Linear vs Switched mode PSU

[Arkless Electronics]

You might not compensate for it, but the sound engineer might, because he may not be aware of his own frequency deficiencies, which is my point!
Sometimes Jez I think you just want to argue for the sake of it, and you end up not seeing the wood for the trees.

It seems to me that you are not "getting" my original point so i'll leave it there on this one.....

[Arkless Electronics]

I have quite a useful box - an Esoteric Re-Equalizer to give it its name - that takes the output from a phono stage (or passing through a tape loop which is how I prefer to use it, rather than having it permanently in the signal path) that 're-equalises' the signal to correct for the variety of equalisation curves before the RIAA standard became commonplace (introduced in 1956 but not universal till into the 60s). This enables older mono and 78s to sound far more modern and correct.

It's quite a cheap device from new and is powered by a wall wart. About 5-6 years ago Nick Gorham built me a linear PSU for it, and also upgraded all the opamps inside (replacing 5p ones with £2 ones). The difference was immense - though I suspect the main improvement (if not all) was from the opamps. Was it worth going for the linear PSU? For me, yes, I only intended to do this once and not having a wall wart attached to my power supply board brought (possibly irrational but nevertheless real) peace of mind. It's job done, forget about it. I'm not sure I would necessarily spend thousands on one though. Perhaps, Jez, you should take people's motivation into account before telling them they are wasting their money.

As for the musical position on the wider question as it has developed, I feel stuck in the middle of the debate here. I'm well past believing that 'detail' and 'clarity' are the infallible path to musical nirvana. I have a system in my study (Tannoy DC6's, Garrard 401 with a Shure SC35C, original Cyrus One - all high up sharing the one bookshelf!) that's fabulously enjoyable and singalong, that I know lacks many hifi attributes - though it reminds me of how enjoyable records used to sound when I was a penniless student listening only for the music and the words, and not how it reproduced the hall acoustic or the timbre of a viola da gamba vs a cello.

I have aimed to keep the main system musical and enjoyable too, rather than a slave to 'accuracy'. Yet my experience overwhelmingly (with amplification at least) is that what measures best sounds best. The main system does all that hifi stuff really well (if that's what you are looking for), but what I have aimed for is musical synergy, not accuracy. 'Accuracy' for me is a by-product, not the object.

You may find my mythbusting article useful.... It is starting with a back to basics on power supplies.

[Arkless Electronics]

To argue that a hi-fi amp should even have a voice strikes me as bizarre. Sure, musical instruments are voiced to create a particular sound - and so are guitar amps (though they really belong in the musical instrument category) - but hi-fi amps should be devoid of their own "voice" and simply reproduce what's fed into them.
Shouldn't they?

Spot on. If all amplifiers were perfect then they would all sound the same! It has often struck me that maybe the closest to perfect items of hi fi gear may have been pretty much ignored for "just" accurately reproducing what they are fed with, nothing added, nothing taken away! An amp for example that adds unnatural heft and slam to the bass whilst also adding a "shimmering sheen" to the top end is not a good amp as it is not accurate but for many people it would "sound better" than a perfect amp because it sounds "more impressive".

[anthonyTD]

I took your original point to be; HI FI SHOULD MEAN THE CLOSEST APROACH TO THE ORIGINAL SOUND!
My point was, and still is; what if the sound engineer cocked it up from the begining, which is why I believe most folk cant, wont, or dont want to listen to The Closest Aproach To The Original Sound!

It seems to me that you are not "getting" my original point so i'll leave it there on this one.....

[JohnJo]

To argue that a hi-fi amp should even have a voice strikes me as bizarre. Sure, musical instruments are voiced to create a particular sound - and so are guitar amps (though they really belong in the musical instrument category) - but hi-fi amps should be devoid of their own "voice" and simply reproduce what's fed into them.
Shouldn't they?

At first glance your argument seems valid but the reality appears to be impossible or you yourself or your peers would have done so already and we would all be using one. The reality is that all components have compromises and we tend to choose the one that suits our preferences.

[anthonyTD]

Careful John,
Your opening up another huge can of worms there.

At first glance your argument seems valid but the reality appears to be impossible or you yourself or your peers would have done so already and we would all be using one. The reality is that all components have compromises and we tend to choose the one that suits our preferences.

[Macca]

I took your original point to be; HI FI SHOULD MEAN THE CLOSEST APROACH TO THE ORIGINAL SOUND!
My point was, and still is; what if the sound engineer cocked it up from the begining, which is why I believe most folk cant, wont, or dont want to listen to The Closest Aproach To The Original Sound!

The original sound as far as the end user goes is the recording. What happened there, and before, is irrelevant to us. What if the guitar player had a hangover and didn't do his best work? What if there was a rattle on the drum kit? What if the mics were not positioned optimally? There is no point in second guessing all that stuff.

[Barry]

The original sound as far as the end user goes is the recording. What happened there, and before, is irrelevant to us. What if the guitar player had a hangover and didn't do his best work? What if there was a rattle on the drum kit? What if the mics were not positioned optimally? There is no point in second guessing all that stuff.

Exactly.

If the recording engineer had "cocked it up" I want to hear it, not try and compensate for it. If I do so, by tailoring the combination of components in the replay chain, what happens when there's another, but different, recording engineer cock up?

For that reason, I don't think tone controls are the tool of the Devil: I have a few recordings where small but judicious use of tone controls is useful; much like Tom's 're-equaliser'. When it's not required it can be switched out of the system.

[Starterman]

To argue that a hi-fi amp should even have a voice strikes me as bizarre. Sure, musical instruments are voiced to create a particular sound - and so are guitar amps (though they really belong in the musical instrument category) - but hi-fi amps should be devoid of their own "voice" and simply reproduce what's fed into them.
Shouldn't they?

I suggest getting yourself a Naim amp or an NCC200. Listen to it with the 22K TR2 collector resistor in place and shorted.
https://get.google.com/albumarchive/...xpnj7TRdibQkKT

This resistor subtly alters the distortions profile, albeit well below the supposed threshold of audibility (0.1% according to H Leak). Then you mght understand that amps can be voiced.

[walpurgis]

To argue that a hi-fi amp should even have a voice strikes me as bizarre.

My thoughts too. An amplifier should amplify and do no more or less. With a good amp, it should not be possible to guess whether one was listening to any particular type of design.