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Thread: The perils of modifying gear

  1. #91
    Join Date: Oct 2015

    Location: Durham

    Posts: 426
    I'm Andy.

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    Interesting topic. I'd let my ears decide about mods but I'd never destroy the value of something.That's just my own personal choice.

    I also think I'd take a long hard look at the person advocating the mods. If it's someone qualified and highly calable like Jez, then great. Someone like the Lampizator guy: Fine too. If it was just some bodger who can barely solder and has to quote Wikipedia when asked a technical question, I reckon I'd avoid.

  2. #92
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

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    Ah yes, 'Wiki-Boy', how could we forget?

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

    Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!


  3. #93
    Join Date: May 2009

    Location: gone away

    Posts: 4,870
    I'm joe.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Marco View Post
    Yes, easy-peasy. As Adam has outlined, simply apply some 'Doc Mods' to your speakers!!!

    Marco.
    How do you know what a modded speaker would sound like? Have you heard one?

  4. #94
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

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    I guess the same way as the manufacturer concerned can wax lyrical on how turntables and speakers he's never heard sound, despite not having heard them either.

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

    Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!


  5. #95
    Join Date: Jul 2009

    Location: Hampshire, UK

    Posts: 3,662
    I'm Adam.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Marco View Post
    Cheers, mate. I think Adam would be pleasantly surprised too, although his favoured Garrards still have better bass

    Marco.
    I must admit I haven't used my Garrard 301 for about 18 months and I do feel bad - it's long overdue for digging out, fitting an Alphason HR-100S to and enjoying!

    Quote Originally Posted by Scooby View Post
    Someone like the Lampizator guy: Fine too.
    Hmm - have you seen what he did to a B&O Beogram CD5500? http://www.lampizator.eu/lampizator/...%20player.html
    Engineers: fixing problems you didn't know you had in ways you don't understand.

  6. #96
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Essex

    Posts: 31,859
    I'm openingabottleofwine.

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    Quote Originally Posted by jandl100 View Post
    Absolutely my philosophy and always has been.

    Well, almost always. I have been tempted on a couple of occasions to "improve" the internals of kit, but it has always been poor vfm compared with just buying a better bit of kit!

    I admit to being baffled when the first thing someone does on acquiring a piece of kit is to send it off to be "improved".
    -- Yes, Tom, I'm thinking of you as well as some others!
    I've done this on a couple of occasions: replaced the op-amp for something better in my Quad 405-1, and sent off a Decca 'Blue' to the Garrot Brothers in Australia to have a Weintz parabolic stylus fitted.
    Barry

  7. #97
    Join Date: Dec 2016

    Location: Salisbury

    Posts: 66
    I'm Steve.

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    I had my Audiolab 8000A modified by Kevin Green at The Audio Cellar. I have no idea what he did but has transformed the Amplifier from being cold and uninteresting to allowing the drive and emotion of the music to flow through. A great success for little outlay.

  8. #98
    Join Date: Apr 2012

    Location: N E Kent

    Posts: 51,624
    I'm Geoff.

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    Not wishing to seem rude, but having had experience of both, I'd sooner buy a Denon PMA-350SE for around £60 than a standard Audiolab 8000A and keep the change. I found the 8000A bland, but the Denon is vibrant and transparent with plenty of punch too. I've no idea what a modified Audiolab might sound like.
    It is impossible for anything digital to sound analogue, because it isn't analogue!

  9. #99
    Join Date: Jul 2017

    Location: Pinecrest, FL, USA

    Posts: 192
    I'm Horacio.

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    There are tons of discussions about comparisons but it is just so subjective and to the individual's taste that I think nobody is completely right. It is just like food or art. There is a 'general trend' but then come the extra spices and those then swings opinions wildly and sometimes in opposite directions. I think one of the approaches is to step back and say what will really drive improvement from a circuit point of view.

    My Quad 405-2 has been upgraded with high quality capacitors [Nichicon], replaced main PS caps with 22000 uF electrolytic capacitors Nippon Chemi-con, PS supply snubber capacitors (two on AC side and two DC side) added, all ceramic capacitors replaced with high quality WIMA MKS2 film capacitors and CD mica capacitors, 17556 replaced with MJE15003. The op amp ICs replaced with Burr Brown OPA134, bridge inductor replaced with a precision high current inductor, decoupling capacitors added to op amp positive and negative supply lines, rewired amp's transformer secondary side and two amplifier boards, replaced internal wiring, new RCA jacks and new audio wires, gold plated binding posts.

    My ESL-63 had been upgraded with new mylar panels, Cardas posts, Wima capped EHTs, zener clamp protection boards, input/spark arrestor boards, RC network boards, new protective screen and new grille cloths.

    Hope this helps someone. Please see photos.

    Cheers,

    Horacio
    Attached Images Attached Images

  10. #100
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Essex

    Posts: 31,859
    I'm openingabottleofwine.

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    Quote Originally Posted by F575M View Post
    There are tons of discussions about comparisons but it is just so subjective and to the individual's taste that I think nobody is completely right. It is just like food or art. There is a 'general trend' but then come the extra spices and those then swings opinions wildly and sometimes in opposite directions. I think one of the approaches is to step back and say what will really drive improvement from a circuit point of view.

    My Quad 405-2 has been upgraded with high quality capacitors [Nichicon], replaced main PS caps with 22000 uF electrolytic capacitors Nippon Chemi-con, PS supply snubber capacitors (two on AC side and two DC side) added, all ceramic capacitors replaced with high quality WIMA MKS2 film capacitors and CD mica capacitors, 17556 replaced with MJE15003. The op amp ICs replaced with Burr Brown OPA134, bridge inductor replaced with a precision high current inductor, decoupling capacitors added to op amp positive and negative supply lines, rewired amp's transformer secondary side and two amplifier boards, replaced internal wiring, new RCA jacks and new audio wires, gold plated binding posts.



    Hope this helps someone. Please see photos.

    Cheers,

    Horacio
    Most of that has been done on my Quad 405s, save the amps have also been 'monoblocked' and have had two 35A rated bridge rectifiers added; one for each rail. I have not added 'snubber' capacitors as I don't think they are necessarily beneficial.

    Looks like you have done a good job on your 405 Horacio. Well done. The only other improvement might be to remove the mains transformer's primary wiring 'tree' and directly wire the mains input to the 120V primary tags.

    Will the next upgrade be to the system shown in your avatar?
    Barry

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