Bhk preamp with separate power supply?

Undoubtedly, bhk overall has already set up a v high standard at the high end audio market .
I have an idea about the bhk preamp , why not considering to make it a 2 chassis , a separate power supply unit rather then one piece :heart_eyes:

Great idea, but it is bad enough living with separates. Too many boxes will make it even harder. How about enhancing power stage isolation? Or may be develop a new generation of power regenerator systems that produce DC, then manufacture all gear with an option to unplug the mains AC and connect to power plant DC? This was tried before by Naim, but they tied it up to proprietary cables for both power and interconnects, which is, in my opinion, a turn off! Consumers like open systems when it comes to connectivity.

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It’s also a matter of balancing cost and performance. If the chassis of a power supply is finished to the same level of fit n finish as the main unit, it adds considerably to the cost of the product. A designer has to ask if the cost/performance ratio warrants going that route. Also, as Serhan mentions, going with a dual chassis limits the number of buyers for all the reasons mentioned. No economy of scale in manufacturing small numbers. Most of us have to incorporate our systems into living areas with more than one use and there’s only so much room for components.

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PS Audio is specialized in power regenerators that are acclaimed to increase sound quality by a lot if you plug the mains of the BHK into one of those.

I like that concept much better than taking the power supply out and increase the price for everybody because they are enforced to buy a separate power supply.

If you want that, check out the Esoteric site

Also Gold Note offers what you ask for, more affordable than Esoteric.

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I believe that is the direction chosen for the upcoming (eventually coming) super dac.

Yes, that is very true. I was quite astonished at amount of improvement the Stellar P3 regenerator added to the BHK preamp’s performance. Much more improvement was apparent in the BHK preamp’s performance after adding the regenerator than was the case for my Luxman D-08u or RCM Sensor phono stage.

The 2 box idea is not so great when it comes to preamps. Having long leads on the output side increase the output impedance and has a degrading effect on the performance. More is not always better.!

For every rule? Mine sounds pretty great and I’ve owned a lot of preamps.

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uuhhhh. Mine has three chassis! Sounds pretty good even with the design mistake though.

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Ron, you bought the XP-32? Jealous! Edit: Looks like it’s predecessor the XP-30, still!

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Nope. Still have my XP-30 and I love it.

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On my short list…!

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Do not know how it sounds, but surely is a beautiful set.

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Other manufacturers do the same like Sonic Frontiers. Doesn’t change the fact of the physics. Keeping lead lengths short is way better in the long run. Not to mention another connector in the chain in a very sensitive point of the circuit!

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I’m convinced. I’m selling it!

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How much? :laughing:

Millions

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It’s always tempting to think just building the PSU in a separate chassis, the basic circuit being the same, guarantees an improvement in SQ proportional to the extra expense.

Not my experience. Same logic could be applied to phono stages, yet my current SS reference phono stage in my system, a Rega Aura, is a one-box affair. Absolutely SOTA in those areas where you’d think a separate PSU would matter: noise, dynamics, etc.

Circuit design needs to be considered as a whole, with no dogmatic preconceptions. A tightly coupled internal power supply, done right, has no inherent disadvantages simply because it is internal. In fact, I admire designs that deliver the goods without cranking up cost to appeal to some consumer notion about what must be better.

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There are advantages and disadvantages to either one or two box designs hence the use of both for a pretty long time in home audio. I have a DB Systems preamp that is a two box design. Beyond the noise advantages that having the power supply in a separate box provides it also makes the control unit much smaller, thus taking up very little shelf space. I have a Superphon Revelation Dual Mono (a Stan - the S of PS Audio - Warren design) that also is a two box unit that is very small (the Superphon Revelation II, its successor, is a single box with the power supply sequestered in a back corner). One thing I really like about the DB Systems is that the preamp not only has an input jack for the power supply but also has an output jack that can be used to daisy-chain other DB System equipment (like their moving coil head stage).

It seems there are many ways to implement good design. Naim for one built it’s name / reputation on separate power supplies.

Their last reference series, the 500 Series, before Focal took over had separate power supplies for every component including the CD 555 Player with a transport, DAC and Power Supply, the NAC 552 Preamp and Power asuppy, and NAP 500 Power Amp and Power Supply. All were universally praised. Their Classic Series and 5 Series components both had separate power supply upgrade paths. Owned both of those series and adding the external power supplies always made a worthwhile improvement in the sound of the system.