Opinion 1
Although once more we are focusing on the issue of power supply with, let us call it an “audiophile warp”, this time it is not the 230V variety, but a low voltage one, operating in the range of 5-24V and with a maximum power draw of 10A. If you dig in your memory, then for those more involved in the subject matter some power supplies should sound familiar, like the Polish JCAT Optimo 3 Duo, the Silent Angel Forester F1 and F2, SOtM SPS-500 and the Dutch Farad, the budget Super3 and the topline Super10, both of which are gaining more and more followers. And when we add to this group, for example, the extremely extensive offering of Keces, it should become clear that there is a lot to choose from. However, as it happens in the life of an audiophile, the head does not hurt from abundance of supply, on the contrary, because of the excess, exceeding the critical concentration of “sugar in sugar” is not a reason to be worried, but only a trigger to bring prices down and up the key parameters of products available on the market. And we are just witnessing such a move the catalog of one of the above-mentioned players, because Farad power supplies, which has already been featured on our pages twice, decided to expand its portfolio with the so-called mid-range offer, i.e. a power supply located between the basic 3 and the flagship 10 with the all-telling name Super6. Once they decided this, they followed up with manufacturing those, and thus we had to face the result of this joyful creativity of the team residing in Rhenen as part of this review, and we will put our notes below.
According to the company’s nomenclature and logic, which, as you know, does not always go hand in hand, Super6 is between its siblings in terms of size and performance. With its quite handy (215 x 290 x 52 mm W x D x H) body and fully acceptable weight (3 kg), it is therefore not as inconspicuous as the 3 (130 x 200 x 40 / 1.6 kg), and not as big as the royal 10 (260 x 320 x 70 / 7.8 kg) so that the potential buyer does not need to think too long about what they can afford / for what they have space on the shelf. The key issue, however, is the undeniable consistency of exterior design, based on slightly raw and minimalist, and thus not exaggerated, canons. We are therefore dealing with a very successful example of scaling the idea for the front known from the Super10, i.e. two interlocking planes of a massive aluminum, finally forming the outline of the letter F, in the center of which there is a blue LED informing about the operating status of the power supply. Probably due to its lower birthright, the 6 was deprived of the company’s logo, milled on the top plate, so it has to settle for only a white marking on the fascia. The side walls are made in the form of longitudinally ribbed heat sinks, which not only dissipate the heat generated in the viscera (which is practically scarce), but effectively stiffen the entire body. The back plate, on the other hand, is far from minimalism. Looking from the left, we have a trigger socket with a toggle actuator, a reset button (recommended when switching between different receivers), a four-pin, screw-on GX16-4 output socket with gold-plated pins, a ground terminal with a switch and a rhodium-plated three-pin IEC power socket from Furutech at our disposal. Attention is drawn to the lack of a mains switch, which makes it clear that once connected to the power supply, it should remain in this state permanently. This was confirmed by Mattijs de Vries himself in my correspondence, emphasizing that both the 6 and the new L2-C cable delivered with it reach their full capabilities only after about 300 hours of operation. On a side note, it is certainly worth paying attention to the inconspicuous anti-vibration feet, which instead of the usual rubber hemispheres (as in the 3) are now definitely more advanced, in the form of a carbon and maple sandwich, so they automatically relieve us of the need to look for appropriate accessories.
As you can easily guess, also in its guts, Super6 uses some of the solutions known from its siblings, which we previously reviewed on our pages, so technically it exists between them. It uses the output stage from the Super10, but in a slightly slimmed down configuration (4 regulators in parallel instead of 6, it also has a fully foiled output stage, but MKS instead of MKP). Going further, the transformer and choke are almost the same as in Super10, but they are inferior in terms of shielding by one layer, so they can boast „only” three of them – as in the Super3. On the other hand, the Super6 differs from its lower-born siblings by replacing the classic fuse with a TMCB (thermal magnetic circuit breaker), which, according to the manufacturer’s assurances, outclasses most, if not all, classic tubular fuses that have been used so far in terms of transparency. A bank of EDLC (Electric Double Layer Capacitor) supercapacitors could not be missed in a Farad, with has here a total capacity of … 8.3F (as a reminder, the 5V version of the Super3 also had 3.3F and the Super10 could boast as much as 16.7F). A little bit has also changed in the cabling attached to the power supply, because this time instead of the DC L2 Classic cable we got a newly-created, higher version of the L2-C, which is a bridge between the progenitor and the top L3-C.
Having perfectly engraved memories of the phenomenal Super10 and at the same time enjoying the benefits of the Super3 duo on a daily basis, I approached the listening session of the „mid-range” model with innate curiosity. I didn’t really know what to expect – real progress compared to the lower model, cutting coupons and basking in the fame of the flagship, or just … We don’t know what. And I will say (write?) honestly that I was not disappointed, because our today’s hero, drawing handfuls from the achievements of his siblings in some aspects, which we will discuss in a moment, chose his own, somewhat parallel path to his predecessors. However, to come to such conclusions, it needed time, a lot of time, because taken straight out of the cardboard box, not only did it not come close to the performance of the Super10, but it failed badly in a direct clash with my Super3. It played so sluggishly and without even the slightest sign of enthusiasm that at first I began to fear that the hardships of the journey had left too big of a mark on him. However, since prophylactic tapping and gentle shaking did not result in any disturbing sounds of loose components flying through the chassis, I quickly talked to Mattijs what could be the reason for the above anomalies. I didn’t have to wait too long for the answer, which was quite surprising, and it sounded something like this – „For the first 50-300 hours, it can really be … bad. Patience.” Easy to say. Fortunately, having both the Silent Angel Bonn N8 and the simultaneously tested QSA Violet & Red switches, I could play from one set without major problems, while warming up the other on the side. And so I did, from time to time having a listen, what is brewing there. And while for the first three days Farad’s sonic qualities were on a par with the more deformed Orcs clumsily gliding through the frames of „The Rings of Power”, causing anxiety with the lethargy and two-dimensionality of the scene, more or less at the end of the first „working” week, the Super6 began to slowly but gradually „pull away” from the Super3, to clearly take the lead during the weekend, and then, during the following week, reaching the finish line with complete ease and unthreatened.
But let us get to the specifics of the unit in fully warmed up stage, because then a certain native feature of the tested power supply came to life, which made it stand out. Well, it became clear that the 6, offering above-average freedom and breath, very well corresponding to the memories of the Super10, has a different opinion as to the precision of defining virtual sources and resolution. This does not mean a liking for oneiric impressionism, which operates with spots rather than separate solids, but rather preferring the communicative and interactive layer over apothecary’s accuracy in leading the contour line. Using comparisons from and references to the archetypes existing in our industry, one could consider Super6 to be a more „analogue” and „musical” faction of the Farads, and with the help of photographic analogies, one could easily attribute to it the features of a „portrait” lens slightly different, i.e. more vivid, „drawing” than a macro glass of the same focal length. Thanks to this, by making the reproduced material a bit more attractive and civilized, it charmed with the depth of colors and juiciness of the presentation, while avoiding exaggerated sweetness, or averaging smoothness of the whole sound, which can turn out to be boring in the long run. That is why even on „The Cold White Light” by Sentenced, which is as far from audiophile masters as you can get, on the one hand I could please both the ears and my guts with a truly apocalyptic momentum and dynamics characteristic of the reproduced genre, and on the other hand, I was somehow automatically relieved of the need to turn a blind ear to the not necessarily fully clean cymbals, or the not entirely resolving secondary guitar and drum parts. The imperfections I knew were there all the time and I could point them out without any problems, but it is one thing to just be there and completely another to obsessively strive for the listener’s attention. And with Super6 in the system, it was clear that much more attention should be paid to Ville Laihiala and it was him who was the spotlight on the stage, and he was the one who had the honor of using higher-class microphones. It was not yet the same level of satin quality as with the use of the wonders signed by Nordic Audio Labs, made by Martin Kantola, but everything was heading in this direction. Of course, Miika Tenkula and Sami Lopakka, masterfully sewing on their oars, did not hide in the corners, but standing half a step behind the frontman, they very effectively built the proverbial wall of sounds. And here we have a curiosity confirming the evolution of sound and salutary effects caused by burning in, because initially the above-mentioned album sounded quite two-dimensional, which did not particularly outrage or surprise me, because I was aware that this is how it usually sounds. We have the vocal in the front, and the rest is quite effectively „glued together”, creating an almost monolithic background. Meanwhile, at the end of the recommended period of accommodation, there was a kind of breakthrough, and not so much the foreground came closer, because the Dutch power supply was limited only to its suggestive saturation, but further planes drove away into the depths of the stage, making a clear separation between themselves, and thus providing it, I mean the stage, with full rights to be called three-dimensional.
I made similar observations during a few listens to the truly shamanic and Viking „Fimbulvinter” by Nytt Land, where on the one hand the evident mysticism combined with an almost „mushroom-derived” trance corresponded perfectly with the Old Norse vocal layer, natural instruments, or the sounds of nature. And the tested power supply, on the one hand, took care of the coherence and consistency of the presentation, and on the other hand, allowed to build surprisingly large planes, going far beyond not only the spacing of the speakers, but also the walls of the listening room. It was interesting, because usually the spatialization of the sound is associated with its exaggerated contouring, or shifting the tonal balance upwards, in order to give it the features of ethereal character in the simplest way possible, while our guest was able to „open” the sound while taking care of its appropriate weight and plasticity, drawing the contours of the virtual sources with a slightly thicker, stronger line than the Super3 is used to.
Inevitably, as I approach the end of the tests and gather to articulate the final conclusions, I would timidly like to draw attention to a few basic aspects. And so, there is no denying that power supply should be considered a critical and difficult to overestimate component of modern systems. There is also no denying that the differences in the sound of the power supplies themselves are evident, of which the Farad power supplies portfolio itself is the best example. And our today’s hero, Super6, additionally proves that in addition to energy well-being, you can also do some magic in the domain of musicality and coherence of the message. Therefore, if you are only striving for full transparency and uncompromising holography, you may be more on your way with Super10, but if you are primarily looking for the beauty of music in the sounds you hear, then I dare say that Super6 will more than meet your expectations. All you need to do is give it a longer moment to spread its wings and catch the wind in its sails, and you can stop worrying about whether to send it back after the tests … Because once plugged into the system, you are unlikely to evict anymore.
Marcin Olszewski
System used in this test:
– CD/DAC: Vitus SCD-025mkII
– Network player: Lumïn U2 Mini + Farad Super3 + Omicron Magic Dream Classic; I-O Data Soundgenic HDL-RA4TB
– Turntable: Denon DP-3000NE + Denon DL-103R
– Phonostage: Tellurium Q Iridium MM/MC Phono Pre Amp
– Digital source selector: Audio Authority 1177
– Integrated amplifier: Vitus Audio RI-101 MkII + Quantum Science Audio (QSA) Violet fuse
– Loudspeakers: Dynaudio Contour 30 + Brass Spike Receptacle Acoustic Revive SPU-8 + Base Audio Quartz platforms
– IC RCA: Furutech FA-13S; phono NEO d+ RCA Class B Stereo + Ground (1m)
– IC XLR: Organic Audio; Vermöuth Audio Reference; Furutech DAS-4.1
– Digital IC: Fadel art DigiLitz; Harmonic Technology Cyberlink Copper; Apogee Wyde Eye; Monster Cable Interlink LightSpeed 200
– USB cables: Wireworld Starlight; Vermöuth Audio Reference USB; ZenSati Zorro
– Speaker cables: Signal Projects Hydra + SHUBI Custom Acoustic Stands MMS-1
– Power cables: Furutech FP-3TS762 / FI-28R / FI-E38R; Organic Audio Power + Furutech CF-080 Damping Ring; Acoustic Zen Gargantua II; Furutech Nanoflux Power NCF; Esprit Audio Alpha
– Power distribution board: Furutech e-TP60ER + Furutech FP-3TS762 / Fi-50 NCF(R) /FI-50M NCF(R)
– Wall power socket: Furutech FT-SWS(R)
– Anti-vibration platform: Franc Audio Accessories Wood Block Slim Platform
– Switch: Silent Angel Bonn N8 + Silent Angel S28 + Farad Super3 + Farad DC Level 2 copper cable
– Ethernet cables: In-akustik CAT6 Premium II; Audiomica Anort Consequence + Artoc Ultra Reference + Arago Excellence; Furutech LAN-8 NCF; Next Level Tech NxLT Lan Flame
– Table: Solid Tech Radius Duo 3
– Acoustic panels: Vicoustic Flat Panels VMT
Opinion 2
It has been known for a long time that a good power supply in an advanced audio path is actually a primer of our hobby. Of course, when I talk about good electricity, I do not just talk about the main electronics, but about the full spectrum of devices that require electricity. Unfortunately, life is brutal, because when we want to achieve maximum quality from the sound of a given system, the whole presentation can be ruined even by such a trivial matter as neglecting a network switch. Yes, yes, it would seem that it is so insignificant, because it is only a component that separates the signal in the path of the streaming and is not that important. However, in practice, due to the poor quality of the electricity supplied – usually wall-wart type power supplies are included – it often turns out to be a bottleneck of a given setup. I know, because I have been through it myself and once again the product delivered for testing proves it to me. What? Marcin and I have already had the opportunity to play with the flagship – Super10. And he dealt with the 3 by himself. However, we are all aware that the top of the offering is often too burdensome for the budget of a music lover, and the beginning of the price list is often too much of a compromise, which is why the Dutch from the Farad manufactory, a company which deals with the power supply of audio components, once again provided our editorial office with the Farad Super6 power supply, which is still a novelty on the market, intended to fill the gap between the reviewed models 3 and 10.
Our hero, like his brethren, is a medium-sized, cuboidal, low and relatively not too deep, aluminum box. However, it is large enough to hide in its bowels a large toroidal power supply, a rich set of capacitors and several circuits that improve the electrical signal supplied to dedicated devices. Its front, in order to avoid excessive, usually boring visual simplicity, is a variation of two overlapping planes in the central part, topped with stair-like pattern. Due to a rather specific task, consisting only in generating good quality electricity, perfectly in the middle of the fascia, between the aforementioned stair pattern, we will find only a symbolic blue LED informing of its operation. As for the rear panel, this one is much richer in accessories and necessary connections. There are two toggle switches – Mode (with trigger support) and Float (grounding switch), a grounding terminal, a Trigger socket and, of course, the two most important current sockets, which are an IEC for 230V and a round four-pin 5V acting in my case as a power output to the Ethernet switch. The culmination of the set provided for the test is a proprietary power cable Farad L2-C – the brand offers several versions at different prices depending on the quality of the construction.
How did the tested product, designed to fill the price and quality gap in Farad’s portfolio, fare? Well, probably no one will be surprised by the fact that the way it was designed, with its sonic aspects, it shone among the previously reviewed designs. After connecting to the switch in place of a plug-in power supply, the latter first of all repaid by strengthening the body of the music listened to, and secondly, after listening to the quality of the presentation, by significantly reducing distortion. It was presented in such an interesting way, that despite the aesthetics of my system playing with a strong embedding in mass of the sound, the additional injection of filling did not turn out to be a boring gain of excessive obese sound, but a surprisingly energetic impulse. So, translating from English into Audiophile, the juicy punctuality of the music has improved, as well as its drive, and thanks to the work to eliminate distortions coming from the Ethernet network, also the resolution. Of course, the automatic feedback of such actions was the ability to listen to your favorite albums louder, with particular emphasis on aggressive genres such as rock, free jazz and electronics. Or only those? And what about music focused on intimacy? Of course, the melancholic one was also a full beneficiary of the application of the Dutch power supply. However, in its case, we derive emotions not from the number of musically presented decibels reaching our ears, but rather from the articulations of individual and all instruments together, appropriately suspended in the ether, clearly defined by an appropriately sharp line of virtual entities. In both cases, the Farad Super6 worked phenomenally, because it emphasized the strong hits with nice essentiality, in a way known only to it, and the creation of very volatile, often long-suspended notes in the space between the speakers was well defined both in the domain of sharpness of the drawing and in terms of location on the virtual stage. How did it relate to the brothers mentioned at the beginning from both sides of the price list? Well, the Super3 offered a slightly lower projection resolution, which against the background of the tested design created the music as if with slight spots – don’t worry, I deliberately exaggerate the effect to better understand the differences, while the Super10 drew all aspects of the sound to the heights of quality, which are often beyond the reach of the competition. It simply showed the world of music with reverence, both in terms of the edge of the sound, its energy, the speed of rising and fading and, of course, the freedom of filling the listening room. Therefore, as the above comparison shows, the 6 is a kind of common-sense complement to Farad’s quality offer, which allows you to expand the group of potential buyers to include people with an averagely stuffed wallet.
Where would I place the described power supply? Of course, you can apply it literally anywhere, and the only criteria for or against it may be the size of your wallet or the desire to reach the current finish line in a given section of your audio system. And do I see any contraindications for the 6? In fact, nothing comes to my mind right away. However, if I were to look for a problem by force, the only one that could take place in really extreme conditions would be the use of the Super 6 in a set that is inflated in terms of weight, i.e. too much embedded in essence and dark-sounding. The extra energy combined with a pinch of mass can come out differently. I’m not saying it’s bad. However, if something is dramatically misconfigured, even the best designs will not help. Only then should you be aware that it will be pointing the finger where you made a mistake. But as I mentioned, it is really almost an impossible case, which is proven by a good result with my already dense setup. A set in which the Super10, due to the highest technical advancement and thus high-performance operating parameters, was excellent, and the Super6 was still very good against this background. And this is probably a good testimony to the knowledge of the Dutch about the construction of devices that provide power to our toys and fully deserve the superlatives we are giving them.
Jacek Pazio
System used in this test:
Source:
– transport: CEC TL 0 3.0
– streamer: Lumin U2 Mini + switch Silent Angel Bonn N8
– DAC: dCS Vivaldi DAC 2.0
– Master clock: Mutec REF 10 SE-120
– reclocker: Mutec MC-3+USB
– Shunyata Research Omega Clock
– Shunyata Sigma V2 NR
– Preamplifier: Gryphon Audio Pandora
– Power amplifier: Gryphon Audio Apex Stereo
– Loudspeakers: Gauder Akustik Berlina RC-11 Black Edition
– Speaker cables: Furutech Nanoflux-NCF Speaker Cable
IC RCA: Hijiri Million „Kiwami”, Vermouth Audio Reference
IC XLR: Tellurium Q Silver Diamond, Hijiri Milion „Kiwami”, Furutech DAS-4.1
Digital IC: Hijiri HDG-X Milion
Ethernet cable: NxLT LAN FLAME
USB cable: ZenSati Silenzio
Power cables: Hijiri Takumi Maestro, Furutech Project-V1, Furutech NanoFlux NCF, Furutech DPS-4.1 + FI-E50 NCF(R)/ FI-50(R), Hijiri Nagomi, Vermouth Audio Reference Power Cord, Acrolink 8N-PC8100 Performante, Synergistic Research Galileo SX AC
– Table: BASE AUDIO 2
Accessories: Quantum Science Audio Red fuse; Synergistic Research Orange fuse; Harmonix TU 505EX MK II; Stillpoints ULTRA MINI; antivibration platform by SOLID TECH; Harmonix AC Enacom Improved for 100-240V
– Power distribution board: POWER BASE HIGH END, Furutech NCF Power Vault-E
– Acoustic treatments by Artnovion
Analog stage:
– Drive: Clearaudio Concept
– Cartridge: Dynavector DV20X2H
– Phonostage: Sensor 2 mk II
– Eccentricity Detection Stabilizer: DS Audio ES-001
– Tape recorder: Studer A80
Distributor: Audiosource
Manufacturer: Farad power supplies
Prices
Farad Super6 (ex VAT): 1689 € + Level 2 copper Classic cable : 80€ / 0,5m; 120€ / 1m; L2-C cable : 160€ / 0,5m; 250€ / 1m
Specifications:
DC output voltage: 5V – 24V
Output connector: GX16-4
Max. output current: 6A
Capacitance: 8,3F (5V)
Max power consumption: 75W (5V)
Dimensions (W x D x H): 215 x 290 x 52 mm
Weight: 3 kg