PLiXiR Balanced DC Power Supply

Designed and made in Singapore by Sound Affairs, our PLiXiR BDC starts the power conditioning right at the mains AC voltage input (with built-in Balanced AC Power conditioner). It is the only DC power supply we know of that features a two-stage voltage regulation topology to achieve its low noise performance; most other designs in the market typically has only a single stage for voltage regulation.

We also design and manufacture our PLiXiR range of AC power Conditioners, and a series of PLiXiR AC and DC power cables and Interconnects.

Design Topology of PLiXiR Balanced DC Power Supply

Our PLiXiR Balanced DC Power Supply consisted of 3 blocks:

• Balanced AC Power Conditioner: Conditioning of AC incoming power to reduce noise and eliminate ground loop issues.
• First Stage Pre-Regulation: Class-A driven no feedback regulation circuit which removes much of the noise and heat for the low noise Voltage regulation stage. 
• Second Stage Low Noise Voltage Regulation: Well proven extremely low noise DC regulator circuit.

 

Balanced AC Power Conditioner:

Our topology starts from reducing the noise from the mains AC input. Our unique balanced AC power conditioner topology conditions the incoming AC power with a custom high current toroidal power transformer. Besides drastically reducing the mains AC noise through a balanced AC power topology, it will also eliminate ground loop issues.

With this topology, switching noise contributions from AC-DC rectification diodes are also reduced by half, as only two diodes are required, compared to the common 4-diode bridge configuration. However, transformer size have to be doubled to provide the same power as compared to the 4-diode bridge configuration (there are no free lunches). We feel the benefits outweigh the cost involved.

First Stage Pre-Regulation

In a traditional design, there is only 1 regulation stage. For any regulator design (whether discrete or IC based), it can only attenuate the noise from its input supply to its output supply to power your equipment. This means that the single regulator will need to filter all the noise components, including AC mains noise, AC-DC rectification noise, ripple, sudden voltage drop/sag due to current drawn by your equipment etc. Add to this, the single regulator will also need to manage the heat wastage alone, a by-product of linear power supply regulation, which also result in high thermal noise contribution from the regulator itself. The combination of multiple spectrum noise, high load current and thermal noise all reduces the performance of the regulator, namely slew rate, output impedance, and noise levels, dynamically.

Many designs try to improve/mitigate this with bulk filtering method with big value capacitors / inductors etc, before and after the regulator. To us, this is a Band-Aid solution as best; treating the problem after it has occurred. It does not fully solve the fundamental problem, which is the unfair loading of the single regulator.

We employ a 2-stage regulation topology to overcome this problem. A very low noise, open loop, Class A driven discrete pre-regulator stage is employed, prior to the actual close loop DC voltage regulator.

We would like to call this method as the brawn and the brain method. The pre-regulation stage (the brawn) handles most of these issues and isolate the actual regulator stage (the brain) from these ill artifacts (AC and DC rectification noise, ripple, high current loading voltage sag, thermal heat). Free of these influences, the regulator will be able to perform optimally in terms of noise, slew rate and output impedance, under all rated load conditions.

Second Stage Low Noise Voltage Regulation:

After balanced AC power conditioning and the first stage of pre-regulation, the voltage that is fed to the input of the actual DC voltage regulator will be very low noise and ripple, under all condition. This considerably reduces the burden and load which the DC voltage regulator needs to handle, resulting in the optimal performance of the well proven DC regulator circuit which we employ, in terms of final noise level, slew rate and output impedance of the output DC voltage to your equipment.

Other design features:

We use premium industrial grade 105 degrees low impedance capacitor, high current Schottky diodes, OCC wires and high quality connectors and switches in the construction of our power supply.

The chassis is made from extruded anodized black aluminum of 2.5 mm thick on all sides. The front panel is 5mm thick and available in anodized black or silver. In addition, the power diodes, pre-regulator pass transistor and DC voltage regulator are mounted directly onto the bottom plate. Thus the whole chassis also acts as a heat sink for the circuit. The casing thus would be warm to the touch in normal operation. This is normal and actually prolongs the lifespan of the power supply.

The power supply will ensure years of perfect operation, if used within its spec voltage and current rating

Benefits of using our PLiXiR  Balanced DC power supply

With the use of our DC power supply, you will find that your audio have much lower noise floor, as well as better dynamic contrast. There will be more clarity and TRUE details come out in spades, with better sound staging. Bass becomes tighter and PRaT factor increases. Most importantly, the harmonic tone of the voices and instruments becomes more natural. The audio will have a much more analog sound, with greater fluidity to your music. Please visit our website for genuine customers’ reviews

Mode of Operation/General Specifications

The DC power supply is very simple to operation.  At the back of the unit you will find:

1. IEC inlet socket.  This is where your incoming mains AC goes into the unit.
2. DC output socket.  This is where our matching PLiXiR DC cable will be connected.  The other end of the DC cable will be fitted to your equipment. 
3. On /Off switch, to turn on or off the DC output feed to your equipment.

Note: We provide different sizes of DC plugs (at the equipment end) so that you will be able to match with your equipment.  Standard sizes includes: 1.3mm, 1.7mm, 2.1mm, and 2.5mm.  You will be able to obtain the correct size for your equipment from your dealer, or you can contact us at sales@mysoundaffairs.com for more details.

The Specifications of each DC power supply is located at the bottom of each power supply.  General specs will be: AC voltage input range of the unit.  DC voltage output of the unit.  Continuous current output rated for the unit.