The best I have been able to determine so far is based on a block description of the older SB2, which suggests a downstream common bus. Certainly not the optimal situation. The one pix I have seen of the output stage doesn't seem to indicate the level of PS capacitance that I would normally associate with a robust design.
The argument that the stock PS design is sufficient for overall performance may not bear up if the supply reaching the output stage is that lean. In that sense, I tend to agree with you that an improved supply source may not help as much as it could, unless a more direct bus to the output stage exists. But it may help in the more limited sense that a linear outboard supply with large filter capacitance relieves some of the load that the local supply block could be otherwise coping with. While I don't know what op-amps are used (and I can only presume op-amps are used), I would be interested to know that as well. That is a great area for mods with very high value returns, as those with better grade Marantz players have learned. I know folks like to fixate on the DAC portion of any digital appliance as a bellweather for performance. But front ends are relatively inexpensive to specify and manufacture. This unit sports decent silicon on the DAC side (not great, but good). But it may be the case, like with so many other examples, that the output stage is the true Achilles heel of this instrument. That is always what separates the $300 instrument from the $3,000 one. I don't intend to highly modify a $300 box (it becomes academic in my case, as I will be partnering mine to a higher end DAC). But I'm guessing that a few dollars spent on the back end might bring the biggest overall improvements for someone on a budget. -- sgmlaw ------------------------------------------------------------------------ sgmlaw's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=13995 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=40852 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
