Hi MEP, thankfully, supercapacitors are not a new marketing buzzword. Rather, they are hybrid devices that bridge the characteristics of batteries and caps. From the long and detailed Wikipedia page on supercapacitors at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_double-layer_capacitor
"Supercapacitors have the highest capacitance values per unit volume and have the greatest
energy density
of all capacitors. Supercapacitors are manufactured with capacitance values up to 12,000 F/1.2 V, having specific capacitance values up to 10,000 times
that of electrolytic capacitors.
[1]
With this high capacitance values supercapacitors otherwise are bridging the gap between capacitors and
batteries.
In terms of specific energy as well as in terms of specific power this gap covers several orders of magnitude. However, this high capacitance will in comparison
with batteries only about 10% of the capacity of batteries.
[4]
While existing supercapacitors have energy densities that are approximately 10% of a conventional battery, their
power density
is generally 10 to 100 times as great. Power density combines the energy density with the speed at which the energy can be delivered to the
load.
Unlike batteries, in the faradaic redox reactions of the pseudocapacitance property of a supercapacitor, the ions simply cling to the atomic structure
of an electrode, and no or negligibly small chemical modifications are involved. This energy storage with fast charge-transfer makes charging and discharging
of supercapacitors much faster than batteries. Additionally, supercapacitors will tolerate large numbers of rapid charge and discharge cycles. This makes
them well-suited for parallel connection with batteries, and may improve battery performance in terms of power density,
[4]
In these electrochemical capacitors, the electrolyte is the conductive connection between the two electrodes. This distinguishes them from electrolytic
capacitors, in which the electrolyte is the cathode, and thus forms the second electrode. Supercapacitors are polarized components, which may only be operated
with the correct polarity. The polarity is controlled by design with asymmetric electrodes, or, for those with symmetric electrodes, by a voltage applied
during manufacture.
Supercapacitors, which capacitances are in between conventional capacitors and batteries, allowing a broad spectrum of applications for various power and
energy requirements, including:
• Providing long, small currents for static memory (SRAM) in electronic equipment
• The area of power electronics with very short, high currents as in the
KERS
system in the Formula 1 cars, for electrical energy storage/delivery
• Recovery of braking energy (recuperation) in vehicles such as buses and trains"
... And now we can add, some high end components.
As for Criterion or Corus faking symmetric balance design by the application of Lundahl transformers, you may want to look at some of the entries in the Rowland knowledge base for Criterion, as it largely shares the audio circuit of Corus...
I/O architecture:
http://jeffrowlandgroup.com/kb/categories.php?categoryid=35
In circuit:
http://jeffrowlandgroup.com/kb/categories.php?categoryid=60
As what supercapacitors may do to the sound of a compatible linestage or DAC, I can only conjecture, which is not terribly useful, because I have not heard the PSU applied to either Corus or Aeris as yet.
If you have the opportunity of listening to Aeris or Corus powered by PSU or by their native power supplies, do let us know your experience-based impressions of the audible difference... Like Stravinsky used to say, Ultimately we judge a tree by its fruits rather than by its roots, although... a good peek at the roots after the fact, can sometimes help to explain 'em darn fruits IMO *grins!*
Saluti, G.