Simplest Linear PSU?

Thanks. Teradak looks interesting. I’ve found that, being able to upgrade every component around a transformer can yield better results than a great transformer with a lot of junk around it.

I read the audiobacon article a while back, but almost every brand he mentioned had stopped producing during covid. Maybe those brands are back in action.

@pwayland  yeah, I'm checking out Andy's PSU kit!

@itsjustme Well to be clear - simple is not always better no, but SMD packages and their industrial solder joints wreck havoc on audio information. (As well as their non-audio grade THT versions). And not amplitude measurements, but sonic information. So while you can solve some problems with more complex circuits, you have to be mindful of the materials being used.

My theory of why most audiophiles prefer simple circuits, whether they know it or not, actually comes down to the physical quality of the components available in discreet, THT layouts, especially when you are shopping ones designed for audio. In short, a circuit is like the schematic for a deep space telescope - the angles of the mirrors, magnifications, and other math has to be right to transport the light from one end to the other and be mechanically stable, but the real quality of the information retrieved will be determined by the physical materials of the mirrors and glass. Just ask Leica. Once I understood that sound and light work the same way, in this regard, it totally opened my mind to building better audio systems. Just my experience!

@charles1dad The best thing you can do is upgrade as many components as you can on your SMPS to audio-grade, and you will be blown away with the results of even just a few. Which really means, how bad they are to begin with.

@itsjustme That is right - complex things like R2R require SMD and because of that, they can sound pretty bad even if they improve some aspects things. I compared the Mola Mola Tambaqui ($13k) over a $2k AKM-based DAC I modded with as many high end discreet components and the Mola Mola objectively couldn't portray most instruments fully - a ton of information was simply missing, and exhibited the typical SMD "sound" to me which is a false sense of bass on every sound and brittle highs that appear as dynamics but are missing the musical information. The components eat away at transparency, period. They are simply not designed for audio - they are designed to be mass produced cheaply and fulfill non-audio engineer criteria. Nothing like that belongs in audio gear, IMO. Not even a chassis.

Anyway, yes it all depends on what discreet components you choose, only a couple people are manufacturing top end ones. On the other hand, sometimes its unavoidable like you said. I love Weiss op-amps, they do have SMD but they are the best sounding option that I know of when op-amps are needed.

I'm very open minded with audio, thats how I spent years modding and arriving at this conclusion. But I will try anything once.

@mijostyn Its for a recording studio not audiophile den, so its unavoidable with certain creative tools. 

@charles1dad Eventually as a consumer it becomes subjective, like shopping for tubes or negative feedback. Many LPS that are designed for audio by well meaning people still use filtration or regulation, and to some, that can feel like the life gets kinda sucked out of their music. Ive used some popular ones talked about here and IMO they use pretty bad components (wiring, recepticals, fuses etc which can always be upgraded) that are really "thin" or "edgy" and sound unnatural to me, but some people think they are dynamic and full of bass. Etc.

Thats why for me, I want to start with a really super basic LPS and build it around my favorite sounding components. Or I guess I should build one totally from scratch but I'm not super knowledgable about transformers to my satisfaction yet.

Yes, and there are no serious audio-grade SMD components, so as people miniaturize or design complex circuits, audio quality will suffer with these and there is no way out. Thats my only point I was making.

@itsjustme "This means he wants his transistors to have three long legs rather than three short tabs. Period. End"

That’s quite some black and white thinking.

What I said implies a lot of things so let me clarify :

1. I don’t like the sound of SMD components, so seek to reduce as many as possible.

2. Therefore, SMPS are definitely out. Hence the title - LPS desired.

3. Many LPS still have extra circuitry and pack in a ton of SMD components. If they were at least through-hole, I could upgrade to audio grade (Audionote, discreet regulators, etc).

4. KISS concept is the goal, and I intentionally left more details about my application out to research recommendations from people. Thanks for all the recommendations.