The Paul Hynes SR4 PSU

[ASRMichael]

15 minutes ago, sahmen said:

@ASRMichael Thanks, but could you elaborate a bit on what (or whom) you're referring to as "the reel"?

Off the reel, loose cable, buy the exact size you need, also you can then choose your own plug/connectors and make yourself. 

[sahmen]

9 minutes ago, ASRMichael said:

Off the reel, loose cable, buy the exact size you need, also you can then choose your own plug/connectors and make yourself. 

Got it. Thanks.

[Oepsie]

Any other advice on suitable mains cables? The Furutech DPS 4.1 costs about the same as the SR4T WITHOUT plugs - so cable only. Too steep for my budget 🐵

 

Mine sounds great out of the box with just a standard cable but I'll definitely try other options..

[sahmen]

I already have some Pangea AC 9SE MK II and Shunyata Venom power cables lying around, either of which which I could use with the SR4T.  I am sure either of them would be better than stock in performance, but I do not know how favorably they'd compare with that futurech DPS 4.1 version, which I am intrigued about, but cannot afford at the moment.

[ASRMichael]

Furutech FP-s55n, great cable

[Cormorant]

23 minutes ago, Oepsie said:

Any other advice on suitable mains cables?  🐵

 

I've found the Triode Wire Labs 10+ to be an excellent match with the Paul Hynes supplies.  Made in America, too.

 

These come up on AudioCircle occasionally for about 1/2 price of retail.  Set a trigger in HiFi Shark and you will probably have one in six months.  There is a used 10+ there now that just got listed - it may well be too short at 0.75 meters though.

[sahmen]

Certainly interesting, but given the considerably high price points of these cables, not to mention the quality they claim to have, would it be wise to terminate them with ordinary power connectors or plugs, or does one need to get matching furutech connectors, such as the following one, for example, which is more than $300 a pop? :

 

Furutech FI-50M (R) AC Power Connector

 

https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-c2jb8p2u1p/images/stencil/1280x1280/products/311/1051/furutech-fi-50m-r__62277.1572271481.jpg?c=1&imbypass=on

 

 

[ASRMichael]

What I do is buy the cable, use standard plugs = 70% gain, then add better plug/connector when affordable. 

[MikePid]

I received my SR4T today 😀!  I intend to use it on my EtherREGEN to replace the stock SMPS.  

 

I am burning it on my internet modem, and it is making a significant improvement to sound quality in its first few minutes. Hmmm, powering a cheap ISP-provided modem by an SR4T with PH silver cable and a high-end power cord seems rather overkill 🤑 so hopefully I can get away with a less expensive LPS for that modem, now that I know a better power supply does help it.
 

I’ll post my findings when I put it on the EtherREGEN after burn-in.  If it makes that much difference cold on a modem, I wonder how much better it will be on the EtherREGEN?  Or who knows, maybe the modem does end up being a good place to put it?

[ray-dude]

As I traveled backwards on my internet chain, I kept shaking my head in disbelief that better power and cables that far upstream could be audible.  Everything in that chain seems to be cumulative.  I have one of Alexey's DXP dual regulated PS's powering my fiber ONT and EdgeRouter X, but I suspect my Paul Hynes SR4 may be better still (I just haven't had the heart to put a Paul Hynes supply in a communication closet...yet)

 

I was only half joking in my Extreme review about breaking in to the fiber concentrator up the street and hacking in a better power supply

 

 

[bit01]

On 6/4/2020 at 10:58 AM, Oepsie said:

Any other advice on suitable mains cables? The Furutech DPS 4.1 costs about the same as the SR4T WITHOUT plugs - so cable only. Too steep for my budget 🐵

 

Mine sounds great out of the box with just a standard cable but I'll definitely try other options..

I use the Audioquest NRG-3 (long discontinued) on the SR4, but frankly have never A/B'd with any other cable. It seems fine.

The NRG-5 was the better cable and should be a good buy if you can find a used one.

[atxkyle]

Received my SR4T yesterday. Ordered mid April, shipped June 5, package hung out in customs in NY for awhile and the arrived to Austin June 25. 

 

So far so good! It’s made a very nice improvement replacing the stock SMPS in my EtherREGEN. I’m enjoying richer and realer sound from my system.

[Pokey77]

For those who have purchased an SR4T, do they have variable voltage? It is not mentioned on the website, but the photo shows this feature.

[Oepsie]

Yes, same as normal sr4. Mine has 5, 7, 9 and 12 volts

[Oepsie]

Got to try another mains cable tonight with my sr4t. Annoyingly, the difference was clear. Better tonal balance, more natural timbre, better control of the bass.

 

Still trying to figure out why a better cable makes a difference on the lps of a streaming device... sigh.. 🤯

[mikicasellas]

47 minutes ago, Oepsie said:

Got to try another mains cable tonight with my sr4t. Annoyingly, the difference was clear. Better tonal balance, more natural timbre, better control of the bass.

 

Still trying to figure out why a better cable makes a difference on the lps of a streaming device... sigh.. 🤯

I got you, the history of my life 😁

[Pokey77]

1 hour ago, Oepsie said:

Got to try another mains cable tonight with my sr4t. Annoyingly, the difference was clear. Better tonal balance, more natural timbre, better control of the bass.

 

Still trying to figure out why a better cable makes a difference on the lps of a streaming device... sigh.. 🤯

So, what cable did you try?

[Oepsie]

On 7/15/2020 at 1:43 AM, Pokey77 said:

So, what cable did you try?

I borrowed a dhlabs power plus cable from a friend. No special connectors or anything.

[sahmen]

Has anyone tried replacing the stock fuse on the SR4T with a Synergistic Research Orange fuse, or any other kind of audiophile aftermarket fuse? If so could you kindly report on what kind of difference it made.

 

My SR4T is powering my Etherregen, and I just got an SR Orange fuse from the ongoing promo sale which I could try on the SR4T, if the change would be worthwhile. Any helpful thoughts that are based on first-hand experiences about the performance of audiophile fuses on the SR4T would be welcome.

 

By the way Stephen from Paul Hynes LTD mentioned that the appropriate specs for the stock fuse on the SR4T are 5 X 20mm, Slow blow 1A so I plan to replace it with an SR Orange with the same specs. There are, however, conflicting views on the internet as to whether replacing the stock with an audiophile fuse with the same specs might be a good idea. Some say the replacement fuse must have a higher amperage rating for best SQ results.  Others (particularly the manufacturers) tend to discourage that idea of using a higher amperage fuse, and sometimes quite vehemently too, so what gives?

[auricgoldfinger]

2 hours ago, sahmen said:

Has anyone tried replacing the stock fuse on the SR4T with a Synergistic Research Orange fuse, or any other kind of audiophile aftermarket fuse? If so could you kindly report on what kind of difference it made.

 

My SR4T is powering my Etherregen, and I just got an SR Orange fuse from the ongoing promo sale which I could try on the SR4T, if the change would be worthwhile. Any helpful thoughts that are based on first-hand experiences about the performance of audiophile fuses on the SR4T would be welcome.

 

By the way Stephen from Paul Hynes LTD mentioned that the appropriate specs for the stock fuse on the SR4T are 5 X 20mm, Slow blow 1A so I plan to replace it with an SR Orange with the same specs. There are, however, conflicting views on the internet as to whether replacing the stock with an audiophile fuse with the same specs might be a good idea. Some say the replacement fuse must have a higher amperage rating for best SQ results.  Others (particularly the manufacturers) tend to discourage that idea of using a higher amperage fuse, and sometimes quite vehemently too, so what gives?

 

Why not try the fuse and decide for yourself?  If there is no difference, remove it and try somewhere else.

[kennyb123]

6 hours ago, sahmen said:

By the way Stephen from Paul Hynes LTD mentioned that the appropriate specs for the stock fuse on the SR4T are 5 X 20mm, Slow blow 1A so I plan to replace it with an SR Orange with the same specs. There are, however, conflicting views on the internet as to whether replacing the stock with an audiophile fuse with the same specs might be a good idea. Some say the replacement fuse must have a higher amperage rating for best SQ results.  Others (particularly the manufacturers) tend to discourage that idea of using a higher amperage fuse, and sometimes quite vehemently too, so what gives?

 

A downside with respect to the SR fuses is that the instantaneous inrush of current on power up can cause them to blow.  The next larger size is often ordered to minimize this risk. Only a Pass phono stage suffered this issue in my case, and I for many years I have uses SR fuses in all the components that have fuses.

 

I have never read a single report arguing that there are SQ benefits to going with a higher amperage SR fuses.  
 

I will soon be receiving a pair of Orange fuses for my amp.  Previously I went with the manufacturer’s rating and had no issues with either Black or Blue fuses blowing on power up.  This time though I went one size larger just so I didn’t have to sweat the risk of these blowing.

[auricgoldfinger]

I blew 2 blue fuses in my JS-2.  Ever since then, I always order the next size up and have never had an issue.  The ratio, at least with the blue fuses, was 1.3-1.6x the stock fuse rating.  I do this with both SR fuses and Audio Magic fuses.

 

Please don't start the typical fuse jabber about using overrated fuses, blah blah.  We're already familiar with those arguments.

[sahmen]

7 hours ago, auricgoldfinger said:

 

Why not try the fuse and decide for yourself?  If there is no difference, remove it and try somewhere else.

I still do not have the fuse in hand yet, that is why I have not tried it. I posted the question when I ordered the fuse. I thought I might benefit from the collective experience of this forum before implementing the swap myself.

 

I have only swapped a couple of fuses, so far, in my Metrum Acoustics Ambre Roon Bridge (I used the Audio Magic Ultimate Beeswax fuses in that case). I went with the Manufacturer's recommended specs then, and I have not experienced any issues... at least not yet, and the swap happened almost 2 years ago. The SR4T, being a power supply, seems like a different kettle of fish... I thought I might ask here about best practices from more experienced people even before my fuses arrive... It did not look like there was any harm in asking.

[auricgoldfinger]

1 minute ago, sahmen said:

I still do not have the fuse in hand yet, that is why I have not tried it. I posted the question when I ordered the fuse. I thought I might benefit from the collective experience of this forum before implementing the swap myself.

 

I have only swapped a couple of fuses, so far, in my Metrum Acoustics Ambre Roon Bridge (I used the Audio Magic Ultimate Beeswax fuses in that case). I went with the Manufacturer's recommended specs then, and I have not experienced any issues... at least not yet, and the swap happened almost 2 years ago. The SR4T, being a power supply, seems like a different kettle of fish... I thought I might ask here about best practices from more experienced people even before my fuses arrive... It did not look like there was any harm in asking.

 

Based on my experience with the JS-2, I decided to go with higher rated fuses.  I don't know if the SR4T will have a similar issue.  I have only used a 1.6A orange fuse in my SR4.  In my experience with numerous power supplies, a higher rated fuse has never caused a problem.

[sahmen]

I am a bit confused about the language about ordering "the next size up," since the word "size" seems to refer to going from a small size fuse (5 X 20mm) to a large size one (6.3 X 32), which does not sound right. I am assuming then that you guys are speaking of going from say 1A to 1.25A in amperage ratings, in which case size refers to "amperage rating"... Correct?

4 hours ago, kennyb123 said:

 

A downside with respect to the SR fuses is that the instantaneous inrush of current on power up can cause them to blow.  The next larger size is often ordered to minimize this risk. Only a Pass phono stage suffered this issue in my case, and I for many years I have uses SR fuses in all the components that have fuses.

 

I have never read a single report arguing that there are SQ benefits to going with a higher amperage SR fuses.  
 

I will soon be receiving a pair of Orange fuses for my amp.  Previously I went with the manufacturer’s rating and had no issues with either Black or Blue fuses blowing on power up.  This time though I went one size larger just so I didn’t have to sweat the risk of these blowing.

So the point of going higher up in amperage ratings was to minimize the risk of blowing the fuse rather than improving its SQ performance? Okay got it,