Power supplies aren’t the most exciting part of a pedal board but they are important to maintaining a noise-free and high quality sound. Nothing is worse than showing up to a gig, plugging in your gear, and hearing a new buzz or noise that wasn’t there before. The key to eliminating this noise is adding an isolated power supply to your board. Iso power supplies will give each of your pedals their own grounded line of power free of interference. When you daisy chain pedals or use non-isolated power supplies you are increasing the likelihood for drop off of high end sound (treble) between pedals. Not to mention introducing a large potential for noise, buzz, and hiss that can change between different rooms. I hope this list can give you peace of mind picking a power supply for your board that is dependable, affordable, free of noise, and has room for expansion.
What to Look for in a Pedal Power Supply
- Has a couple power outlets that are 300ma or higher. This will let you power the latest digital pedals like Strymon pedals.
- Has at least 6 power outlets that are 9v. This will give you room to expand your board without a huge investment.
- Has isolated power for each outlet. Isolated power will keep your sound clear and noise free.
- Has a small real estate on your board. Don’t waste space powering your board.
- Inexpensive, don’t waste a ton of money on a power supply when you could spend that on a Rainbow Machine
3. Donner DP-3 Guitar Effect Pedal Power Supply
Powers up to 8 Pedals
The price on this power supply is definitely the most impressive on this list. It provides power for up to 8 pedals however one of those is 12v and another is 18v so you may only be able to power 6 pedals depending on your setup. This power supply also only has one 300ma 9v outlet so if you have more than one fancy digital pedal (like a Strymon) I’d go for the MXR Iso Brick instead. Great budget power supply for beginners and seasoned players!
2. Truetone 1 SPOT PRO CS7
Powers up to 7 Pedals
This is a really solid power supply. It has isolated power for up to 7 pedals with plenty of options for voltage. Four outputs are switchable from 9V to 12V, while the other three outputs can be used for high current (500mA) and high voltage (18V) pedals. The price is pretty hard to beat if you have 7 or less pedals and want isolated power with minimal options.
1. MXR M238 Iso-Brick Power Supply
Powers up to 10 Pedals
I was pleasantly surprised by this power supply and it is what I currently use on my board. Somehow it seems to have escaped the radar of most gear review sites and forums. The iso-brick provides fully isolated power for up to 10 pedals. More than enough pedals for the average guitarist. It has plenty of 300ma and above power lines, which means you can power plenty of digital pedals like Strymon Pedals. It also has 2 power lines with tweak-able voltage so you can emulate the sound of a drained battery. This sounds great with fuzz pedals. To my ears it makes them sound a little warmer and choked up in a really cool way. This power supply also has a really small real estate on your board and looks great! (The amazon link below comes with some free picks thrown in)