Audio Innovations s500 Choke Power Supply

[AD Audio]

I’d been wanting to do this for a long time. Upgrade an AI 500 by converting to a choke power supply along with rewiring, capacitor and resistor upgrades, and upgraded selector switch and volume pot.

Instead of mounting the components in a separate case a la Border Patrol, I mounted the choke on the rear of the case. The sound quality is the best yet. While I don’t have a Border Control power supply for direct comparison this version is right up there, or maybe even better!

The choke is mounted on the rear panel.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190218/8897d986a9315edd8aa8693b7c55665b.jpg

Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk

[AJSki2fly]

I’d been wanting to do this for a long time. Upgrade an AI 500 by converting to a choke power supply along with rewiring, capacitor and resistor upgrades, and upgraded selector switch and volume pot.

Instead of mounting the components in a separate case a la Border Patrol, I mounted the choke on the rear of the case. The sound quality is the best yet. While I don’t have a Border Control power supply for direct comparison this version is right up there, or maybe even better!

The choke is mounted on the rear panel.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190218/8897d986a9315edd8aa8693b7c55665b.jpg

Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk

I used to have a try-wired one with stepped volume pot and it sounded wonderful, I bet yours with the choke is pretty good.

[tapid]

That was a genius moment David !...again. There s a lovely review on the net about one guy who put 2 border patrol s P/S on his mono blocks for fantastic results.
Been more than happy with my B/P, A/I 500 over the years though :)

[AD Audio]

That was a genius moment David !...again. There s a lovely review on the net about one guy who put 2 border patrol s P/S on his mono blocks for fantastic results.
Been more than happy with my B/P, A/I 500 over the years though :)

Thanks Brian. I only wish I'd had an AI500 with Border Patrol power supply to do the a/b comparison but it does sound lovely this way, with much more tuneful bass and authority. Of course, this one's not in triode mode like yours either......

[Spectral Morn]

Lovely amp, I won't part with mine, even though I haven't used it in years.

[Barry]

I used to have a try-wired one with stepped volume pot and it sounded wonderful, I bet yours with the choke is pretty good.

Did you use the AI 500 with the Impulse speakers you have for sale? A friend of mine uses that combination and very good it is too. :)

[AJSki2fly]

Did you use the AI 500 with the Impulse speakers you have for sale? A friend of mine uses that combination and very good it is too. :)

I had one from new which I purchased from the manufacturer in Brighton in 1989/90 and I had a pair of Snell Type J's with the extremely heavy 4 pillar stands(cannot remember the make), and it sounded great. For one reason and another I had a mental fit and sold it, which I deeply regretted for several years, then after a few years break from "HiFi" I purchased a 2nd hand one in about 2001, and used it with KEF Reference 3.2's, and it sounded great. Then I got seduced with Meridian gear and moved to a Series 500 setup with a 557 amp, it wasn't necessarily better but different.

I am now back with valves but have move to 300B's.

I expect the H2's with any good valve amplifier that has a reasonably good output control would work well with them, they are an exceptionally good horn design.

[Spectral Morn]

I had one from new which I purchased from the manufacturer in Brighton in 1989/90 and I had a pair of Snell Type J's with the extremely heavy 4 pillar stands(cannot remember the make), and it sounded great. For one reason and another I had a mental fit and sold it, which I deeply regretted for several years, then after a few years break from "HiFi" I purchased a 2nd hand one in about 2001, and used it with KEF Reference 3.2's, and it sounded great. Then I got seduced with Meridian gear and moved to a Series 500 setup with a 557 amp, it wasn't necessarily better but different.

I am now back with valves but have move to 300B's.

I expect the H2's with any good valve amplifier that has a reasonably good output control would work well with them, they are an exceptionally good horn design.

Pirate Stands.

I always thought the S500 with Impulse speakers sounded too bright and forward.

[AJSki2fly]

Pirate Stands.

I always thought the S500 with Impulse speakers sounded too bright and forward.

I can't comment on that as I have never heard a pair of H2's or any other Impulse speaker with Audio Innovations S500. The H2's are a great speaker and many people vouch for that, but like any other speaker the amp used with them will obviously effect the presentation. My H2's with the 300b's certainly do not sound bright or forward, but have a natural and broad soundstage.

[Vrajbasi]

The stands for the J,s were likely to be pirates, or could be hoygans which were the same thing really.

I had a pair of H2,s with the series 500 did not like it at all, I had a biamped 2nd audio set up with 1000 pre which sounded great. I had that with the Voyd Reference turntable, Cylene tonearm and audionote ioltd nice set up it was. I moved onto a pair of H1,S which seemed to work better with high powered amps I ended up with a EAR 549 and G88 set up should never have sold the G88 it was a lovely pre. The series 500 worked well with the snell e,s I once had. I ended up with every snell speaker at the time up to the mighty A 111.

[AJSki2fly]

The stands for the J,s were likely to be pirates, or could be hoygans which were the same thing really.

I had a pair of H2,s with the series 500 did not like it at all, I had a biamped 2nd audio set up with 1000 pre which sounded great. I had that with the Voyd Reference turntable, Cylene tonearm and audionote ioltd nice set up it was. I moved onto a pair of H1,S which seemed to work better with high powered amps I ended up with a EAR 549 and G88 set up should never have sold the G88 it was a lovely pre. The series 500 worked well with the snell e,s I once had. I ended up with every snell speaker at the time up to the mighty A 111.

Yes I found the A500 to have a sightly bright presentation, even though it was very smooth and musical pairing with speakers with it was important. I tried many different speakers with it and move to KEF Ref 3.2's which worked very well, a bit more punch than the Snell J's.