The 225VA transformer has been terminated with a suitable mains lead and power in plug for the Cambridge. It”s been plugged in and blown a one and a two amp fuse with its switch on surge so it’s running with a 3amp fuse.
This by the way is not the way to do something for long-term use. This is just as a quick test to see if it’s worth experimenting further and if the results are good the tranny will be mounted in a decent case suitably fused. This is not the type of experiment I suggest for anyone outside of a lab. The mains is dangerous.
The listening results today are different to those at Malcolm’s last evening. There it was pretty conclusive that the new supply confused the balance and lost some integration. It wasn’t bad at all, just not quite as well balanced as the original supply. Shows that Cambridge put some time and effort into the whole package.
Today and in my system the results aren’t quite so clear cut. There are elements of the same as last night but at the same time the system with the experimental tranny has more drive, is a bit more dramatic on the dynamics front and makes my foot tap more.
It’s really very track dependant: a couple of Paul Simon tracks definitely favoured the larger supply, a Springsteen just showed off the slight forwardness the supply delivered and sounded harsh. Another Springsteen – I’m on Fire – worked.
Would I recommend trying a supply if it were available on some try before buy deal – yes – but only if it were a no strings try before buy deal. I’m sure that with the, very justified, success of the Cambridge DacMagic there will quite a few companies offering upgrade power supplies.
Finally it might be worth noting that the cost of the transformer delivered was around £35 so it might easily be a £100++ power supply if sold online and all neatly packaged. Quite a investment for a budget DAC even if it’s a great budget DAC.