Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Streaming External power supply for MC200

Crion,
You swapped the PSU of the Core/Storage device over and now you have superior performance from your 861v6 as an endpoint?

To say that I'm sceptical is putting things mildly. I can believe it will improve the analogue outputs of the MC200, I can sort of see it improving the performance of the SPDIF output of the MC200. Improving the Ethernet performance? Nope.

Then again, I'm the guy who has his fridge/freezer plugged into a special socket because it improves the sound quality of my setup!

EDIT: MK K1826WHI if anyone is interested.

A comparison of the UDP network audio packets would be interesting - just hope they are not encrypted but they don't look it to me.

Yes that is the initial observation. I do however have my original wall-wart PSU still sitting next to it so I will switch back in a week to see if I can confirm this or if it's a negligible performance difference.

But just to be clear here, the MC200 does not send a FLAC file to the endpoint. Like my NAS does to my HDI Dune. The MC200 decodes the FLAC into PCM and puts it in UDP packets over the network.

I myself wondered why it would ever make a difference as "hifi-advice.com" reported an audible difference between MC200, MD600 and having a long chain of switches in between.

But at the moment I'm just enjoying the linear PSU.

I wasn't thinking at a packet level, merely that Ethernet is noisy as hell anyway and the only place to deal with that noise is inside the unit after the data has been taken off the wire as it were. PSU noise I imagine is swamped by the noise generated by the LAN.

Unless there is some sort of coupling effect between the two devices using the neutral line as a return path...

Is it possible that the original power supply is very noisy and adding that noise to the mains circuit degrades the sound from anything (861/ID40) also plugged into it?

Maybe you test this by just plugging in the old supply while still running the new one... would it matter if it was actually connected to the MC200 or not?

Chris

The old switched MC200 PSU is still on the same circuit, I didn't want it to be too easy removing all switched PSUs from the circuit.

Right now I just put a linear PSU on everything on and inbetween MC200 and ID40 including the no-name 8 port Gbit switch. Although I'm not touching my 861v6 unless I get extended warranty + linear psu.

Maybe I'll just shove a car battery and trickle charger under my rack!

Neil

A few Critical questions that readers of this thread should familiarize themselves with (plenty of information available on the Web).

a) How do the Magnitude Levels of RFI / EMI caused by Gigabit Ethernet Networks compare with the RFI Level variation possible from Component Power Supplies?

b) What exactly is RFI / EMI and is it a function of the "Environment" within a particular Audio Component; or what factors cause RFI within an Audio Component?

c) Is is possible for RFI / EMI to "travel or migrate" from one Component to another along with the Music Data Stream? Or is it possible for RFI / EMI to get on the "UDP Packet 'bus' " and travel on that 'bus' from one device to another?

d) By what Physical Mechanism can RFI / EMI influence:
i) The PCM Data Output over SPDIF or Analog.
ii) The PCM Data Output over Ethernet Packets.

Ronnie, I concur with the theory part. Apart from various reviews and customer experiences, these two paragraphs below sealed the deal for me.


If I'm not satisfied within two weeks of my purchase, I can return it for a full refund. Everyone here that owns an MC200 can get a full refund if they are not 100% satisfied within two weeks.

Today my system sounds better than ever and if it does that two weeks from now even when switching back back to the old switch-mode power supply, the linear regulated PSU is returned for a full refund.

But it's hard to imagine going back now.

Attempting to make my above post even simpler.......

Meridian have three Audio Endpoints (AE), the MS600, the ID40 and the ID41............these receive the Music Data by UDP Packets over Ethernet......this data is transferred over Cat5-7 Cables.....and is the only data transmitted from a Meridian Store to a Meridian AE

Let's assume that a Meridian Endpoint sounds "different" as a result of changing the Power Supply on the Meridian Store

In order for this to occur, then the Endpoint would need to "know" that the Power Supply on the Store has been changed........and the only way for the Endpoint to glean that information would be on the basis of the UDP Packets which have been transmitted over Ethernet

So, either the UDP Packets themselves have different Data in them.......or the "Micro-Timings" of these Packets & Data are somehow modified as a result of the Changed Power Supply on the Meridian Store

If the Packets themselves are different.....or their Micro-Timings changed in any way.......then how do you know that the above Paragraph is what I actually typed onto my computer.......or that your last post arrived on the HH Forum in the way you wrote it...........or that your Electricity Supplier didn't deduct �1,000 for their last Electronic Payment, rather than the �100 you actually owed them

Or that the Dimensions of that Critical Component for an Aircraft Engine said 7mm rather than 1mm.....or that the Cooling Pipe for that new Nuclear Plant is 250mm rather than 25mm

How can we be sure of ANY of the above if Stores, Computers or NAS's have the ability to alter the Integrity of Ethernet Packets in ANY way........either the Data itself, or the timings of that Data........as ALL of the above Data is transmitted via Ethernet Packets in exactly the same way as Meridian's Audio Data to an Audio Endpoint??

Following on, RFI / EMI is an "Environmental" issue for each Component.......and does not have the ability to "Travel" from one component to another

Summing up: If the Ethernet Packets are not altered and RFI does not "travel" from one device to another, then HOW does the Meridian AE (ID40 etc.,) "know" that it should now sound different as a result of changing the Power Supply to the Store???

And just for the record, let me state that I think that both of the points below have the POTENTIAL to improve the Audio from Meridian Audio Endpoints

1) Optimized RFI / EMI Filters on the RJ45 Ethernet Connections......as Gigabit Ethernet in particular will dramatically increase the levels of RFI Internal to a Meridian Endpoint

2) Replacing the Audio Endpoint's Switched Mode PSU with a Linear PSU also has the potential to reduce Internal RFI inside a Meridian Endpoint.........the scale of this RFI is orders of magnitude lower than that caused by Ethernet, but May still result in improved Audio due to lower Clock corruption and thus lower Jitter

Any idea as to where one would purchase such filters/cables?

Wouldn't mind trying this out..

I realise that Maplin do a range of clip on ferrites - would they do?

Agreed that they would not be 'optimized' but is it a case of "something is better than nothing" or can you actually degrade the signal with incorrectly sized ferrites?

/Marcus