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Strato & Electrical Noise

EDIT: this is a the stock switching power supply (this comes from the person who built arguably the best music server in the industry): switching powersupplies shunt switching noise to ground, that does however not flow directly to ground, in stead it just travels your entire house ground system
I am replacing the stock power supply anyway, but for now the answer is to remove the ground plug, or use something like HumX.

Even if you don't have highly-sensitive speakers, I think replacing the stock power supply of the Strato will lower your noise floor, and it will be audible at the listening position.

Disappointed that such an overpriced piece of hardware comes with such poor noise filtering.
 
HumX resolved it for me.

I'm planning to move back to a C/Terra setup though. Hopefully that renders the whole issue moot not having the hard drive in the same chassis as the HDMI output. I don't hear my Synology NAS hard drives plugged through any of my other gear.

I've wondered in the past about the merits of upgrading the Oppo power supply. If it really makes any tangibly noticeable difference in performance.
 
Obviously to those with the problem it's real, but I know of a bunch of Strato-S installs that do not suffer from the reported noise. I do not have the problem in my system, and I also asked a few other Strato-S owning clients if the noticed the problem in their theaters, and they do not have the reported noise. These are people that are connected to normal power, no surge protectors (not a good idea BTW), or conditioners, and they do not have the problem. I'll ask Support if they have others reporting this issue, but it may just be specific units, or perhaps a combination of the Strato and conditions in the space.

Jim
 
TrackZ said:
HumX resolved it for me.

I'm planning to move back to a C/Terra setup though. Hopefully that renders the whole issue moot not having the hard drive in the same chassis as the HDMI output. I don't hear my Synology NAS hard drives plugged through any of my other gear.

I've wondered in the past about the merits of upgrading the Oppo power supply. If it really makes any tangibly noticeable difference in performance.
Click to expand...
Yes, me too. Just tried HumX.
I do have a Teddy Pardo supply on order for the Strato S. I never use switching mode supplies, they are just garbage. If you have a nice system, which I gather you do, or you wouldn’t have a Strato!, then I highly recommend linear power supplies. For ~$500 it’s a small % of the overall cost of the Strato.

I don’t think the separate Strato C/Terra configuration will help, since you still have a HD that is connected to the AC mains. But let us know; perhaps Kaleidescape added better isolation - I noticed the power supply for the Terra is using a 4 conductor connector, so perhaps they also upgraded the power supply. I hope they did something to justify the 50% cost increase (while removing WiFi!).
 
cinelife said:
Obviously to those with the problem it's real, but I know of a bunch of Strato-S installs that do not suffer from the reported noise. I do not have the problem in my system, and I also asked a few other Strato-S owning clients if the noticed the problem in their theaters, and they do not have the reported noise. These are people that are connected to normal power, no surge protectors (not a good idea BTW), or conditioners, and they do not have the problem. I'll ask Support if they have others reporting this issue, but it may just be specific units, or perhaps a combination of the Strato and conditions in the space.

Jim
Click to expand...
It could be those with high sensitivity speakers that are picking it up. Or perhaps some power supplies are not in spec? These switching mode power supplies cost about $1 in volume and really should not be provided with such an expensive component.
If you want to see what a proper supply for a digital file server (for music) looks like, take a look at the Taiko Extreme. This costs about the same as a large capacity HD Strato.
 
At least HumX should be mandatory for anyone with a Strato S (or even C, not sure). I bet even if you don’t think you have a problem, it will lower your noise floor. For the cost of the HumX, it’s a worthwhile try and see. You can even return the HumX if you don’t think there’s a difference.
 
I'm sure my concern is related to some element of my system and/or home. I get similar behavior out of my gaming PC. It seems to strike source equipment that has a 3-prong power plug. I have not experienced this from any gaming console, Apple TV, nor my Oppo.

Noise seems to get to the processor via HDMI from the ground-connected component and becomes audible in the speakers. The PC buzzes things fiercely when the GPU is working hard. Having the PC on another circuit resolves it, but for now I also run the PC on a HumX.

I had a Strato C and Terra server setup before and do not recall ever noticing audible noise related to its operation. I will be eager to see if a new C/Terra interacts with any noise floor, but my expectation is that it will not.

We had some other problems in the home with our oven that ended up having an electrician visit who inspected our panels and such and commented that our service looks really well and smartly done. I had considered making another appointment with them to come inspect things related to this issue, but haven't done it yet.

It's a PITA when things are buzzing.
 
I get your point, but I've got three home theaters, one with Pro Audio Tech (17 speakers), and two with JBL Synthesis (SCL's), Strato-S and Terra systems in all of them, with zero noise issues. (I do have one setup using Torus Power.)

Of the hundreds of Strato-S units sold, many installed in some very high end theaters, this is the first thread mentioning a noise issue attributed to Strato, so I'm hesitant to agree that the device "should be mandatory...", I'm not a fan of adding more components anywhere in a system, unless it adds something positive to the system, and certainly not a fan of recommending clients spend more money and add something to their systems to solve a problem they're not experiencing.

You guys are starting to sound like the marketing managers for HumX.:D

Jim
 
Oh yeah, to be clear, I'm certain the humming I had off the Strato S was not inherently due to the Strato. Same even with the PC. Whatever core issue exists within my home electrical or something in the overall rack is the root cause. The Strato and PC are symptoms of some unknown greater core issue.

HumX, simultaneously one of the most useful and yet worst pieces of equipment in my home theater... They probably don't want that as their marketing line. LOL. :)

I agree with @cinelife, you don't need a HumX if you're not actively having buzzing or noise floor issues from a piece of gear.
 
I think the causes of our issues may be different, @TrackZ.
The elevated noise floor only manifested itself with the Strato S in my case. My gaming consoles, music server PC, etc. don't.

No disrespect to Pro Audio Tech or JBL Synthesis, but I would not consider these highly resolving systems. Nevertheless, I think it's worthwhile measuring the noise floor with a very accurate mic sound level meter.

Even if there is no measurable difference with the Strato plugged in and unplugged (note that it's still on in Standby, so you have to unplug it or disable standby), using a cheap switching mode power supply is definitely degrading the performance of the Stratos. That should go in the garbage, for any and all systems.
 
No disrespect taken, I don't marry my equipment. I've been through a few different lines, including Alcons, and now bringing in Wisdom as well. That said, if all of these lines, and many others our clients are using, don't present the Strato related noise you encountered, but the brand you're using does, then perhaps people should avoid those speakers if they own a Strato-S.....they would still have 99% of the speaker market available as an option.

Jim
 
cinelife said:
No disrespect taken, I don't marry my equipment. I've been through a few different lines, including Alcons, and now bringing in Wisdom as well. That said, if all of these lines, and many others our clients are using, don't present the Strato related noise you encountered, but the brand you're using does, then perhaps people should avoid those speakers if they own a Strato-S.....they would still have 99% of the speaker market available as an option.

Jim
Click to expand...
I would look to the Strato's cheap power supply as the culprit here, Jim ;)
Not throw out a $500K 2 channel speaker and amp system because the $1 power supply is noisy.
Just a thought.
 
Nice comeback!:ROFLMAO:

I get it. Just curious, did you try a different PSU from K? It's obvious what you think of the PSU, just curious if you tried a replacement from them, was wondering if it's just a bad PSU that came with your unit. Seriously, I'm interested in this subject, and curious if your experience is one of a couple of bad PSU's (obviously possible given what your comment regarding quality).

Jim
 
cinelife said:
Nice comeback!:ROFLMAO:

I get it. Just curious, did you try a different PSU from K? It's obvious what you think of the PSU, just curious if you tried a replacement from them, was wondering if it's just a bad PSU that came with your unit. Seriously, I'm interested in this subject, and curious if your experience is one of a couple of bad PSU's (obviously possible given what your comment regarding quality).

Jim
Click to expand...
Yes, indeed, it could be a bad PSU. I do know they are using cheap PSUs which bothers me, as they do have a noticeable impact on the sound and video - even if it's not an increase in background noise.
I am in touch with K and we'll see what they say, it could indeed be an out of spec power supply. I only need it for a few more weeks until the linear supply I ordered comes in anyway.

For about $500, I highly recommend upgrading the power supply, even if you don't experience any background noise!
 
@Surge can you link what linear PSU you purchased?

Something like this?


I would have tried it for fun to see if anything changed, if I still had the Strato S.

EDIT: Heck, I'd be curious to experiment with one on the Strato C as well to see if I pick up on any audio/video improvements. People routinely spend $300 - $500 to upgrade these in their Oppo players.
 
TrackZ said:
@Surge can you link what linear PSU you purchased?

Something like this?


I would have tried it for fun to see if anything changed, if I still had the Strato S.

EDIT: Heck, I'd be curious to experiment with one on the Strato C as well to see if I pick up on any audio/video improvements. People routinely spend $300 - $500 to upgrade these in their Oppo players.
Click to expand...
I have only used TeddyPardo supplies. No affiliation with them, they just had great reviews and I have been using them for years. One also powers my Lumagen Radiance Pro.

I bet anyone will notice a difference when they replace the switching supply with one of these. I assume the Strato C also has the same supply.

Select the 12V / 5A when ordering, which is required for the Strato S.
teddypardo.com

Teddy12/5 - 12V 5A Power Supply

Teddy Pardo 12v/5A high-current, Audiophile-Grade Linear Power Supply, a perfect match for most NAS drives, Mytek and SOtM products. We also offer a 2A version.
teddypardo.com teddypardo.com
 
Strato C spec is: External power adapter: 100- 240VAC to 12VDC @ 5A, 60W.

I don't see an option for 12V@5A, just the 12V@4.5A.

I presume the Strato uses a standard 5.5mm/2.5mm connector?
 
Yes, when ordering the 12v/4.5A specify you need a 5A in the notes, and they will supply a 5A unit.

Correct, the Strato S uses the standard 5.5/2.5mm connector (I measured it yesterday).
 
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