I�m not sure I want to go down the same road as Gary Murrell, though I don't mind doing a few mods for other people.

Although the sound quality is pretty much all I hoped it would be, there are a few notes of caution.

I didn�t really get to hear the impact on bass performance. It could be that the v4 carried a bit more weight than the v2 LPS, but then it could be that it was just thudding more - I�m not sure yet. I was listening with some Final electrostatics, and I�ll reserve judgment until I�ve tried some speakers that can, how shall we say ... dig a little deeper?

Linear supplies do have a couple of their own issues � heat and noise. They generate perhaps double the heat for the same output. I think the supplies I found are pretty robust, but there may be an issue with ventilation. I�ve only run the v2 LPS for a few hours at a time, after which the top was warm, but not hot. What it would be like with continuous operation, I�m not sure, and I don�t know if there�s any impact on safety or reliability.

The other issue is noise, and the transformer hums where the SMPS does not. All transformers hum at 50 or 60Hz, and I found this with my modified Sony as well. There are some straightforward measures to deal with that, though they do tend to conflict with the need to dissipate the extra heat.

Those qualifications aside, this has been one of my most successful and worthwhile endeavours ever, and I can�t wait to mod the v4 � sorry � that�s MY 861v4 I�m talking about, not Meridian�s 861v4!

Nick