested it as planned, but what I saw of it right out of the box didn't make me happy (and IIRC $400 more poor).

That's all,
Peter

[Marcin_gps]

Peter, thanks for a reply I'd rather buy sth like this http://www.virtuavia.eu/shop/pci-express-to-pci-adapter-p29855.html
and power it by a linear PSU, but I am not 100% sure if this adapter gets the power from a motherboard or is it completely powered through the molex.

[PeterSt]

Usually the molex connection does something additional. Hmm ...

But somehow it seems you look at it the other way around, I think. This card allows a PCI card on top of it, and it has a molex output for ... tell me !? Not for itself. Not for a random PCI card because they just don't need it. They exist of course (GPUs), but ...

But maybe you get it better than I do ...

[Marcin_gps]

Are you saying, that the molex is there to feed the adapter? LOL If so, then I don't need this cr*p :D