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Genera plus PSU1 or other linear supply

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Fatmangolf View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Fatmangolf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Nov 2010 at 4:14pm
That is a good tip about the CRT TV, a lot of the beam timing would be based on the mains frequency so any transients or harmonics could mess the picture up.
 
At the moment I am running a mains filter each from a pair of mains sockets, with the amplifiers on one and sources on the other. My thinking was to separate the current surges on the amps from the hopefully cleaner supply to the lower power devices.
 
In the Genera blog Graham wrote something insightful (as he usually does) about the role of the power supply,  that the output of an active component was essentially the power supply modulated by the source signal. He wrote it more clearly than that but it fits with the postings about low noise regulators, linear regulation and echoes what we have written about the audible effects.
 
TG and Geoff (and anyone else reading!), I'll probably have my PSU1 for the Christmas break and in between the Melbourne and Sydney Tests*, I will try out your idea. Namely using the PSU1 directly from the mains and via a mains filter. I shall see if I can hear a difference, but it's not really a blind test because of the physical changes that are needed.
 
*Australia is a great country with nice people and generally better Cricket grounds than ours. The Ashes Tests are one of the top contests in sport. May the best team win the Ashes, and it was 28C in Brisbane whilst it was 28F here.


Edited by Fatmangolf - 27 Nov 2010 at 7:42pm
Jon

Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote gmdb Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Nov 2010 at 12:37pm
Hi Jon

Thanks for the extra info about CRT. I didn't know why; I could just see that it was a great improvement. However, it's one of the reasons that we have only been rarely tempted to go to a flat screen TV. The CRT through the mains filter is just so good, and I have never had the heart to tell my friends who spent so much money on their flat screen TVs that they really needed to put some extra money into a mains filtering system to get it to work properly.

I will be very interested to hear your experiences with the PSU1. I feel in love with Brit technology when I bought my first QED amp in the late 80s. Up until then I had only been able to afford a $300 Japanese amp with boomy bass. I think I paid $500 for the QED, an in-store demonstration unit. It knocked me out at the time. Now I have a custom made valve amp from a guy in Sydney and a cheap solid state amp from REDGUM in Melbourne. The latter is the closest I have heard yet in a modern day amp that gets what the QED had. Although the custom made valve amp is now streets ahead (and at $700 we are talking a small miracle here.) And then I stumbled across Graham's work... and I could not believe what he was doing. It's only a phono amp, I keep telling myself, but it makes the music come alive.       

Even though I live in Brisbane, I'm not that interested in the first test match much. Here they are just sizing each other up. Melbourne and Sydney will be the crucial ones. Always like the Australians to be challenged and lose one. They are far too cocky otherwise. Just wish the selectors would stop chopping and changing the team so much.      
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote gmdb Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Nov 2010 at 12:46pm
I should have mentioned that both the QED amps and the REDGUM amps use a huge toroidal transformer in their design, and that might explain the similarities in their sound.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Fatmangolf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Dec 2010 at 5:55pm
Hi Geoff, I have a Cambridge Audio amp which also has a huge toroidal transformer inside. I am curious about the idea that the geometry of the core and coils might have any audible effect, can anyone shed any light (or sound!) or this please?
Jon

Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote gmdb Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Dec 2010 at 5:58am
Hi Jon

I am not up much on the technicalities of toroidal transformers, but they are supposed to be more efficient and produce lower external fields -- hence they are the preferred transformers in hospital equipment.

Once it was rare that you would find them in budget amps because they are more costly to produce. I'm not sure if this is still the case.

This link makes an attempt to explain why they are superior:

http://www.soundlab-speakers.com/tech_toroid.htm

cheers

Geoff
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Graham Slee Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Dec 2010 at 2:00pm
They also have a high initial surge current which makes fuse size selection very difficult when it comes to complying with mains safety directives (such as IEC60950).
That none should be able to park up and enjoy the view without a smartphone and the knowledge in how to use apps
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Fatmangolf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Dec 2010 at 6:06pm
Thank you both!
Jon

Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC.
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