Premium Muscle For Your Power Amp
NEW! PS-509
The Beast has the beauty of CRC mode….because you want a silky smooth character, a sense of a clean low distortion opening up a more sensuous, pleasurable experience. Your DH-500 or custom amp will sing a new sweeter song.
WHY IS CRC MODE………….so special? First the transformer voltage is rectified to produce (+) and (-) DC voltages. This reduces the extreme pulses from your rectifier to much lower pulses on the first capacitor. Red line is typical of most solid-state amps power supplies. Second you have a large wattage but low R value resistor followed by another capacitor. This RC section greatly reduces the spiky nature seen at the first capacitor producing a near perfect sine wave output devoid of any spikes. It’s the spikes that give you an unidentifiable discomfort. Don’t get me wrong our standard power supplies sound very fine but your ear/brain will love the smoother CRC sound often referred to as a tube-like quality. Note that almost all tube amplifiers have significant CRC and often CLC power supplies serving the output stage. The graphic shows the impact of the second RC section in green compared to the voltage at the first cap in red. Graph is amplitude on the left and time on the bottom. Our new Musical Design M4 amplifier operates in CRCRC mode with an additional RC section for even smoother qualities. The green line becomes a nearly straight line.
PS-509 operates in dual-mono mode with separate pairs of muscular caps/channel complemented by a 15-amp power rectifier(480 Amps peak current) for each pair of caps.
PS-509 supports EIGHT 2-pin or 4-pin power supply capacitors in CRC mode. PS-509 supports 35mm or 40mm dia. parts. 40mm size is for 4-pin not 4-pole caps. 2-pin caps are 35mm dia with standard 10mm pin-to-pin snap-in standard. PS-509 does not support current 4-pole Mundorf caps(2-pole yes) nor the older Jensen caps.
PS-509 Full Kit: ($349 kit) with 8 - 10KuF/100V(35mm) caps, 80,000 uF total, Installation is $200.
PS-509 Full Kit: ($449 kit) with 8 - 15KuF/100V(40mm) caps, 120,000 uF total, Installation is $200.
PS-509 Kit includes PCB with all mounting hardware, 8 Power capacitors of your choice, 2 bridge power rectifiers, 4 large resistors for CRC, 4 bleeder resistors, additional resistor to send power to on/off LED, instructions.
PS-509 BARE Kit: $89 Kit includes PS-509B PCB with all hardware, includes 2-bridge rectifiers, 4-large resistors for CRC mode, 4-bleeder resistors, separate resistor to power optional LED, full kit instructions. PS-509B PCB supports 2-pin and 4-pin snap-in types up to 40mm dia. PS-509 does not support current 4-pole Mundorf caps(2-pole yes) nor the ‘out of production’ Jensen caps.
LC-500 NEWLY REBORN
NEW! LC-500 capacitor kit is reborn. LC-500 mod boasts 2-30,000uF+/100V of modern capacitor performance. Remember the original amp had 2-20,000uF caps. They sound excellent in large Adcom, B&K and Hafler amps. Caps are 2.5 dia x 5.5” high. Screws, and misc hardware included. LC-500 is $199/pr in kit. Installation price, typically $25 with additional mods, varies with different amplifiers.
PS-500SE POWER SUPPLY
PS-500SE replaces the old school LC-500 individual caps with a newly designed PC board with two 22000uF/100V 5-pin capacitors and the superb sounding HyperFred soft-recovery rectifier. This is basically half of our PS-500V2B power supply reservoir. It is in an even simpler and easier install job too. The instructions will be detailed and comprehensive. With a power drill and soldering iron you’re good to go. You can do this. PS-500SE can be ordered now. Example shown is dual-mono(2-PS-500SE) install into Adcom GFA-555 MkII.
Price for PS-500SE : $199 kit, $349 installed for typical installations
For those of you who simply want to replace the original power supply caps with more capable, modern parts the LC-500 capacitor pair is available at $169
Alternative: Check out our PS-500V2B and PS-500M. You can construct a totally dual-mono power supply with our twin stacked toroid power transformer(TP-500). PS-500V2B has 88,000uF while the ‘M’ version has 120,000uF (8 exotic caps in CRC mode). The TP-500 can be easily installed with our PS-500V2B and PS-500M power supply boards on this page. That sounds massive and expensive doesn't it! You've seen far smaller power supplies in $10,000 amplifiers haven't you! That puts a different light on it we think. See below!
>>>SCROLL DOWN for more DH-500/XL-600 power supplies<<<
PS-100 POWER SUPPLY - compact design, huge sound
It’s good that we listen with our ears and not our eyes. …………jh, 2018
So puny! No wonder we made the other picture look bigger. Well it’s actually bigger because it has 15,000uF/80V ‘Premium’ caps of the standard PS-100 version. The amp above has the PS-100SE with two 10,000uF/80V caps, but you know what, this PS-100SE power supply is equal in capacitance to the original power supply. The 80’s era Hafler DH-200 had a pretty competent power supply considering its original price and market position. The PS-100 caps are rated at 80V as opposed to the 75V caps of the original increasing the safety margin. Modern caps are such great performers even with these modest physical packages. It also has an outstanding power rectifier that is vastly better sounding than the original. It’s lying flat for heatsinking purposes between the transformer and the PS-100 board under those two red wires(see DH-200 picture above). Think of the PS-100SE as a ‘restoration’ on steroids. Yes, our PS-100SE/DH-200 above is a major sonic upgrade even though it’s the most affordable of our PS series of power supply boards. Ignore the size, embrace the sound!
All PS-100 boards install in a small space of 4.25” x 1.75” x approximately 3.5” high depending on your capacitor choice. The PS-100 mounts easily and compactly on four provided standoff mounts. All kits have complete mounting hardware including the mounting clip for the power rectifier, white silicone or heat dissipation pad, some new wiring, solder, instructions. See the PS-100 installation instructions here.
Select your PS-100 version >>>
PS-100SE> $99 kit, (for DH-120/200/220,others), with ‘ear approved’ 10KuF/80 or 100V caps, $120 typical installation fee
PS-100> $119 kit, (for DH-120/200/220,others), upgraded 15KuF/80 or 100V caps, $120 typical installation fee
PS-100 “BARE” Kit> $39/ea, Same PCB as above accommodates many caps, standard 2 and 4 pin-snap-in up to 40mm and Jensen caps caps. Kit includes PS-100 PCB with all mounting hardware then install your favorite parts: instructions included Optional: The rectifier form factor is unusual making use of other rectifiers complicated, so add $27 for 1 - Ixys HyperFred rectifier, clamp and hardware
Major Versastility: PS-100 supports standard 2-pin 10mm Lead Space Snap-In caps including Audio Grade 2-pole parts, most 4-pin standard Snap-In caps and Jensen capacitors. It gives you a choice of caps up to 40mm size. Use the bare PS-100 board for your projects including customs.
For your Hafler DH-500/XL-600 and other larger amps we recommend the PS-500J or the PS-500 V2B.
PS-220 - Versatile dual-mono power supply
Why we developed the PS-220:
Previously our dual-mono mods were very labor intensive. We sold these in a kit form too, but for the first time builder it was complex and very time consuming to install. It all fit really tightly into the amps too - no room for errors. Now you can easily install it yourself . You don’t need the pros anymore, though some experience is always helpful. With the PS-220 there is plenty of room after installation. Our large TP-202 toroidal transformer is no longer a challenge to position and install with the dual-mono configuration for Hafler 200 series amps. The PS-220 will allow you to improve neatness of installation, shorten current paths due to "inverted" capacitors which is good, improve sound quality and lower the price for high-performance dual-mono sound. Easier, better sounding!
PS-220 Board Features:
The PS-200/220 bare board is sourced from a USA manufacturer. IXYS is a Silicon Valley company with worldwide operations.
What you can do with the PS-220:
Turn your Hafler DH-200, DH-220, DH-500 or XL-280/600 into a more musically satisfying product with improved imaging, crispness and dynamics. We have installed PS-220 boards into other amplifiers too. A number of Adcom owners have added PS-220 boards. See some more examples here.
>Experienced builders can use this as a power supply upgrade for many solid-state amps<
Our full PS-220 kits include the PS-220 "bare board" kit shown further down on this page. PS-220 installation instructions >>> here in PDF download!
Select your PS-200/220 version >>>
PS-220SE> $199 kit, (DH-120/200/220, XL-280 amps) with standard 10KuF/80 or 100V caps, $150 typical installation
PS-220> $249 kit, (DH-200/220, XL-280 amps) with premium 15KuF/80 or 100V caps, $150 typical installation
“Bare Kits”>>>
PS-220(for 2-pole caps, Jensen 4-poles too) "BARE" kit: $59/ea, (see below) - PCB with mounting hardware, install your favorite parts: instructions included
Optional: The rectifier form factor is unusual, so add $44 for 2 - HyperFred rectifiers, clamps and hardware
PS-200M(Audio Grade / Mundorf 4-pole too) "BARE" kit: $59/ea, (see below) - PCB with mounting hardware, install your favorite parts: instructions included
Optional: The rectifier form factor is unusual, so add $44 for 2 - HyperFred rectifiers, clamps to improve heatsinking and hardware
PS-220 "bare" circuit board kit - just add caps and rectifiers - our FULL kits include this kit plus lengths of heavy wire, rectifiers and big caps
POWER SUPPLIES FOR HAFLER DH-500 or XL-600 amplifiers
PS-500V2B POWER SUPPLY - 88,000uF and it sounds like it!
The DH-500 with original caps provides 40,000uF total capacitance. That’s not bad, but that is an aging, tired power supply. It is also a ‘stereo’ not ‘dual-mono’ power supply hence the peak and minimum power demands makes one channel affect the voltage/current available to the other channel. This can affect the sense of imaging and focus of instruments on the sound stage. Another notable effect is that the amp will seem less powerful because as high power demands rise it can make the amp seem a bit more muddled and less precise/relaxed.
You have a big amp and you want to maximize the sense of power. Maybe you need maximum muscle to drive a ‘difficult’ speaker. You want a ‘dual-mono’ sound quality.* You want a powerful, yet liquid and delicate quality from the power rectifiers. We knew what to do. We designed the PS-500V2B to fill those desires. We could go on with a dozen more buzz words but you just want no-nonsense, big power sound and this is the answer. The PS-500V2B is civilized big power.
Features: Solder fillable tracks, Clean simple installation, Superbly sweet soft-recovery rectifier
Select your PS-500V2B version >>>
PS-500V2B> (Hafler DH-500, XL-600):
>$249 Kit, $449 installed
$200 labor for a typical installation - Kit includes PS-500V2 PCB, 4-22,000uF/100V caps, 2 - HyperFred soft-recovery rectifiers with clamping hardware, heavy gauge wire, solder, all mounting hardware and instructions.
*Full, true dual-mono operation can be achieved with our TP-500 stacked toroid power transformer modification.
PS-500V2B> "BARE" kit:
PCB with full mounting hardware, install your own parts: $79/ea, instructions included. PS-500V2 PCB supports 2-pin, 4-pin and 5-pin snap-in capacitors. Optional: The rectifier form factor is unusual, so add $59 for 2 - HyperFred rectifiers, 2 - mounting clips and hardware
Note: Amplifier is not included with this kit.
Hafler |
Adcom |
B&K |
Dynaco Tube |
Amp Options |
PS-100/220/500 |
Hafler |
Adcom |
B & K |