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RSL ZapCap Power Supply for Naim

N

nobeone

Total Member
I have previously taken Kit Ryan of Ryan Sound Labs (RSL) up on his kind offers of loan equipment: the MagicPower plug in cards for Naim preamps in my 72 https://pinkfishmedia.net/forum/thr...ards-still-available-for-naim-preamps.229036/; and his phono stage https://pinkfishmedia.net/forum/threads/ryan-sound-lab-phono-preamp-review.228038/

I have bought the MagicPower upgrades and would love a phono stage but ne upgrade at a time ...

I was pleased to recieved an email from Kit suggesting I might like to try something new, his ZapCap power supply - a replacement for a Hicap. Yes please ...

I will post some photos later but, spoiler alert, the photos will be my poor efforts on a cheapo phone but I know people will like to see, in the meantime I would say it looks a lot like the phono stage you can see on the RSL www site http://ryansoundlab.com/

It is a smaller than a Hicap, still a weighty item, comprising a toroidal transformer Kit has carefully selected for the sound he is looking for, and his PSM-2 power supply module http://ryansoundlab.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=13&products_id=22 all packed in the same style of case as the phono stage. It has a standard IEC socket and 3 DIN sockets on the rear. The 3 DIN sockets provide indentical wiring to the first 3 DIN sockets on a Hicap. If you need the 4th Hicap socket (and to be honest I don't know what it is for!) then this is not the power supply for you.

The loan kit comes with a standard UK IEC mains lead that fits very snuggly in the back of the ZapCap. The front has a blue LED lit power button. Nothing much to see but in my opinion well made, solid, and definitely not a flatcap style PSU full of air. It did not come with a SNAIC so I reused my existing cables.

My existing system is a Naim 72/Hicap/NAXO/Hicap/2x250/SBLs with the Hicap on the 72 running an Avondale TRP4 and using Avondale power only wiring from that to the 72 and signal only wiring from the 72 to the NAXO Hicap. Flashback cables. NACA5 speaker cables.

Replacing the Hicap/TPR4 with the ZapCap I listened to a few LPs, playing a track with the Hicap/TRP4 then with the ZapCap and vice versa. Bit of a faff but if I can't tell a difference AB (sighted I appreciate but please that is another thread!) then I am not interested.

I have to say I was surprised, when I did this with a stock Hicap and a Hicap/TPR4 I could not hear much difference, to me they sound much of a muchness. I thought perhaps I have cloth ears, or maybe the Avondale power only wiring to the 72 reduces the impact of the TPR4, anyway it certainly wasn't worse than the stock Hicap so I never reversed the mod, can't say I thought it much better either. Well the ZapCap has clearly audible differences.

Perhaps the most noticable difference is a tightening in the bass, I had never thought of the Hicap/TPR4 as having a bloom in the bass or being at all soggy, but it is in comparison with the ZapCap. Like the MagicPower cards, there is a sharpening to dynamics, tightening in the bass, and something we flat earthers try to ignore: if you sneakingly do like a bit of width to your soundstage, I feel the ZapCap gives you a bit more.

So how does Kit do this? Kit attributes the differences to several things:

The transformer is I believe a 120W item, certainly smaller, nothing like the size of the Hicap, Kit assures me the Hicap is totally over engineered and that this actually leads to some of the audible differences.

The ZapCap runs modern regulators, in parrallel too, not old school LM317s.

The ZapCap uses a pair of 10,000uf/50v Nichicon Audio Grade KW capacitors rather than the monsters that Kit refers to as computer caps (!!!) in the Hicap.

These three elements have been tried and tested by Kit (I notice the PCB has gone through many many revisions too!) to produce the ZapCap.

I understand that the ZapCap I have is soon to be called on for others to try and that it is intended as a loan unit in the same way Kit has provided loans of the MagicPower and phono stage. If you have a Naim item that can be powered from a Hicap, I would suggest you owe it to yourself to take Kit up on his kind offer of a loan of the ZapCap and see if you like what it does.

Any errors here are my own and I am sure Kit can correct me. I have tried to do justice in a few words to his work, but of course it is just my point of view. I get nothing from Kit but good service and the same loan items you too can sign up for.

The ZapCap deserves an audition.
 
Interesting. It looks well built, a neat case with all the internal wiring tied up and properly routed. One thing - there are unpopulated capacitor spaces, is this intentional? Is the P CB used in a different product?
 
stevec67 said:
Interesting. It looks well built, a neat case with all the internal wiring tied up and properly routed. One thing - there are unpopulated capacitor spaces, is this intentional? Is the P CB used in a different product?
Click to expand...

The caps are under the PCB, not shown in any of my poor photography, so they are populated, just out of sight :)
I don't think the PCB is used in a different product, however it is available for DIY builds, it is the PSM-2 I linked to above.
 
Appreciate the nice review above very much. As mentioned, I tried 5 different transformer sizes all the way up to 500VA (same as HiCap) and found that more and more bass bloom was added as the size increased, so I selected the 120VA size as the most dynamic. Similarly on the caps - tried doubling the value as well as different grades of caps before settling on these Audio Grade Nichicons. I referred to the regular HiCap caps as "computer grade" because way back in the 70's that's how they were identified by the manufacturers. It was a designation designed to convey high reliability. However, the Nichicon caps are just a reliable and help tighten up the bass and clarify the midrange a lot so that's what I'm using.

That's correct about the cap location - underneath so the PSM-2 PCB can fit in a smaller case, such as the CapCap or even a Naim FlatCap.

I haven't announced this product yet but if you'd like to get on the loaner list, please send an email to me at: [email protected] (or [email protected]).
 
Review of Ryan Sound Labs Zap Cap Power Supply.

I recently had the pleasure of spending quite a lot of time with the new RSL Zap Cap Power supply. Meant as a direct replacement for a Naim Hi cap and although obviously substantially cheaper than the Hi Cap this little power supply can offer clean DC power to any of your Naim components that are designed to work with a Hi Cap such as the NAC 32, 32.5, 72, etc preamplifiers or course the Snaxo electronic cross over.

The version I had the pleasure of auditioning was a pre- production sample that is substantially the same as the one that is now for sale on the RSL website. I should point out that I am a former customer of RSL having used their component board upgrades for my Nac 72 (with amazing results) and more recently having auditioned their amazing new phono stage, I am and remain a fan! Its probably also worth saying that my auditioning of this unit was only done as a music enthusiast commenting on the influence it made to the sound. I will leave it to others to comment on its technical abilities.


My current set up includes a Linn LP 12 with its own Lingo 3 power supply, a Paradise phono stage (built by Simon himself) . I have a Naim NDS streamer with a PS555 (Sean Jacobs CHC version) Naim Nac 72 preamplifier with new internal boards provided by RSL, the power supply for the pre amp is an Avondale TPX2 (designed as a competitor / replacement for the Naim Super cap). This drives a Naim Snaxo powered by a Sean Jacobs (CHC ) Super Cap. I have 2 Olive NAP 250s with new Avondale NCC 300 boards. All this runs into Naim SL2 speakers

Although a current user of the aforementioned Avondale and Sean Jacobs Power Supplies I am a former user of Naim’s own units, Teddy Pardo power supplies, and several Avondale TPX1s which I consider much superior to the Hi Cap.


Having experienced RSL's craftsmanship on several units I was keen to see what the Zap Cap Power supply was capable of up against my Avondale TPX2 into my pre amp and the Sean Jacobs (Custom HIFI cables) Super Cap which I use with the Burndy to power my Snaxo crossover.

Out of the box the unit was clearly well made, as is normal with everything are RSL produce, and the power supply has 240° din sockets on the back ( just like the HI Cap) , and comes with a power cord but no connecting lead to the component itself. I connected the power supply up throughout my listening tests using the Avondale method routing the signal separately and only using the power supply as a source of clean DC current.

On the first day of my listening I simply took it out of the box powered it up and plugged it into my NAC 72 preamplifier to replace my Avondale TPX2. My initial reaction was slight disappointment because although the sound produced was relatively well-balanced it was quite cold and recessed compared with my Avondale TPX 2. However my knowledge of using power supplies gained over many years is that they really don’t come into their own until they have been plugged into the mains for at least 24 hours and allowed to warm up thoroughly. So I left it powered up for a day and returned to it the following evening. My reaction now was one of pleasant surprise as the sound had warmed up considerably, gathered more pace and a lot more detail, presenting very good stereo imagery and making the most of my NAC 72’s capabilities. After listening for a few days I plugged my TPX 2 back in to see what the results were, and I have to admit I would struggle to really justify the extra money that a TPX2 costs. To my ears at least the TPX 2 does render a more detailed and well etched stereo sound. With a big stereo image and almost tactile human voices. However what the ZAP Cap does with the NAC 72 may be preferred by some listeners. It seemed to bring a bit more dynamism to the mid-range and tightened up the bass such that many bass lines now had me on the edge of my seat. It’s not that the playing was better portrayed or there was more detail, it just seemed to possess more drive. Across the spectrum this increased dynamic was perhaps less pronounced and may have been at the expense of some of the natural resonance in human voices and spatial details in the mix. It was as if the sound had more rhythm and pace with the ZAP CAP. On balance I think I ended up preferring the TPX 2 to in the context of my system but the differences were more a matter of taste than quality and I could think of many systems in which the Zap Cap would excel.

Next step was to try the unit with my Snaxo active crossover. This meant disconnecting the Super cap which is connected up using the Burndy and replacing it with the Zap Cap using a Snaic. The immediate effect to the sound was that the whole stereo image was flattened, which at first I reacted against but once my ears tuned to the flattened sound stage I actually I rather warmed to the new musical image created. It was crisper and neater and again displayed a bass punch that rivalled the Super Cap. The stereo image was now rather reduced in size and perhaps the special relationship between instruments and voices et cetera wasn’t as well portrayed as with the Super Cap. Again however it was as much a question of taste as quality which would decide what a listener preferred.


IF I was pushed to say what I preferred I would have to say that my preference was for my TPX 2 to the Zap Cap as a partner to my NAC 72. But I would be hard pressed to say the TPX2 was a superior performer only that it sounded different. With the Snaxo – again the Zap Cap was a spirited performer and though I am not sure it was quite the measure of a Super cap connected with a Burndy – it really wasn’t far off. It is probably worth mentioning again that the Avondale and the Sean Jacobs units were both substantially more expensive than the ZAP CAP and were designed with the Naim Super Cap in their sights rather than the HI Cap.

Kit Ryan the proprietor of the Ryan Sound Lab is a great person to deal with I really must say I have to thank him for his generosity in allowing me a full 6 weeks with the Zap Cap. Having the opportunity for extensive comparisons this extra time allowed me some more time for experimenting. I swapped the Zap Cap in and out several more times and also tried different power chords and “Snaic” connectors, I even at one point connected it up to my balanced mains box. Rather than go through a blow by blow account of each cable, it is worth noting that my results would tend to suggest that it is worth experimenting at least with both positioning and cabling. The balanced power unit had some limited effect in improving detail and dynamics and my favoured mains cable made some improvements, most notably in smoothing out of some of the spikes in the sound which could occasionally sound harsh. While not fundamentally changing the overall sound these little tweaks had the ability to tune the sound a little. Of course not everyone agrees with these kind of improvements when it comes to Naim Products so I would leave it up to the individual to decide for themselves. The cable that comes with the unit is ample for the job and works very well but if you’re the kind of person that does experiment a little with ancillaries it could definitely be worth the effort with this little device.

So in conclusion I have to say that I was impressed by this lovely Power Supply. It looks great in its satin black finish and is immaculately packaged. Ultimately I am not immediately tempted to buy one as I’m very happy with the set up I have, however if I was in the market for a Hi Cap or Avondale TPX1 or similar this box would certainly be on my list to audition and it would give all these models a run for their money . There is at least one loaner doing the rounds in the UK at the moment so I would suggest getting yourself on the list by contacting Kit directly. Obviously my set up was a bit imbalanced and probably didn’t show off all the capabilities of Zap Cap. Nevertheless it has left me with a strong impression that yet again RSL are in possession of another well-made very well priced product that can easily compete with commercial competitors costing twice as much.

As a little aside I can say that if somebody was in the market for improving the performance of the Nac 32.5 or 72 I would suggest that rather than look to the Zap Cap Power supply first you ought to consider buying the replacement internal boards that RSL produce as a first step. This has a real impact on the sound and though I have yet to compare it to the impact of replacing a Hi Cap with a Zap Cap it provides a hugely cost efficient first step which would mean that when you were ready to buy a Zap Cap you would be maximising it not inconsiderable capabilities.

Happy listening folks.
 
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