2021: A Year in Gear (What You've Bought or Want to Buy in 2021)

[vurt]

that's why i said, with a bit of wiggling.
one of the mantis is pretty much all analogue.
pull some bits out of there, in to the spaces in the already quite a bit of digital, then use that space for the new digital bits.

i have 4 psus.

[whyterabbyt]

I dont know if they're Meanwell, but yeah, the PSU3s arent linear like the previous generations. I think till then Doepfer were the only holdout on linear PSUs anyway, werent they?

[foosnark]

Just bought a used Minibrute 2S. It's probably gonna replace my Medusa. I've been kind of missing the Brute sound and this has a whole lot more patch points and modulation available than the Microbrute, plus a nice sequencer.

[pekbro]

I dont know if they're Meanwell, but yeah, the PSU3s arent linear like the previous generations. I think till then Doepfer were the only holdout on linear PSUs anyway, werent they?

Yeah, the only thing it would mean, is that they are charging a lot for those linear regulators.
It's like a 600 % increase in cost over the Meanwells. Which is unusual for Doepfer as their stuff
is typically pretty affordable from what I've seen. *shrug

[whyterabbyt]

I dont know if they're Meanwell, but yeah, the PSU3s arent linear like the previous generations. I think till then Doepfer were the only holdout on linear PSUs anyway, werent they?

Yeah, the only thing it would mean, is that they are charging a lot for those linear regulators.
It's like a 600 % increase in cost over the Meanwells. Which is unusual for Doepfer as their stuff
is typically pretty affordable from what I've seen. *shrug

PSU3 has 3 independent encapsulated transformers on the board, one for each of 12V, -12V and 5V. Looking at images of one with the Meanwell, they're two IRM-20's and an IRM-30, going by consumer pricing that's about £30-£35 out of a £100 PSU.
That's before the other parts, this isnt one of those £25 all-in-one Meanwell bricks.

Anyway, I wanted a direct drop-in replacement for a Doepfer case. If there was actually a single fully-internal alternative PSU (drop-in or not) from a UK supplier that was more affordable, I couldnt find one.
Just about everything I could find cost 50% more at least, before the additional external brick and takes up HP.
You think the toroid in a Konstant Lab PSU costs more than 2.5 times the Meanwells in a PSU-3?

[pekbro]

PSU3 has 3 independent encapsulated transformers on the board, one for each of 12V, -12V and 5V. Looking at images of one with the Meanwell, they're two IRM-20's and an IRM-30, going by consumer pricing that's about £30-£35 out of a £100 PSU.
That's before the other parts, this isnt one of those £25 all-in-one Meanwell bricks.

Anyway, I wanted a direct drop-in replacement for a Doepfer case. If there was actually a single fully-internal alternative PSU (drop-in or not) from a UK supplier that was more affordable, I couldnt find one.
Just about everything I could find cost 50% more at least, before the additional external brick and takes up HP.
You think the toroid in a Konstant Lab PSU costs more than 2.5 times the Meanwells in a PSU-3?

Yeah I dunno, I hear the Konstant Lab stuff is very good, but I've never thought of their power solutions as being super affordable. Which is why I haven't bought one yet. I have no idea about the construction of the Doepfer, though I was surprised that they would drop a meanwell psu in there, they are cheap for a reason. A reason that doesn't fit in with the higher end reputation of the Doepfer (imo). *shrug

[pekbro]

Loopop vid on the Ploy Effects Hector vs Beebo: Not really doing anything for me over the
yet to materialize, Empress Euroboro. I don't really like touch screens though. I also think
the DSP chips in the empress unit are going to work well here in regard to performance
and power consumption . *shrug

[elxsound]

I'd like to keep Beebo and buy Euroboro (if it ever does materialize).

The biggest thing I neglected to notice in Hector is the lack of switches and knobs, making it 100% touch.

The great thing about Beebo is the different ways you can assign the switches. The knobs are not as effective as I'd like them to be, but I rather have them than not have them.

[pekbro]

I'd like to keep Beebo and buy Euroboro (if it ever does materialize).

The biggest thing I neglected to notice in Hector is the lack of switches and knobs, making it 100% touch.

The great thing about Beebo is the different ways you can assign the switches. The knobs are not as effective as I'd like them to be, but I rather have them than not have them.

Yeah, I don't get that either. A lot of dev's do stuff like that to cut cost and keep the unit price
down. Seems like they can't fathom that most of the people who are actually going to buy it,
would rather pay the extra cost, than not have it at all. Anyway, the poly effects stuff is cool,
definitely.

[WatchTheGuitar]

Watched that loopop vid on Hector last night, although it’s a touch panel it does have midi mapping so you can change parameter values from connected sliders, but as loopop pointed out the buttons aren’t assignable. I quite like the look of it and it’s pretty cool it has a number of mutable instrument modules included.

[whyterabbyt]

Yeah I dunno, I hear the Konstant Lab stuff is very good, but I've never thought of their power solutions as being super affordable.

Well, no. Because my point was that it isnt the parts cost:final cost ratio that makes something affordable or not, but that's what you were making the assessment on. Affordable to me is about final price.

I have no idea about the construction of the Doepfer, though I was surprised that they would drop a meanwell psu in there, they are cheap for a reason. A reason that doesn't fit in with the higher end reputation of the Doepfer (imo). *shrug

Really? Ive honestly never heard anyone say that of Doepfer before. Bread and butter, cheap and cheerful, budget, workhorse, that sort of reputation, yes. When I got my first 6U A-100, basically before there were any boutique euro manufacturers at all, (with the price premium that boutique implies) Doepfer was the 'budget' modular system, not the higher end one, and Ive never felt that that changed.

I would call Intellijel and Befaco higher end, though, and they both use Meanwells too.

[pekbro]

Really? Ive honestly never heard anyone say that of Doepfer before. Bread and butter, cheap and cheerful, budget, workhorse, that sort of reputation, yes. When I got my first 6U A-100, basically before there were any boutique euro manufacturers at all, (with the price premium that boutique implies) Doepfer was the 'budget' modular system, not the higher end one, and Ive never felt that that changed.

I would call Intellijel and Befaco higher end, though, and they both use Meanwells too.

I just meant in regard to their power supplies. Never really been interested in anything from
them, aside from some of the fixed architecture stuff.

[justin3am]

It's impossible to tell the quality of a PSU by the components used. The fact that people use components as a metric for the quality of a PSU is part of the reason why power in Eurorack is such a mess. Lots of companies make PSUs without listing the PSU specs beyond maximum current draw. Then customers are encouraged to choose their own PSU... based on what? Anecdotal evidence?
Most buying those PSUs wouldn't understand what the specs mean anyway. I know I don't really understand all that stuff. It's really easy to latch on to ideas like "linear = good, switching = bad" or "meanwell? more like meanill, amirite?"... if you get any deeper into the technical stuff it's easy for customers to feel like they are in deep water, unable to feel the bottom with their feet.
It would really be nice if someone (a neutral third-party) with a lot of experience in this field would analyze and classify different PSUs to give consumers more confidence about what they are buying. Of course you would get push back from vendors and everyone knows credibility is fleeting in the age of the internet.

One thing I starting to find is that I'm better off with a bunch of smaller PSUs than one or two big ass supplies for the whole system. Keeps the length of wires between the PSU and power distribution to a minimum. Balancing current draw and having a common, low-impedance path to 0v are the things that seem to make the most difference.

[pekbro]

Well, you can get the specs of the Meanwell's pretty much, not to mention the fact that they cost $20 is a good indicator of what went into them. Anyway, I need to remember to stop discussing eurorack psu's as that seems to be a touchy subject for many. *Speaking in general, not in referral to anyone
or this topic line even.

[vurt]

One thing I starting to find is that I'm better off with a bunch of smaller PSUs than one or two big ass supplies for the whole system. Keeps the length of wires between the PSU and power distribution to a minimum. Balancing current draw and having a common, low-impedance path to 0v are the things that seem to make the most difference.

yup thats what ive got, it also means each part, is an independent and quite different synth, if i wanted to take a part of it for a jam