Mac Mini Power Supply

I received my MM LPSU (Mac Mini linear power supply) from Ryan (Mintzar) this week. Color me from Kansas on this - I was highly skeptical about what, if any, incremental improvements this LPSU would yield in my system.

To recap my baseline, I use a PurePower 2000 to feed power to my Metric Halo LIO-8 DAC. The stock MM SMSP is plugged into an isolation transformer which in turn is plugged into the PP2000. My amps are powered by an Elgar conditioner on a dedicated 20 amp line. Pretty decent degree of isolation.

The improvement Ryan's LPSU made was immediate and obvious in the first few seconds - a significant reduction in glare/bite most noticeable on leading edge transients and the upper range of female vocalists, an increase in across the board resolution and greater tonal density (i.e. instruments and vocalists were more fully fleshed out).

By chance, a friend stop by yesterday for a visit who had heard my system a couple months back. The only change is the MM LPSU. He immediately picked up on the improvements as well on a Loreena McKennitt track with which he is very familiar.

Aside from my satisfaction with the LPSU, his customer service has been exemplary. From a disclosure standpoint I have no personal or financial ties to Ryan.

Bottom line, having now heard the improvements I could never go back to the stock SMPS - it sounds bright, edgy and unnatural in comparison. As a next step I've ordered a LPSU from Ryan for my LIO-8 - I'm skeptical about that as well... I'm also going to audition a Mo-Jo power cable based on Ryan's recommendation.

Over on Audiocircle.com, people are claiming that a stock 2010 Mini sounds better than a 2009 Mini with linear PSU.

Thanks for the kind words, Earflappin. It's truly wonderful to hear that you had such great results. And that I'm not hearing things!

Just an FYI, I haven't sold any PSUs to anyone on acircle. So if they are comparing linear PSUs to a stock SMPS they aren't comparing mine. The Boulder and PH Design PSU use good regulation, but inferior parts and filtration everywhere else compared to my supply.

That isn't to say the new SMPS in the 2010 Mini is bad or that their claims are untrue. I'm just trying to be fair in what is being compared. An HP bench supply may be a linear supply, but it's highly unlikely that a bench supply will sound better than the stock SMPS. Bench supplies are designed for adjustability and testing, not for audio purposes or clean power.

Why spend $400.on a linear PSU, when you can have better sound,lower power consumption and less boxes and cables by upgrading to a new Mini.

The new Mac Mini has a new video chip that's better. So if video is your thing you will get some benefit by going to the new mini for video.

I've read that there's virtually no audible difference between the 2010 Mini and the 2009 Mini, both with stock parts.

I can think of no reason that putting the supply internally in the Mini would make it better. If anything, you would have more power supply noise leaking into the motherboard. The supply would be smaller, have less filtration, and more issues from switching noise.

Kana, I'd love to hear more about the comparisons that were done and what supplies that were compared. It's difficult to give your statements foundation without a little concrete to back them up. If the new Mini really IS better
It'd be great to know why.