I just got my PSU back from Anthony Padilla. He offered to take the hot rodded Condor PSU I bought several weeks ago to the next level for free. It just came back with a monster Jensen capacitor instead of the Rubycon Blackgate used previously, also there is a new high speed diode and he has floated the grounds through some wide band ferrites.
When I first installed the PSU upgrade several weeks ago, I definitely noticed an improvement -- much less noise, cleaner and more transparent sound. I was very pleased and thought the ~ $600 upgrade was a lot of bang for the buck. When I took it back out last week and listened for a few days with the stock Meanwell PSU, while Anthony tweaked my upgraded PSU, I realized just how big a difference it makes. A graininess to the sound was definitely present with the stock Meanwell PSU. And the noise floor definitely increased.
The current 'Signature' mod is just awesome! Not only is all the grain gone, along with a huge lowering of the noise floor, but microdynamics seem better too. And I believe the DAC board has benefited from the cleaner 12v of the upgraded PSU -- I noticed a further tightening of the deep bass without any loss of authority. The pitch definition in the deep bass is pretty amazing, at least on the low end the TacT DAC module is very capable.
If you have a RCS, whether the DD version or with one or more DAC or ADC modules, I strongly recommend contacting Anthony about this upgrade. Unlike most other modders, he offers 100% satisfaction guarantee and will refund your money if you are not satisfied with the upgrade. He probably does this because he knows very few if any will be coming back!
He also has mods for the 2150 amps, ranging from a few cheap drop-in upgrades to a full 'Signature' package, which I plan to try. I was thinking about replacing the TacT amps with a high end tube unit but will postpone any decision until I can try an Aberdeen 'Signature' 2150. I'd love to compare the fully modded 2150 (or three of them!) to a ASL Extreme Hurricane, but unfortunately the latter is not available for trial and it is too expensive to buy unheard. That said, in the unlikely even a used one ever shows up for sale I'll probably jump on it. I'm willing to try it out but don't want to eat the massive post-mod depreciation if it doesn't work out for me.
