DAC recommendations

What does SMPS stand for, and how does it differ from a linear power supply ?

Thanks.

Teddy DAC has anyone tried?

Dan43

Dan - best to ask elsewhere. Not too many stray outside of the Naim fold here. 

James

Dasher,

SMPS = Switch Mode Power Supply.  Efficient but tends to put a lot of high frequency noise into the mains.  Cheap ones as found in most inexpensive electronics these days are prime culprits for mains pollution.

Fair enough good job I didn't mention ????S.

Thanks

Dan43

well designed  smps are effectively screened/filtered . linn use them in most of there range

and I think Chord Electronics use them too.  My old Chord pre/power had SMPS

MDS 

SMPS have many advantages in terms of size, efficiency and cost, but they are as a consequence of how they work noisy in terms of EMI.  To minimise noise (note not eliminate it) there are many considerations other than filtering including PCB design, choice of components, algorithm design.

Attached is a designers note on noise mitigation on legal SMPS.

http://www.nxp.com/documents/a...ion_note/AN10912.pdf

To design well is complex and expensive.

I use some high quality SMPS, and despite extensive filtering,  careful design and heavy shielding, the supplies have an adjustment where I can vary switching duty cycle, in case it's low level emissions of the switcher and its harmonics are interfering with nearby tuned circuits. 

I keep SMPS well away from my audio and radio gear.

Interesting I was having challanges with RFI to my NAT03 recently (low level warbles in silent passages on Radio 3 for example). I finally narrowed it down to my Gigabit Netgear switch and its SMPS causing EMI and radiating out across all connected Ethernet patch leads. I now  have used 8 ferrite snap on chockes around the switch DC feed (focused heavily here), and Ethernet leads and finally eliminated the RFI. The mains were already separate.

Simon

Richard,

Thanks for your explanation, and I presume then that Naim power supplies, e.g. Hi Cap, SuperCap etc are all linear power supplies.

Do other manufacturers make stand alone linear PSU's, or is this unique to Naim ?

I was under the impression that Naim's approach to power supplies set them apart from other amplifier manufacturers, and is this a reason why Naim amps have their distinctive PRaT, or is it more complicated than that ?

Thanks 

Dasher

I bought the TeddyDac and this is an absolute gem. My Naim dealer let me borrow both for a listen, and i tought it sounded a little bit better than the nDAC on voices and strings. there are very few reviews of the TeddyDac, so very few know how good it is. For me there is no turning back,

Louise-Andre, I was interested in the Teddy DAC. I haven't seen any formal reviews of it outside the odd forum post and I wondered why this was but your comments make it seem even more interesting. It's difficult to audition in the UK though which is an issue and the postage from the US makes a trial less appealing. Pity he hasn't got a UK or even European distributor because otherwise he would be on my "must audition" list.

Willie

I tried posting a quoted reply and was moderated.....the 'bear' word l suppose....G

So did I. I expect it will turn up soon

Willie

Bear got a mention earlier, if I 'heard' you right :-)

Just asking is NAIM considering an amp/DAC combination? Intergrated amp/DAC, per amp/DAC as I don't really require the streaming element as I am serving the music, all 192/24 files will work with any reasonable DAC, so thats all I need. Serving via US SSD/NAS.

Might start a fresh thread?

Dan43

audio com international, UK based.

Dan.....Some of us are willing Naim to produce a 555/552 level Dac/Pre....PLEASE! G

Dan are you familiar with the SuperNait?  

Must admit I did think about that, I guess I was coming from the NDS/555/552 and not needing the streaming, a Pre/DAC affair, which is probably in the works alongside the reference DAC.

I don't need the streaming, but the SuperNait is now on the upgrade list.

It'll be years before I finally decide what I want, and it would have all changed again.

Progress....

Cheers

Dan43

I am also in the market for a new DAC, i have the Rega now,  and have been very happy with it since it came out, but it bothers me that the USB input can`t handle 24/192, only the optical is up for the task..

So what do we got here?

nDAC - is good, indeed, but overpriced, i hate feeling when overpaying for something..

TeddyDac - Seems to outperform the nDAC with some margin, still not cheap but the feeling of getting something better than the pricetag suggest is nice, but i hate the design, yeah i`m picky..

I would love to see a new DAC from Naim, sho-box design (the V 1 DAC looks stunning), taking all they have learned since nDAC / V 1 and make a really good performer that _really_ delivers bang for the buck! Will this happen anytime soon?

Have you listened to music with the DAC V1 in your own system? I don't see how you can assume that all that has been learned developing it might not already be within it, and it may startle you with a quality as good as its looks!

"Patience, Grasshopper!"

ATB from George

Eargasm, I'm not sure how the T. Dac performs. Have you heard it outperforms the Naim somewhere reliable? The problem I have is that it seems to quote "reviews" on the site which are forum posts on a few places generally made by people with only a very few posts on those sites Puts me off a bit.

Also Dan43 the dealer you mention I did try to contact a while back. Their phone didn't work and they didn't answer my mail query. I decided to avoid.

I notice at least one member here has had a very positive experience with their DAC so I might be tempted to give them a mail order trial from Israel.

Willie

No, i have not heard the DAC V1, and you might be spot on there..

But as i don't need the pre-amp section i  belive i am paying for something that i don't need or going to use, and that is a feeling i wish to avoid, i rather have those pennys spent on better internal PSU etc.

But i will for sure give it a good shot once it arrives at the dealer, i have spent hours just looking at pictures, it might be the best looking apparatus Naim ever built

As I see it the pre-amp section would be completely redundant for me, but if you use ear phones, then you might consider the variable [analogue - a crucial point when considering preserving quality] output for a power amp as a bonus that could be brought into play in the future when the last of the analogue inputs [Tape, LP, and VHF in the main] have bitten the dust.

You could then get shot of your pre-amp and use a very fine power amp alone with it.

For me the DAC V1 is just a little too rich in price, but for those, somewhat more adventurou than I, then I don't see the price as being excessive, especially when it might be considered that it is self powered and optimised for its internal PS, rather than requiring a great sum spent on an external PS to optimise it!

ATB from George