Originally Posted by
brucew268
Did you mean Jez's buffer design, or Nelsons Pass' design? I've been curious why reviews confirm what I've heard, such high marks for a preamp using a cheap switcher power supply. Not that I know anything about it, but I wonder if it is related to the use of matched JFET's making it less sensitive to supply... or maybe that if it's that good with an SMPS, what league it will be with a well designed linear supply? Also,since it's just a buffer, the qualities of the potentiometer/attenuator will be passed through more directly than an active preamp. Still I wonder that I liked the buffer+Alps RK27 better than the completely passive Glasshouse Takman Rex or the Glasshouse TVC. YMMV.
McClain clan, BTW!
My buffer design, intended to beat the Pass buffer. Simon's will have my MkII circuit with no capacitors in the signal path.
I'll mention in passing, and for probably the 40th time, that the entire "linear supply versus SMPS" is a complete red herring in many ways.... The important thing is how the power is dealt with after the PSU, NOT the PSU itself. With a little thought as to how things are done there is no advantage to one type of supply over the other.
There is nothing in the use of matched FET's that reduce sensitivity to supply (most buffers are types of follower and have good PSRR anyway) and nothing in "Also,since it's just a buffer, the qualities of the potentiometer/attenuator will be passed through more directly than an active preamp"
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