Just a silly thread title to get your attention? Actually no, there might be some truth in this.
Recently Alex Crespi (UptoneAudio) posted this on CA:
The high-frequency switching harmonics put back into the wall by a modern SMPS are negligible.
When asked if this applies to the little things you get to charge iPhones, routers and other consumer electronics, he replied with the following:
They certainly do vary.
What is interesting is that some of the quality SMPS units actually suppress/absorb/filter(?) noise which is already present in the wall. Here is a short video demo I did with the Entech Powerline Noise Meter and the Mean Well SMPS (which we have shipped thousands of, with USB REGENs, ISO REGENs, and the original UltraCap LPS-1).
Not shown is that after that I tried the same thing with an Apple 12W iPad USB charger block (not the tiny iPhone size charger cube), and the noise went up not down.
https://youtu.be/6S73A_fRtqE
OK, I guess there is an argument that he would say that, he sells the things, but the video is fascinating viewing and food for thought.
One bit of good news for the anti-SMPS cause is that he is offering further confirmation that iPhone chargers together with a whole range of 'consumer grade' SMPS's do indeed feed unwanted noise back into the mains. But it does question the generalisation that "all SMPS's are bad for audio". Maybe some of them can actually offer a positive improvement?
I am sure some folk will reject all this out of hand, but for the more open-minded it might be something to explore further.
Maybe it is why my system is sounding so clean these days, all the good SMPS's sucking out the noise that the bad ones have put in.
Recently Alex Crespi (UptoneAudio) posted this on CA:
The high-frequency switching harmonics put back into the wall by a modern SMPS are negligible.
When asked if this applies to the little things you get to charge iPhones, routers and other consumer electronics, he replied with the following:
They certainly do vary.
What is interesting is that some of the quality SMPS units actually suppress/absorb/filter(?) noise which is already present in the wall. Here is a short video demo I did with the Entech Powerline Noise Meter and the Mean Well SMPS (which we have shipped thousands of, with USB REGENs, ISO REGENs, and the original UltraCap LPS-1).
Not shown is that after that I tried the same thing with an Apple 12W iPad USB charger block (not the tiny iPhone size charger cube), and the noise went up not down.
https://youtu.be/6S73A_fRtqE
OK, I guess there is an argument that he would say that, he sells the things, but the video is fascinating viewing and food for thought.
One bit of good news for the anti-SMPS cause is that he is offering further confirmation that iPhone chargers together with a whole range of 'consumer grade' SMPS's do indeed feed unwanted noise back into the mains. But it does question the generalisation that "all SMPS's are bad for audio". Maybe some of them can actually offer a positive improvement?
I am sure some folk will reject all this out of hand, but for the more open-minded it might be something to explore further.
Maybe it is why my system is sounding so clean these days, all the good SMPS's sucking out the noise that the bad ones have put in.
1000 Pro - KEF Blade - iFi Zen Stream - Mutec REF10 - MC3+USB - Pro-Ject Signature 12
