The Elna caps have only been switched on for the first time a few hours ago, too early to say really and Im trying not to make any judgements but it IS quite different sounding to what I had before - even this early.
No proper listening from me for a couple of days... I heard the sound of new opamps change over the first few days..so Im wondering if the new Elna caps need that too before making a judgement?
That said, from cold "out the box" the quality of vocals from a DVD soundtrack really did surprise me how "realistic" sounding they were...bigger, more solid than before...but natural sounding?
Had a sneak peak at Bruce Springsteen "Magic" album, the production on that one is quite "busy" and I was curious about the revamped Dac and how it would handle that one?
very good, roll on the next couple of days..
Oh, to hear that the Bdac even APPROACHES the Naim Dac.....what can you say about that?!
Bit of a change for Naim...NOT being the one that sounds "in your face?"
AC POWER
Hardwired 10kVA balanced mains powering entire system
AMPS
Meridian 557 power Amp (Modded) / PS Audio BHK Preamp (Modded)
SPEAKERS
Wharfedale Evo 4.4
DAC
PS Audio Directstream (Modded)
TURNTABLE
Pro-Ject X8 balanced output via XLR / Ortofon Quintet Blue cartridge
PHONOSTAGE
Pro-Ject DS3 B balanced Input (TT and Phonostage powered by Pro-Ject Power box RS2 linear psu)
DIGITAL
OPPO 203 (Modded: Linear PSU, i2s output to Dac) - Roon Endpoint, HDMI input used for all things Streaming/ PS5 /AppleTV ... also good for movies apparently?
MUSIC PLAYBACK
Tweaked AP-Linux based Roon Server into Oppo 203 as Roon endpoint
Ipad Roon Remote.
Apple Music/ YouTube via AppleTV, fed to Dac via Oppo HDMI input/i2s output to Dac.
SPEAKER CABLES
Biwired: Duelund DCA10GA (Bass) Duelund DCA16GA (mid & treble) Duelund 12DCA used as jumpers (On "Blackcat Cable" Chris Sommivigo's advice - yup, even with biwire it sounds better - and it does)
INTERCONNECTS
All Balanced: Ghost+ recording studio XLR cables
yeah? i have read some of your comments before about not being so sure about them (i think)... i was hoping to read about peoples experiences before finally commiting my self to anything ... ...
CS Port TAT2 - Benz LPS - Funkfirm Houdini - DS Audio Vinyl Ionizer - CS Port C3EQ - Kondo G70 - Kondo Gakuoh II - Maxonic TW1100 MKII - Isol-8 SubStation Integra
If anyone is after a standard BDac PSU I have one spare. Tenner to the UK.
Naim ND5 XS, nDAC, XP5 XS, 202, HC, NAPSC, 250.2, B&W 804s.
AVR350, B&W HTM4, Gallo.
Samsung, Oppo.
I finished installing the Elna caps in my Caiman yesterday.
They definitely change the sound. The good points are that I'm now hearing more micro detail, vocals seem clearer, especially towards the top of the vocal frequency range. The sound stage seems a little higher and possibly deeper. Overall it sounds more airy and "live", as though I'm hearing more of a performance than a recording if that makes sense.
On the bad side there is more brightness to the sound which can get a bit tiring on some recordings. Bass seems to be a little more subdued but that may just be due to the extra brightness tipping the balance.
I've only clocked up a few hours since performing the mod, so the new caps are no where near run in yet. So I'm hoping the brightness will tone down a bit over time. If it does and the other changes stay the same I'll be happy with the results.
In addition to the Elna caps, I've previously performed the Rubycon and Wilma cap mods on the opamp board and installed the Murata regs. I'm still using the stock opamps and Caiman 15V PSU. I should also mention that I've recently performed a couple of other mods as well that may be affecting the sound a little. I've swapped the resistor behind the 5V reg for a wire link as the Murata regs can cope with more voltage than the old ones. I've also swapped the main reservoir cap for a 25V Mundorf MLytic SI 10000uF cap that I've laid on it's side. This is in preparation for swapping the Caiman switching PSU for a 16V linear supply that I'll be building soon. So I really do have a lot of new caps that need to run in.
I'll hopefully post an update in a week or two on how the sound is progressing. I'll also try and post a pic of my handiwork.
Source: Apple TV 4K - DAC: Beresford Bushmaster Mk II - Preamp: CI AudioPLC-1 Mk II - Power Amps: Musical Fidelity 550K mono blocks - Speakers: Wharfedale Opus 3 - Cables: Mark Grant etc - Misc: Belkin PF30 mains filters.
One mod that I use with my power amp is designed to increase the gain and dynamic range. I tried both 10K and 12K resistors and found the 12K mainly suitable when paired with the Murata regs.
http://www.homehifi.co.uk/images/mod...an/pa_gain.jpg
Website: http://www.homehifi.co.uk
Website: http://www.beresford.me
Website: http://www.homehifi.asia
One mod that I use with my power amp is designed to increase the gain and dynamic range. I tried both 10K and 12K resistors and found the 12K mainly suitable when paired with the Murata regs.
Website: http://www.homehifi.co.uk
Website: http://www.beresford.me
Website: http://www.homehifi.asia
The other one I have been trying is the shortening of the track length from the DAC chip to the line opamp. I have been testing these two mods with the AD826 and haven't had a chance to try out other opamps with it.
Website: http://www.homehifi.co.uk
Website: http://www.beresford.me
Website: http://www.homehifi.asia