iFiiPower Elite - Low Noise Power Supply Adapter (12V)

Again, this is not a DC supply that the average punter buys....its domain is really to be used in high performance audio, where every millivolt of noise is a sonic compromise.And the noise here is allegedly in microvolts rather than millivolts!This is the second 12V Elite supply I am using.One is on a Lumin U2-Mini streamer that has been modded to allow external power supplies.I also bought a 12V Farad3 power supply (around $600) and upgraded its fuse with a silver slug and its DC cable with a Mundorf Angelique....another $350; so the total cost of the Farad3 was close to $1000.I then compared the Elite and the upgraded Farad3 on the Lumin streamer. The Elite was the clear winner, which came as a great surprise to me. The Farad sounded shut in, 2 dimensional and quite dynamically insipid next to the Elite. And both of these were tested with a $400+ Audioquest Dragon-inspired power cord from AliExpress.I also got a second Elite to replace the brick power supply that came with a TP Link Wifi router.Replacing the standard PS with the Elite in the router gave a far more natural, less colored sound over the standard PS.....although you would not expect a router to be so sensitive the the quality of its power supply, it appears that it is exquisitely sensitive to it.The final sound I am getting with the Elites on the router and streamer is totally mesmerizing and addictive. This however is not the first place I would spend the $300 in upgrading though.....this only makes sense if the rest of your installation is optimized-but when it is, the results are terrific.ANECDOTE: A friend of mine replaced a $10,000 (as in ten thousand dollars) LPS on his Chord DAC with an Elite and he too prefers the sound of the Elite. I have not heard the results myself though.

I've purchased and compared the 3 Ifi 12 volt power supplies: Ifi ipower 2, ipower x and Elite. I started with the lowest priced one and I heard a difference, which led me down the rabbit hole...what are the differences with the higher priced ones? My review is completely subjective and reflects only my own personal experience. I did not perform blind testing. I simply listened to the same tracks of music back to back by just unplugging and plugging in different power supplies. My equipment used with these power supplies: Ifi Zen Stream, Geshelli J2S DAC, Thorens TD 309 Turntable and Dynavector P75 mk 4 Phono Pre-amp. First, there are legitimate reasons why some may not perceive a difference with audiophile tweaks. Count your blessings, enjoy your stereo and save your money if this fortunately applies to you or simply take advantage of a generous return policy. The differences I experienced fall into the categories of soundstage and imaging. With the Ifi Power 2, I found the background was blacker/quieter on all my devices compared to the generic switching DC power supply. Upgrading to the Ifi Power X, in addition to what I heard with the Ifi Power 2, there was improved soundstage depth, slightly increased soundstage width, and better imaging and separation. Now with the Ifi Power Elite, I noticed the most differences on the turntable and phono pre-amp. The overall difference in the turntable was an improvement in quietness over the the 2 other power supplies. The biggest surprising difference I found was in the phono pre-amp (possibly because I was using LOMC setting.) Not only was there an improvement in soundstage and imaging but the sound also changed in the bass, mids and treble. Most noticeable was the mids where less forward and the voices had more detail and texture. The bass was smoother and had slightly more detail. The treble was less bright but had slightly more air. Overall, the music just sounded more textured and life-like. These were all subtle but noticeably completely subjective differences to me. I chose to leave the ipower 2 on the streamer, ipower X on the DAC, and ipower Elites on the turntable and phono pre-amp. I hope this helps in your decision making.

I have a MiniDSP SHD Studio in my system. And recently I tried some 12v linear power supplies on it (over its stock switching power supply). I first tried the least expensive LPS I own ($50 generic from China). It did sound better than the stock power supply which was interesting because I have heard that aftermarket linear power supplies do not affect the sound quality of the MiniDSP SHD Studio. I next tried a 12v TerraDak LPS on it ($185 from China). The sound quality from my revealing stereo system sounded even better than with the cheap $50 LPS. I then tried this new iFi iPower Elite (that I just bought to try out), and HOLY COW!!! If I had heard this blindfolded without knowing exactly what was changed in my system, I would have bet that my Digital to Analogue converter had been changed out for something significantly better! This iFi power supply is worth every penny of the $300. I am shocked that it is not a Linear Power Supply. I did not know a switching power supply could be this great.My stereo system components used in testing the iFi IPower Elite 12v LPS:Generic 12v Linear Power SupplyNUC ROON ServerTerraDak 12v Linear Power SupplyCable Matters Ethernet CablesUptone EtherStream Ethernet Switch5v Linear Power SupplyRaspberry Pi ROON EndpointCurious USB Cable 8"MiniDSP SHD StudioRequisite Audio Digital Cable SILVERGustard A22 DAC w/MQARequisite Audio Analogue Cable SILVERD-SONIC M3a800S 2 Channel AmpMorrow Audio MA5 Speaker Cable 2MKEF R3 Monitor SpeakersSpeaker StandsRythmik Audio G22 Subwoofer

Recently upgraded the mini amp this was powering. The new d-class amp came with a cheap, genetic black brick power supply so I tried it. When I switched over to the ifi the speakers got significantly nosier with a persistent hum. Class d amps noise floor is largely based on the quality of their power supply. This $300 ifi is at least 4-5x nosier than a cheap power supply sold with a $78 mini amp.