[Wayne1]

I haven't been posting much lately. Sorry,. I have been busy with testing the Duet mods, power supplies, etc.

First off, I have spent time comparing the DUET system to a modded SB3.

The result is VERY close. As I mentioned in another thread, the power supply is even more critical in the DUET system then the SB3. The SB3 does have internal switching PS that do muck up the power supply lines. The DUET system has no display in the Receiver. It has no switching power supplies internally. If you feed it CLEAN DC power, with NO switching noise, it will sound very good. It still has low quality, polarized electrolytic capacitors used in the analog signal path. It also has inductors and PS board traces in the digital signal path.

The good thing about the Duet system is it IS very simple. There are not a lot of parts in there. If I replace the parts I think aren't up to snuff, there is not a lot of labor involved. The mod cost is a lot lower than a similar sounding SB3.

The DUET system mods are offered in three varieties.

DIGITAL ONLY here The Mod is $150.00 plus shipping plus the Receiver sent to me.
ANALOG ONLY here Mods start at $250.00 plus shipping plus the Receiver sent to me. There are options to use different output capacitors and connectors.
FULL MODS here This combines the work of both the digital and analog mods with all the same options.

I have a VERY limited amount of parts on hand to built LINEAR power supplies for the DUET system. It is offered here This IS a limited time offer. It will come with a three foot DC power cable. Once these parts are used up, there WILL be a price increase.
NOTE: ALL THE POWER SUPPLIES HAVE BEEN SOLD!!
I AM PULLING THE DUET POWER SUPPLY FROM THE WEBSITE UNTIL I RECEIVE MORE PARTS

I compared a STATEMENT modded SB 3 powered by a prototype ULTIMATE NIRVANA "PLUS" power supply. This was a PS I was using to try out some ideas. The DUET FULL MOD used V-CAPS and WBT connectors. I did build a prototype DUET supply using a NIRVANA regulator supplied by Hugh Dean just for the DUET. The sound was VERY close. The Statement WAS a bit more natural sounding with more information about the recording venue coming through. I could hear the walls of the studio more clearly.

For digital output, the sound was even closer. I did compare all the units with stock power supplies, linear power supplies and Nirvana regulated power supplies. I did feel the Nirvana regulated supplies were the tightest and most dynamic with large scale music. The standard linear supplies got a bit boomy in comparison.

I am now offering the ENTHUSIAST DIGITAL ONLY mod for the SB3. This is the mod I wrote about here It add another DC input for 3.3 volts wired direct to the digital section. It will require a modded ELPAC WM220 to be modded even more so it can supply the digital voltage.

The mod is offered here Please NOTE: THIS IS DIGITAL ONLY. THE ANALOG SECTION IS REMOVED.
The ELPAC add on mod is here THIS MOD DOES NOT INCLUDE THE MODDED ELPAC PS.

Finally, a customer notified me about an inexpensive, surplus power supply. It is made by Jerome Industries. It is 5 volts at 2 amps. It has an IEC inlet so you can use any AC power cable with it. It works just fine with the SB2 or 3. Best of all it is only $10.00. I have come up with some mods to improve it. They, and the link to the surplus house are here

[yo2tup]

what is the ULTIMATE NIRVANA "PLUS" power supply? 

[Wayne1]

what is the ULTIMATE NIRVANA "PLUS" power supply? 

WAY too much money spent on parts 

FOUR Jensen four pole caps, FOUR Bybee Purifiers, 10 amp 9v power transformer, foil in oil bypass caps, Nirvana regulator with MODS. I never bothered to add up the parts cost. I am too scared to see what it is. I think it would EASILY push $3K  No way it is worth that much but an interesting experiment.

[Brad]

Wayne,

After the analog mods, what is the output voltage from the "Receiver"
I think it is spec'd as 6v stock.

thanks - looks like you are going to have a LOT of business very soon 

[Wayne1]

The analog output voltage is 6 volts peak to peak or 2 volts RMS. There is NO phase inversion with the analog mods with the DUET system

[AphileEarlyAdopter]

Looks like for using the Squeezebox as a transport - it is better to go with the Duet and the Bolder supply than with modding the SB3 again (already have the Bolder digital mods) for the 3.3v and getting a new or modding a Elpac supply again (for the 3.3v).
Please correct my understanding if wrong.

[Wayne1]

I have not compared the Enthusiast Digital with the 3.3 Volt Elpac mod to the Duet.

I should have a SB2 modded for 3.3 volt input in about a week. I will try to compare them. The problem is that the digital mod with 3.3 volt input does take quite some time to settle in. I do need to get the unit back to it's owner fairly quickly.