Advice on power supply upgrade for Turntables
- Thread starter leroyd
- Start date
pocketkitchen
Registered User
If they do an upgraded PSU, then organise a demo and give it a try. Most decks go round at the correct speed on a strobe disc, yet most also sound very different if you change the power supply.
pocketkitchen
Registered User
I just noticed they do a battery PSU for your deck that disconnects the supply from the mains when the deck is running. I'd definitely give that a go - Pink Triangle used to use that idea very successfully and I'm pretty sure they're not the only ones.
MikeMA
pfm Member
Have you measured the speed under load, ie when playing a record, and does it sound ok ? If it's rock solid and you think it sounds good then I wouldn't bother.
Having said that, I did bother with my Gyrodec and splashed out £500 for the upgraded power supply. I can't hear any difference but I now now longer worry about it.
Having said that, I did bother with my Gyrodec and splashed out £500 for the upgraded power supply. I can't hear any difference but I now now longer worry about it.
Robert
Tapehead
Generally no, not with DC motors if the standard supply maintains output voltage without drift.
Different for AC motors where noise on the mains goes straight to the motor.
I am far from an expert but tend to agree. As I said the TT is rock solid spinning 33.3 rpm with stock power supply so I am puzzled as to what a more substantially priced power supply can achieve, other than match the performance of the stock supply at accomplishing the same rpm.
Craig B
Re:trophile
Whether a deck be AC or DC driven, it is the subsequent motor control electronics that govern the motor speed and direction of rotation.
With aftermarket DC motor kits like those from Origin Live, the control electronics happen to be in an external box, with the same wall-wart supply as comes with your Clearaudio feeding the DC. Dearer models might include an AC to DC transformer onboard, and possibly a display indicating the selected speed, however, these only represent a redistribution of parts. These are typically still open loop systems, meaning that there is no measure of the platter speed fed back into the system as control. IOW, the user, with their strobe disc and plastic screwdriver in hand momentarily provide the closed loop.
Darren L
Egalitarian
I when I owned an AC Gyro I added a QC PSU it brought a worthwhile improvement sound quality. When I added a TT-PSU to a Rega RP3 and not only did it provide switching from 33/45 but brought a worthwhile improvement in sound quality.
When I owned a NA Hyperspace I bought a Martin Bastin Wave Mechanic PSU, this to brought an improvement but it was a very marginal and subtle improvement.
The Dais I now own comes equipped with a Wave Mechanic .
Out of the three decks that I added outboard PSUs I thought the biggest improvement was to be heard on the Rega, the least expensive TT and the only one with a DC motor, though these were in three different houses.
When I owned a NA Hyperspace I bought a Martin Bastin Wave Mechanic PSU, this to brought an improvement but it was a very marginal and subtle improvement.
The Dais I now own comes equipped with a Wave Mechanic .
Out of the three decks that I added outboard PSUs I thought the biggest improvement was to be heard on the Rega, the least expensive TT and the only one with a DC motor, though these were in three different houses.
Not sure what TT your using, but the Performance DC is belt driven. I wonder if noise added to the switching supply can via the belt, effect the performance of the platter and if so, would that impact on the rpm?.
Mynamemynaim
38yrs a Naim owner
Run the supply into a superreg (AWSR) set to the correct voltage and leave it at that...job done
Craig B
Re:trophile
Perhaps not to ALWSR standard, but the typical turntable DC motor controller is regulated, else the output voltage vary with the wind. Many employ an LM317 (or similar); in the case of Origin Live's kits they claim stability to be within a hundredth of a volt input* (circa 2.35V @ 33.33RPM for their motor/pulley). Naturally they supply increasingly advanced circuits, 5 options in total, with option 3 and up having 'fully balanced' round transformers (a larger one within options 4 and 5). Balanced is likely to offer a noise performance improvement, however, I'm not so sure that size matters with DC turntable motor supplies, especially so when one is looking to get circa 2.35 to 3.xV out.
Sample regulated AC in DC out circuits. These are linear supply examples, however, from the regulator on equates to what would be the minimums necessary for either fixed or adjustable output DC turntable control circuits [credit: JKC?]:
* Which ties in with LM317 spec...
"The LM317 device is an adjustable three-terminal positive-voltage regulator capable of supplying more than 1.5 A over an output-voltage range of 1.25 V to 37 V. It requires only two external resistors to set the output voltage. The device features a typical line regulation of 0.01% and typical load regulation of 0.1%. It includes current limiting, thermal overload protection, and safe operating area protection. Overload protection remains functional even if the ADJUST terminal is disconnected."
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martin clark
pinko bodger
That circuit LM317 is a little bizarre, esp for use at such low voltages: the resistances are very large , leading to not enough current through the voltage setting chains for the output to be stable - there is also a (variable) 50microamp or so leakage from the ADJ pin , and that alone multiplied up by 50Kohms means about 2.5v minimum output for a start!
It, or something like, could be easily finessed into working - I doubt it'd needs seven adjustable trimpots though
ETA: comment replied to a diagram now replaced - Craig's example above is a better place to start
It, or something like, could be easily finessed into working - I doubt it'd needs seven adjustable trimpots though
ETA: comment replied to a diagram now replaced - Craig's example above is a better place to start
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Craig B
Re:trophile
Thanks Martin.That circuit LM317 is a little bizarre, esp for use at such low voltages: the resistances are very large , leading to not enough current through the voltage setting chains for the output to be stable - there is also a (variable) 50microamp or so leakage from the ADJ pin , and that alone multiplied up by 50Kohms means about 2.5v minimum output for a start!
It, or something like, could be easily finessed into working - I doubt it'd needs seven adjustable trimpots though
I must have been off searching for a simpler example whilst you were composing your circuit analysis.
Before that, I was actually thinking of cropping the previous one.
Excuse my ignorance, but what is a superreg (AWSR)?
Craig B
Re:trophile
Er, ALWSR.
IIANM, it is a Jung-style super regulator circuit, a PCB for which was once offered by member Andrew L. Weekes of this parish as a group buy.
Although, somewhat of a soundalike, this is not to be confused with Lt. Commander Data's 'Soong-type' android positronic brain.
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sq225917
Bit of this, bit of that
A better, lower noise, more loaf tolerant psu can improve things but only if its measurably superior. Going from a psu that controls the motor via electrical feedback to one that uses an optical tacho to measure speed directly to control the motor can be a benefit.
Boutique parts and fancy boxes give you nowt though, pay for better engineering and proven measured accuracy, nothing less.
Boutique parts and fancy boxes give you nowt though, pay for better engineering and proven measured accuracy, nothing less.
foxwelljsly
Me too, I ate one sour too.
I'm assuming that, apart from ensuring the record spins at the correct speed, no one can ascribe any other SQ improvements to the power supply for belt drive turntable motor?