Given the vast amounts of each component on the market (sources, amps, speakers, cables etc) and the limitless variations you could achieve in the combinations of those components, isn't it completely futile trying to find a combination that everyone likes?
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Van Damme I/Cs and cables
Mana Acoustics Racks / Bright Star IsoNodes Decoupling >> Allo DigiOne Player >> Pedja Rogic's Audial Model S DAC + Pioneer PL-71 turntable / Vista Audio phono-1 mk II / Denon PCL-5 headshell / Reson Reca >> LFD DLS >> LFD PA2M (SE) >> Royd RR3s.
Clearaudio Emotion with Clearaudio Performer cart
Copland CDA 266
Copland CSA 28
Squeezebox Touch
Impulse Lali
Van Damme I/Cs and cables
Mana Acoustics Racks / Bright Star IsoNodes Decoupling >> Allo DigiOne Player >> Pedja Rogic's Audial Model S DAC + Pioneer PL-71 turntable / Vista Audio phono-1 mk II / Denon PCL-5 headshell / Reson Reca >> LFD DLS >> LFD PA2M (SE) >> Royd RR3s.
Location: Seaford UK
Posts: 1,861
I'm Dennis.
Unless you share my objectivist leaning views, in which case after a change, the verification of an improvement with further listening gives ongoing pleasure, and for a long time.
Mana Acoustics Racks / Bright Star IsoNodes Decoupling >> Allo DigiOne Player >> Pedja Rogic's Audial Model S DAC + Pioneer PL-71 turntable / Vista Audio phono-1 mk II / Denon PCL-5 headshell / Reson Reca >> LFD DLS >> LFD PA2M (SE) >> Royd RR3s.
I have to agree with you again, I don't recall ever sitting and listening to a system that belonged to a friend or aquintance and mentioning anything I might not have liked about it. It's their taste not mine, it is much more enjoyable to discuss what I do like about it.
Clearaudio Emotion with Clearaudio Performer cart
Copland CDA 266
Copland CSA 28
Squeezebox Touch
Impulse Lali
Van Damme I/Cs and cables
That's my biggest issue with SMPS: the utterly crap ones you're referring to, which feature inside every electrical appliance in our homes, polluting the mains supply our hi-fi systems share with noise and interference, which in the process seriously degrades sound quality, not the top-notch variety the likes of Jez, or other EEs here, would build into their equipment designs.
Therefore, said noise being a fact, one of the biggest upgrades you can do for your system is to isolate it (as far as is possible) from the sonically deleterious effects of poor quality SMPS units in your home, via installing a dedicated ring main.
Everything will ultimately still share the same electrical supply, but you can drastically reduce how much those items interfere with your hi-fi system, by installing a dedicated ring main/spur. You can also bet your boots, that were it possible or practical to achieve, replacing every cheap SMPS unit in your home with a linear one, would be even better!
The question I have for Jez, or any other EE here, however, is given how 'noisy' poor quality SMPS units are, thus how much they pollute the mains, I'm presuming that high-quality ones are notably less noisy?
What I'm really getting at, however, is this:
Leaving aside the 'what's best?' thing, in terms of sound quality, between SMPS and linear, is it the case that due to the switching nature of SMPS units, they will (to varying degrees, depending on how good they are) chuck crap into the mains supply, or are the best ones completely free from that trait, in the way of a good linear PSU?
Essentially, for the same price or less, can a high-quality SMPS be built that's as 'clean' (in respect of the above) as an equivalent linear PSU?
What I *need* to know if I'm using an SMPS, in a hi-fi application, is that in doing so I'm not injecting any form of noise or interference [even the tiniest bit] into my mains supply, as for me (as a purist) that would be a big no-no.
*That* is the crucial question. If yes, then I'd always use a top-notch linear PSU, for all hi-fi applications. If not, however, then I'd have no real qualms about using SMPS, providing that SQ-wise it was up to the task, in comparison with the BEST available of the linear variety.
Over to you guys!
Marco.
Main System
Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.
Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.
Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.
CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.
Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.
Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.
Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.
Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.
Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.
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