The Paul Hynes SR4 PSU

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Mine should be arriving tomorrow, or Wednesday at the latest.  I ordered with the silver cable and will be using to power my tX-USBultra at 9V.  

 

Paul said that most run-in occurs in the first month, with further improvements tailing off after that.  Is that what those who have had their SR4 for more than a month have experienced?

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2 hours ago, Chiswickian said:

str-1.  Brilliant stuff.  I've had some really interesting conversations with Paul recently regards the technicalities of his designs and I'll be extremely interested in what you think of its audible effect.

Happy to give my impressions after a reasonable run-in.  But will only be able to compare it with the LPS-1 (the only other quality power supply I have) on my ISO Regen at 5V and/or 7V.  My tX-USBultra is set at 9V and I’m not going to open up to change that during the 30-day window I have for returning it.  

 

The SR4 should clearly beat the excellent LPS-1 once run-in.  A fairer face-off would be with the new LPS-1.2, which I don’t have.

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SR4 just arrived (successful 1-day delivery to London) and is already plugged in and doing its work feeding my tX-USBultra with 9V through the supplied silver dc cable.  I’ll offer some thoughts after a few days run-in.

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On 24/02/2018 at 8:37 PM, octaviars said:

 

Well I have the SR4 connected to my SOtM and it have been powered up for three days now. Unfortunately I have not had much time with my system so not done any critical listening. 

Hi octaviars.  You’ve had your SR4 for about four weeks now.  Have you noticed changes/improvements over that run-in period.  I’ve only had mine plugged in for two days and am wondering what to expect over the next few weeks.  Thanks.

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2 hours ago, paulhynes said:

Hi R1200L,

 

Thanks for the link to worldwide parcel services. I plugged in Sweden as the destination and there were indeed a number of lower rate services mainly by road and from providers I have never heard of. What is useful is that the providers I usually use were lower cost on this site than the one I use although the services offered were not directly comparable.

 

I have since sourced a strong carton that is slightly smaller than the ones I originally used for SR4 shipping and this brings the shipping weight to just below 2Kg, which now allows the use of the Royal Mail International Service with the following prices :-

 

Shipping costs for the SR4 power supply including insurance for loss or damage in transit :-

 

UK                       £12

Europe                 £20

Rest of the world £28

 

Hi rickca,

 

LTG2010 is correct, 1v2 is the posh way of saying 1.2v. It is also one less key stroke in line with the KISS principal.

 

R1200CL,

 

SR4 single rail power supply spec is the same as the other SR power supplies except for the available output current of the SR4, which is 2A continuous and 20A transient. The remaining specs are :-

 

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

 

The SR4 has been designed as an “endpoint” regulated power supply without the need for add on’s on the output to “improve” performance. In other words it is designed to directly power equipment used for signal processing. It is not designed to charge batteries nor is it designed to charge ultracap banks.

 

The SR7 was part of the custom build range I was offering until recently. Custom build is no longer available. It is too time consuming and fraught with logistical issues, often causing delays which obviously leads to customers being disappointed. Alex (Crespi) was right when he said this road leads to madness, although I think I have extracted myself before succumbing to madness.

 

The main difference between the SR4 and the SR7 aside from the number of rails available with the SR7 Multirail was power rating. The specs for the discrete component voltage regulator used throughout the SR range of power supplies are the same.

 

 I have attached a photo of the SR4 with black chassis extrusion (optional extra)

 

Regards

Paul

I have not seen too many comparisons but what few I have seen seem to prefer the SR4 (with silver cable) to the Uptone LPS-1.2 - they were similarly priced in the UK with the SR4 spec’d with the silver cable (and LPS-1.2 coming with ordinary copper cable).  The SR4 also has the advantage of an extra 0.9A of continuous headroom.  With the new delivery rates the SR4 is pretty much a no-brainer, at least in the UK.  I am very happy with mine powering an SOtM tX-USBultra.

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8 hours ago, Chiswickian said:

While I'm enjoying my SR4, on my Chord Qutest DAC I feel I have lost some of the sparkle/air around the instruments/voices that I heard with the stock power supply.  Paul assures me this will improve as the SR4 burns in, but currently I'm undecided and hoping things do indeed improve with burn in.

This might not describe your situation but the air that some people find missing when improving something like a power supply is just the addition of a more appropriate degree of body and solidity to the sound.  Without this, a leaner sound will often sound more airy.  Try listening for aspects of the sound that have improved, let the SR4 fully run-in (200+ hours) and allow yourself a period of readjustment.  

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1 hour ago, Chiswickian said:

STR-1.  You could be right.  I do notice an increased solidity to various aspects of the sound, so won't say that the SR-4 has had no positive impact and this could easily explain the effect I'm hearing.  It seems I actually liked some of that extra airiness, but will continue to let the SR-4 burn in suitably and then compare the effect of the power supplies again, as suggested by Paul H also.

 

I very much doubt I'd get rid of the SR-4 now, maybe just re-assign it to other duties if I do find, after burn in, that I prefer the sound of the stock Chord power supply.

The air that we have been talking about, if we have been talking about the same thing, can be very pleasant to listen to, and it might be that it is top of the tree for you in terms of essential elements of your preferred sound.  It would be difficult to find two people on this forum, or any other, whose sound preferences are exactly the same.

 

You quite rightly accept the need to let the SR4 burn in fully before deciding what to do, but brain burn-in is also an issue.  There will be a period initially when you are focusing more on what's missing in terms of what you liked before than on what you've gained, and this period of over-analysis can get in the way of just listening to the music and enjoying it, which after a while will really tell you whether things are right or not.

 

As an example, when I was typing my previous post I was listening on my headphones to Ockeghem's Missa L'Homme Arme (on Naxos).  With my previous multiple small-box system (switch, FMCs, mRendo, IOS Regen LPS-1s etc) the opening soloist on track two seemed to hover in the air within a cavernous acoustic, that was really quite pleasant to listen to.  But on my current system (see signature) the soloist is now grounded and is singing within what sounds like a normal church acoustic.  The feel of this sound is different from what I had before, and initially I remember missing that additional air, but now it just sounds more believable and I find myself missing nothing.

 

It also reminds of the time when we started getting LCD and plasma TVs that had decent colour calibration options.  With most of us before then used to the slightly cold/blue colour cast on TV default settings and most computer screens it took a while to adjust to the more natural warmer/yellow colour cast of the properly adjusted picture.

 

At the end of the day, if the SR4 is not for you, try the Uptone LPS-1.2 (not the 1.0), which I believe has a brighter and possibly leaner sound.

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4 hours ago, Jiffi32 said:

according to what's printed on the SR4 it doesn't look like it

 

12v is the highest voltage, but its whether the M-Scaler will take less than 15v.

 

Once they start appearing in the wild we need someone with a SR4 and a M-Scaler to give it a try......

I appear, unintentionally, to have irritated a few people over on the Head-fi Mscaler thread raising my concern about Chord’s prohibition on using power supplies other than the one provided in the warranty text.  It’s probably a subject too sensitive to talk much about now.  The supplied power supply will undoubtedly allow Mscaler to shine and to match anything Blu2 can do short of playing CDs.  I’ll be getting mine tomorrow, that is assuming the dealer’s driver who was too sick to deliver today recovers by then.  I’m even hoping the Mscaler might even be a little better than Blu2 due to external power supply, absence of the CD transport and circuitry and possible use of various next generation components.  Possibly wishful thinking, but we’ll see.

 

I do have an SR4 but am uncertain if it would be adequate to properly drive the Mscaler.  I’m certainly not going to risk it, and in any case the benefit it brings to my tX-USBultra would likely far outweigh any benefit it might bring to the Mscaler.  There are several other less contentious options for fine tuning that I will be concentrating on, you know, the usual cables, ferrites etc.

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43 minutes ago, TheAttorney said:

didn't notice anyone getting particularly irritated - the Chord sponsor was merely pointing out the strict new warranty rules - because some people do stupid things (rather than there being anything abnormal about the m-scaler load).

I might have been unduly sensitive and misread.  Been a funny day tinged with the disappointment of learning early on that for reasons beyond my dealer’s control my Mscaler was not after all going to be delivered today after I had made various arrangements to prepare for that.  It was only as the discussion I started developed that I became conscious that my tone was other than I would normally want it to be. 

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Looks like Mscaler takes the larger pin hole in the 5.5mm plug.  All my power supplies (incl. SR4) have leads with the smaller pin hole plugs.  I imagine using adapters would take the edge off any performance improvement

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10 minutes ago, auricgoldfinger said:

I guess that will keep you from voiding your warranty.  ?

Sure will.

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Audio Bacon has just compared the Uptone LPS-1.2 to the SR4

 

https://audiobacon.net/2018/09/20/uptone-audio-ultracap-lps-1-2-out-the-gate-musicality/

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Thanks @Jiffi32.  Unfortunately, that cable does not appear to be available with a UK plug, which seems to be a problem (for me) with some other popular not-too-expensive cables frequently mentioned on the forums, such as the Pangea cables.

 

I would welcome hearing from others about their experiences with upgrading power cables for use with either the SR4 or the SR7, and also experience with using power conditioners.  What has worked well and what has worked not quite so well? 

 

My SR4 is clearly not yet delivering its best being fed (for the moment) with a standard cheap kettle cable.

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Thanks for all the comments guys.  Been visiting relatives today and just got back.  After a couple of nights poor sleep I find I have nothing left in the tank and am going to bed.  I’ll starting following up on your very helpful suggestions tomorrow.

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5 minutes ago, davide256 said:

While not in the market at the moment, I do want to call out a concern. Review of Paul's site shows no mention of the SR4; how does one order the SR4 when ready to do so?

If I Google "buy Paul Hynes SR4" there is no usable URL found to make a purchase

Email to [email protected]

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8 minutes ago, beautiful music said:

I guess the M Scaler had a female 2.5mm plug end.

 

Can you shoot a closer photo of this plug or the end of SMPS?

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56 minutes ago, beautiful music said:

Maybe you have 2.1mm size if I'm right.

I believe so.

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7 hours ago, austinpop said:

does spending on a good power cable for the SR-4 result in an SQ improvement? Absolutely. Jay's finding was spot on.

I currently only have one better-than-stock power cable, the Shunyata Alpha HC (high current) that I bought discounted to power my Chord DAVE nearly two years ago.  The successor to that cable, the Alpha NR, would currently cost about £1,800 in the UK so would be overkill for the SR4, but I tried my Alpha with the SR4 this morning anyway.

 

Allowing myself a little time to readjust to having a standard stock cable power my DAVE, I then swapped out the stock cable powering the SR4 for the Shunyata.  Wow!  The SR4 was suddenly a different beast.  Everything was more solid, sure-footed and natural.

 

From now on, for as long as this is the only good cable I have, it will be powering the SR4, not the DAVE.

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An update from @austinpopon a new option for the SR4 - https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/30376-a-novel-way-to-massively-improve-the-sq-of-computer-audio-streaming/?do=findComment&comment=920649

 

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It would be interesting to learn from those lucky enough to own both SR4-12 and SR4-19 whether they sound and perform the same at the voltages they share (9v and 12v).

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Can I ask those of you who have tried fuse upgrades with the 5V-12V SR4 what amp-rating(s) you have have tried?  I should say I am in the UK, which seems to make a difference to the Farad Super3 requirement (1A for 110-120Vac and 0.5A for 220-240Vac) but I have read that Paul Hynes said 1A was fine for the SR4 for both voltages.  

 

I would like to try some of these fuses for myself and currently have a 1A Furutech Rhodium fuse running-in with the SR4 - I’ll give it another week and will report my impressions.  Some of the other obvious options (e.g. SR, Beeswax etc) are very expensive and I don’t want to buy any more than I need to just to experiment with so it would be good to get some feel for what safe/sensible leeway there might be either side of the stated fuse requirement (accepting the possibility of voided warranty with some devices).  For example, I asked Paul if 0.8A would be fine with my SR4, and he said it would be.  I also asked Mattijs about his 15V Farad Super3 and was told that while he thought 1A would be ok it would be at my risk (so clearly a warranty consideration).

 

While I think of it in case I ever want to buy a 9V-19V SR4, is that supply also rated for a 1A fuse?

 

 

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3 hours ago, highstream said:

In the States, I’ve been using a 1A ultimate beeswax at 5V, and even 12V mistakenly for a bit, with great results and no problems with an SR4. 

Thanks.  I’ve been thinking about trying a Beeswax fuse for some time.  I was hoping they had someone in the UK dealing in their fuses, but apparently not.  I imagine the Beeswax fuse improved over the stock in many areas but where there any tonal changes.  I’ve read that Beeswax fuses have a warm signature, and I’m not sure I want my SR4 to be much warmer.

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2 hours ago, auricgoldfinger said:

You might consider trying a blue fuse with your SR4.  If you like it, then don't worry about the Beewax.  SR offers a 30-day money back guarantee that removes all of the financial risk except for shipping.  I would guess they have a dealer somewhere in the UK.

 

1 hour ago, highstream said:

However the idea of trying a SR Blue on 30-day is not a bad one, if available. In my system, pre-SR4, I found the Blue has great PRAT, but once I got past that found that its tonal coolness ("neutrality") left me wanting to thrown my kit out the window. I like warm, not syrupy but the kind that draws me in emotionally so that I'm listening to the music, not the system.

Thanks.  The SR fuses are readily available in the UK with a generous return period so it sounds like I should give those a try before beeswax.  But I have emailed Jerry at Audio Magic to ask about warranty terms as I cannot find these mentioned on their website.   

 

Before going for either SR or Beeswax I’ll will of course properly evaluate the Furutech with both the SR4 and my Farad Super3, and I’ll post something about that in the next week or so.

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For those not yet aware, PHD Ltd have just announced a “Turbo” version of the SR4 https://www.paulhynesdesign.com/sr4t

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The SR4T-19 I ordered on 9th March arrived today along with the new Upocc cables that PHD Ltd can now supply (not yet up on the website).  I already have the 2.1mm/2.5mm silver cables that came with my first SR4 and just wanted some good copper options.