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.
