Scottish Mafia get together last weekend...

[jammy395]

Ok..I will probably come across as a bit of a dick/controvertial here.....But.
I have followed this thread from some Glasgow get together / to the pros & con's of ballanced super duper main cables...etc etc etc.....If i could find a YAWN smilie i would use it.
To the alledgedly superior SQ of regenerators.......Hard wiring / Safety........Was going to call the HSE........But DIY negates somewhat....
Guys - what is the finding of the original post.........????


Please dont all rush at once.....

[Gazjam]

Nowt really to report so far, my balanced transformer is being delivered tomorrow.
Need to knock up a hardwired mains block then get together with the mate to compare with his AG500.

Over on AOS someone compared both and said the balanced mains was better, but didn't work with his Krell power amp.

Heard both in my own system, but not at the same time.
Balanced mains is better I thought - an all round improvement (bigtime), the mains Regen was more subtle.

Having both in place might be the ideal?
Regen keeps mains at 230V, balanced mains cleans it up.
Suppose the improvement depends on how crap your mains are in the first place, mines were "very".


Will know better when I can get the wiring sorted.

[jammy395]

Cheers for that Gaz..........

Move to Portknockie.....Loverly mains - made from water.....

[Gazjam]

Know that area.
The Mrs came from Buckie and grew up in Portsoy.
Her Grandad and later her dad ran a Pharmacy up there.

The doric accent comes out a bit more when she's drinking

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

Today, 15:10

Gazjam
Senior Member

Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Motherwell Glasgow
Posts: 2,269

I'm Gary.

Naa, wouldn't have thought so either tbh.
The AG500 had plenty of capacity left over after the usual bits of kit are plugged into it?

**********************************************************************************************

Sorry Gaz but I think you are wrong. I can virtually guarantee to you that the AG1500 sound better than the AG500. It is all to do with lowering source impedance and the bigger the VA the lower that is. Power Inspired used to make a 3000va for recording studios, I bet that was even better, but the transformers were so large the mechanical noise from them was unacceptable.

With my amps a 100va transformer for the 50w circuit is more then enough technically, but put a bigger transformer on with no other changes and the music is better, same reasoning.

[Gazjam]

I've read that impedance is a function of KVA rating Richard, but I'm unfamiliar with the Power Inspired Units and their internal gubbins, apart from having seen and heard Brian's AG500.
We're not putting them together as a "whats best" kind of thing, but hoping they will compliment each other as they seem to do different (but complimentary?) improvements to the mains.
Some folk have spoke of transformer hum with the BPS'...possibly down to DC on the line or (as I'm finding out) size of transformer...
Pay yer money take yer choice, bigger trannie, better impedance more chance of hum.
Like most stuff in hifi I guess, choose your compromise.
I asked a question over on the Power Inspired AOS thread, some of you guys have experiece with these BPS', so will ask here too.

"Was thinking about possible transformer hum, quite picky about noise in the listening room.
Installing my BPS in the next room, through the wall, via a drilled hole through to mains distribution block to sit behind the hifi rack.

Thinking about it actually and whilst the image is fresh in my head, I have a 2nd system in that same room.
Can I have TWO cables connected to the output terminals of the BPS, one through the wall for the mains system and a 2nd in the same room for the second system?
2KVA transformer, so should be plenty of reserve to do this?
2nd system only has server, Flat TV, Virgin box and T-Amp and both systems wont be on at the same time.

Also,
As my Servers have non linear PSU's (best quality BUT still "standard" PC power supply's), am I best NOT wiring the server into the Balanced mains in case it injects switching noise back into the mains?

*My PSU's were picked as they measure extremely well for DC ripple etc.
Very quiet electrically.
Still...I wonder if I should keep it seperate from Dac and Amp...bit it IS my digital source, so you'd want to maximise the benefit for that??

thanks.

[Gazjam]

*MOVED TO A NEW THREAD - GAZ*

On an unrelated note...
Brian and I had a bit of a DAC-off today, my M2Tech Young (with Linear PSU) and the new Mytek 192 DSD dac.

The Young played music, the Mytek was hifi.

Most telling comment was that Brian said he couldn't describe the sound of the Young, as all he was hearing was a band playing...sounded real.
With the Mytek he instantly went into hifi mode and thought of the bass quality, midband etc.

Interesting day, there was meant to be another who was bringing his Weiss 202 and a Cambridge Audio Dacmagic Plus.
He thought he preferred the Dacmagic to the Weiss in a lot of ways, wanted to sanity check it.

Shame he couldnt have made it, would have had a bunch of top quality Dacs to compare.
Ah well, happy with my Young.

[Sovereign]

I had the Young and PSU in the past, very good indeed!

[jammy395]

What ya using now James......

[Clive]

Today, 15:10

Gazjam
Senior Member

Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Motherwell Glasgow
Posts: 2,269

I'm Gary.

Naa, wouldn't have thought so either tbh.
The AG500 had plenty of capacity left over after the usual bits of kit are plugged into it?

**********************************************************************************************

Sorry Gaz but I think you are wrong. I can virtually guarantee to you that the AG1500 sound better than the AG500. It is all to do with lowering source impedance and the bigger the VA the lower that is. Power Inspired used to make a 3000va for recording studios, I bet that was even better, but the transformers were so large the mechanical noise from them was unacceptable.

With my amps a 100va transformer for the 50w circuit is more then enough technically, but put a bigger transformer on with no other changes and the music is better, same reasoning.

I'm not sure about the impedance being lower on the bigger VA unit. For sure this is true with TXs. I don't know how PowerInspired produce their 230V though I expect it's with an oscillator and a power amp. Will a 500W power amp have a much better output impedance than a 1500W amp? Will distortion be lower if using 300W on a 500W amp vs 300W on a 1500W amp? Are these the right questions?