Antoine's system

[Antoine]

Paul Hynes doesn't make it "easy" to buy his amps if you consider the nowadays usual fancy webpages with integrated webshops, ridden with marketing and displaying the different models with nice pictures etc. His primary website is indeed terribly out of date, his entire SR3, SR5 and SR7 product lines are missing. I believe Paul Hynes relies on 'mouth to mouth' advertising. He also has a presence on multiple audiophile forums like Audiocircle and TheArtOfSound. He is respected very much though and has a loyal 'following' of fans.

It's essential to know that he has decided to transfer the manufacturing of his designs to a stand alone company named Paul Hynes Audio (http://paulhynesaudio.com/). His own company is called Paul Hynes Design (http://www.paulhynesdesign.com/). Both websites are out of date. Information on the products can be primarily found online in the forums (I've Googled a lot lately! ).

I think I can copy parts of the emails I received from him containing the general information. I've edited out some things only relevant to me.

The SR2 is about to be obsolete as the cost of manufacture is approaching that of the better SR3 so it is not worth offering both products. Regarding technical issues both the SR2 and the SR3 are manufactured using an off the shelf mains transformer, and the low power version of the PR3 discrete component, high performance, voltage regulator circuit.
 
The SR5 and SR7 offer higher power output that requires greater thermal management using progressively larger heat sinks. The increased chassis dimensions to accommodate the larger heat sink also allow the use of larger mains transformers and this allows for a very high quality mains transformers that are custom built for us to my specifications using oversized grain orientated silicon steel cores. These transformers are specifically designed and wound to avoid core saturation in use allowing the transformer to deliver large transient currents unhindered. There is also considerably more energy storage capacitance than the SR3.
 
The SR5 allows for one high current rail as well as a low current rail if required. The total VA rating of the transformer is 160VA, and this VA rating must be shared by both rails. Each rail has it’s own galvanically isolated transformer secondaries to avoid ground return current inter-modulation that occurs when two items of equipment are powered by the same DC source.
 
The SR7 single rail power supply is the essentially the same as the SR5 but with higher power rectification and output stage with a 250VA mains transformer.
 
The SM7 MR4 has one high power rail and three low power rails, all galvanically isolated. The chassis has extended depth to allow the use of a larger VA mains transformer for the additional rails.
 
The SR3 was originally designed to fit a specific requirement of a customer and there were size and budget restrictions on the power supply. That said, it works very well and is a very popular power supply. The SR5 and SR7 had more leeway on cost allowing progressively better performance.
 
The SR5, SR5-MR2, SR7 and now the SR7EHD-MR4 are available from PHA Ltd.
 
A new SR5-MR2 will cost £750 plus DC lead cost, insured shipping and funds transfer costs.
 
A new SR7EHD-MR4 will cost £1200 plus DC lead cost, insured shipping and funds transfer costs.
 
The lead time from Paul Hynes Audio Ltd for SR5 and SR7 power supplies is approx 20 to 35 working days (due mostly to the lead time for the custom manufacture of the mains transformers as we do not hold stock of these because there are too many options to consider for stocking
purposes)
 
The DIY Rendu supply you refer to uses a PR3i-09 AC input regulator module, which costs £100 plus insured shipping cost of £12 and funds transfer costs. You will still have to acquire a chassis, a mains transformer and hardware as well as machining the chassis and finishing the assembly. The PR3i-09 is only available from Paul Hynes Design. Lead time from order placement to shipping approx 15 to 20 working days.
 
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I no longer offer the custom build service at Paul Hynes Design and I have recently transferred the last remaining few Paul Hynes Design outstanding orders to Paul Hynes Audio Ltd for inclusion in their production schedule. <cut>
 
<cut> All built SR power supply designs are now completed by Paul Hynes Audio Ltd, and they are holding to lead times. Paul Hynes Design is now only providing DIY modules and technical support to Paul Hynes Audio Ltd.