May I introduce a little rule for anyone who posts in this thread: No comments are requested that PSU do not sound different, its only the bias points changed etc., all the kind of believe-non-believer-stuff: Lets leave it out of this one.
I played around with different rectifiers and caps and have to say: It has a similar magnitude as tube rolling has.
Caps:
- Just used in the above described chain a Nichicon KG cap instead of a Mundorf-Cap: Holografic picture is smeared, tones have a resonance like a micro-echo, fatter, fuller sounding though, but air is missing, something is wrong here.
Rectifiers:
- Byv26: The small, grey pills: Metallic-Sounding, somewhat too airy and agressive with pianos etc
- Ixys Dsep30-12a: Extremly smooth, the opposite of the Byv26, but attack and air is missing a bit, but extremly relaxing sound.
- Hexfred HFA15PB60: Very, very nice: Air and deep 3D- space, very holographic, dynamic but not metallic sound
- Cree C4D02120A SiC-Diode 5A: Between Heyfred and Ixys: Smoother than Hexfred, but as well less attack/dynamic/air.
So, currently I am prefering Hexfred from this bunch. please note that all of them gave me the same HV. Next to check is a hybrid-rectifier with the gz34...
I am currently running a normal P-P El34 UL- amp with diff.pair input 6n6p, so we got about 4*50mA for the El34 at 385V and 4*15ma for the 6n6P at 360ma.
The PSU is one tranny into one rectifier into 30uF Mundorf tubecap (polyprop) into 10H choke into 400uf Mundorf tubecap for the el34. For the driver, addtionally two separate chokes with 30H and 50 uF Tubecap.
I played around with different rectifiers and caps and have to say: It has a similar magnitude as tube rolling has.
Caps:
- Just used in the above described chain a Nichicon KG cap instead of a Mundorf-Cap: Holografic picture is smeared, tones have a resonance like a micro-echo, fatter, fuller sounding though, but air is missing, something is wrong here.
Rectifiers:
- Byv26: The small, grey pills: Metallic-Sounding, somewhat too airy and agressive with pianos etc
- Ixys Dsep30-12a: Extremly smooth, the opposite of the Byv26, but attack and air is missing a bit, but extremly relaxing sound.
- Hexfred HFA15PB60: Very, very nice: Air and deep 3D- space, very holographic, dynamic but not metallic sound
- Cree C4D02120A SiC-Diode 5A: Between Heyfred and Ixys: Smoother than Hexfred, but as well less attack/dynamic/air.
So, currently I am prefering Hexfred from this bunch. please note that all of them gave me the same HV. Next to check is a hybrid-rectifier with the gz34...
I am currently running a normal P-P El34 UL- amp with diff.pair input 6n6p, so we got about 4*50mA for the El34 at 385V and 4*15ma for the 6n6P at 360ma.
The PSU is one tranny into one rectifier into 30uF Mundorf tubecap (polyprop) into 10H choke into 400uf Mundorf tubecap for the el34. For the driver, addtionally two separate chokes with 30H and 50 uF Tubecap.
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Update:
My Gz34-Hybrid outperforms all of the above by a significant margin:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/tubes-valves/300240-hybrid-gz34-fwb-what-changes-specs.html
My Gz34-Hybrid outperforms all of the above by a significant margin:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/tubes-valves/300240-hybrid-gz34-fwb-what-changes-specs.html
Purely your opinion and everyone is entitled to their own opinion however misguided others feel it is.
I am just sharing what I hear. Take it not as absoulte wisdom. Not meant as such in any way, it more meant as insparation for those who never tried it before.
The next two steps will be:
- Taking the Hexfred-Bridge and have a 70 Ohm at its end before filtering happens, simulating the GZ34 with a drop of approx. 20 V and see how far a hexfred can sound like or better than a tube rectifier
- Go Lynn Olson's route and build a full-wave rectifier purely with 6d22s as they seem to be extremly quiet and very powerful...Lynn stated in one of his articles that even the best hexfreds still are introducing a lot of switching noise into the whole amp and that tv damper diodes are the way to go...
The next two steps will be:
- Taking the Hexfred-Bridge and have a 70 Ohm at its end before filtering happens, simulating the GZ34 with a drop of approx. 20 V and see how far a hexfred can sound like or better than a tube rectifier
- Go Lynn Olson's route and build a full-wave rectifier purely with 6d22s as they seem to be extremly quiet and very powerful...Lynn stated in one of his articles that even the best hexfreds still are introducing a lot of switching noise into the whole amp and that tv damper diodes are the way to go...
Like all PSU's the aim is to get the required voltage with the minimum amount of residual noise from the PSU itself and also any extra noise from mains born interference etc... By design a power supply should provide a clean voltage and have NO effect on the circuitry it is powering be it an audio amp (pre or power) a digital circuit or a sensitive piece of instrumentation... So a well engineered PSU will have no effect on the sound and if it does then I would suggest there is a problem...
The power delivery system is critical to the operation of any electronic circuit, the heart in fact, so needs to be engineered accordingly...
The power delivery system is critical to the operation of any electronic circuit, the heart in fact, so needs to be engineered accordingly...
Don't worry, most of us will give it the attention it deserves.Blitz said:
Careful wiring can reduce the amount of switching noise getting into the audio circuit. PSU droop with signal may be heard, especially if the amp lacks sufficient feedback; some people prefer this as they believe the resultant gain modulation gives increased dynamics (it does, but they are false dynamics). Perhaps the worst combination for droop would be a vacuum rectifier feeding a Class AB PP amplifier with little or no feedback.
By definition *ANY* post in a Public Forum is not only expected but encouraged to receive opinions from other Members, it´s the backbone of any Forum.
What else does any Forum contain but written opinion?
So a silly rule stating "I will not tolerate anything against my beliefs" , irrespective of whether they are right or wrong, is, at least, silly ... if not disrespectful.
But let´s not escalate things and take it just as silly, which is a benign manifestation.
Notice I wrote not a word about diodes, caps or brands ... what for?
Waste of time.
What else does any Forum contain but written opinion?
So a silly rule stating "I will not tolerate anything against my beliefs" , irrespective of whether they are right or wrong, is, at least, silly ... if not disrespectful.
But let´s not escalate things and take it just as silly, which is a benign manifestation.
Notice I wrote not a word about diodes, caps or brands ... what for?
Waste of time.
Rules like this are a sure-fire way to attract the three trolls 😛
Only one rectifying device seems to work for me: the mercury rectifier. The higher the current rating, the better. Currently enjoying a 2.5A continuous, 30A peak mercury/argon rectifiers and for the first time i have no complains and excuses about the bass. Dynamics, timbre, voice articulation are all amazing. The huge metglass input choke certainly helps, but without these rectifiers the result is still mediocre.
PSU is: time constant, overload transient current, resonance frequency, and so. After calculation if you remplace some part (capacitors, self, diode or transformer) it is not the same PSU and may be you can heard something.
Since the only personal preference mentioned was a more modern up to date component (as opposed to the more general engineering based responses) here is an instruction manual to help you on your way...😛 This is for Mr SA above😀
http://www.r-type.org/pdfs/tungar.pdf
There may have been more modern components developed in the last 100 years or so...😱 But it is an interesting read.
http://www.r-type.org/pdfs/tungar.pdf
There may have been more modern components developed in the last 100 years or so...😱 But it is an interesting read.
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