I just got done auditioning the Teddy 12/4 for my Media Core 200. Thanks to Crion for doing the leg work on this. The power supply arrived within 10 days to the US and was well boxed. The power supply is well constructed with solid case work and a quality DC cable. No AC cable is included. One note for those who will be auditioning it is the power supply runs pretty warm. I would not position it where it could not get good ventilation.

My setup is a Media Core 200 which feeds the ID41 card of my 818. The 818 is connected to my 861v6 via speakerlink. I have the 818 because it is the highest performing Sooloos end point. The connection to the 861 is because I do all my music listening in 7.1 Trifield.

Before my thoughts on the Teddy 12/4 I do want to say that I consider my current system performance the absolute pinnacle of what I have achieved in my house in over 40 years in this hobby. The 818/ID41 is intensely musical and has been the catalyst. I wrote more extensively on my experiences with the 818/ID 41 before so I won�t go into great detail. I will say the passage of time has increased my appreciation of what it does.

So what happened with the Teddy 12/4 inserted as the power supply for the Media Core 200? In my setup the sonic quality went down. I could not find an area of musical performance that I considered better than the power supply the Media Core 200 comes with. Particularly noticeable was a reduction of the sense of space the recording was done in and the layering of where the performers and or instruments were. The Teddy 12/4 is warmer sounding in general than the power supply the Media Core 200 comes with but that is not something my system needs. I felt the Teddy 12/4 did have somewhat more weight in the bass but it was not as tight and tuneful as the bass I had with the included Media Core 200 power supply.

I do need to point out that although these differences might sound big they are not in the context of what I consider big. The difference between the two power supplies is not that much sonically. Depending on what your system likes you might prefer the Teddy 12/4. In my setup the Teddy 12/4 made me want to stop listening and do something else.

I must say I am surprised by this conclusion but you have to call them the way you see them. The end result of what you hear is made up of a lot of variables before it. This experience gives me more appreciation that the power supply with the Media Core 200 is not just a bean counter special to save a buck but the supply that makes the Media Core 200 sound the best. For me, I will wait for Meridian to come out with linear power supplies for the 861 rather than chance it. You just never know how these kinds of tweaks will turn out until you try them. I am really glad I did this for my own edification. Thanks to Teddy Pardo for their 14 day return policy that made this test possible.

Last edited by Mwiebelhaus; 2012-09-24 13:43.
mw