New Paul Hynes SR5 Power Supply

My new Paul Hynes SR5 PSU has arrived, for service with my Kenwood KD-770D. It's a much bigger, heftier and more powerful beast than the SR3 that I have had for some times, and which Marco is presently using to great effect on his Technics. Work commitments mean that it will be next week before I can do much with it, but I shall let everyone know how I get on. The SR5 is rated at 4A continuous current, with enormous transient current capacity (which Paul would have to confirm). I do think that the Kenwood will like it! Here it is with the SR3 for comparison:

http://i46.tinypic.com/bhjcia.jpg

Nice one Hugo! When you get a chance, I (and AOS) would like to hear all about how it compares with the SR3 (and the Timestep you had before it) :)

Paul's in the process of building me an SR5 for evaluation (it's nice isn't it when manufacturers are confident enough to do that with their products? ;)), which I'll be using at Flatpopely's T/T bake-off at the end of July, and which it's likely I'll end up buying for my Techie.

Quite frankly, in my system, the SR3 makes the stock Timestep PSU sound broken, so goodness knows what the SR5 will do!! :eek:

Marco.

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Originally Posted by Marco

Nice one Hugo! When you get a chance, I (and AOS) would like to hear all about how it compares with the SR3 (and the Timestep you had before it) :)

Marco.

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It's too long since I had the Timestep to make any comparisons; also although the Timestep did work with the Kenwood (it provided 21v against the ideal 23.4v) I never did a back-to-back evaluation against the SR3. On the Technics, though, my preference was clearly for the SR3, as you know.

See my comment on the SR5 here http://theartofsound.net/forum/showt...?t=7203&page=2

Huh?

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Originally Posted by Giant Haystacks

you need to take care here . about 8 to 10 people were not so lucky with there investments including a friend of mine

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Could you clarify what you mean please ? are you referring to the MN platter , or P. hynes psu ?

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Originally Posted by Giant Haystacks

i was saying that some people lost money in dealings with the above mentioned engineer , i dont want to go into details

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So why mention anything at all?

Hi Francis (I believe?),

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i was saying that some people lost money in dealings with the above mentioned engineer , i dont want to go into details

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I'm afraid that you cannot make such comments without providing evidence that confirms your claims, as well as exact details of what you're referring to.

Therefore I must ask that you do so, or I will have to remove your (potentially libellous) remarks.

Marco.

ok remove remarks i am not going into details ,i was asked to clarify what i ment and i did and i was better saying nothing please remove remarks ,i will make no more comment on it sorry for offending

Done. I'm afraid it's pointless making remarks like that unless you're willing to substantiate them.

Marco.

Hi folks,

Following comments made by Giant Haystacks I feel it would be a good thing to explain why he made these comments as I think he was only acting in good faith.

I used to run a limited company called Paul Hynes Design Ltd. The company manufactured a range of specialist valve amplification products and some voltage regulator modules. During spring 2002 the company experienced cash flow problems and I felt there was a need for additional capital investment to help the cash flow and allow additional staff to help with the business. I proceeded to look for the required funding. The company bank would not extend further credit and after failing to achieve this through normal business funding via other banks I looked for equity investors. An old friend said he would be able to assist with substantial funding. I duly prepared a revised business plan then called a directors meeting (there were 4 including myself) together with my financier friend. The meeting went well and an in principal offer of funding was agreed. Unfortunately a week later this offer was withdrawn, as my friend required the funds for another project urgently. It had taken three months of hard work looking for the funding and during this time the cash flow position was worsening until it had reached the point that the company had no cash reserve left and could not pay ongoing financial commitments. Technically the company had become insolvent. I had to call an emergency director’s meeting to either resolve the situation, or cease trading. This was required because it is against the law for a company to continue trading when insolvent, and there are serious penalties for company executives who break this law. As it happened none of the directors were in a position to cover the outstanding liabilities of the company so there was no alternative but to cease trading and the company was eventually “struck off” the Companies House register in 2003. This was not a happy time for all concerned. All the directors lost their original capital investment and creditors had to write off any money owed as there were no useful assets in the company. I was also suddenly out of a job with no money, equipment or assets and was unable to complete some private custom projects I had taken on during the previous year.

Shortly after this time my mother, who was permanently disabled reached the point where she could no longer look after herself on her own and rather than see her condemned to a National Health Service care home she came to live with my family and I became her full time carer until she died in 2007. We (my family) were planning on moving to the Hebrides to finish renovating my mother’s house with disabled facilities for her and even though she didn’t make it, we decided to continue with the relocation anyway as all the plans were in place.

I, and several associates, run consultancy services to the trade, but as this income is sporadic I introduced and promote a number of power supply related products to the audio market, as audio power supply design is my speciality. This now forms a reasonable portion of business activity. The business is run very lean with regard to overheads to ensure it never suffers the fate of the original Limited Company. The business does not have any debts and especially NO bank funding. I will never ever trust banks again. Everything is paid for up front. I have no intention of facing a liquidity problem ever again.

Businesses fail all the time, often just through circumstances beyond anyone’s control, especially in the current financial climate. Hell, even some of the big boys have gone down over the last few years.

So Giant Haystacks I can understand your concern and your wish to issue a warning because of what happened back in 2002. I can assure you I have no intention of going through that again. Several of you good people on the forum have jumped to my defence and for this I thank you. I felt it would be remiss of me not to explain the circumstances surrounding these historical events Giant Haystacks refers to. I am not proud of what happened but I did do everything I could to refinance and reorganise the Company. As it happened time was not on my side and it nearly took me down with it. You can judge me accordingly.

Regards
Paul

Thank you Paul for your honesty and telling us about a period in your life that must have been very difficult.


Regards D S D L

hi paul,
i think you have been very forth coming and open with your explanation, its never good when customers lose money when a company goes under, but unfortunetly it happens and with the way things are currently going we may witness a few more going down before long!:(
A...

Paul is an absolutely top bloke.
Super products superb service.

Thank you Paul. I'm very glad that's cleared up.

Very decent and honest. Thanks for sharing.

I think this is the way audio is going to go, with small but financially secure firms selling primarily online and by word of mouth. Hopefully there won't be room for big egos here - I had enough of that in the eighties, and I was as much to blame back then...

Been away for a week and just reading missed threads/posts.
I have to agree with the last few replies, a very honest and decent post!
Pauls one of the good guys and been nothing but helpful to me and to the diy community. we have some excellent trade members on here that contribute a lot to the forum and its members :respect:

Paul, may I ask why you feel that a 4 or 5 amp power supply is best suited when the Technics draw well under 1 amp? Also are you using shunt regulation in your PS? Just curious:)

Thanks!

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Originally Posted by Strosek

Paul, may I ask why you feel that a 4 or 5 amp power supply is best suited when the Technics draw well under 1 amp? ........

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I don't think Paul has stated such a thing, but I have in relation to my Kenwood DD turntable (see http://theartofsound.net/forum/showp...4&postcount=18 ). Whatever the current requirement of the deck (and the technics, for that matter), overspeccing the power supply with the SR5 does make a remarkable difference to musicality over the smaller SR3, itself a very good device. Not a difference to pitch stability, startup time etc - it's about how the thing plays music: the "feel" of the music. There must be a technical explanation for this and maybe Paul will chip in with some thoughts.

Thanks for the support guys.

Hi Strosek,

A simple analogy may help here. Compare an average family saloon car with a Bugatti Veyron. The Veyron has a larger engine. Both will go from 0 to 70 MPH but the Veyron will get you there quickly and effortlessly. If you never drive a Veyron you will not miss it but if you do ever get the chance, going back to a family saloon would be disappointing.

The SR5 uses a larger transformer and a larger heavier duty output stage than the SR3. When supplying the Techie the SR5 has an easier time than the SR3, as it is barely idling, and it can source whatever transient current the Techie motor requires regardless of the platter load. As Shuggie has found this translates into a better musical presentation.

The discrete component regulator circuit topology used in the SR3 and the SR5 is a proprietary series regulator design optimised for wide bandwidth, low noise, low output impedance, fast transient response, fast settling time and wide band supply line interference rejection. A shunt regulated supply for the Techie would require much heavier thermal engineering as the regulator current would have to be set high enough to provide any transient current requirements of the load. This means very large heatsinks, larger case, larger transformer, and consequently much higher cost both for initial purchase and for running costs.

I hope this helps.

Regards
Paul

Hello Paul,

Thanks for the explanation on your former company. As an ex corporate banker, financing businesses, I can tell you honestly that banks are quite dangerous to small businesses; they will take all the garantees they can get and offer very little help.

In any case, cash flow is king: if you have to pay suppliers before you collect on the sales, its game over (or requires much financing). If the profit is stuck in excess or dead inventory (or bad receivables) its also game over. If the business grows too fast, the profitability cannot absorb or cover the extra investments in parts and overhead...

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Back to your SR5, Paul, I looked at your web site and cannot find info on the SR5 and the price - what is the price and the lead time ?..., as your power supply appears to be quite superlative.

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Originally Posted by DSJR

Very decent and honest. Thanks for sharing.

I think this is the way audio is going to go, with small but financially secure firms selling primarily online and by word of mouth. Hopefully there won't be room for big egos here - I had enough of that in the eighties, and I was as much to blame back then...

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Indeed. I would rather send my money to a clever guy that builds excellent products in his shed (wherever that may be), than line the pockets of the director of a large multinational company.

I think the returns in quality of product and sound will far outweigh those of a mass produced item.

Hello Yves,

I am late for a meeting on the next Island so I have to rush off and will get back to you when I return to the office tomorrow.

Regards
Paul

Now that's what I call a descriptive analogy that I can get my head around!! Thank you kindly for the detailed response!

Maybe I should get you to explain to my wife why our family sedan needs so much horsepower;)

Thanks!

Hi Strosek,

Just take her for a drive in a Veyron. I think she will get the message.

Regards
Paul

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Indeed. I would rather send my money to a clever guy that builds excellent products in his shed (wherever that may be), than line the pockets of the director of a large multinational company.

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Without sounding too negative BUT I would RATHER spend my money on a well built and good looking piece of equipment, that is built to CE and EN standards and passes all electrical regulations and knowing I have a good 2-3 year warranty THAN buy from someone that builds from a shed that is not regulated in any way, buys a standard box from RS, does not finish it well and the box may be lethal to my kids! But then that is just me.

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Originally Posted by dcarol

Without sounding too negative BUT I would RATHER spend my money on a well built and good looking piece of equipment, that is built to CE and EN standards and passes all electrical regulations and knowing I have a good 2-3 year warranty THAN buy from someone that builds from a shed that is not regulated in any way, buys a standard box from RS, does not finish it well and the box may be lethal to my kids! But then that is just me.

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Well, that makes me glad that my PH SR5 PSU, although a bit plain to look at, is built to all prevailing standards and has a lifetime warranty!

Yes, people are not stupid enough to go recommending any old tat on here you know ;)

dcarol

For the record, I have a purpose built office/workshop and a machine room. It is one of the reasons why I completely redesigned the internal structure of the house at the start of the house renovation. I like my home comforts too much to entertain working in a shed. This way of working is designed to remove the additional overhead of separate premises thus keeping the operating costs to a minimum allowing lower prices for my products.

My cases may not be the brightest artwork around but my customers are paying for a high level of electrical and musical performance not an artistic statement. I have investigated all sorts of case designs in my role as consultant and without fail artistic statements add a large financial penalty to the final cost. I choose to keep the cost low so more people can afford better sound quality.

Also for the record, I have been around in the audio industry for a loooong time. As a design consultant I am fully aware of all the rules and regulations regarding electrical safety and compliance with the regulations that apply in the EU. Indeed I have attended many industrial seminars regarding compliance with the various regulations involved. All my products are built to CE and RoHS standards and labelled accordingly. I take great care to ensure that I comply with electrical standards when designing any equipment, whether for my products, or for my consultancy clients. I also I have a range of test equipment suitable for ensuring compliance with the electrical standards.

I give a 3 year parts and labour warranty except for Shuggie, as because he is a nice guy, I give him a lifetime warranty. I also give a 56 day return if not satisfied, for any reason, guarantee, allowing a full refund including carriage both ways.

The components I use are of high quality and are all sourced from reputable manufacturers via known distribution routes. This is not always the case with products from larger manufacturers. Indeed I have seen plenty of products from larger manufacturers self-destruct in a potentially dangerous way during my time in the industry. Often the bigger they get, the less personal they get, and the harder it gets to get things put right when they go wrong.

There are “cowboys” in any industry, and the audio industry is no exception, so I can understand your concerns. However, I would ask that you to do a little more homework before making public statements questioning someone’s credentials.

Paul

I have bought garanteed stuff. Sadly enough, the garantee has no relation to how good the item is nor does it garantee any sonic qualities -except to often say that its a fantastic value for that price point ! :eyebrows:

Some really well known audio brands I bought over the years, are garanteed but never live up to their claims or reputation or fancy reviews...we simply have to try things & see what we like.

To each their own choices; that what makes life interesting.

I am sure the SR5 works very well, and its not about to fail any time soon - garantee or no garantee.

I would also be curious to have a simple comparison of the SR5 from Paul with the KAB power supply that uses a switching power supply.
PS Audio has a switching audio amplifier and its simply a different animal & I did not care for its sonics.
Some computer power supplies do seem to also use a switching device.

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Originally Posted by dcarol

Without sounding too negative BUT I would RATHER spend my money on a well built and good looking piece of equipment, that is built to CE and EN standards and passes all electrical regulations and knowing I have a good 2-3 year warranty THAN buy from someone that builds from a shed that is not regulated in any way, buys a standard box from RS, does not finish it well and the box may be lethal to my kids! But then that is just me.

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Back in the bad old days, that would be very true, as more people had higher disposable income (such as yourself :respect:)

Today, less people are interested in good audio equipment and it appears that many of those that are, don't have the funds available to indulge some manufacturers' pension funds (many owners are in their mid fifties upwards). DIY is coming back, just as it was in the 50's and early 60's...

I mean no disrespect to those here who can easily afford to justify well made and expensively finished products, but not all of us can, and the likes of Paul Hynes are doing us a good service IMO.

Switching power supplies are simply a technology choice, they can sound better or worse than linear supplies, depending on their implementation. I wouldn't get hung up on it since you still need to hear a piece of equipment in your system to be able to make a proper choice.

For information, my Chord power amp uses a highly complex switching power supply. After many years of ownership, I have yet to find a power amp I prefer.

I should point out that the word "shed" was meant in a figurative sense and not a literal one.

Having said that, a friend of mine has a 600 square foot shed which is used for the manufacture of 4 layer SMT boards. It is quite stunning and very comfortable, especially at the "lounge" end. :)

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Originally Posted by Citation16

PS Audio has a switching audio amplifier and its simply a different animal & I did not care for its sonics.
Some computer power supplies do seem to also use a switching device.

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I think someone has mentioned previous to me that not all amps sound the same & not all amps with SMPS sound the same ;)

Chord have a very good reputation, though i can't honestly recall ever hearing one, another top rated amp would be the large Halcros'. These use an SMPS along with power factor correction, this enables them to work with any voltage on the planet & still give the same performance.

I think you'l find that virtually every PC uses a SMPS, though in all honesty they really aren't very high quality at all, even if the have the afore mentioned PFC as well. I used to do a lot of work on switching supplies in a couple of jobs i had. Mainly testing & repair but with some design work & i can tell you for a fact that a PC supply thay outputs say 500W total & costs less than £50 is going to be very cheaply made & will rely on a rather large fan to stop it exploding :lol:

A good 200W SMPS with low noise output & good regulation with a couple of voltage rails is likely to cost at least £200 over a production run of at least 200 units. There is far far more to take on board when designing one over any linear PSU to attain good performance.

With the kind of power supplies Paul is designing & building & the power range involved there is really no point in going the SMPS route as i know he'd not be able to get the same performance fullstop. SMPS is about efficient supplies & not ultra high performance quiet supplies (quiet as in low noise) ;)

By the way, off topic a second...

I happen to own a Citation 16 as well, it has the usual faulty connections to the terminals on the PCBs which is causing some hf oscillations. I'll get round to stripping it & rebuilding it some time as it was a true bargain. I'm also jealous that you have a pair of AR9s'. I always used to drool over the things in magazines but never ever heard a pair simply because i was too young :eyebrows: Well done for fixing a pair up, why the hell they used foam surrounds on the bass drivers i'll never know :scratch:

Thanks Mark for the info on the switching power supply. Their seems to be no end to tweak a system...

As for the Citation 16 - I have 5 of them - some 16a and 16's. One is actually used for spare parts at this jucture. Another, I am rebuilding...
In any case, if anybody is interested - you can get a fully rebuilt & upgraded Citation 16 from Pat at audionut66@comcast.net. He is just about THE expert on the Citation 16. You can either buy one fully rebuilt, modded & upgraded from him or get the parts with instructions. He also dabs in Musical Fidelity and SAE and other stuff...

The AR9 speakers are still around on Ebay from time to time - for example just now I found a listing: http://cgi.ebay.com/ACOUSTIC-RESEARC...-/400141466632
Then you buy a speaker refoam kit and fix it up, rewire it & change the binding posts and internal extra bracing, etc...
But the price varies and some incredible deals come around for the AR9.

But we have veered off topic of the SR5 power supply, such is the way of a discussion board and often of any conversation...

AR9's are just too big-n-beefy for most UK built rooms sadly, but a mate in the US uses them with a Hafler pre-power and loves 'em to bits.

I've finally received the SR5-21 and have got it running without any bother - Paul kindly fitted mine with a 5/2.1mm chassis socket so that the Timestep'd Techie plugs straight in.

With such a big brute of a PSU you might be tempted to think that all the benefits will be in the pace and rhythm area but not so. The first thing to strike me is how clean and pure the treble is; I believe I made the same observation when Marco brought his SR5 over. There is a strong sense of effortless and natural musical forces at work with a spacious soundstage and low noise floor. Focus is superb and it is even easier to point to where instruments are playing, an interesting exercise if done with the eyes closed.

Bass extension, rhythm and tonal stability are all quite excellent leaving the accuracy of the centre hole in an LP to define any remaining wow. The PSU appears to 'get out of the way', leaving the natural dynamics of the arm and turntable to do their thing; in my case the combination of AT/DV/Technics makes fabulous music with real-world dynamics and brings alive many albums I had thought of as dull.

A wonderful final piece of my record playing solution. I will leave things well alone now and spend my money on acquiring more great LPs. Lined up for playing are 180g pressings of Rickie Lee Jones, Dire Straits' Love Over Gold and Paul McCartney's Band on the Run.

Highly recommended.

Any chance of some photos Martin ? Please......


Regards D S D L

Congrats ' Martin , sorted then .

How much is the SR5 ?

Does Paul do a budget PSU for paupers like me?

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Originally Posted by chris@panteg

How much is the SR5 ?

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£475 + £50 assembly/test.

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Originally Posted by Dalek Supreme D L

Any chance of some photos Martin ?

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Sure, but not much to see. It's a heavy black box with front mounted switch, rear mounted sockets and under-lip blue LED.

http://www.mtc.me.uk/images/techie_SR5.jpg

http://www.mtc.me.uk/images/SR5.jpg

Would you be so kind as to show us a few pictures of the unit on the inside?

In another post Marco had asked Paul if it was OK to post pictures of the unit and Paul was fine with it but to date nobody has done so...

Thanks in advance!

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Originally Posted by Strosek

Would you be so kind as to show us a few pictures of the unit on the inside?

In another post Marco had asked Paul if it was OK to post pictures of the unit and Paul was fine with it but to date nobody has done so...

Thanks in advance!

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Why do you want to see the insides boss, seems waste of time to me?

Those Isonoe feet look damn cool, mine are in the box waiting for something to fit them to!

Thank you Martin


Regards D S D L

For ColinB and others who have requested SR5 internal photos.

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/w...internal01.jpg

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/w...internal02.jpg

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/w...internal03.jpg

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/w...internal04.jpg

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/w...internal05.jpg

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/w...internal06.jpg

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/w...internal07.jpg

Regards
Paul

Nice one, Martin - glad you've got yours now, as I know from experience how much of an improvement the SR5 brings to your system! :)

Paul is a very gifted audio designer and has the rare skill of not only having the technical knowledge to produce innovative designs, in terms of the circuits he makes, but also the ability to 'voice' his circuits to reproduce music faithfully by judiciously selecting components which combine to achieve the best possible audio performance.

At end of the day in hi-fi, the difference between a merely competent design and truly world-class one, is in the final fine-tuning by ear - and this is where Paul's designs leapfrog some of the competition, whose products have been produced simply on the basis of performing well on the test bench. This gives Paul's designs a musical ability lacking in other designs where the accent isn't as much on final fine-tuning by ear.

Therefore, if people really want to hear what their SL-1200 or 1210 is capable of, then fitting an SR5, in my experience, is one of the best ways of achieving this.

Anyway, Martin, well done and enjoy the music! :cool:

Marco.

Interesting Power supply Paul.
Do you have a spec sheet and price for it?
Is that phosphor bronze?

Thanks Paul. Thats helpful.

after reading threads for an hour and half about the SR5 I'm now kicking myself :brickwall: that I bought a Timestep HSE for my 1210! Looks like I'll be saving up for the SR5 nxt year then :eyebrows::eyebrows: