The amazing Jeff Rowland PSU brings a transformation

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Mrdean

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I was fortunate to hear an amazing demonstration of the transformative power of the Super-Capacitor PSU unit in a full Jeff Rowland system yesterday. The original very high quality power supplies of a Corus preamp and Aeris DAC were replaced with the PSU. 3 cuts of a very good cd (yes, cd) were listened to first, and then again after the PSU had charged up (takes a few minutes) Holy Cow! Now, I have always thought that the Aeris is one of the most brilliant digital devices ever made, but when I heard it with the PSU...Absolutely jaw-dropping. Top to bottom, amazing! If you own either or both the Corus and/or Aeris, you really Must hear it/them connected to the PSU. You want to talk "value added"! You will be rewarded.
 
All that have listened this far to the Rowland Aeris DAC and/or Rowland Corus powered by the new Rowland PSU have given very consistent feedback... "Transformative" has been the operative word every time.


Note that one single PSU can power the Aeris DAC and Corus linestage simultaneously.


Once the initial bank of ultracapacitors have charged, Corus and Aeris will be permanently kept off the AC grid and fed pure clean DC instead.... There are two banks of supercaps in PSU.... While one bank delivers DC to the devices, the other one is under charge.... Once the first bank reaches a preset discharge level, DC delivery is assigned to the second bank, while the first bank starts to recharge... The charge/discharge process flips back and forth Ad infinitum.... The switch between capacitor banks is seemless and is not perceivable by the user.


I hope to be able to report on my personal experiences on Rowland PSU powering my Aeris DAC before too long.


Regards, Guido

two
 
Guido my friend. How are you?
I understand what Jeff is doing from a technical basis, and your description is terrific. But I was not at all prepared for the magnitude of the change when the supply is used. I look forward to hearing about your experiences. You are in for a treat. Knowing what and how it works doesn't fully prepare you for the effect it has. This reaffirms my belief of just how good that Aeris DAC and Corus preamp are.
 
Hello my friend MrDean! Doing quite well, and my system is doing splendidly in my new sound room in SC... The same equipment that I had in Austin, sounds even more magnificent here.

I can't wait to be able to share my experiences with PSU on Aeris!

Saluti, Guido
 
Guido - are you going to make any of the shows this year?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Interesting to see super-capacitor based PSUs gaining traction. They have many of the advantages of the battery based PSU, but with lower output impedance.

The first such a design was introduced by UpTone Audio (the brain child of John Swenson and Alex Crespi of Hovland fame) followed shortly after by Vinnie Rossie design. I wonder if JR's PSU is based on one of those desighns ?
 
*** Errata Corrige! ***

All, My earlier description of the PSU's internals is woefully flawed.

Jeff Rowland PSU's design, which commenced in 2010, is based on one single bank of ultracaps to deliver DC continuously to all connected devices.

As there is one single bank of ultra-caps, there is no switching back and forth between banks.

Rather, a very fast recharge of the single bank is initiated when charge level is down to approximately 60%. Recharge is performed concurrently with PSU's continuous DC power delivery to all attached devices.

According to reports, the short charge cycle is completely invariant to the listening experience. nor can any degradation of PSU DC output be measured or even detected by instruments.

I will add more information in an upcoming PSU review thread

And... Hello friend Mike B, I have not decided yet which show I will attend in 2017... But RMAF remains my prime candidate *Smiles!*

Saluti, Guido
 
Thanks for the correction Guido. I was going to contact JRDG, but this new description corresponds with my previous info. I should have some new experiences with this unit very soon.
 
I just had my second listen to the PSU transformation, this time enhancing the Aeris DAC only. After listening to the system for 1/2 hour, we swapped the stock (very high quality) power supply of the Aeris with the PSU, and listened to the last track played by Frank Sinatra. The leap was obvious long before Frank sang a word. The textures that bring the music and sound to life just jump out so obviously that there is no necessary thought process. The wonderment and joy without any cognitive effort are such a treat! Guido, you must hear this on your rig!
 
Hi Mrdean, I can't wait to test a PSU unit in my own system...

I have three independent 20A circuits, one for each M925 mono amp, and one for line level devices. Initially, I will feed PSU from the circuit shared with the Esoteric X-01, but I will also test PSU on a circuit shared with an M925 chassis.

No idea if I will perceive a difference. Here are a couple of questions that I am wondering about...

Have you noticed any changes in PSU's performance through break-in.... Or does PSU appear to be invariant to break-in?

How do various power cords affect PSU... Or does PSU seem to you invariant to PCs?

Saluti,
Guido
 
I had the opportunity to hear the PSU in a third system; this time enhancing a Corus preamp only. I realized the appreciation of the transformation isn't really a "how many seconds it takes to notice the difference" situation as "hearing the performance in an entirely new perspective". The sense of space, and the ease of hearing everything in that space is almost disarming. But it is the emotional reaction to the music that is makes this "power supply" change such a fundamental difference, and more than anyone can comprehend. You have to hear it to believe it, but be warned, you can't "un-hear" it. To take away the PSU makes the Aeris and/or Corus sound almost disappointing. And I KNOW how great those components are. You have been warned.
Guido, I have only heard the PSU as a singular replacement; i.e. Everything else remained the same, so I have not tried different power cords. As for break-in, well I will let you know as I get more time with this incredible device.
 
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Thank you Adam for posting pics.... As my retinas are inoperative, would you mind adding some quick text captions... My screen reader software will then be able to read me your descriptions of the photos.

Saluti, G.
 
Adam, I have zero objections to photos, on the contrary.... However, having been blind as a bat in a sealed barrell for over 30 years, I can't see them at all. I use screen reading software (JAWS) to operate AudioShark, as well as all other IT facilities.... Screen readers are wonderful tools, but they do not interpret pictures yet.

Hence me asking you to add text captions.


Regards, G.
 
Am I missing something? I am trying to express my AUDIO experiences. What pictures do you need? Remove an external power supply, (granted, in a nicely machined block of aluminum) and then replace it with a bigger, better power supply in a nicer machined block of aluminum. Not really that exciting. But the sonic results from this swap? Mind-blowing.
This last system comprises a Berkeley Ref DAC, Rowland Corus, a pair of Rowland 925s and a pair of Magico S7s. All audio cables are Cardas Clear and Clear beyond. Power comes thru Shunyata Hydra/Typhon. Yes, the equipment is visually gorgeous, but that is not what I am writing about. How many times do you take a meticulously put together system (with dedicated AC lines and 240V runs to the amplifiers, and very high quality power conditioning) and replace the power supply of a preamp - thereby not changing a single thing in the audio chain and watch the owner of the system exclaim that he has goosebumps from songs he has heard hundreds of times?
 
Hi Mrdean, I was referring to the pics posted by Elberoth today.... My software tells me these are pics, purely based on the underlying HTML tags and attributes which are being exposed by the tool, but nothing else.... Hence my request to him to post a quick title or description of the pics, either inline, or in a new post.

I agree that this thread would have lesser value for everyone without photos.... Hence I was looking forward to getting more information and value for my own enjoyment via text description or titles of photos.


Saluti, G.
 
Hi Guido. I too was referring to Elberoth. "Worthless without pics"? Why? I am trying to use written words to describe an auditory experience. What pics are needed for that?
Elberoth, If this thread is worthless, read something else...
Guido, start bugging Jeff and Lucien to send you a PSU. Holy cow!

GuidoCorona said:
Hi Mrdean, I was referring to the pics posted by Elberoth today.... My software tells me these are pics, purely based on the underlying HTML tags and attributes which are being exposed by the tool, but nothing else.... Hence my request to him to post a quick title or description of the pics, either inline, or in a new post.

I agree that this thread would have lesser value for everyone without photos.... Hence I was looking forward to getting more information and value for my own enjoyment via text description or titles of photos.


Saluti, G.
Click to expand...
 
Thank you MrDean.... I can only guess that friend Elberoth was being humorously hyperbolic in his assertion about the "worthless" thingie... Oh well *Grins!*

Yet, it is easy to comprehend how -- our IT-connected society being so intrinsically visual, thanks to instant videos and photographs -- such a statement may come natural to some.

Saluti, Guido


Yes you are right... I need to bug Lucien and Jeff aboout PSU.
 
I added the PSU to my Jeff Rowland system which includes the 925's, Azeris , and Corus and must admit the I was amazed how much better the system. There was more a life to the music and better separation amongst the instruments. A very worthwhile improvement to my system.
 
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