Despite ever-mounting evidence to the contrary, it's still what in some minds the four letters SMPS for switch-mode power supply break out as. Be it Chord or Nagra, Vinnie Rossi or Aavik, LinnenberG, Manley or Soulution, many 'classic' brands not working in class D have embraced switching power for its higher efficiency and lower noise. The latest brand to take that stand are Constellation Audio: "Constellation Switch-Mode Power Supply is a game-changing design breakthrough incorporated in the Inspiration2 and Revelation2 series components. C-SMPS elevates your listening experience with over 20dB less noise than any transformer-based linear power supply and a 20% increase of ultra-stable power at any voltage into any loudspeaker. Hearing is believing."
To underline the point, Constellation the brand are so named for the illustrious group of designers working under its umbrella. This isn't a lone engineer voting misguidedly for switching over linear power. This is a dream team of designers each successful in his own right who came to a consensus decision. So if you're still working with the wrong abbreviation, perhaps it's time to consider that these things have moved on. They no longer are what they once were. SMPS not only have gone legit in the high end, more designers now call them superior to linear variants.
Today's point isn't to declare a categorical winner. All of that is specific to implementation of a given circuit and the desired sonic outcome. Today's point is simply to suggest that switch-mode power has come a long way; and that certain brands well versed in linear supplies now find SMPS a better fit for their products. If you still find that surprising or worse, outrageous, you've not paid enough attention. No problem there. These things are best left to actual engineers particularly when brands in question aim high and don't scrimp on their bill of materials. With the above names plus Constellation, we can agree that in these cases we're not dealing with scenarios where budgetary constraints voted against linear power. In these cases, superior sonics, noise floor and power delivery were the deciders – in favour of SMPS. So perhaps we could break out the acronym to smart money power solutions? With them, particularly high-power devices clearly don't have to get as big and heavy as they do with mega transformers and forests of filter caps. Even if all else were equal which apparently it's not, just being smarter could win my day…
Constellation Audio's website
