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View Full Version : Mark Grant "Best of Two Worlds Solution" linear PSU for the Bushmaster DAC



jandl100
02-07-2012, 09:53
That's a long title for a thread. :)

Perhaps I should have called it the MG BOTWS BM PSU. :scratch: :D

Anyway, Mark seems to have come up with a very handy little package here - and a very cost effective one, too, an approach which always gets my attention!

As many will know, I've been totally bowled over by the astonishing sonic capabilities of the Beresford Bushmaster DAC. But the best can always be improved on - and that's exactly what the power supply accessories that I have tried have achieved.

First I bought one of the cheapo Chinese battery PSUs. I liked what it did - call it a 15% sonic upgrade overall. Some folks feel it thinned out the BM sound ... yup, OK, but it also gave it a bit more articulation and rez, I thought.
Sadly, the wallwart charger very soon failed. Ah well - it was cheap, and it showed there were improvements to be had on the power supply front.

I then planned on getting the well-received S-Booster from Mark Grant. 30 squid - worth a go. On to Mark's website I went to buy one, and I saw the "BOTWS" gadget - an S-Booster hardwired to a linear PSU. All for £115 delivered. :rolleyes: Damn - I couldn't resist! :eyebrows: So I ordered one of those instead. :)

The BOTWS is a cunning amalgamation of Mark's cheap but well received S-Booster doo-hickey (technical term), it reduces ripple and noise on the supplied power.
The PSU itself is a linear device. Full details can be seen via Mark's website, linked at the end of this review.

The two devices separately have received very positive reviews in a couple of the better UK hifi mags.

It's not that pretty, it has to be said ...
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii114/jandl100/DSCF7825.jpg

But I think it looks quite neat, in situ, and can easily be hidden away entirely if you wish - there are no controls to be fiddled with.

Here it is in my system looking purposeful and functional next to the BM DAC ...
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii114/jandl100/DSCF7829.jpg

So, what does it do for the sonics?

- First and foremost, in-room presence. The BM sound is substantially more musically alive. To be perfectly honest, I've been lucky enough to have some wonderful kit in my system, and some of it has sounded bloody marvellous. But the MG PSUed Bushmaster is easily the best sound I have heard.

- 3D imaging. Well, my system is good at that anyway. But with the MGed BM it's just amazing. Really. I've been playing CD after CD, many of which I am very familiar with - and I've not heard 'owt like this before in terms of holographic imaging. It's the best I've ever heard, anywhere, and not by a small margin.

- Resolution. It's the smaller scale music that really shines here. A CD I am very familiar with - it's one of my 3 or 4 standards which I always wheel out when I'm evaluating kit. Solo lute sonatas by Silvius Weiss - volume 1 in Naxos's ongoing series. The delicacy and speed of the plucked strings in a realistic ambience of a small acoustic space - it easily sorts out the wheat from the chaff for me. I laughed out loud when I put this CD on to play - I have never heard it like this before. I was there, in that hall. Truly exceptional.

- Vocals have that very special presence that marks out an exceptional system. Mouth, throat, chest - some components accentuate one aspect more than another. For me the MG/BM hits the spot. As a result, and combined with the extremely high resolution on-hand, the emotion of the performance is given 8-lane freeway access to your living room.

- Bass - deep, controlled, really tummy-wobbling slam. Mind you, a bit of tummywobbling is easier for some of us to achieve than others .... :eyebrows:

- Tonality - the treble is a lot smoother than the standard SMPS that comes with the BM. Tbh, that sounds a bit brash now that I've heard a BM fed with better power.

If all that sounds like a "hifi extravaganza" then you couldn't be more wrong - it's the music that comes first with this system. It's just so very very natural.
Can it get better than this? Of course it can! :lol: But this is an astonishing level of fidelity, imo.

12V and 15V versions of the MG BOTWS are available - I have both at the moment at Jerry Towers - having ordered the standard 12V model, Mark kindly sent me the 15V version as well, to try out.
Mmmmm .... not a lot of difference to my ears. :scratch:. I think I can probably convince myself that the 15V version has a little extra bass control and 3D imaging presence and, yes, I think a slightly smoother but better resolved treble. Maybe. It's very close. But I'll be keeping the 15V version! ;)

There are other linear PSUs around, but the other one specifically aimed at the BM DAC is quite a lot more expensive. But it is in a prettier chassis, which is nice. And probably it has its own technical merits. Is that one good? Almost certainly! Is it better than the MG BOTWS? I've no idea - I've not tried it. But I can say that Mark Grant's BM PSU is a bargain and a half, imho - it raises the excellent sonics from the Bushmaster DAC substantially. I called the cheap Chinese battery a 15% sonic upgrade - the MG BOTWS PSU has to be close to a 100% sonic upgrade. It really is that good! Amazing. Thanks Mark. :thumbsup:

http://markgrantcables.co.uk/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=76_77&products_id=412

Fi-Wi
02-07-2012, 20:02
A little clarification is in its place here I think. The PSU is not by Mark Grant but by the Dutch company Squeeze-Upgrade.com (http://www.squeeze-upgrade.com/index.php?language=en). MG is just a reseller.

Great product though. I have one for my SB Touch (5V) and one for my Caiman (15V).

jandl100
03-07-2012, 06:36
A little clarification is in its place here I think. The PSU is not by Mark Grant but by the Dutch company Squeeze-Upgrade.com (http://www.squeeze-upgrade.com/index.php?language=en). MG is just a reseller.

Great product though. I have one for my SB Touch (5V) and one for my Caiman (15V).

Yup, yup - good point. I meant to say that! :doh:
In fact you can see the Squeeze-Upgrade moniker in my 1st photo, above.

Although Mark is not "just" a re-seller as he adds value by combining the PSU with his well-received S-Booster de-rippler. :)

diyer
03-07-2012, 08:41
Is the S-Booster not from the same Dutch company

NRG
03-07-2012, 09:13
:D :D :D It would appear so!

jandl100
04-07-2012, 19:10
Ah, OK! -- does that make it a bad product? :hmm:

No, of course not! It does a fab job in my humble system. :thumbsup:

diyer
04-07-2012, 19:49
No it doesn't make it a bad product probably very good , BUT its Mark Grant is just a re-seller of it ,your op gives the impression he makes them.

Saying that if i needed one I would buy from mark as he's based in the uk and has good rep.

DSJR
04-07-2012, 20:01
Mark Grant is a good guy, obliging and cares very much about his products and reputation. Buy with confidence :)

Tim
04-07-2012, 20:03
Mark Grant is a good guy, obliging and cares very much about his products and reputation. Buy with confidence :)
Agreed, always had very speedy and very good service from Mark on the 3 occasions I have bought from him.

LittleTone
04-07-2012, 20:14
I'm considering a 'Squeeze-Upgrade power supply
from MG for my SB Touch. I have to confess at being
sceptical that I'll be unable to hear any benefits.
I don't want to waste anybodys time.
Anybody out there happy to share their
experience upgrading with this PS.
Is it a tangible improvement ?

Regards
Tony

alan47
04-07-2012, 21:35
I'm considering a 'Squeeze-Upgrade power supply
from MG for my SB Touch. I have to confess at being
sceptical that I'll be unable to hear any benefits.
I don't want to waste anybodys time.
Anybody out there happy to share their
experience upgrading with this PS.
Is it a tangible improvement ?

Regards
Tony

Yes..I wasn't sure,but after a couple of weeks running i swapped back to the wallwort with a view to return it,and everything sounded a bit conjested i put it back on and there it stays...Another benefit is the wallwort is an upgrade on my sb classic.:)

Tim
04-07-2012, 21:54
I'm considering a 'Squeeze-Upgrade power supply
from MG for my SB Touch. I have to confess at being
sceptical that I'll be unable to hear any benefits.
I don't want to waste anybodys time.
Anybody out there happy to share their
experience upgrading with this PS.
Is it a tangible improvement ?

Regards
Tony
Mark does have a 30 day returns policy if you are not happy and the only real way is to try it yourself, with your own gear, room, music and ears ;)

jandl100
05-07-2012, 06:17
Yep, I'd say try it out.
I'd be surprised if you want to return it - it really does the biz with my Bushmaster DAC so it's probably great for other kit as well.

Don't worry about 'wasting Mark's time' ... that's how dealers earn their profits! :D

MartinT
05-07-2012, 06:31
I'm considering a 'Squeeze-Upgrade power supply
from MG for my SB Touch.

I'm not using the MG PSU but I can say that the SB Touch responds very well indeed to a decent linear power supply in place of the SMPS wall-wart.

magiccarpetride
05-07-2012, 16:40
I'm considering a 'Squeeze-Upgrade power supply
from MG for my SB Touch. I have to confess at being
sceptical that I'll be unable to hear any benefits.
I don't want to waste anybodys time.
Anybody out there happy to share their
experience upgrading with this PS.
Is it a tangible improvement ?

Regards
Tony

In my experience, replacing SBT wallwart with a decent linear PSU brings very audible (not sure about tangible) improvement to the sound. Perhaps the most dramatic improvement you can make on your SBT. Simply put, what good PSU does is cleans up the noise. Right now, you can't really hear that noise, but if you swap the wallwart PSU with a linear one, you'll immediately notice how quieter your stereo gets. And once it gets quieter, that allows more music to emerge. And that inevitably must put a big wide grin on your face.

magiccarpetride
05-07-2012, 16:43
There are other linear PSUs around, but the other one specifically aimed at the BM DAC is quite a lot more expensive. But it is in a prettier chassis, which is nice. And probably it has its own technical merits. Is that one good? Almost certainly! Is it better than the MG BOTWS? I've no idea - I've not tried it. But I can say that Mark Grant's BM PSU is a bargain and a half, imho - it raises the excellent sonics from the Bushmaster DAC substantially. I called the cheap Chinese battery a 15% sonic upgrade - the MG BOTWS PSU has to be close to a 100% sonic upgrade. It really is that good! Amazing. Thanks Mark. :thumbsup:

http://markgrantcables.co.uk/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=76_77&products_id=412

I really enjoyed this writeup! I always thought this is what online community forums are all about -- sharing the joy of finding great solutions on the cheap. What's always been puzzling to me is why are there so many sourpusses on this forum who frown upon people waxing enthusiastic about their hobby?

Please submit some more of your musings -- they are a joy to read!

jandl100
06-07-2012, 06:36
I really enjoyed this writeup! I always thought this is what online community forums are all about -- sharing the joy of finding great solutions on the cheap. What's always been puzzling to me is why are there so many sourpusses on this forum who frown upon people waxing enthusiastic about their hobby?

Please submit some more of your musings -- they are a joy to read!

Well -- that's very nice of you to say so! :)

Here are some of my AOS reviews ...
http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=3569
http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=14600
http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=10575
http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=4867
http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=6362
http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=5157


And here's my ongoing AOS system Blog thread http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1236

Sadly, some of the Photobucket pics are now defunct.

For more of my musings on hifi have a look at the Hifi Pig webzine linked in my signature below. There are quite a few of my reviews on there, old and new, author: Jerry. And some of the forum ongoing Blog-type reviews have been edited into a single one-off review. Stu (stupinder) liked my reviewing style, too, and asked me to join his Hifi Pig webzine review team when he started the Webzine up earlier this year. :)