The Paul Hynes SR7

[Johnseye]

6 hours ago, amir57bs said:

After 8 month there is no refund , no SR7 , it is shame

 

You've been warned before amir.  This is not a thread for whining.

[Johnseye]

Perhaps I missed this information in the past, but what just caught my eye in amir's post was this from Paul, "I have closed the custom build service."

 

Does this mean Paul will no longer be building anything but the SR4?

 

amir, I have compassion for your situation, really I do.  The fact is that Paul already is aware of your request.  None of us here can do a thing about it.  I know he's working through his backlog of orders and I'm sure yours is one of those.  He will either ship it to you or find another buyer.  I also know how hard it is to be patient and how easy it is to be concerned you could lose your money.  I was in your same situation, then Paul shipped my SR7 and I'm glad I have one.  Be patient, and don't post any complaints in this thread again.

[Johnseye]

What needs to be considered is whether you need something beyond an SR4 or sPS-500.  If so I think the next best thing is Sean Jacobs.

I'm sure there are US engineers who could do it, but it's a niche.  Maybe the right guy hasn't been approached yet.

[Johnseye]

46 minutes ago, Superdad said:

 

 

 

Well I don't want to rule anything out yet gents.   Compared to the crazy-sophistication of our UltraCap supply, doing a more conventional supply would be a piece of cake.  It mostly is a matter of physical design and doing what makes the most sense.  

 

Right now, our choke-filtered JS-2, with two user-adjustable, 4-level outputs and current ranging from 5A/5V to 7A/12V covers a lot of applications.  And the deceptively simple choke design competes technically and sonically at the top levels--with the likes of Paul's fine units.

 

What I would like to understand is what sort of power supply niche you fellows are looking for someone to fill.  If there was consensus on how many rails, what output voltages, and how much current, then at least that would give us parameters to sketch and calculate size, cost, etc.

 

At the moment I can't tell if some of you are wanting a 10A supply or a 3-4A supply.  One rail or four.  

I mean looking at the Custom Hi-Fi Cables DC3 mentioned, I see a $725 single fixed output supply offering just 1.5 amps and no real details about the regulator circuits and a lot of talk about fancy electrolytic caps. (Though I am sure they are fine units, much better than all the generic stuff that comes out of China.)

 

Now I see the word "custom" has been mentioned a bunch.  The geekier among you like to be able to specify all sorts of fancy upgrades and extras.  For any busy audio manufacturer--small or large--that way lies madness and I'm not going there.  Look no further than Paul Hynes or--and I don't mean to put him in the same pot at all--Light Harmonic, each with a dozen different customization tweaks.  It is a road to ruin!  Right now we build about 230 JS-2s per year, and I can assure you that while it is a reasonably profitable product, the labor involved (which includes parts procurement, prep, build, test, etc.) is extensive.

 

So I would much rather figure out what exactly is desired and build one model that covers those bases.  As I see it, with just the JS-2 and the 1.1A UltraCap LPS-1.2 (now 5/7/9/12V), there are two segments we are not now covering:

The 3-4 amp range and the 3+ rail 8-12 amp range.  Those would be two very different beasts, with very different price points.

 

Please tell us what you are really looking for and also what your applications would be.  Small devices?  Big ATX computers?

 

Apologies for crashing in on a Paul Hynes thread (I think the world of him and wish him well).  But since UpTone was brought up and since I follow the LPS market closely to try to understand user needs, this seemed like a good place to ask the questions.

 

Thanks,

--Alex C.

 

 

 

 

 

As Paul will no longer be making the SR7 or custom builds I'd be happy to use this thread to discuss what was being done for those builds to help UpTone create a model. 

 

I have some very specific ideas and will list them in the next day or so. I think we could narrow specs down to fulfill the majority of people's needs in a single model considering the LPS-1. 2 already fills an area of need. 

[Johnseye]

1 hour ago, flkin said:

Heard from Paul a few days ago. He's on 11 now.

 

He posted his status in another thread.

 

 

[Johnseye]

2 minutes ago, limniscate said:

I just received a shipping notice. My unit is number ten. 

 

[Johnseye]

18 hours ago, limniscate said:

I just received mine.  How do you adjust the voltage?  Do you have to open the case?

 

You'll need a volt meter

[Johnseye]

I value @marce 's opinion.  It's especially relevant to the SR7 since Paul will be selling a "Teflon circuit board to reduce dielectric absorption in the regulator circuitry and Vishay Z Foil ultra precision bulk foil resistors which reduce resistor noise and thermal drift to very low levels."

 

I think this begs the question of why @paulhynes would begin selling a board intended to reduce dielectric absorption and why they are even made in the first place if marce is correct.

 

And for the record I am open to and look for people's experience as guidance.  I also value science and engineering, perhaps even more so when it's applicable.  I am in the camp that believes strongly that our music is influenced by power supplies.  Knowing marce's work on EMI/RF and how that impacts sound I'm wondering if he meant something different.

[Johnseye]

1 hour ago, ctsooner said:

Possibly a bit off topic, but I have a Mac mini server that was Steve Nugent (Empirical Audio) personal unit.  I now am using Laufer Teknik Memory Player as it's world class.  My server is really special, but it runs on a large Paul Hynes LPS unit.  I odn' have the specifics, but I can get them from Steve.  Are these units worth much on the after market?  

 

1 hour ago, auricgoldfinger said:

 

The market value depends on the specific model.  Also, they don't appear often in the after market, so there isn't a lot of price history.

 

Those who have them use them as there's nothing better.  It's a niche investment and there likely aren't many compared to other supplies.

 

[Johnseye]

On 12/22/2018 at 5:25 AM, your momo said:

I would have prefered to write my SR7 impression here, but instead of that I have to write there about my Customer Journey with Paul Hynes...

 

Thanks for putting that in another thread.

 

Edited after I read your thread.

[Johnseye]

22 minutes ago, your momo said:

Build 15 and 16 were supposed to be cleared for shipment on last week of October 2018, this is based on Paul's message (post #409) from October 22, 2018
...four months and still not received ?!?

 

Paul's hand build PSU rate is running pretty dry since September 2018, I wonder when last SR7 was received by a customer ?
We are very far from the "one per week", perhaps even "one per quarter" is already above reality...

 

Would really appreciate if this "honourable and trustworthy man" would donate 10 minutes of his busy time, chime in, and provide his customers with update regarding outstanding SR7 builds...

 

Anyone putting an order in for a Hynes PSU must know before placing the order that A. it's going to take a long time, B. there are always delays. C. Paul isn't going to respond to every post and D. they're getting the best PSU made for audio.

 

I get the frustration, I really do because I felt it.  This is one of the ultimate tests of patience, but once you get it you'll be glad you waited.

[Johnseye]

On 2/28/2019 at 11:29 AM, Jim Smith said:

Is there an owner's manual for the SR-7?  I would like to add two more power-supply-needy components to it - currently only using 2 of the 4 outlets, but don't know how to do it.

 

Yes, here you go.  I have excluded pricing as I don't know what's current.

 

Paul Hynes Design

 

SR Power Supplies

 

The SR range of high performance power supplies were designed for powering both analogue and digital audio and video equipment. The same proprietary ultra low noise high performance discrete component voltage regulator circuit topology is used in the SR3, SR5 and SR7 power supplies. The SR3 uses a standard 50VA mains transformer, the SR5 uses a custom manufactured 160VA mains transformer and the SR7 uses a custom manufactured 250VA mains transformer. The SR7MR uses a custom manufactured mains transformer with up to 500VA rating depending on the overall rail requirements. The custom manufactured mains transformers use oversized grain orientated silicon steel cores and are wound to avoid core saturation in use and to operate quietly both electrically and mechanically. Schottky Barrier rectifiers are used throughout the range, as they do not generate reverse recovery transients and their associated harmonic distortions.

 

The error amplifier used in the voltage regulator modules has the following specification :-

 

Noise voltage < 0.5 nanovolts root Hz

Operating Bandwidth > 300 Mhz

Supply line rejection > 80 dB DC to 100 KHz

Output impedance < 3 milliohms DC to 100 KHz

Transient response and settling time < 100 nanoseconds

 

As the SR3, SR5 and SR7 all use the same high performance regulator circuit topology they all have a similar sonic signature musically. Moving up the range allows better quality lower impedance mains transformers and up-rated rectification and regulator output stage providing a reduction in power supply output impedance, which in turn reduces interaction with the load. The increased energy storage capacitor bank also reduces rectifier ripple noise and RFI break through from the mains supply. Another benefit of the increased energy storage capacitance is with transient response and settling time. The net effect musically is to provide progressively larger, more stable and more robust soundstage particularly where large dynamic load current swings occur, as well as, a lower noise floor and improved timbre and temporal accuracy.

 

These power supplies are available with fixed voltage output from 1.6v to 30v or variable voltage output with a 10 volt span on voltage setting, within this range, using the precision adjustment potentiometer internally situated on the regulator module.

 

Continuous power output ratings – For fixed output voltage versions the SR3 provides 25W, the SR5 provides 80W and the SR7 provides 125W and the SR7MR chassis can support up to 250W spread across the rails. The SR5 can support one 6A module and the SR7 can support one 10A module. The output voltage and output current can be specified within this power rating using the formulae :-

 

V = W/I

I = W/V

 

Where V is output voltage, W is the available power in Watts and I is the output current in Amps.

 

If you require help with power supply specification I will be pleased to help you.

 

For variable output voltage versions of the power supplies, set at the maximum output voltage of the range, the SR3 provides 25W, the SR5 provides 80W and the SR7 provides 125W. Lower voltage settings than maximum will increase the voltage across the regulator output device, which will increase the heat generated in this device. To maintain safe operating temperatures and long term reliability the current rating should be de-rated by 8% per volt when reducing the output voltage level on variable output voltage versions.

 

The SR5 and SR7 power supplies are available in Multirail versions SR5MR and SR7MR with galvanic isolation between the supply rails to avoid ground return current intermodulation (ground loops) where more than one item of equipment is powered from the same power supply. The SR5MR can support one 6A regulator module and one 3A regulator module or two 3A modules. The SR7MR can support one 10A module and up to three additional 3A modules or two 6A modules and up to two additional 3A modules.

 

XL ultra low impedance (< 1 milliohm) connectors and fine silver internal wiring between capacitor banks, regulator modules and the output connectors, can be fitted to the SR5 and SR7 power supplies.

 

The SR3, SR5 and SR7 single rail supplies are also available in DR versions where two of the high performance voltage regulators are cascaded to a give supply line and rectification interference rejection exceeding 150 dB from DC to 100 KHz. This provides lower overall noise levels than the standard power supplies and better dynamic performance.

 

Power supply dimensions are :-

 

SR3 – W = 110mm, H = 50mm, D = 170mm

SR5 – W = 224mm, H = 90mm, D = 260mm

SR7, SR7MR2, SR7MR3 – W = 224mm, H = 130mm, D = 260mm

SR7MR4 – W = 224mm, H = 130mm, D = 340mm

 

[Johnseye]

51 minutes ago, tims said:

Slightly OT but ghentaudio make a dc cable that fits the SR7 (and other SR's I presume) using jaeger and oyaide plugs with canare star quad cable, here:

Oyaide DC-2.1G/2.5G to JAEGER Male(3pin) Cable

I bought a couple and they are well made and fit my SR7.

 

Ghent will also make you a JSSG 360 version out of Gotham cable if you ask. 

[Johnseye]

8 minutes ago, TheAttorney said:

 

I had a poor experience recently when adding JSSG 360 to my SR7 DIY DC cable:

 

Started with 4 x Neotech 18AWG OCC solid core copper in starquad formation. Soldered to a Jaeger connector at SR7 end (2 wires per pin), and an el cheapo screw terminated 2.5mm plug at Hugo M-scaler end. About 0.6m long, no grounding.

Sounded great, but I haven't compared to any other cable yet.

 

I then added JSSG 360 and got worse SQ across the board (flatter, more smeared, reduced detail/dynamics etc).

I assumed I was imagining it, so let it run for a few days, but SQ remained disappointing.

So I removed the JSSG 360 and SQ immediately improved - it was very obvious, no further A/B comparisons needed.

 

I can imagine that there may be some circumstances where JSSG 360 would not give much improvement, but I can't see how it could ever make things worse. Any ideas?

 

 

Not sure why it would make anything worse.  No mistakes made in implementing it?

[Johnseye]

8 hours ago, greenleo said:

To the owners of the SR7,

 

Do you change the its fuse?

What power cable do you use to fully unleash the potential of the SR7?

 

I've used a couple different cables. Nothing is specific to the SR7. I'm using a 10awg well shielded cable now. I think it's the Shunyata Venom HC. 

 

I tried changing the fuse but ran into issues. Others have had success by using a boutique fuse 1.6x higher rated than the stock. 

[Johnseye]

1 minute ago, sima66 said:

I'm just curious what was the reason for deleting my post?!

 

It was flaming and an attack.  Technically I have hidden it for reference.  I can message it to you if you'd like to send it privately to Paul, however I see no value to this conversation in publicly attacking someone.  You have your position and I'm sure there's another side to it.  What will end up happening is a back and forth dialogue which should be handled between you and him privately.

[Johnseye]

15 minutes ago, Ralf11 said:

If the post had substantive content, such as questions, listening impressions, or measurements, then re-post that portion.

 

And, if it was about long delays or something like then - everyone needs to realize that small or one person companies are subject to all sorts of such issues.  In the aftermarket sports car world a sick relative once caused the wait for polished Fuchs wheels to go from 1 year to 3 year.  It's part of the situation (or as Lee Scroggins would say "ecosystem").

 

 

 

There were no questions, impressions, measurements or anything of value.  Just emotional venting.

[Johnseye]

Would someone please create a Paul Hynes build calendar thread?  I'd really like to hear more people's impressions on their SR7's in this thread.  I've read of some people modifying their SR7's.  I added EMI/RF shielding into mine.  It would be great to hear more about experiences with the SR7.  Lately all I see are questions about build dates.

 

Thanks

[Johnseye]

I'm ok with any discussion of cables specific to those used on any Paul Hynes product.  I'm also ok with discussions of Paul Hynes Design's products, especially the SR7.  Listening impressions of the SR7 in all it's forms including PHD SR7 and SR7-T are on topic and encouraged.

 

Off topic would be work progress and delivery updates as there's a separate thread for that specifically.  As long as this cable discussion remains specific to any Paul Hynes product, it's ok to continue.