Прочие устройства — Network Acoustics Origin

The Origin is a streaming power supply from Network Acoustics, the British company founded as a lockdown project by Richard Trussell, an electronics engineer and former IT professional, and Rob Osbourn, a former publisher, filmmaker and DJ. Network Acoustics is best known for its ENO Ethernet filters. The Origin is a DC power supply designed exclusively for devices in the streaming chain.

Key specs that matter

It is available in 12 V/3 A and 5 V/3.5 A versions. The design is a hybrid, using a switching voltage regulator with a four-stage filtering process from AC input to DC output, including an integrated AC mains filter. Components include Mundorf Mcap Supreme EVO Silver/Gold capacitors and silver-copper alloy wiring. It carries a two-year warranty.

Engineering and use context

Network Acoustics first conceived the Origin to reduce the electronic noise produced by home routers and their plug-in power adapters. It then found the supply equally useful for any device in the streaming chain that needs outboard DC power, including routers, network switches, optical converters, digital-to-digital converters, streamers and DACs. Most such devices ship with cheap switch-mode wall adapters, which inject noise into the mains and the device. Many audiophile alternatives use linear supplies or batteries, but Network Acoustics states that in its listening tests switch-mode technology performed better, because digital devices need fast, dynamic power. The Origin therefore keeps a switching regulator but filters its output in four stages to reach very low noise. The integrated mains filter also reduces interference passing back into the wiring from the supply. The company's wider philosophy is that Ethernet and other digital signals are analogue waveforms that carry radio-frequency interference from Wi-Fi, mobile phones and televisions, and that removing this interference lets the receiving circuits in audio equipment perform better, without changing the data itself. Its products are developed largely through continuous listening tests.

Pairing

The Origin suits a router, switch, optical converter or streamer that runs from a low-voltage external adapter within the supply's current rating. It pairs with Network Acoustics' ENO2 and Muon Ethernet filters and Tempus switch.

Alternatives

Network Acoustics' ENO2 is the brand's passive eight-core Ethernet filter for 1 Gb/s connections.