Is there any specific/sonic reasons why gainclone designs generally uses very simple, unregulated PSU ?
What if I use voltage regulator such as LM338T? What kind of sonic quality/degradation would one expect ? This kind of regulator is not expensive.
Or is it because most of the design pursue "minimalist" philosophy ?
What if I use voltage regulator such as LM338T? What kind of sonic quality/degradation would one expect ? This kind of regulator is not expensive.
Or is it because most of the design pursue "minimalist" philosophy ?
angchuck said:
Well, the correspondent is a newly registered member so deserves a bit of help.
The PSRR of the LM3886 and 3875 are pretty darned good to begin with so regulating the supply burns watts which otherwise could be turned into music.
That being said, you should try regulating one and see how it sounds to your ears. It is not expensive in the least to build a really decent regulator with an LM317, current bearing transistor and a zener diode.
Take a look at National Semiconductor Application Note LB-47 for some guidelines.
You have to remember that I wrote those comments 'at the time'. I hadn't heard the discrete regulated version then. But perhaps I should have said (above) that I wasn't that impressed with the LM338 regulated GC compared to the discrete version.
If I can find some time over the holidays, I will try and write an up-to date section on the Gainclones. For now, I will say that I find the best GCs are those using the SMPS or the discrete regulators.
And if you don't know already, there is another option for a regulated GC as described here . I haven't tried it myself so can't comment.
If I can find some time over the holidays, I will try and write an up-to date section on the Gainclones. For now, I will say that I find the best GCs are those using the SMPS or the discrete regulators.
And if you don't know already, there is another option for a regulated GC as described here . I haven't tried it myself so can't comment.
Regulation is not recommended since a regulator is, in fact, a voltage amplifier and it needs to change it's output at least as fast as the LM3875/86 does. Most regulators don't do and create a phase shift between output voltage and current (parasitic inductance) that is worse than simple 100Hz ripple since it's releated to the output signal.
Unregulated snubbered psu gives the best results.
Unregulated snubbered psu gives the best results.
As I have said countless times before - you really have to try these things for yourself as all our opinions (and tastes, and systems) differ.
Having built a GC, it isn't a lot more work to build a regulated supply, and the Pedja Rogic discrete regulator sounds best to me (and I am a great fan of K.I.S.S.)! Even with my efficient speakers, I can hear an improvement over the non-regulated PSU.
Having built a GC, it isn't a lot more work to build a regulated supply, and the Pedja Rogic discrete regulator sounds best to me (and I am a great fan of K.I.S.S.)! Even with my efficient speakers, I can hear an improvement over the non-regulated PSU.
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