Don't just use one...

I have had the pleasure of using these Regulators over the past 2-3 years.

I am in the process of upgrading/rebuilding my Naim 72 pre amp.  In the day, Naim's HiCap power supply (psu) was the psu of choice. This gives x2 +24vdc. power rails to supply the 72.

Many moons ago I built an alternative using 1kva transformer giving x2 +24vdc but using adjustable, fully discreet regulators built with hi end components.

When I started on the actual  pre-amp a couple of years ago I kept my self-build psu and used it as a pre-Reg supply. Inside the 72 I installed x2 SPower Regulators to regulate the  power rails directly. This brought a real benefit in lowering the noise floor and making the music errh, more musical.

This was also taken another stage further with component replacement on the pcbs. I have always liked the classic  Naim presentation. With the 'better' components  in place what the preamp did then was show how good the fundamental design was. Julian V. really new his stuff!

Next stage was to rebuild the gain circuits. This allowed the incorporation of another 2 SPowers, and the inclusion of star earthing. 10 lines per channel plus the original track. This really was a revelation! Without any denigration of Julian V's work (he had to make a profit as was good sound), this was truly transformative. Imagine a live show of you favourite music listened to from an ancillary room, close to auditorium. Then you join the audience in your favourite seat. It was amazing. "It's Naim Music Jim, but not as we know it!!"

Then the bubble bursts. My original psu - one regulator died. Aaarrgh!

Response - build a new one. This time with four rails. That meant another four modified SPowers as pre-regs. So now each channel of the gain circuits have their own dedicated power rails. The other two powering the rest of the preamp.

So was it worth all the effort or am I just back to the sound before the old regulator died? Well,  had I known what this would do I would have made the change a long time ago. The specivity of performers, the portrayal of individual acoustics whilst not sounding seperate from the whole, the plainly discernable subtle nuances of vocals and instruments left me amazed. My wife, a music lover and equipment hater, shared my surprised.

So where from here? Well next I have two Uber SPowers to replace the two in the gain circuits. Then I plan to carry the upgrading to the rest of preamp. That should include another six Regulators. The question is standard or uber??

Then if I go all the way, a second external power supply with six more pre-Regulators.

I think I will be busy for a while!

As you can see I am more than a little pleased with what Fidelity's Regulators do. They are great people to deal with, most pleasant and helpful. I would also like to acknowledge Naim/Julian Verecker for the actual original circuit. Lastly a big thank you to  Ced Taylor (Acoustica) and his fellow contributers for starting me on this path.

Niall Macpherson | Portsmouth | January 2021