Noisy power supply (Strymon + Diago Micropower)

[cLepto-bass]

So I recently splashed out on a couple of quality Strymon delay pedals (El Capistan and DIG) which I am completely in love with. However, when powered by my Diago MicroPower9 there is a very subtle but audible high pitch ringing/hiss both when engaged and bypassed. This noise does stop as soon the pedals are powered by there own individual 9v power supplies.

So my questions are: has anyone else had this particular issue, and; can anyone recommend a way of getting around this rather than being forced to carry around 3/4 separate power supply cables. I am more than happy to purchase a more suitable (better(?)) power supply assuming a different one will definitely rectify the issue.

Thanks in advance.

[BassBus]

Your power supply should cope with the power requirements of the Strymon pedals but this sounds like an isolation problem. You could try looking into power bricks that have isolated outputs. Plenty on the market. That should sort things for you. Other more knowledgable BCers might come along with more detail.

[dannybuoy]

Every single digital pedal I've ever used has either introduced digital clock whine or hiss into the audio path as soon as it's put on a shared power supply. You can get isolation adapter tips but it's best to just get a better power supply. I'm thinking of picking up the OneSpot Truetone CS-7 or CS-12. The MXR ISO-Brick looks great too, but I need a 12V output too.

There are lots of cheaper supplies out these days that look like they at isolated but in fact are not, so be sure to read up on them before putting down your cash!

[cLepto-bass]

Thanks a lot. I did suspect it might be an isolation issue but a not aware enough to know for sure what exactly cases it and how to fix it.

Incidentally, I could do with a 12v output too for my TC Nova delay.

Thanks again

[cLepto-bass]

So assuming an isolated power supply will fix the problem, what other ones are people using out there? More than happy to spend serious money for the right product.

[dannybuoy]

To cover 9V, 12V and 18V (which you might not need right now but lots of pedals either require it or sound better at 18), my selection came down to:

Truetone CS-7 / CS-12
T-Rex Chameleon
Voodo ISO-5
CIOKS DC-5
MXR ISO Brick (although 12V is only possible if you carefully measure the adjustable outputs!)

However the advantage the Truetone has is that you can ignore the mA rating on the labels as long as you don't exceed the total for the entire supply. This means I can power my Two Notes Le Bass which requires 12V 500mA from a single socket - with most other power bricks you would need to use a current doubler cable hooked up to two 12V outputs to power it.

Edited May 2, 2016 by dannybuoy

[BassBus]

I have a couple of voodoo labs on my board, pedal power 2 plus and 4x4. The 4x4 has two 9v/12v outputs at 400 mA, four 9v at 100 mA and two 9v at 400 mA. I take a current doubler cable out a 400 and 100 sockets and that powers the Zoom ms60b's 500 mA just fine. That's probably best for high current pedals. Again plenty of others out there.

[elephantgrey]

If you are willing to put the money down, the best power supply (imo) is the gigrig system. Its a modular system based around the generator, which supplies 5amp (5,000ma), then i would suggest forgoing the distributors, and using a normal daisy chain to connect isolators, and various adapters together. I think you'll need timelord adapters for both your s[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]trymon pedals.[/font][/color]

This way you can continue growing your board without having to worry about outgrowing your power supply.