Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems The new Clean Debate about Clean power supplies

Took a look on farnell; these linears look interesting. I've not checked them in any detail. And I'm not recommending them. In particular, especially for twin supplies (but not only twins), care might need to be taken in power up sequencing. You'd want low impedance (and bloody thick) connections within the supply to bolt the grounds together too. I'd find out what the +/-12v are actually used for before spending money on a better supply. Personally, I'm not risking my unit at all - I'm sticking with stock. If the supplies come up in the wrong order (or with too much gap between) chips can fry very easily - I've seen it many times.

order code 183908, �134
http://uk.farnell.com/jsp/endecaSearch/partDetail.jsp?SKU=183908&N=401
http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/21071.pdf
+/- 12v, 3.4A
Voltage, output ripple and noise pk-pk:1mV (load conditions not specified!)
Weight:3kg
remote sense lead (so you can compensate for voltage drop across supply wires)

order code 183805, �96
http://uk.farnell.com/jsp/endecaSearch/partDetail.jsp?SKU=183805&N=401
same data sheet
5V, 9A
Voltage, output ripple and noise pk-pk:1mV
Weight:3.4kg

You'd obviously need both. There could well be something better there, but the searching is a pain - I couldn't find any multiple output linears.

Some of the specs weren't there, so I had to do more research. Obviously those bloody incompetent scientists and engineers didn't include the necessary units in SI, so I had to add those as well. Sometimes I wonder how they manage to design anything!

Bass: Tight and clean (3x10^8 Kesslers)
Soundstage: Wide (8.314 Blondlots)
Imaging: Pinpoint (7.297x10^-3 Messengers)
Niceness: Warm and cosy (3.14159 Hiragas)
Subtletly, scale, timing and rhythm were all below measurable limits.

Obviously to measure these with any precision I had to put an intelligent chip on top of my scope (which was also powered through a silver plated bus bar direct to the generator). Probes used were unidirectional cryo treated oxygen free copper. The input stages of the scope were valve based. Test equipment nirvana!

Regards,

Mark.

PS: In the present climate I should probably explain that 99.9999% of the above is meant to be taken with a wry smile. Any technical information that leaked in is purely coincidental.

Excellent!

I wonder if the 12 volts is used for rom drives? Maybe M uses the same supply in most of there products including the DVD/CD players. I'll know more when I get my 568.2 open and take some measurements.

Ron

Whenever I try to assess these tweaks I always try to set up parallel systems so that I can switch live between them and hear the changes - that way I don't have to rely on subjective short term memory. This is more difficult depending on what is being tested and the cost of duplicating kit but it gives me much more confidence in the results.

Mark

I wasn't suggesting that MRC plots could evaluate mods in general. I'm just suggesting they could be tool if a mod claims a change in bass charactistics. I think MRC plots should be reasonable signature of something changing in the bass. I've seen significant changes in MRC plots I could not hear. But if I could hear a change in bass the plots were hugely different.

That is, MRC plots are pretty sensitive to changes in bass. They show how smooth your bass is and the decay. A change in bass is actually where I would least expect a power supply change to effect. I would expect (if anything) it would be high frequency stuff that is effected.

I'm amazed at how everyone gets upset with modification claims. My philosophy is if it sounds better to my ears, I could care less what someone else thinks. Try it and make your own decision. What your ears hear can't always be measured and if it can you would need a special test setup and very sensitive equipment to measure it. The other thing is we all don't have access to such test equipment. I do for some of it but I don't make all my judgements on measurements with these tweaks. I don't make my final decision until experimenting by listening a lot. Some times I spend a month making sure the change is positive. Then I decide if it took a month to decide is it worth it? Hahahaha!

Ron

Just a different spin on this that occurs to me...

It's all about what it all means to us as individuals, and maybe our partners too, if we are lucky.

In the world of "smaller is better" and "ipods are my hi-fi", I have lost count of the numbers of astonished looks that we get when friends/visitors etc first meet the sight of a big set of DSP's. Some folk are just surprised and some clearly think it's madness to have two darth vaders in your living room.

It becomes pointless trying to explain why you have them (and we have foolishly tried). Some folks get to hear them. Half of these folk might even register that they sound quite nice. Others have no idea how to even listen and therefore will never get it.

It doesn't end with DSP Speakers either. "You paid how much for that DVD player !!!"

Point is...it doesn't matter.

We have them and think they are the best thing since sliced bread. Same applies to mods we might make too.

So, whilst we might might see the occassional argument about the finer points of cable selection, PSU or conditioner, we mustn't forget that we all are actually in such a minority of the population that even gives a hoot about any of this.

It's Friday evening...it's been a long week...
...enjoy your hifi's this weekend folks.

Nick, Ron,

They're both great posts. And I think a discussion on why we get so emotional over parts of our systems is worthy of a good thread of it's own. I've suprised myself at how passionate (and I'm prepared to admit to zealous) I've been over it.

I think the fact is that anyone who's prepared to spend the amount of money we do on hifi (and no matter what piece we have - it's a lot more than most will spend), then they're going to have an emotional attachment.

Fact is that as much as we split into partisan camps over aspects, we'd all join together to support a cause of music appreciation. It looks that way with football supporters too around world cup time (don't get it myself). I'd like to think that the arguments we have are good natured, and we take the mick the same way that the Scots like to do out of us south of the border. (Although obviously in that case we really do hate each other :-)

Have a great weekend! The weather's too nice at the moment (in the UK at least) to be angry at anyone.

Cheers,

Mark.

Nick, I like your post, who are we to say "your crazy" for trying to make it even 0.000001% better. We are already in the 0.00001% domain. Since I think I can only hear in the 0.01% domain at best, I like to use tools to tell me that something better is going in even though I can't hear it :-)

And when I buy a product, I like the makers to have used the tools to show me that it could get better even though I probably can't hear it?

Cliff

Ronald, Nicholas and Markington

Rt Hon Sirs, your comments bring forth a reassuringly civilised end to this frightful past week. The ladies have fainted, horses were frightened, and indeed, even my own monocle popped out in surprise.

I shall now away to the country to take the airs and recover from this shocking episode. A few brace of game on the moors ought to restore the humours.

Now, where are those confounded servants...

Yours

Sir Curmudgeonton Meridian II
Earl of Crustiness
Perthshire

Splendid