VPS1 - Premium Tube Mic Power Supply

The "VPS1" is our custom, premium tube mic power supply, designed and built in the US.

Rather than the Zener-regulated design found in most Chinese-made power supplies, we use a MOSFET-regulated design with significantly improved filtering.

Features & Benefits

• Low drop-out regulator ensures voltage regulation despite temperature and AC line variations
• Adjustable B+ voltage (via internal trimpot)
• Adjustable heater voltage (via internal trimpot) allows compensation for voltage drop in long or sub-par XLR7 cables
• Multi-stage noise filtering
• Large heatsinks ensure lower operating temperature and long-term reliability
• Soft-start heater voltage (4 second ramp) eliminates power-on current surge, to extend tube life
• Voltage filtering in pattern selection circuit to eliminate "pops" when changing patterns
• Neutrik XLR3 and XLR7 connectors
• US milspec silver/Teflon wiring
• Durable, powder-coated, vented lid (handmade in California)
  
• AudioQuest IEC power cord with long-grain copper and semi-solid concentric conductor packing to reduce RF noise and strand-interaction distortion. (See notes below.)
  

Platinum Edition

The new Platinum Edition VPS incorporates numerous component upgrades throughout the B+ and heater circuits: NOS and audiophile resistors, filter capacitors, diodes, wiring, even the fuse. The standard version is not deficient in any way. The Platinum edition answers the question "what happens if we upgrade nearly every component, at any cost?" We have developed new PCBs for the Platinum edition, to accommodate the upgraded components.

It incorporates our custom, Roswell branded electrolytics, which were designed specifically for audio. We developed a discrete bridge rectifier, which is used in both the B+ and F+ circuits; these rectifiers use ultra-fast Telefunken diodes chosen for sound quality. All the film capacitors are upgraded. Internal wiring is upgraded (Kimber solid-core OFC).

Another notable Platinum upgrade is the pattern control, which is imported from Europe and fitted with 1% tolerance precision audio resistors. The activation force for this control is significantly lower than the standard potentiometer, but extremely solid; the control feels like what you'd find on high-end home audio gear.

The Platinum VPS1 is not sold as a DIY kit, partly because we cannot stock the special parts in sufficient quantities, and partly because assembly requires procedures that are not appropriate for DIY efforts.

Availability

The VPS is built to order. Allow 3-5 business days for assembly, burn-in, and testing.

IEC Power Cord

We stock the AudioQuest IEC power cord for the following plug / outlet types:

• IEC "Type B," aka NEMA 5-15P for US/CA/JP (see image)
• IEC "Type G" for UK/Ireland (see image)
• IEC "Type E" for EU (see image)

See details on these plug types at the IEC website.

If your order is shipped to one of the above regions, we will include the IEC cord that seems most appropriate. If your needs differ, please contact us immediately after placing the order so that we can intercept the order and modify it.

If your order is shipped to some other region, we wouldl remove the AudioQuest cord from your order and rebate the purchase by USD $40.

Compatibility

The VPS1 is compatible with the following tube microphones:

• Alctron T11-A (stock, or modified with our Fox 460 kit)
• Apex 460 (stock, or modified with our Fox 460 kit)
• Carvin CTM-100 (stock, or modified with our Fox 460 kit)
• Avantone CV-12 (stock, or modified with our V-251 kit)
• MicParts 12-251 microphone kit
• MicParts V-47 microphone and V-47 microphone kit
• MicParts V-12 microphone

XLR7 pinout:

• Pin 1: plate voltage, 120VDC (adjustable via trimmer)
• Pin 2: heater voltage, 6.1VDC (adjustable via trimmer)
• Pin 3: rear diaphragm voltage (0VDC for Omni, 60VDC for Cardioid, 120VDC for Fig8)
• Pin 4: ground
• Pin 5: audio out from microphone
• Pin 6: audio out from microphone
• Pin 7: ground
• Shield: ground

The VPS1 is known to not be compatible with Rode tube microphones. Use of the VPS1 with any microphone not listed above is at the buyer's risk. We strongly recommend you verify pin-for-pin compatibility and voltage requirements before purchase. We cannot further advise about compatibility with third-party microphones because we do not have any of those microphones here for testing.

Warranty

The VPS1 power supply has a 1-year warranty. If it fails, we'll repair or replace it.

You'll want an appropriate cable

We strongly recommend pairing this power supply with our Gotham GAC-7 tube microphone cable. We think this is the finest tube mic cable in the world.

*Upgrade Bundle Pricing

The "upgrade bundle" pricing option offered above is valid only if you are buying one of our tube microphones or tube microphone kits in the same shopping cart. The discounted price reflects the swap from the standard power supply (which would have been included with those products) to this premium US-made power supply.