did you test it with another power supply? I used some that came with my harddisks and they work fine without noise.
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Wow, I couldnât believe it, but that was the issue. I remember admiring the âqualityâ of the power supply when I first saw it, but looks were⌠deceiving! The dwarf works with absolutely no noise (as intended) with a 12V/2A power supply from an external hard drive. I was curious if the noise came from the fact that the original power supply has grounding pins on the plug, so I put tape on the power outlet to test it without ground connected, but the noise was the same.
Still, MOD is not excused to include such a crappy power supply with an expensive device⌠I will try to contact support and get a replacement and hopefully different power supply, because I need the hard driveâs one and I am not paying for another out of my own pocket.
yeah its been reported many times - itâs kind of a bummer that any other cheap, standard power supply will do but not the one included.
I get its frustrating but I just used the nice looking dwarf one for my harddisk on my desk (I donât know how many of these I colleceted over the years) and leave it at that.
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Indeed that is true. Anyway, if you read through the forum (I think even in this thread) you will read us admiting that due to the supply chain issues we were forced to buy power supplies from different providers and some batches seem to be more prone to noise issues with certain setups. We also offered solutions for that. If you want, please reach out support@mod.audio and we will also find a way to compensate you
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Well if you had read what I had already told you:
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A classic case of RTFM (or RTFF).
Any device that has electricity running through it will produce a certain amount of noise. Please refer to Howard Tremaineâs âAudio Cyclopediaâ, possibly the most comprehensive book ever written in audio engineering.
Current switching power sources produce also a noise like the one youâre experiencing, medium to high pitch. PSUs are supposed to havr extra filtering in place for that, either an isolating transformer (a rare case) or at least and induction bead, Seems like a batch of Mod PSUs came with poor filtering.
To repair or replace a faulty Mod unit, please contact support@mod.audio
Good luck.
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I shouldnât have to read through any forum or even do any kind of research for something that should have been recalled in the first place. MOD should have tracked down the units in retailers with faulty power supplies and recalled them, the moment they knew they exist.
For the ones that have already been sold before the company was aware, replacement power supplies should have been provided to buyers through the retailers passively without the customer having to do anything. In my case, If my unit was sold before MOD was aware, I should already have received communication from thomann, in the form of âthere is a recall on the power supply unit of your dwarf, confirm your address to get the replacementâ. If it was after, it should have been recalled and never got in my hands.
The âstay quiet, do nothing, until the customer complains about itâ is NOT how you do business properly and that kind of behavior frankly puts me in doubt about MODâs willingness to actually support their products in the future.
Accidents happen, faulty products may end up being sold to customers, no one can really blame any company for that. How the issue is handled afterwards however, shows the culture of the company and gains you the trust of your customers. Many buyers may not even realize they have a faulty power supply. it took me months to find out. only because I used it with a DI for months (by luck). Some people maybe even think its normal to have noise at the output, if its their first product of that kind and they donât know better.
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There are reasons why that was not done. Besides the logistic nightmare that MOD doesnât have a dimension that allows it, the issue doesnât happen either will all power supplies from the same model/supplier or with all setups, so itâs a bit like searching for a needle in a stable (not sure if this expression exists in English, but we use it in Portuguese).
âŚand thatâs exactly why we offer this to users that reach out to us and canât solve the issue. Again, we canât know exactly which users have a problematic power supply.
Itâs not uncommon even with way bigger companies when issues with batches of devices happen that they request the users to reach out in order to process any replacement/repair or whatever needs to take place. Not excusing anyone here, but I saw that in many shapes and forms, from website pages with forms to reactive approaches.
WellâŚif they donât notice, most likely is because their power supply is not faulty.
And somehow it is. Please refer to what @QuestionMarc wrote here (and itâs correct):
What happens in the MOD case is that some power supplies that have been shipped seem to not filter enough. This can be a result of a thousand things. Electronic components have tolerances and if by any âbad luckâ the tolerances of the components in your power supply play to the downside and have a bit worst noise filtering, this is not 100% sure to happen to another user with a similar power supply.
Of course, we are talking about extreme cases, but these cases may happen.
If you didnât do it yet, please reach out to support@mod.audio so the process to solve your case can take place.
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The English equivalent is âa needle in a haystackâ (âagulha em um monte da fenoâ if my translation is correct) 
In the above situation, the user did not get noise with a DI, but DIs do not filter high pitched noises, only the 50/60 Hz hum. So my guess is that the induction bead inside his power supply went bad after some use, and wasnât faulty upon purchase.
Moreover, if hot and neutral are inverted in the power mains, that kind of noise can also occur with switching power supplies. The reason why 3-prong plugs exist is precisely so that, if cabling is properly done, the hot/neutral orientation will always be correct â with the âhonorableâ exception of Italy, where the type L plug is fully aligned and one can plug in both waysâŚ
Ethically speaking this might be correct. But do you think Samsung contacted me about the capacitors inside my TV back in 2007? I learnt about it when I was contacted by the class action suit managers. If we won, I would have been given a $25 check, not the $50 the board cost at the time (plus labour).
And just exactly what did Ford do with the Pinto? They deliberately let people die because settlements in court for an estimated number of deaths would cost less than replacing all the fuel tanks. And just how many people lost the sight on one eye or both until those airbags were recalled 8 years ago?
Given Modâs very limited resources (they are not Samsung) and the fact that PSUs failed randomly, they are doing their best to solve the problems for users.
Whereas I understand your frustration, the best thing you can do is go and request a new PSU.
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Haha thanks for the help. Not exactly that the translation of the expression (at least in Portuguese from Portugal, but the sense itâs exactly that.
Thatâs also a possibility that I totally forgot. Anyway, in such little time of usage, we would always cover that - unless there are clear signals of misusing.
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Pardon my dyslexia, I mean âand it wasnât faulty upon purchaseâ.
Fishman released a product years ago that had an induction bead so that users could charge the battery while playing. For one, the battery was crap and generally died altogether in less than 3 years. Then the bead would go bad too.
Sadly, some components in recent years are being manufactured under very low standards â like the capacitors on Samsung TVs back in 2005-2006. If one builds amplifiers (for instance), you can get a $0.50 generic capacitor or a $30 Sprague or F&T. If you donât want unhappy customers, you get a Sprague. But that adds to the cost very badly.
The ideal power supply unit would have an isolation transformer and not be switching. In todayâs economy, it would alone cost some 90-100 Euro, be a lot bigger and produce a lot of heat.
Oops, forgot about that, sorry!! My father was from Brazil and I tend to translate into their Portuguese instead. In the US I worked with folks from Portugal and Mozambique, so that led to uncomfortable situations when I went to live in Brazil, such as me saying that I was getting behind the line as âentrar atras da bichaâ there⌠Or calling the bus a Machimbombo or autocarro!
Stupid tourist⌠
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Then an email should have been send to everyone stating: âYou maybe have a defective power supply. Please test it by connecting it unbalanced on an input with high gain capabilities and reply to get a replacement if you are affectedâ
Just because others are unethical, doesnât excuse not doing the right thing. Apple for example gets away with having a #gate issue with almost every product they release! and here is an example of a company doing the right thing: Fractal Torrent Recall Teaches NZXT & Gigabyte What to Do (Short-Circuit Fan Hub) - YouTube. Its up to the company to decide what kind of mentality they will have: Short minded- get profits now by doing as little returns/warranty claims as possible, or gain profits in the long run by treating your customers right and gaining their trust and future purchases?
I had a faulty one and didnât notice for months because it happened (by chance) to only connect it with a DI until recently. I mentioned this many timesâŚ
I wasnât talking about inaudible noise, but actual loud noise. There is no noiseless electronic device, but there is âpractically noiselessâ and thatâs what I was referring to obviously.
Read above about a company doing the right thing. MOD isnât legally required (I think) to do a recall, but its the right thing to do (ethically) and for the companyâs public image, which in time will translate to trust from customers and more sales-profits.
The customer support offered either the value of the power supply (exact value not stated) as coupon code in the plugin store (because everyone loves store credit right???) or a replacement power supply that will take âa couple of weeksâ to be shipped due to issues with UPS.
Not stating the value of the power supply and offering store credit is just shameful. How about returning the value of the power supply so I can buy a new one if you canât ship a replacement right away? Not having an alternative carrier so you can ship at any time doesnât look good either.
In conclusion: Not even the bare minimum: I had to do a warranty claim, the replacement will take very long to arrive and the company did a cheap attempt to give me store credit, instead of the value of the power supply back
Canât say I feel good buying anything from MOD again. Lesson learned, lets hope the device itself lasts so they wonât offer me 400 euros of coupons if it diesâŚ
Sorry if this disappoints you, but you are actually talking with me in support (we are really a small company). Because of that, I can tell you that you are framing what I told you there in a âconvenientâ way.
This offer is in the value of the power supply that you got. We do this because some users buy themselves a power supply or get it somehow that solves the problem (as was your case) and they actually donât need a new one. So we pay it in credit for plugins. Normally we donât even ask for any proof of the value, saying it is fine and we generate the coupon. We do this because itâs a clean way to âpay itâ. If we were paying in actual money we would need invoices and all the bureaucratic stuff that is required for the accounting of a company.
The replacement power supply could take a âcouple of weeksâ to ship because (and as I wrote you there) due to the reboot of the company, a new contract with UPS needs to be set. And this is not 100% in our control to be effective (so we can use it). The good news is: as far as I was told yesterday after answering you in support this is already set and I believe that will be a matter of days now for us to be able to ship stuff.
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Hello @jon,
How are you doing?
Just out of curiosity how much would cost me to buy a âbullet proofâ power supply on the market today?
The only noise issue I had with the Dwarf was solved by activating the ground loop compensation under âsettings>system behavior>compensate gnd loopâ but since this have an small impact on CPU usage Iâm investigating other possible solutions.
Cheers
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Mine cost approx ÂŁ10 or 50 real, I just swallowed the cost as its not worth my time at that price 
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@rogeriocouto, This Thomann one (Thomann NT 1215) costs 11âŹ, was suggested in this thread and as far as Iâm aware everyone that tried that solution got the issue sorted out. (Please if someone didnât just deny me 
)
Anyway I would say that are solutions for all tastes (or wallets). I saw some for 80 or 100⏠and I can really assure you if you have issues or not with those (i didnât try them)
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I didnât know its you, but it doesnât change anything to what I said. I stated facts and nothing in a âconvenientâ way. The exact value of the power supply was NOT stated (and its still not statedâŚ) and I was not offered an option to get it back in real money so I can buy a power supply that I need and not plugins on your store that I donât need! Everyone knows that coupons/store credit etc is how companies give you money back, by not giving you money back. Because you will have to spend it with them anyway!
It is 100% in your control however, to have had an alternative shipping method until you sorted things out.
Since you are a part of the company and not just a forum mod as I thought, here is my suggestion:
Be the kind of company that is on the side of the customer (not just what is legally required and everyone expects) to gain a fanbase that will come back to buying your products. Dont be short slighted to maximize profits NOW by trying to avoid every little expense here and there. The power supply and coupons are a prime example of that kind of short sighted behavior.
I donât think its too late to inform all your customers about the possibility of a faulty power supply. Since you sorted things out with shipping, take the loss, man up and do the right thing: Send everyone a good power supply. This is NOT a 30 euro product from aliexpress, there are certain expectations in quality for 400+ euros devices and your power supply doesnât meet them.
Havenât you heard? MOD is going through hardship at the moment. The company collapsed, now they are trying to build it back. People are waiting to get their Dwarf that couldnât be yet sent, and have to pay some extra (that theyâll get back as coupons) to be able to get them at all (including me, btw). And itâs not for the company to âmaximise profitsâ, itâs just because the company at the moment has no money to spare in good will gestures, just so it can keep afloat. What you demand would kill the company before it can even restart. There are perfect solutions at ~10-15⏠(the Thomann NT1215 mentioned above - which I have bought myself - solves perfectly the issue).
I mean, I wouldnât expect the behaviour you demand even from the big companies in the domain. To demand that from MOD.audio would probably have required that they double or triple their margin in the first place on the product (post-pendemic prices). Youâd get a Dwarf at 800-900âŹ. Is that what you are asking for?
If that device were from a company like Apple, yes, maybe you could demand such customer service, but anyway you probably wouldnât get it (theyâd probably sell you a iPower Plug+ Noiseless Series at 4x times the regular price).
So, in an ideal world, maybe youâd expect such behaviour from a company, but likely such company would have to include such potential costs (for this and any other possible defect) in the price of the products in the first place, because the money has to come from somewhere. Then, yes Dwarf at 800âŹ+, Mod DuoX at 1600âŹ+ ?
Iâd rather see Mod.audio spend the money they have and their efforts rebuilding the company for the long term, so we can benefit from their expertise for our existing (new firmware releases with new features) and future products for many years to come.
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@lambrosgg My recommendation: Throw away the power supply, buy a new one for a few Euros and enjoy the Dwarf! It is, if you compare it with other effects units, extremely cheap for what it can do. The few euros donât matter anymore.
âŚand you donât always have to be right⌠sometimes silence and enjoyment is the order of the day.
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