Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Streaming Linear Power Supply Meridian 218

Dear all,

I have been using a 218 as a roon streamer for a year now and I like the device a lot. Recently I went to a friend of a friend with an immense high end system. Martin logan E2 and MSB DAC. We tested the MSB DAC being fed by USB directly from a mac with roon and compared the same DAC being fed by the SPDIF of the 218 as roon endpoint. The difference was large and made me think about the 218. The MSB DAC directly fed with USB was much better.

Considering a 818v3, I was looking at the 218 where there is a cheap switch mode power supply (cosel TUHS 5F) which could be improved. This power supply was removed and replaced for a external linear PSU Farad super 3. Straight after connecting the difference it made to the sound was remarkable. The soundstage became more realistic and much deeper. There was more detail as well. I can't switch back to the original but to form an idea, I switched back the 12V adapter of the MS200 and the step back is not subtle. I don't know how it would compare to a 818v3 as I don't have one..

A recommended upgrade!

With standard PSU:
https://www.meridianunplugged.com/ubbthreads/gallery/16/full/3499.jpg


Upgraded PSU:
https://www.meridianunplugged.com/ubbthreads/gallery/16/full/3500.jpg
https://www.meridianunplugged.com/ubbthreads/gallery/16/full/3502.jpg
https://www.meridianunplugged.com/ubbthreads/gallery/16/full/3501.jpg

Interesting. Is Meridian’s SPSU a plug-in devices, or is it soldered in? Similarly, do the leads from the new LPSU (black & red wires) plug in or do they need to be soldered?

Imagine Meridian would not be impressed warrantee wise. But begs the question why simple switching to external LPSUs isn’t offered.

Indeed. It's a pity M didn't go with an external power brick which could be updated if desired (like the Prime headphone amp).

I'm currently building an external ADC to see if it can improve the internal one by using a LPSU.

Great stuff! I was waiting for someone to do this, a little beyond my pay grade. From the looks of it, you’ve replaced the mains socket with a DC inlet and wired it internally to the formerly + and - of the now de-soldered SMPS? I’ll give this a go! Any tips, watch out for this or that?

I wonder if there’s any more pimping possible, regulators, capacitors?

Thanks for doing this and sharing.

Hi,

The switching power supply is not soldered and it can be pulled out. I was a bit scared to mess up the 218 for good. A removed PSU is not a good start to claim warranty. So I let a professional do it at the designers of the new PSU; Farad. The new wires are soldered in (I think).

The sound difference is really astonishing. It is something that also non audio people easily pick up in a blind test. I don't understand M didn't offered this as an option. The Prime PSU has the same voltage (!) and is probably a very good match! I chose the farad because I think it is one of the best on offer now.

Great Job!Trust it must sound much better.

An interesting thought is has anyone done something similar with other slim Meridian devices that use small SPSUs, e.g. the HD621?

I have always had the notion that it was essentially analogue devices that benefit from LPSUs, rather than the digital side.

With a G series LPS,it's just simply plug and play
https://www.meridianunplugged.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showgallery&Number=288354

I am very curious at the difference this made.

I have an MS600 and have occasionally thought of trying something similar. A while back one was advertised for sale on here with an upgraded LPSU. I was tempted to buy it just for the PSU alone but couldn't quite justify the cost on an unknown. Sadly the LPSU used and the method of installation was an unknown.

I have had a MS600 as well and was able to compare with a 218, both unmodified. I though the 218 was slightly better. Somehow I never was blown away by the MS600, certainly not given its size. I have used the balanced analogue outputs as well on a set of active ATC SCM20SL which wasn't too special. So I kept my 218 and sold the MS600. I think the DSP7200 can use a better front end and to my ears the 218 with a LPSU made a big difference. The soundstage became more realistic and refined. A difference that can be easily picked up with a blindtest in my system. I have to note that I can't go back to the original PSU, but I used the MS200 SMPS for testing.
I would recommend it.

Interesting that you say that. I have long considered a 210 mainly for RAAT compatibility but my dealer suggested that the MS600 was slightly better overall and so I kept my money.
Not really sure what the size of the MS600 has to do with anything though!

It seems to be the consensus that the MS600 is better than the 218 so I expected to keep it for my 7K2's as well. However, I came to a different conclusion. As it is all subjective it might be my perception of course. I am curious in the 210 as well, It might be even better with RAAT. Or what would happen if you would upgrade the PSU of a 210..? On the size: I have not much space for equipment so it matters a bit. MS600 is large and I am always curious what is inside.