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Avondale TPR4 - Naim Hi-Cap upgrade

YNWOAN

YNWOAN

100% Analogue
I recently heard about the new Avondale TPR4 upgrade for the venerable Naim Hi-Cap and, as luck would have it, I have been kindly offered the trial of one (particularly kindly as I have not always liked previous Avondale items I have tried).

The unit arrived in a couple of days (very neatly packaged) and today I fitted it! The first thing I would like to say is what an astonishingly easy job it is to fit this mod - in fact it barely qualifies as DIY. Yes you will need a soldering iron (I used my cheap 18W one and had no issue at all), you will also need a very small amount of solder and an Allen key and posidrive screwdriver (to undo the four Hi-Cap feet) - that is the sum total of tools required. Honestly, if someone can't fit this then they shouldn't be attempting any DIY - or even fitting a 13A plug!

So this is what you do:

1st/ Unbox the TPR4 and admire the remarkable build quality - some of the best I have ever seen (perhaps the absolute best)!





2nd/ Then you need to get out your Hi-Cap - be careful because it is surprisingly heavy. Turn the Hi-Cap over and use a posidrive screwdriver to undo the four rubber feet (there may also be an Allen bolt that needs to be undone). Carefully turn the case over again and gently slide the inner tray out of the outer sleeve. Behold the inside of your Hi-Cap and how neatly it is wired - but don't worry, you won't have to spoil the wiring (or even touch it).



Now, look at the left hand circuit and look at it from the side:



Note that not only is the TPR4 the same size and shape, but the connecting pins for all the wires are in exactly the same places as on the Naim unit - not nearly the same places - exactly the same places.

3rd/ Turn the sled upside down and use an Allen key to undo the two countersunk screws that hold the Naim C shaped heatsink to the case. These are done up really very tightly so I would recommend a screwdriver like I used. Don't worry if you damage or lose the screws as spares come with the TPR4.



Note the white paste that helps heat conduction. There was a note with my TPR4 that said none was needed with it - but I had some so used a bit anyway :).

4th/ Now carefully unsolder the wires that go to the circuit board. It's a bit tight for space but quite doable in decent light:



The removed Naim circuit:



5th/ Now all you need to do is solder the cables to the TPR4 and screw it to the sled. The mounting holes exactly line up and the connection pins for the cables are in exactly the same places - it's bloody brilliantly well thought out!



And that's all there is to it - the actual fitting (including the soldering) took me about 5 minutes. I measured the output and it was spot-on so no need to do any adjustment. I put the sleeve back on the sled and screwed the feet back on - plugged it in and had a listen.

So enough prattling on - how did the bloody thing sound (I hear you shouting)?

Well, I'm listening to it right now - in short, I really like it!

In the past I've had a bit of a love/hate relationship with Avondale products. I've always loved the build quality (which is definitely now at an all time high), but I've not always been so enthusiastic about the sound. So what does the TPR4 do for the Hi-Cap? Well it sort of turbo charges it - what it doesn't do is soften the sound or make it more genteel. My first impression was that attack was remarkable and the second was that focus was also improved. Voices have great projection and an 'in the room' presence. Fine detail is simply terrific - how can a power supply improve this? I don't really know is the answer, a lower noise floor I guess.

I've not heard absolutely all the Hi-Cap options out there but I have heard a lot (most) of them - the TeddyCap (many people love this), the Avondale power supply and a couple of others. They all offered a valid alternative but none of them beat my old Hi-Cap for drive and dynamic. All the alternatives I have previously heard have traded an element of attack and dynamic for tonal sophistication and delicacy - but first impressions are that the TPR4 lets you have it all :).

So yes, I really like it (some people will be quite shocked to read that) - superbly thought out, beautifully made and all round sounds excellent - what's not to like! If you really want to you can easily reverse this conversion as no wiring is changed and no holes are drilled.

I'm going to do a lot more listening over the next few days but for now it's 100% thumbs up :).

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Thanks for the interesting write up and pics. Good luck to Les. Looks like high quality kit.

Also, to me, this looks closer to what many perceive to be the gold standard, a Hicap DR, than other options available. Still has the trafo, caps etc.
 
I've just had a read of the HiFi+ review of the DR mod and what they describe sounds very like what I describe from the TPX4. The difference is quite immediately apparent.
 
Very helpful write up and guide there Mark, thank you, I will be on the phone to Les in a bit, I am now confident I can install this myself.

I have mentioned before I had a SNAPS with an earlier version of the TPR reg and loved it, this sounds like it might be quite superb.

Mark
 
Can the output voltage be tweaked up to 30v?

Looks great build quality as usual from Les.
 
Gaius said:
Very helpful write up and guide there Mark, thank you, I will be on the phone to Les in a bit, I am now confident I can install this myself.

I have mentioned before I had a SNAPS with an earlier version of the TPR reg and loved it, this sounds like it might be quite superb.

Mark
Click to expand...


Glad it was of help Mark. Yeah, I doubt you will have any issue fitting it and I'm sure you will like it :).
 
Excellent write up there Mark and your findings are very much in line with my own in a bolt down Snaps. I used the other version of TPR4 intended for the SuperCap with an L shaped heatsink and the board vertical, and although I needed to drill a couple of holes (maybe not needed in a more recent Snaps?) it was still a piece of cake to install and none of the wiring needed changing. It's been a superb upgrade but of course I do wonder how much better it would have been with a Hicap.. Lucky you! :)
 
Firstly, my grateful thanks to Mark for his diligent description of the TPR4 and for his
encouraging comments on the performance.

In past times, Mark has been (self admittedly) a skeptic of all things Avondale,
something that's grated but nevertheless respected as it keeps 'yours truly' focused
on the task.

The design brief for the TPR4 was relatively simple:

1. Ensure the unit is as easy to fit as could be made possible and without
signs of interference to the original Naim product. This has been for many
years a stumbling block where owners are reluctant to modify existing
Naim designs for fear of devaluing. The new TPR4 succeeds elegantly in
fulfilling this brief.

2. Bring the performance of Hicaps and Supercaps into this century;
the simple LM317 circuit fitted to untold thousands of these power
supplies has been outclassed by newer designs as Naim themselves
admit with the introduction of the retrofit DR mod.

3. Bring the cost of upgrading older kit better within the reach of the
enthusiast eager to upgrade the sound of his system and without the
need to return heavy units to the factory for service. What we've
sought to achieve is a performance above the DR at a much lower
cost.

4. Finally, all this engineering prowess leads nowhere unless the product
lasts the course so to that end, the TPR4 is designed using components
and materials to have a lifespan measurable in decades. There is a four -
year guarantee with each product.

The output voltage is user adjustable using a simple DVM.

The TPR4 is available from the website shop on a sale-or-return basis
(forgive the commercial) and production proper will begin middle to
end of this month (April).

Thank you, Les
 
Another ringing endorsement for the TPR4'd HiCAP here. Fitted mine a few weeks ago and has really added a nice sparkle and bounce to my 32.5 / 160 set-up. Dead easy to fit - my biggest problem was a stubborn allen screw.
Nice one Les!
Mark
 
slammel said:
Excellent write up there Mark and your findings are very much in line with my own in a bolt down Snaps. I used the other version of TPR4 intended for the SuperCap with an L shaped heatsink and the board vertical, and although I needed to drill a couple of holes (maybe not needed in a more recent Snaps?) it was still a piece of cake to install and none of the wiring needed changing. It's been a superb upgrade but of course I do wonder how much better it would have been with a Hicap.. Lucky you! :)
Click to expand...


I'm pretty sure you would have to drill a couple of mounting holes whatever age of Snaps you did the mod to - the hole alignment is specific to the Hi-Cap. Having said that, it's not difficult to drill a couple of holes (and countersink them). If not, well you can get heat conductive glue and I guess that could be used.
 
Congrats all round - clearly a very well thought out product there and one that is set to become a very well regarded upgrade IMO.

Despite the mothership's dogged defence of the selected 317s they used (we only use the finest 317s and only the pick of the crop go through, blah blah blah) some of us moved on to a much finer solution a long time ago. Clearly this latest Avondale creation is at the 'much finer' end of the scale and will no doubt become a very nice alternative for those who value high performance at a very reasonable price. It's also worth pointing out that any old unserviced Hicap can now be fully serviced simply by bolting in a new pair of main smoothing caps at the same time as fitting the TPR4**. I reckon the total outlay would probably be very little more than the cost of a standard approved service. You pays your money ...

** Maybe a kit of TPR4 plus a pair of main caps would be a handy option.

Mr Tibbs

Note; No connection with Avondale - just an admirer of clever design.
 
Mark,

I fixed the typo in the title.

Joe / fixerating
 
I managed to have another listening session today and the first good news is that everything was still working :). The second bit of good news is that despite listening to a quite different range of music I didn't hear anything that I didn't like. This really is a remarkably thoroughly thought through modification.
 
I have one of Les' ASR modules in my HiCap - that too was a huge improvement over the standard HiCap.
Does anyone know (perhaps Les if you read this), how the ASR compares against the TPR4 - is the TPR4 an upgrade on the ASR module or are they just different?
Thoughts much appreciated
 
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