Since the R3 Technology LPS that I fitted to the 861v2 was a bit noisy, I decide to replace it with something different, and get some more experience with other options.

I bought a big, old Condor HDBB-105 supply off E-bay for a few bucks, and it arrived this week. It looks like a supply for a 20th century power amp rather than a 21st century processor, with a huge transformer and smoothing caps and thick wires, but it works beautifully. It�s virtually silent, the voltages are spot-on, and unlike smaller supplies, every output is remote-sensed, protected and adjustable.

That might be rather useful. People keep reporting SMPS problems, which may simply be due to the processor needing 5.2V rather than 5.0V � the most common output voltage. When I was measuring internal DC loads, the simple act of placing an ammeter in series with the 5V could be enough to stop the 861 starting-up, which was confusing at first. Sometimes it would, sometimes it wouldn�t, so there�s clearly not much margin. Being able to adjust the 5.0V output up to 5.2V is probably desirable. It�s a common option, but some of the small supplies like the FG NMC 305 aren�t adjustable.

The HDBB case is huge, and nearly fills even the 861 � the filter board has to go back on the side panel, as there�s no room on the base. It may seem overkill, but that didn�t do Naim any harm, and these mods can be done for a few pounds � not thousands (which is what I think they�re worth).

Nick