Hi Stan,
Strange but I did not have any probs until the last few days so could it be a mod to far!
Regards
Chris
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Its worth asking them but I still fancy the Caiman as Stan will have sprinkled magic fairy dust on it. :)
All right for them as can afford it - Ive only just bought my 7520 !! :steam: (sans fairy dust but avec new PSU :) )Quote:
Originally Posted by covenant
I thought that might be the response - I almost volunteered :) !
Daft question I know, but what exactly is involved - what do I ask them to do? -- remove what and replace with WM8716?
Cheers,
You mean Caiman specific mods that aren't of much or any benefit to the PCM1716 based TC-7520?
Well, I was listening to some previously hidden instruments in the upper treble region and wondered how come I didn't notice those before. Then it dawned on me that the WM8716 has an extra 10 dB of SNR, which is perhaps why I couldn't pick it out clearly enough before. Mind you, I had to use headphones to notice them. My speakers couldn't pick them up amongst all the ambient noise. The one side effect is that I can now also hear SNR problems that are embedded in some recordings.
Stan
This is the kind of sound I'm looking for!
Are there any recommended modifications to the circuitry besides swapping out the WM8716 directly?
As a quick update, I was listening to an acoustic recording by a friend over the weekend and decided to give the THS4032 a spin. Popped it into the line socket, with the 4562NA still in the HPA stage.
The sound hasn't improved significantly, but there is a better sense of detail coming through. On busy pieces it sounds somewhat muddy, relatively hard to pick out instruments and individual components of the music, though I expect it's still running in.
As a quick update, I was listening to an acoustic recording by a friend over the weekend and decided to give the THS4032 a spin. Popped it into the line socket, with the 4562NA still in the HPA stage.
The sound hasn't improved significantly, but there is a better sense of detail coming through. On busy pieces it sounds somewhat muddy, relatively hard to pick out instruments and individual components of the music, though I expect it's still running in.[/QUOTE]
Maybe because you are using some awful speakers? :) I dont experience muddy sounds with the 4032-quite the opposite.
The THS4032 is best suited for use via the DAC's variable output to a power amp. An integrated amp with all its extra capacitive stages would put a damper on the THS4032 low frequency response.
I listen to a lot of internet radio (that circuit which improves low bitrate transmissions deserves an award)-do you think it may sound worse because of background noise?
Just to be clear is there anything different about the Caiman other than the following:
1. Improved dac chipset
2. 4562 op-amps to line and headphone
3. MLC5/6 removed.
4. Improved power supply (at a later date)