Intro
Contents
It’s been a few years since we did a mass test of power supplies. Included in that mass test was the Farad Super3, which pleased us quite a bit at the time: clean, fast and also reasonably affordable. Now we have its big brother visiting us: the Farad Super10. Right. 10A’s of clean power! Will it also win our hearts?
For those who do not yet know Farad: it is a Dutch manufacturer – led by Matthijs de Vries – of power supplies. What Farad does differently than most manufacturers, is applying supercaps; capacitors with an enormous capacity. So we are no longer talking about uF – micro-Farad – but about…. yes: Farads.
Various versions
We requested – because it was convenient in our case – a 5-volt version of the Farad Super 10. We can thus connect our Jcat pci-e cards, switches and Volumio Primo to this power supply. And we can then also compare it directly with the Pura Dodo as well as the new Plixir Statement. We also have a Gen1 BOTW from Sbooster lying around.
Farad offers several voltages. You can choose anything in between 5 volts to 24 volts. So, yes: there is a model for everyone. And with 10 ampere output, you can also power a hefty NUC. Or any other kind of server or AudioPC with DC power capability, of course.
High End
Opening up a Farad Super10 reveals that this is more than just a big transformer and some capacitors. The Super10 – like the other Farad products – is handmade. And with great care. In the case of the Super10, the hand-wound transformer is in a housing. Just like a large coil. This is to prevent buzz and annoying EM-fields.
The energy coming in is not completely filtered, because this is not necessary according to Matthijs. A good transformer and filtering capacitors is enough. After all, it is also rectified and regulated again. Later in the measurements we see how clean the Farad is.
We talked – because we had some questions – at length with Matthijs about the Super10. We can say that everything has been thought of and that Farad has a clear philosophy about what does and does not work well in a power supply. You can find answers to the most frequently asked questions here on Farad‘s website.
Plug and Play
Now, installing a power supply is not very difficult. And with the Farad Super10, it’s no different: plug it in … and go. However, you should know that the super-caps still need to charge. That takes a while. The light on the front will blink red/blue and remain blue after a while. Then power is ready to use.
The DC cable screws onto the back of the Farad Super10. The plug is available in several sizes. 2.1mm is standard and will fit in many cases. There are also several cable and fuse upgrades to choose from. Our version came with a special fuse (a QSA Violet, 408 Euro extra). How much impact that has, we dare not say.
My latest experience with the super 10 and the bigger soundstage, is that the soundstage between the loudspeakers is logically bigger as well. There’s a bit overlap in the centre. So to get the textures of the guitar right in comparison with the super 3 is that the loudspeakers should have a bit more space in the middle. It my case it only took a few centimeters, but it highlights and focus details much better than.
Thanks for adding your experience!