The Audiocom
Super-regulator 3 is an extremely low noise, High PSRR direct pin replacement
for generic 78xx & 79xx fixed voltage regulators found in audio equipment.
The regulator is designed to match the pin output of 7805, 7812, etc with the
same pin pitch to conveniently replace the family of 3-terminal TO-220
regulators.
About Regulators
Almost every OEM
product we encounter uses generic, 3-terminal voltage regulators to provide
regulated, lower voltage DC to the circuits. The problem here is these
3-terminal regulators are quite noisy in the audio band. For a 7805 (5V)
typical Ripple Rejection Ratio (PSRR) is 80 db (f = 120Hz, load = 100 mA), and
noise is in the region of 40µV. Move upwards of 120Hz and the PSRR worsens
considerably, at 10 KHz PSSR drops to 60 db, 100 KHz to 50 db. At higher
voltages these regulators performance is worse again, a 7815 used for most
audio analogue output stages has more than twice the noise figure of 90 µV,
PSSR is very poor, approx. 40db at 10KHz.
What this means for
any audio circuit using these devices is noise riding on the DC rails and
arriving at the inputs of the DAC chip, digital filter, input receiver, I/V
converters, etc. The sonic result of this is a loss in resolution, dynamics,
smeared detailing, unwanted glare, edginess and compression to the sound.
The solution is to
use regulated power supplies designed for audio which provide ultra-low noise,
wide bandwidth to these sensitive circuits. To meet this criteria Audiocom have
developed their own bespoke discrete regulators. These regulators feature (1)
very wide bandwidth (2) ultra-low noise (3) high PSRR. The new regulators
design means noise is rejected at the input so the circuit being powered is
"isolated" from input noise (noise contribution from the Switch Mode
Power Supply /SMPS). Compared to the best standard regulator which at best
offers 80db rejection, the Super-regulator 3 will provide a PSRR of 120db
across a wide bandwidth. With the new discrete regulated power supplies
installed the sense of openness and detailing is incredible; the leading edges
of instruments are precisely defined and focused without any blurring. Bass
depth and speed is captivating with low and upper bass never becoming muddled
through sudden dynamic changes.
This newly designed
regulator uses 23 highest grade components packed on to a 4-layer, Gold plated
PCB. The extremely low noise performance is achieved with an ultra-low noise
voltage reference and 2.1nV/rtHz gain stage amplifier which cancels noise by
using a closed loop monitoring system.
Note: The super-regulator
3 is designed to replace 78xx, 79xx & LM317 series without heatsinks and
cannot be mounted to a heatsink.
