Best Pedal Board Power Supply?

[LCW]

I’ve liked the TrueTone One Spot CS12... had a pedalpower2 for a bit but needed couple more jacks and I think the CS12 is quieter.

 

[errrrrl]

Damn that Cioks DC7 is pretty cool. I may pick that up for my mini bedroom board. Right now I have my old CS12 mounted on the top which works but I'd rather have it out of site. Looks like it will actually fit under a PT metro 24, plus that USB jack would power my line 6 g10 wireless. Right now I had to use a reverse polarity and a barrel to usb adapter to power the g10 but damn that Cioks seems the way to go to me. Plus I think you can connect that 24v to a Strymon ojai if you wanted to expand.

 

[FourT6and2]

Damn that Cioks DC7 is pretty cool. I may pick that up for my mini bedroom board. Right now I have my old CS12 mounted on the top which works but I'd rather have it out of site. Looks like it will actually fit under a PT metro 24, plus that USB jack would power my line 6 g10 wireless. Right now I had to use a reverse polarity and a barrel to usb adapter to power the g10 but damn that Cioks seems the way to go to me. Plus I think you can connect that 24v to a Strymon ojai if you wanted to expand.

Yeah it looks like the best option out there at the moment, with the Strymon stuff in close second.

 

[FourT6and2]

Anyway, this is what I'm running into at the moment. Does it seem like a power supply will help?

Guitar straight into amp. Single pedal in FX loop. Powered by battery = no noise. Powered by wall wart (plugged into same outlet as amp) = crazy hum and buzz and noise. I tried running an extension cord to a different outlet so pedal and amp were on separate lines and it didn't help.

 

[errrrrl]

Anyway, this is what I'm running into at the moment. Does it seem like a power supply will help?

Guitar straight into amp. Single pedal in FX loop. Powered by battery = no noise. Powered by wall wart (plugged into same outlet as amp) = crazy hum and buzz and noise. I tried running an extension cord to a different outlet so pedal and amp were on separate lines and it didn't help.

That sucks dude. I had a maxon od808 that was the same way. With a battery it was fine, when plugged into a wall or CS12 i'd get an irritating hum that drove me nuts. I started to upgrade cables and what not but in the long run it was the only pedal that would do that so I returned it and went with a keeley.

 

[FourT6and2]

Anyway, this is what I'm running into at the moment. Does it seem like a power supply will help?

Guitar straight into amp. Single pedal in FX loop. Powered by battery = no noise. Powered by wall wart (plugged into same outlet as amp) = crazy hum and buzz and noise. I tried running an extension cord to a different outlet so pedal and amp were on separate lines and it didn't help.

That sucks dude. I had a maxon od808 that was the same way. With a battery it was fine, when plugged into a wall or CS12 i'd get an irritating hum that drove me nuts. I started to upgrade cables and what not but in the long run it was the only pedal that would do that so I returned it and went with a keeley.

Yeah that sucks. Well it's not the only pedal that does it. It happens with all my pedals. And if I grab the power cord that goes to the wall wart, it actually reduces the hum a bit. And I can move the power cord around and it affects the noise. This is with multiple wall warts (the ones that came with each pedal). So it's not the wall wart. Gotta be a ground loop or something. So I'm hoping an isolated power supply will do the trick.

 

[errrrrl]

Yeah that sucks. Well it's not the only pedal that does it. It happens with all my pedals. And if I grab the power cord that goes to the wall wart, it actually reduces the hum a bit. And I can move the power cord around and it affects the noise. This is with multiple wall warts (the ones that came with each pedal). So it's not the wall wart. Gotta be a ground loop or something. So I'm hoping an isolated power supply will do the trick.

It should help. When I had my issue I learned a lot. Fluorescent lights can cause that, as well a running fan or AC on the same circuit, running dish washer, running washer/dryer and shit like that in general depending on your house's wiring. It didn't help that I mainly record silently too so it just made the noise more apparent. A good noise gate is highly recommended too if you don't already have one. If I wasn't a renter I'd get a dedicated line on it's own circuit for my gear but thats just me

 

[FourT6and2]

Shit, so I figured I'd do some troubleshooting to work this out. It's the amp. Something's definitely up with the amp. I swapped heads around and plugged in one I built and it's dead quiet. Like I have to turn the master up to 95% just to tell it's on. This is with the same pedals and power supplies and cables all plugged in.

But with the other amp, it's picking up radio stations and buzzing and humming like crazy. And that's even with the master on zero. Gotta take a look at what's going on. I might not need a dedicated power supply after all.

 

[errrrrl]

Aw man, I'm guessing it's the Hiwatt? That sucks.

 

[FourT6and2]

Aw man, I'm guessing it's the Hiwatt? That sucks.

Yeah. Something's up with it. So much for that mil-spec build quality lol. Could just be the design, but I think something's gotta be miswired or a bad solder joint or something. Will have to have a look.

 

[FourT6and2]

Ok no. It's not the amp. Brought the amp to another building and no noise with any of my pedals. Gotta be the power in my building so hopefully an isolated power supply will work.

 

[blackba]

I have a couple of Truetone CS7 that I really like, did notice a noise reduction in my rig compared to daisy chaining most of the pedals.

I am looking at replacing one with a Cioks Eventide powermax as I really want a supply that can handle my current 12V Kingsley pedals.

 

[Beandust]

The thing about some pedals and wahs causing noise makes sense since wahs have a coil inside them. If that coil sits too close to certain types of transformers (like ones found in side certain power supplies), they will interact. I've seen plenty of comments regarding this in my reading up on these things.

I'm gonna stick with the Strymon or Eventide/Cioks since they have the best reviews.

Thanks for validating the power supply and wa noise thing. I did some research on it as well and it seems to be common. I've got hum and a mild buzz in my rig and after reading your info I may be switching to a Friedman, strymon or eventide. After I try and eliminate all variables 1st. The nu-metal was an option for the wa but a cleaner p supply sounds cheaper and easier. Thanks again for clearing this up. I've got voodoo labs and pedal train and it sounds like a train alright. Its frustrating and not cheap to start over but well worth it.

 

[stratjacket]

I had a voodoo for years but as I grew and needed more 500ma outlets with Strymon and Eventide type pedals, I needed a change. I ended up with a Strymon Zuma and 2 Ojai’s. The system is great because you can string power supplies together as you grow and they are all high output.

I’m power paranoid. I have my amps and pedalboard powered from a Furman Power conditioner which is plugged into a UPS with voltage regulation which is plugged into a large transformer that is hardwired to a dedicated 20amp circuit.

I would highly recommend looking at running your gear off a UPS with voltage regulation. Just look for a UPS with “AVR” as a feature. It kills so many gremlins, I never have a buzz or hum.

 

[FourT6and2]

I had a voodoo for years but as I grew and needed more 500ma outlets with Strymon and Eventide type pedals, I needed a change. I ended up with a Strymon Zuma and 2 Ojai’s. The system is great because you can string power supplies together as you grow and they are all high output.

I’m power paranoid. I have my amps and pedalboard powered from a Furman Power conditioner which is plugged into a UPS with voltage regulation which is plugged into a large transformer that is hardwired to a dedicated 20amp circuit.

I would highly recommend looking at running your gear off a UPS with voltage regulation. Just look for a UPS with “AVR” as a feature. It kills so many gremlins, I never have a buzz or hum.

I don't have the energy to run 4 different power solutions lol. UPS with regulation, a power conditioner, another regulator, and an isolated pedal power supply. Too much stuff.

 

[stratjacket]

I had a voodoo for years but as I grew and needed more 500ma outlets with Strymon and Eventide type pedals, I needed a change. I ended up with a Strymon Zuma and 2 Ojai’s. The system is great because you can string power supplies together as you grow and they are all high output.

I’m power paranoid. I have my amps and pedalboard powered from a Furman Power conditioner which is plugged into a UPS with voltage regulation which is plugged into a large transformer that is hardwired to a dedicated 20amp circuit.

I would highly recommend looking at running your gear off a UPS with voltage regulation. Just look for a UPS with “AVR” as a feature. It kills so many gremlins, I never have a buzz or hum.

I don't have the energy to run 4 different power solutions lol. UPS with regulation, a power conditioner, another regulator, and an isolated pedal power supply. Too much stuff.

ha, yeah I hear ya. I'm not saying that's the way to do it or anything, not a recommendation. Just trying to illustrate how I am clean power OCD. For home use, I would recommend looking at a UPS with an AVR feature though. Anywhere from $80-$120 investment and it's way worth it.

 

[FourT6and2]

I had a voodoo for years but as I grew and needed more 500ma outlets with Strymon and Eventide type pedals, I needed a change. I ended up with a Strymon Zuma and 2 Ojai’s. The system is great because you can string power supplies together as you grow and they are all high output.

I’m power paranoid. I have my amps and pedalboard powered from a Furman Power conditioner which is plugged into a UPS with voltage regulation which is plugged into a large transformer that is hardwired to a dedicated 20amp circuit.

I would highly recommend looking at running your gear off a UPS with voltage regulation. Just look for a UPS with “AVR” as a feature. It kills so many gremlins, I never have a buzz or hum.

I don't have the energy to run 4 different power solutions lol. UPS with regulation, a power conditioner, another regulator, and an isolated pedal power supply. Too much stuff.

ha, yeah I hear ya. I'm not saying that's the way to do it or anything, not a recommendation. Just trying to illustrate how I am clean power OCD. For home use, I would recommend looking at a UPS with an AVR feature though. Anywhere from $80-$120 investment and it's way worth it.

I have a Furman P-1800 PFR and AR on the way. What will a UPS with AVR do for me that a Furman AR can't?

The Furman claims it regulates voltage output to 120v +/- 5 volts. That's a huge margin in reality. That means signal can swing from 115v to 125v. My mains power does not vary by that much. So voltage regulation is kind of moot. Most of the UPS/AVRs I'm finding list their tolerances at 120v output +/- 5% (percent). That's +/- 6 volts.

This all assumes I even need voltage regulation. That's not my main problem. Dirty power is (most likely). So hopefully the PFR unit will help.

 

[JamesPeters]

Lots of adapters for pedals are switching power supplies (moreso nowadays) so they don't provide electrical isolation. If you have a ground loop, they're going to cause problems (or rather, not help with the problems). A fully transformer-isolated power supply is the best choice in this case. Voodoo Lab Pedal Power II + is a good one. I have a knockoff (looks nearly identical) that I bought recently. I have a ground loop in my prototype amp test setup (something I know how to properly resolve, but it's not worthwhile due to how the pieces are easily removable/serviceable for modifications). When I use pedals with the setup, that pedal power supply is the only thing that'll work without horrible noise (or batteries in each pedal).

Note to anyone considering any kind of "isolated" power supply for pedals: it needs to be transformer isolated, fully, or it's no good for this kind of thing. Those ones with regulated outs but aren't transformer isolated, ignore them. They'll work fine but only if you don't have any ground loops.

 

[stratjacket]

I have a Furman P-1800 PFR and AR on the way. What will a UPS with AVR do for me that a Furman AR can't?

The Furman claims it regulates voltage output to 120v +/- 5 volts. That's a huge margin in reality. That means signal can swing from 115v to 125v. My mains power does not vary by that much. So voltage regulation is kind of moot. Most of the UPS/AVRs I'm finding list their tolerances at 120v output +/- 5% (percent). That's +/- 6 volts.

This all assumes I even need voltage regulation. That's not my main problem. Dirty power is (most likely). So hopefully the PFR unit will help.

Yeah, that looks great, I'm sure that'll work really well regulating and keeping it clean. It doesn't matter if its a UPS or 1U rack based Power conditioner or what, mainly I think the voltage regulation is the key. I was only recommending a UPS with built in AVR because it's only about $100, but they can also get pricey.

 

[FourT6and2]

Lots of adapters for pedals are switching power supplies (moreso nowadays) so they don't provide electrical isolation. If you have a ground loop, they're going to cause problems (or rather, not help with the problems). A fully transformer-isolated power supply is the best choice in this case. Voodoo Lab Pedal Power II + is a good one. I have a knockoff (looks nearly identical) that I bought recently. I have a ground loop in my prototype amp test setup (something I know how to properly resolve, but it's not worthwhile due to how the pieces are easily removable/serviceable for modifications). When I use pedals with the setup, that pedal power supply is the only thing that'll work without horrible noise (or batteries in each pedal).

Note to anyone considering any kind of "isolated" power supply for pedals: it needs to be transformer isolated, fully, or it's no good for this kind of thing. Those ones with regulated outs but aren't transformer isolated, ignore them. They'll work fine but only if you don't have any ground loops.

Thanks James!

Do either the Strymon or the Eventide/Cioks look to be transformer isolated? Neither mention anything about a transformer. But they do say all the outputs are individually isolated to prevent ground loops. The Strymon talks about being "optically isolated" with "analog circuitry."

"Zuma’s all analog circuitry offers two stages of isolation, completely eliminating ground loop and AC line noise issues, allowing your pedals to sound like they were designed to sound. Each of the five output channels is individually isolated from the 24V DC, and the 24V DC is isolated from the AC input power, eliminating ground loop and AC line noise issues. Zuma R300 also provides dual power regulation: Wide-bandwidth optically isolated feedback loops on each channel, as well as on the input, allow both the input and outputs to adjust for changes, ensuring solid output under changing load conditions."

Sounds like a lot of marketing speak, but they seem to have amazing user reviews.