The Paul Hynes SR4 PSU

[Blackmorec]

1 hour ago, Confused said:

I set my SR4's up at the weekend.  One issue that I had relates to space on my rack.  They are now in my rack, but currently the two SR-4's are stacked one on top of the other.  Does anyone know if this is an issue or not?  In time, I may be able to change things around and have the units side by side.  I am just not sure if it actually matters?  One point to note is that they do not seam to be running too hot, so I do not think cooling is an issue.  As an aside, they look quite nice stacked, so this aspect is definitely not an issue.

 

Any thoughts?

My dual rail DC3, which is connected to my Virgin Superhub modem and TPLink Archer Router responded positively when I placed it on a small Artecama base. It had previously been on the carpeted floor, which can’t be good. From a vibration standpoint, with your SR4s already on a rack, I’ll bet separating them will only make a small difference....of course you don’t know how their fields interreact.  I have my 2 DCs on an Artecama minirack....works brilliantly, looks good and is small so easy to fit in next to the main rack

[highstream]

My experience is isolation is always better. But if space is limited, or even not, try super gluing Iso-Nodes on both. If you do, order by foot size not weight, and add in a neoprene washers in between. Music Direct has best price on the mid size iso-nodes, 19.95 or so a set of four, last time I checked. Alternatively, you could try those cheap small foam blocks with a rubber cover found on eBay. I found the iso-nodes to be far superior sonically.

 

Btw, in his write up, Paul mentions the user option of changing the fuse to one of the audiophile brands. My guess based on experience with other components is that there is a lot to be gained there (my favorite, based on comparisons, is the pricey Audio Magic beeswax ultimate). If one thinks of a fuse as a very short power cord (and accepts that power cords make a difference), it makes sense.

[Confused]

Many thanks to those who responded to my post regarding stacking the SR4's.  You have given me some good ideas as to how I can isolate / separate them to a degree without compromising my rack layout.

 

I sent a quick email to Paul Hynes to ask if stacking the SR4's is an issue.  I received a response almost immediately.  The following is an extract, which I think might be of interest to others:

 

In theory there could be some interaction between stacked power supplies 
but the transformer fields are low in my designs and they also do not 
appear to be particularly susceptible to micro phonic pickup.

I have never stacked my power supplies in my system as I have plenty of 
space in the system rack, and no one has reported any issues with 
stacking, so as you have cool running with your present equipment, I 
would say carry on with the current position. You could always 
experiment at a later date when time allows.

[lmitche]

The tracking number for my March batch SR4-19 was sent by Paul on Tuesday. I look forward to hearing this supply powering my I7 NUC when it arrives early next week.

 

My SR4 shipped exactly when Paul said it would when I placed my order in early January.

[KMan]

If anyone is looking to get a SR4-12 please PM me, I had requested a SR4-19 but there was some confusion and Paul shipped me a SR4-12. Paul offered to cover the cost of shipping so I can return it back to him, but I felt I can save him the trouble and also get someone a SR4-12 sooner. Please PM me if interested. Cost would be the same as what Paul quotes (including shipping), will ship the package brand new without opening it.

[Jiffi32]

3 hours ago, lmitche said:

The tracking number for my March batch SR4-19 was sent by Paul on Tuesday. I look forward to hearing this supply powering my I7 NUC when it arrives early next week.

 

My SR4 shipped exactly when Paul said it would when I placed my order in early January.

thats strange i am on a Feb and Mar order list and haven't seen anything yet

[austinpop]

You know you're an audiophile when...

 

...you become a Brexit expert to predict GBP-USD fluctuations to pick the perfect day to pay for your next SR4/SR7.

 

[auricgoldfinger]

6 minutes ago, austinpop said:

You know you're an audiophile when...

 

...you become a Brexit expert to predict GBP-USD fluctuations to pick the perfect day to pay for your next SR4/SR7.

 

 

I hope you timed it well. 

[austinpop]

4 minutes ago, auricgoldfinger said:

 

I hope you timed it well. 

 

No sane person can predict what goes on in the House of Commons. 😛 I just went ahead and paid!

[rickca]

23 minutes ago, austinpop said:

You know you're an audiophile when...

 

...you become a Brexit expert to predict GBP-USD fluctuations to pick the perfect day to pay for your next SR4/SR7.

 

Remember Carnac the Magnificent on Johnny Carson?  I think they have an opening for you.

[ray-dude]

38 minutes ago, austinpop said:

You know you're an audiophile when...

 

...you become a Brexit expert to predict GBP-USD fluctuations to pick the perfect day to pay for your next SR4/SR7.

 

 

Thats so funny. I went through the same thing when I ordered my SR7 a couple months ago, and when I ordered my SR4 this morning (I’m a bit ashamed to confess, but those are the only two times I’ve paid attention to Brexit)

[auricgoldfinger]

7 minutes ago, ray-dude said:

 

Thats so funny. I went through the same thing when I ordered my SR7 a couple months ago, and when I ordered my SR4 this morning (I’m a bit ashamed to confess, but those are the only two times I’ve paid attention to Brexit)

 

Paying attention to Brexit will only drive you insane. 😬

[KMan]

6 hours ago, KMan said:

If anyone is looking to get a SR4-12 please PM me, I had requested a SR4-19 but there was some confusion and Paul shipped me a SR4-12. Paul offered to cover the cost of shipping so I can return it back to him, but I felt I can save him the trouble and also get someone a SR4-12 sooner. Please PM me if interested. Cost would be the same as what Paul quotes (including shipping), will ship the package brand new without opening it.

 

I am unable to edit this post but the SR4-12 is already sold.

[lmitche]

On 3/28/2019 at 7:15 AM, lmitche said:

The tracking number for my March batch SR4-19 was sent by Paul on Tuesday. I look forward to hearing this supply powering my I7 NUC when it arrives early next week.

 

My SR4 shipped exactly when Paul said it would when I placed my order in early January.

My SR4 arrived yesterday. The SR4 is crazy good powering the NUC I7 endpoint. It has taken things to a whole new level of transparency and harmonic detail. Very familiar tracks sound entirely different. One can hear collaboration between the players in a way that was missing before. Tracks that sounded thin and old, have a new life.

 

Truly remarkable.

 

Gratitude to @paulhynes for a terrific product and a smooth ordering and delivery process.

[HeeBroG]

13 hours ago, lmitche said:

My SR4 arrived yesterday. The SR4 is crazy good powering the NUC I7 endpoint. It has taken things to a whole new level of transparency and harmonic detail. Very familiar tracks sound entirely different. One can hear collaboration between the players in a way that was missing before. Tracks that sounded thin and old, have a new life.

 

Truly remarkable.

 

Gratitude to @paulhynes for a terrific product and a smooth ordering and delivery process.

Was your NUCi7 previously powered by an LPS1.2?

 

Is your SR4/19V switchable?

 

If so does the +7V account for the improvement vs LPS1.2?

 

G

[lmitche]

5 minutes ago, HeeBroG said:

Was your NUCi7 previously powered by an LPS1.2?

 

Is your SR4/19V switchable?

 

If so does the +7V account for the improvement vs LPS1.2?

 

G

Yes my SR4 is running at 19 volts.

 

As the stock Intel power supply is also 19 volts it could be that the board runs best at 19 volts rather than 12 volts. Perhaps some level of tuning or calibration is at play here. I don't know. 

 

If I can find the time, I'll lower the voltage on the SR4 to 12 volts and have a listen.

[HeeBroG]

Thanks.

 

That would be another useful datapoint.

 

G

[shahed99]

@lmitche Thanks for the repot. For an ideal PSU to power the i7 NUC, how much headroom/max current supply capability is ideal? In that regard, do you think SR4 has enough of that headroom? Is something like 3.5A is enough for i7 NUC?

[lmitche]

41 minutes ago, shahed99 said:

@lmitche Thanks for the repot. For an ideal PSU to power the i7 NUC, how much headroom/max current supply capability is ideal? In that regard, do you think SR4 has enough of that headroom? Is something like 3.5A is enough for i7 NUC?

One amp at 12 volts will power a NUCI7 depending on how it is configured, ram size, etc. In low power mode the processor will run at 9 watts.

[Dev]

Larry, have to tried powering the i7 NUC with SR-4 at 12v ? How big is the difference between 19v and 12v ?

 

Also, can a SR-4 at 12v power i7 NUC running at high performance mode (as server) ?

[lmitche]

22 minutes ago, Dev said:

Larry, have to tried powering the i7 NUC with SR-4 at 12v ? How big is the difference between 19v and 12v ?

 

Also, can a SR-4 at 12v power i7 NUC running at high performance mode (as server) ?

Hi Dev,

 

No, I haven't had the time to try 12 volts with the SR4. Maybe this week.

 

I don't run my I7 at high power on the server or endpoint so don't know the answer, but would be surprised if the SR4 couldn't handle turbo mode. Why do you need turbo mode?

 

Larry

 

[Dev]

42 minutes ago, lmitche said:

Hi Dev,

 

No, I haven't had the time to try 12 volts with the SR4. Maybe this week.

 

I don't run my I7 at high power on the server or endpoint so don't know the answer, but would be surprised if the SR4 couldn't handle turbo mode. Why do you need turbo mode?

 

Larry

 

 

Larry, thanks for the replied. When you get a chance to compare between 12 & 19, pls let us know. On the turbo mode, just curious to see how much is SR4 capable when the i7 NUC is run as a server and in turbo mode. I have noticed that DSD256 upsampling (though I don't use it these days) suffers without turbo mode enabled.

[Armando Cruz]

Order my SR4  2 months ago, looking further!    I bought the vovox textura power cord to complement Paul LPS.  I will make the comparison between the uptone lps 1.2 vs SR 4 ( once I got it !  The more you wait ... the more you want it ! I'm feeling like a kid waiting for Christmas...LOL )       and I will bring you my impressions  (  on my system ) .

 

Happy listening everybody!

[highstream]

Anyone with an April production date heard anything yet? I wrote Paul a couple of times earlier this month about the cable part of my order and didn’t get a response.

[greenleo]

1 minute ago, highstream said:

Anyone with an April production date heard anything yet? I wrote Paul a couple of times earlier this month about the cable part of my order and didn’t get a response.

Don't worry.  It's too early as usual and please check other threads as well.