Who tried to use a linear 12V powersupply instead of the stock switched brick on the Analog Heat, and does it benefit remarkably soundwise or not?
Just curious, because most pro audiogear use toroidal transformers in their designs.
Linear will almost always be quieter. Whether there is enough difference to make it worth it is debatable, and more or less situation dependent. There are switching supply setups that are SUPER QUIET. But many are not set up optimally. For the Analog Heat specifically, Iām not sure, as I havenāt tried it. However, it defintiely wouldnāt hurt anything as long as itās specced exactly right, and could only really benefit (even if only slightly).
I only supply linear bricks and toroidal dual supplies for my modular synths. Even when there are DC/DC converters available in the boat/case, I still provide a linear brick.
3 Likes
Iāve found my mine to be quite friendly too
4 Likes
Haha. Just edited my post. Thx
2 Likes
Classic auto correct 
1 Like
My transformer is so fucking rude
5 Likes
Decepticon no doubtā¦
5 Likes
You have to turn the distortion circuit dial 3 times 180 degrees clockwise and 2 times counterclockwise while holding the AMP button within 30 seconds after booting to enter the hidden āOptimus primeā mode on the heat.
Beware to take the device to a large room or outside before doing thatš
1 Like
I build a 12v linear supply using a board from Audiophonics. It didnāt make any difference on my Rytm (the original purpose), but it made a huge difference on my AH2. About 5dB lower noise floor with no changes to my preset.
2 Likes
What linear bricks do you use/recommend?
I gotta say, I always thought my AH2 was noisy. I thought it might be a case that it was the nature of the analog circuits.
For +/-12V systems a Triad Magnetics 15V wallwart works well. I use those for smaller 4U systems that have DC/DC converters like the Mangoest boats. They would work well for a medium Euro setup with 2-3 rows or so.
I havenāt specced anything for Elektron boxes though.
1 Like
Could you go into more detail about this? Was it an elaborate project?
Building linear power supplies is pretty easy, but itās a good idea to do your homework, or enlist some help from someone experienced, or an EE. The primary (mains) side can potential injure or kill. Definitely a good idea to get that part right. Assuming that youāre building the entire supply, and not using an off-the-shelf wall wart, and then just building the regulation circuit from there.
Not sure if you read schematics, but hereās the one for my standard dual supply (+/-12V) Linear Supply. You basically only need half of it if you just want +12.
If not, there are some ready-made projects out there that you can buy from places like Synthcube. Look for Frequency Central power supply on there. Thonk or ModularAddict might also have it.
Edit: Hereās the Frequency Central one that I mentioned. Itās still +/-12V but you can just fit the +12 components, or just connect the +12 side.
Dude, thank you very much!
Probably gonna check out synthcube so thank you for that recommendation too.
1 Like
Also, for a good linear brick, look at Triad Magnetics linear adapters on Mouser. They work great.
For something like that Frequency Central supply, you could use:
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Triad-Magnetics/WAU12-2500?qs=mGlKYcwGutukWwuWbBUGWQ%3D%3D
Remember that this is an AC transformer, so itās the circuit that converts it to DC using the rectifiers and regulators.
If you want something linear that outputs a DC voltage:
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Triad-Magnetics/WDU12-1900?qs=A%2FdVeMNBg8fyk%2Bn8yteM8g%3D%3D
This one would be used with something that does the regulation internally, or used with a DC-DC converter like some Euro, Buchla, and 4U supplies use in place of a switching brick.
1 Like
Although it seems like another switching power supply, but as anyone experience with Ifi audio i-power-x ?
They are aiming at the āaudiophileā market. But the gap between snake oil and real noticeable upgrades is unfortunately allways tight.