A better psu for a RME fireface?

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iban said:
Do you think that if I make an external linear psu it could improve the quality of the Fireface?
::)
You could check by yourself; replace the PSU with a bunch of external linear supplies. You may find some differences but they will be minor. Don't expect the transformation to make it comparable to a Prism Sound or a Lavry.
 
sheesh, I keep saying it and I'll say it again.

Just because it's a SMPS does NOT mean that it's noisy or a poor choice for audio.

Why do people keep believing this nonsense? 

Yes some SMPS that are designed poorly can be noisy but most well designed units are very usable for audio.  A whole lot of pro audio gear uses SMPS without any hint of problems.  My SSL Alphalink uses a switcher very similar to the one you linked to and it's quieter than a lot of my analog gear with linear supplies..

The only thing you can do is get in there and measure.  Get a scope, measure the noise level on the rails (using short ground leads with low inductance) and see what the noise really is before going through a potentially futile exercise.

 
I agree. SMPS PSUs can have very low ripple DC output, even lower than "linear" PSUs.  You can't just generalize all of them as bad.

But one "noise" aspect of SMPS may be EMI/RF interference IF it's using non-shielded inductors.

But using Shielded Inductors dramatically reduces and solves this problem.

And unless your sensitive circuit is butted real close to this inductor, it may not even be an issue.
 
EMI/RF interference from SMPS, xformer induction from linear, they both have their pros and cons and bring their own sets of degradation to the signal. Is it audible/measurable, depends on the designer's abilities. As playboss said, only batteries are exempt...
 
?

Don't pay attention to the schematic, that's just for reference.  Read the previous pages and you'll see the processes they went through.  they go through different caps and regulator types.

However, one would ask, if they didn't use bulk decoupling caps, wouldn't the regulator be *worse* than the battery?  ;)
 
Svart is correct ( of course ) there's nothing wrong with the stock FF 800 PSU
Mine is quiet as a mouse and in good use every day, no it's NOT a Lavry but
a very nice sounding mid-priced unit with lots of I/O options.

:)
 
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