Jolida Super Max Extream Mods FX Glass Tube Dac

[goraman]

It started with the power supply being removed and replaced on a fitted bed of Dynomat Extream,and mounted on bushings.
Then the refitting the PSU with 2 huge JJ caps the rest are Audio Note Kasi .Elna Silnic 2 where not in the path.
Wire wound resistors Ayden Q cap and big Shockty diode and a better ON power regulator transistor.
All the resisters in the amplifier section are nude Z foil and Caddocks, all capacitors in the path have been way upgraded.
Also Audio Note tube sockets and RCA Jack's and the Digital SPIDF is a Canary 75 ohm BNC.
Internal wire is DHLabs silver wire.
P.S. Audio power cord, and vibration dampening feet.
Everything you can do to this DAC has been done and initial impressions are stellar.
More to come I am at 45 hours burn in.
The first thing I noticed is how quoit it is now, no noise floor,solid state like black back ground .
So far is is way more dynamic, bigger sounding over all and very smooth no grain what so ever.
I will start tube rolling after 200 hours ,the tubes in it now are new tungsol gold pins. The bottom plate had to be raised on pillers to accommodate the big JJ PSU caps. This was a huge undertaking in parts sourcing. It involved a lot of research and weeks spent waiting on special ordered parts.
The biggest credit goes to Paul Warenycia who was able to de solder / solder it all with out lifting a trace and fit it all back together looking neat and clean!

THANKS TO :
Paul W. (retired H.P. Engineer).
The guys at Jolida for the schematics.
Dan at Modwright
Folks on AOS!
Parts Connexion Team.
Parts Express
Michal Percy
ON semi conductor
Digikey
Mouser
Upscale Audio
Ebay sellers
Like I said it was a big team effort that took months to implement correctly this one of a kind ,my take on what the SE version of this DAC would be.

[Discopants]

You should think about removing that QA pass sticker on the back by the sounds of things [emoji12].

Have a go at describing the performance jump over the stock item in % improvement terms.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Opti-cal]

Superb. Excellent effort you've put in and the results sound competely worth it. I have the same DAC albeit far less modified. Only changed the caps to Mundorf Evo with upgraded internal wiring too.

Definitely interested in a PSU mod now.

Have you considered swapping in some 5755 tubes with adapters? I'm running Raytheon yellow print (reliability controlled) and they absolutely wipe the floor with any 12ax7/ecc83's I've tried in there, and I've tried a lot....

Great work anyway.

[goraman]

You should think about removing that QA pass sticker on the back by the sounds of things [emoji12].

Have a go at describing the performance jump over the stock item in % improvement terms.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

The thing that strikes you first is just how much bigger everything sounds , sorry if this dosent make sense but it is just a larger sense of scale, everything just sounds bigger, faster and more liquid.
Pure Chello (Amazing grace ) the textures of the bow being drawn across the strings, you can hear the amount of rosin being used at times.
It is hard to say at what % but it is a significant change in background noise floor and dynamics. Piano keys just ring out with so much more body of tone.It's all just bigger sounding ,sorry but I don't know how else to explain what I am hearing. Mo Musical!
BTW: you can see a glimpse of the resistors used under the big white Modright cap in the picture below.

[goraman]

Superb. Excellent effort you've put in and the results sound competely worth it. I have the same DAC albeit far less modified. Only changed the caps to Mundorf Evo with upgraded internal wiring too.

Definitely interested in a PSU mod now.

Have you considered swapping in some 5755 tubes with adapters? I'm running Raytheon yellow print (reliability controlled) and they absolutely wipe the floor with any 12ax7/ecc83's I've tried in there, and I've tried a lot....

Great work anyway.

I know the Raytheon both black and gray plate (reliably controlled ) tubes very well, I had the 12AT7 /ECC81 . They are fantastic but I have been burned buying these tubes too, they are faked all the time and even the real ones are mostly down to over used or micro phonic duds now.
There are very few of these left that are real Gems now. I'm done with chasing down rare tubes from unknown sellers for this reason alone.

[Opti-cal]

I know the Raytheon both black and gray plate (reliably controlled ) tubes very well, I had the 12AT7 /ECC81 . They are fantastic but I have been burned buying these tubes too, they are faked all the time and even the real ones are mostly down to over used or micro phonic duds now.
There are very few of these left that are real Gems now. I'm done with chasing down rare tubes from unknown sellers for this reason alone.

I completely get you. I've come to a similar conclusion regarding some KT88's for two of my amps. I've just retubed them with new JJ's. Firstly because they are readily available and secondly they are surprisingly good, especially the bottom end.

Do they sound like GEC or EAT's... no, but the difference between them cannot justify nearly 10 fold of the JJ's price! Plus I have no hang ups about wearing them out!

Luckily I have a spare pair of the Raytheons which I've had for years so hopefully a few more years of great tubes in the Jolida....

[goraman]

After some burn in I switched tubes to the Telefunken rib plates.
Wow! All the bass of the Tungsol gold pins but Wow! what a glorious mid range! so much more thwack / Attack in the snare drum.
Listening to Dina Krall Live in Paras . Love the drum solo at the end of Devil may care.
Her voice is so sexy and deep , these Tele's and this DAC are a sultry combo.