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drdna wrote:

This is sort of a sideways answer to this question, but having used power supplies with vacuum and soild state rectification, I also played with Allen Wright's SuperReg circuit and I really liked the way it sounded. A more stable and grainless feeling to the music.  So when you are looking at the power supplies, consider this topology as a possibility.

Yes, thanks I will consider this and many other options. Mostly likely I will make the amp itself, mountable inside the Macondo and the PS will be separate. I think to do it as I usually do (picture above) and then eventually to bring in home different ready to go supplied of 175V (tube, SS regulated etc) I do not see myself building them…. because it is too boring. It is interesting to listen them and to here what all those topologies and implementations do - not to build them.

Interesting that you mentioned regulation…. For low voltage SS devises it is given. The regular cheap 3-pin regulators are garbage and a long time ago I discovered that replacing them with better discreet regulators was a very serious step forward. However, I never understood regulation for tube plates.  5-6 years ago I was harassing everyone asking expanding me why it should mater as any plate regulator I head did some improvement and at the same time affected sound negatively in some ways (dynamics for off all). Eventually in 2002 I asks a guy to design for me a regulator with specific SONIC requirements, He did and I built it eventually. It used ultra fast 7788 pentode as amplifier and 6C19P as a regulator. It was driven by LCRC filter and it was kind of good… Here is the picture of what is left form it as now:

The purpose of that regulator was to investigate how voltage regulation of pentode’s screen affects sound in a first stage of phonocorrector. Also I drove the plates by the regulators to see what happen. With the screen result were extremely positive (where do you think the idea of the Melquiades input stage came from?). However, I would not say the same about the plates. Regulation of plates had very-very-very minor effect in “smoothing” LF but always slightly restricted dynamics. I have to tell that that regulator of mine was modified in all imaginable ways (at least 20 times) in order to be transparent on plate. Even in it’s the most dynamic-transparent state I asked myself why do I need this regulator? Eventually I decided that I do not need regulation of plate as I never understood what would be wrong if the anode voltage will fluctuate a little. I think the voltmeter voltage over a few hours is less important them minor lost of dynamics…

Well, sure it might very arrogant and perhabs stupid to make conclusion about the plate regulation judging only in context of one circuit and one regulator. However, I do have other regulators and I did try regulating the Melquiades plate, those I used off the shelf tube regulators. I do not know about the Allen Wright regulators and perhabs about many other good regulators and off the shelf power supplies. I do not mind to tried them when everything will be ready and when to try then will be literally to switch two cable form one supplely to other (like the Border Patrol PS). What I would like to avoid is to make alternative supplies myself, spending time analyzing all those mercury rectifiers, TV damping diodes, regulations methods and the rest DIY crap….

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