Upcoming Technics SP-10R (100th Anniversary Model)

@audiofun, I too share your concern about SMPS in audio. I have sent my 1200G to time-step audio to get their linear PSU fitted.

Regarding the Berning PSU, I have had few conversations with Berning about it since I have been considering his amp too. My only reservation was the HF noise related to the SMPS he uses. As a gentleman, he clearly said that all PSUs have their compromises. Where SMPS has HF noise, a linear PSU is a lot heavier to build and also needs to be isolated from the rest of the amplification circuitry to prevent interference and thats why needs to be in a separate box for the best implementation. He has done that all and doesn't feel it is worth the effort. But he does say that SMPS has that HF hash which may be minimised but still there. His earlier ZOTL designs had a transformer at the output which filters out all the noise upto 250khz. Now he uses a transformer which filters out noise upto 500khz. So this noise issue it real and there. It may not bother everyone as not everyone is equally sensitive to HF noise. With an SMPS based equipment the location also matters a lot because SMPS is supposedly very sensitive to RFI/EMI. RFI and EMI also contributes to the electronic hash in the sound. All said and done I am not yet convinced that SMPS is a musical compromise :-).

BTW, I did guess that SP-10r would be priced within $10k (for the motor only as there was no mention of the plinth at that time) :-D

lewm:

I have ALWAYS been obssessed with power supply quality. It is after all what you are listening to arguably moreso than anything else. You are listening to a modulated rectified signal from the wall and SMPS spew a TON of garbage RF all over the place which will readily couple to capacitances all throughout your circuit/system.

The following should help the curious to understand. A little lite reading :)

https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/217212/how-can-i-observe-rectifier-switching-noise

I especially like how the responder to the posters questions refers to switching noise as "the devil’s harmonica" :) LOL

audiofun, We are talking about turntables.  I realize the "to do or not to do" of PSs for amplifiers and preamplifiers is a different kettle of fish, because the music signal is imposed upon the DC produced by the PS.  In the case of a turntable, what matters is that the PS (of any kind) is delivering well regulated voltage and current to meet the demands of the turntable motor and of any motor control circuitry.  Music does not ride on the output of a tt supply. Where one is not concerned with an audio signal, the filtering can be as intensive as needed to keep out HF noise.  You or someone else mentioned the fear that SMPS puts noise back on to the AC line; all turntable motors are also capable of doing this, and turntables should be run from an isolated AC source, ideally.  I think a large fraction of the benefit derived from external motor controllers is related to isolating the tt motor.  (You mentioned putting a scope on an SMPS supply; did you do that?  Did you see hash on the AC line as a result?  Did you try the same experiment with a linear supply running a tt motor?) Anyway, I would not be concerned about a well designed SMPS for a turntable.  You feel differently. That's OK, too.

David Berning is one of the most modest, unassuming persons I have ever met. Which I think is why he made the comments Chris quoted, in response to questions about HIS SMPS.  In reality, he is an innovative genius, in my opinion.  I have had a pair of ZOtls in my system, running my pair of Sound Lab 845PXs.  While I did not think they were quite up to the level of my Atma-sphere monoblocks, I certainly did not perceive the slightest problem with HF noise, or any noise for that matter.  (This proves nothing, I admit.)