External linear power supplies for Metric Halo ULN8 /Amarra Model 4/5

[Purite Audio]

Just listening to my new linear power supply courtesy of Paul Hynes, and it sounds might fine, I know Barry was comparing battery/linear supplies against the standard smps, were any conclusions to be drawn?

Keith.

 

[bdiament]

Hi Keith,

 

My own conclusions were the battery supply gave and it took away.

 

The plus was the complete silence (mostly noticeable on the few records I have with enough dynamic range to warrant turning up the volume enough to hear hiss during the quiet parts).

 

The minuses were the destruction of the ULN-8's stupendously natural bass (one of the first things that drew me to it), which was replaced with a rather ordinary, considerably less defined bass and the overall degradation of the sound from there, as the battery was used.

 

With the linear AC supply, despite all the "white papers" and posts I've read, I could not discern any audible difference from the stock supply. In view of this, not to mention the added expense and space required for the linear supply, I happily continue to use the stock supply.

 

Of course I remain open to listening to anything but for my own use, neither of the third party supplies I tried remain in my system.

 

I know others might reach different conclusions. The above reflects only my own perspective.

 

Best regards,

Barry

www.soundkeeperrecordings.com

www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

 

[cfmsp]

 

 

The 'theory' (okay, maybe it's only my theory) is that a linear PS will not improve the sound of the Metric Halo devices per se - but rather, any noted improvement in sound likely stems from keeping the nasties of the SMPS from polluting the AC in use by the associated playback equipment.

 

Said another way, perhaps proper AC line conditioning/filtering gear would be as useful as a linear PS in 'improving' the sound in the instances that the designed-to-be-portable ULN gear is used for playback.

 

Becuase it's meant to be used portably, the MH devices do not employ design techhiques that audiophiles hold near and dear - e.g., big heavy PSes, discrete output stages, etc. Instead SMPS and DC-DC converters are used.

 

One thing you might want to consider in comparison to your PS is a 'dedicated' power line conditioner, like the PS Audio Ultimate Outlet or Audience AR1P.

 

cheers,

clay

 

PS, I"m not an expert in this stuff - far from it - I"m just passing along info I've gleaned from my own installation on the advice of those much more knowledgeable.

 

 

clay

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bdiament]

Hi Clay,

 

"Becuase it's meant to be used portably, the MH devices do not employ design techhiques that audiophiles hold near and dear - e.g., big heavy PSes, discrete output stages, etc. Instead SMPS and DC-DC converters are used.

 

Based on hearing and very happily using his designs for several years, I have complete confidence in the decisions made by designer B.J. Buchalter. He knows his gear is often used in dedicated studio environments, so I don't believe he made any compromises because the gear also happens to be portable.

 

In addition, the beta team is comprised of a broad selection of users, many of which are quite stringent in what they want to hear and, based on exchanges with many, I would say they're pretty good listeners too. I put more weight on what many of these folks hear than on the fashions (e.g. chip-of-the-month or ps-of-the-month or clock-of-the-month) put forth by the marketers and echoed by many of the writers in the audiophile world.

 

Put another way, I'd rather listen to a circuit B.J. designed with cheap parts than one designed by many another using so-called "premium" parts. (Not that he uses cheap parts. He uses what he feels will accomplish his goals, without regard for audio fashion. A man after my own heart.)

 

Regarding power conditioners, etc., I use one in my studio and on remote recording sessions. The studio also has dedicated lines for the equipment. Whether these have an impact on what I hear with different power supplies, I can't say. The same setup has been used to audition quite a bit of gear, much of it with high falutin' parts but somewhat low falutin' sonic results. ;-}

 

Best regards,

Barry

www.soundkeeperrecordings.com

www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

 

[cfmsp]

Barry,

 

Like you, I'm a big fan of BJ.

 

to your point, I don't know precisely why BJ might or might not have chosen NOT to use linear, heavy PSes, so, perhaps what I should have said is something like this: "designers whose gear is intended to be used portably might not be so quick (as audiophiles) to assume that heavy, linear power supplies are required for great sound".

 

 

clay

 

[bdiament]

Hi Clay,

 

Or perhaps (just perhaps), they don't see a sonic advantage period, regardless of portability or not.

 

Based on my own auditions, I certainly haven't heard anything that would suggest otherwise.

 

I'll ask him the next time we speak. I'm sure his take will be an interesting one.

 

Best regards,

Barry

www.soundkeeperrecordings.com

www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

 

[ferenc]

I have a friend who liked the Hynes PSU/ULN2 system more than the former ULN2 (as FW-SPDIF interface clocked from a Meitner DAC) - to the Meitner DAC. He just made a decision to buy a Sonic Studio 305 and using it as a RIAA corrector for digitizing LPs and as a high-end D/A too with his existing Hynes PSU.

 

[Purite Audio]

Alors I ( and my dear wife dragged in too) have been listening to the Model 5 with and without the Paul Hynes linear p/s and my conclusions are ! The Hynes supply does improve the dac, maybe the background noise it down, but there is even more resolution( which wasn't in short supply in the first place ), voices in particular you can really hear every inflection, there doesn't appear to be any downsides bass is still excellent.

I could be wrong of course and if any Model 4/5 uln8 owners fancy a loan, just let me know.

Keith.

macbook pro battery power, with Amarra on playlist for all comparisons.