They are very good IMO Martin,get your finger out!
Printable View
They are very good IMO Martin,get your finger out!
Ahh well now.....I mustn't give away all my secrets.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ali Tait
Ok - doing it now!
Done it and it's running-in on MTV HD. Will give it a proper listen tomorrow.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8480/8...3d97318c_b.jpg
Think you will be pleasantly surprised Martin,they do take a while to run in though.
Ok,PM me then! :lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by Clive
About time you got those ESA's in Martin:lol: Give them a couple of days worth of background playing and then prepare all you favourite CD's to be reappraised all over again. I also just got my Abbey Road Reference speaker cable which together with the new caps has made a really tangible improvement, even with 15 year old speakers!
Cheers Andy
First impressions of the ClarityCaps are good: highly transparent, extended treble, good soundstage. I'm hoping that the bass will extend out as it is a little light at the moment compared with the Rubycons.
It will.May take a while though.
Hi guys,Quote:
Originally Posted by AndrewR
I am quite interested in doing this mod however i like to ask some questions before i attempt to do it.
1. Andrew's method is the only option if i were to do it without soldering right?
2. i am a bit confused on how the caps would actually slot into the PIN3A. I am assuming its not soldered but if i just shove it down to the pin would the caps make a firm enough contact to the slot (i'm just thinking about it since i would assume those cap legs are not usually meant to be used that way unlike the opamps dip8 legs)
3. Also if i do it Andrew's way i understand i would lose the headphone out but do i also lose the variable output (or does it become a 2nd fixed output)?
4. Since i am in Aus i would guess the best place is to buy the caps that are sold from Tirna right?
Cheers,
Sonny
Hi Sonny,
The solution does not need any soldering just board pulling (cutting or melting the glue). The new caps should just push into the slots but larger caps with thick legs may need a bit of filing down. I used the grey Rubycon caps and they fitted in easily. You will lose the headphone capability but not the variable output. I still use mine as a preamp as well.
Regards
Chris
Sonni,
If you mean that you want to replace all the capacitors with Elnas' etc, the hard part is desoldering the originals. If you just want to go passive output, as Chris says, that's much easier.
Good luck, Andy
Yeah i just wanted to try the passive output mod so i guess it should be pretty easy.
Just wondering what to look for when shopping for the capacitor.
If i know the compatible specs for it then i might even try asking some shops around to see if they have some exotic caps like claritycaps and such.
I'm trying to see if i can get some from the local farnell shop instead of importing from Tirna but i am perplexed by the options. Will all of these work??? I cant seem to find one that look like the one from Tirna
http://au.farnell.com/jsp/search/bro...lues%3D1000095
If you are planning to use film caps,be aware that you will struggle to find any at 47uF that will fit in the case.However,if you know the input impedance of your amp/preamp,a smaller value can be used,allowing them to fit.They do sound better than electrolytics IMO.
Sonni,
If your (pre) amp has an input impedance of 50k ohm (standardish), then Clarity Caps at 1, 1.5 or 1.6 uF are fine. The 1.6uF fit in the case nicely as well. You can get them mail order if you can not find a local supplier. Other links on this thread will direct you to a calculator to get a good idea of what you might need if your amp has a vastly different input impedance.
Cheers Andy
Hi Martin,Quote:
Originally Posted by MartinT
Hows the bass? Mine has grown a lot but in a nice controlled fashion. The 'native' drums on Belakis Queen of Sheeba really sound spot on now, you can almost picture a bit of skin being hit by something;)!
Cheers Andy
Clarity Caps can be bought from Hi-Fi Collective.
Running the more typical amp input impedances through the calculator gives:Quote:
Originally Posted by Clive
for 10k use 8uF
for 20k use 4uF
for 50k use 1.6uF
for 100k use 0.8uF
Simply use the value that corresponds to you amp's input impedance, where the capacitor is not available in the correct value then increase the value, eg 1uF in for 0.8uF.
Large values such as 47uF are used to ensure compatibility with any amp but such values are way over the top.
What's really scary is how much sonic damage a well executed opamp does vs a capacitor.....and capacitors are not exactly straightwire perfect in the first place!
Though I am using 0.47uF into 100k and it sounds fine.
Ali, I know you're aware this fairly approximate stuff anyway.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ali Tait
Your 0.47uF seems to give a -3db frequency of 7Hz with possible ringing occurring up to 70Hz. It may be the ringing only goes up to say 30Hz, which for most people would be totally acceptable. The values are really just a best guess starting point. Experimenting with capacitors you already have that aren't miles out in value is a good way to go.
Cheers,
Clive
It's not used for critical listening anyway
Clive,just to play the Sky box through.Does sound very good doing this though.
Wow.
I have been absent from the forum for a few months (distracted by holidays / work / kids - no excuse - i'm sorry) and have been enjoying my caiman (murata regs/ linear Maplin PSU / DAC and Opamp Board cap upgrades) very much. It was a bit of a shock to see this thread with so many posts in it from you guys.
Anyway I read every page of the thread and was very intrigued by the positive comments on this mod by nearly everyone so yesterday I ordered some Nichelon KZ caps to try it for myself. They arrived about 2 hours ago, I fitted them, plugged my Caiman in and stuck a CD playing on repeat. I know I should be waiting before listening etc etc but I had to have a sneak peak.
Wow. The Caiman is an amazing DAC in stock form (performing well above its price point), it improves with the regs, DAC caps and linear PSU. It has jumped again with this mod. I think that it may be the one that provides the biggest improvement???
Ade
Yep,agreed,it really lifts the performance IMO.
Now that I've put 48+ hours on them I gave the ClarityCap 1uF coupling caps a proper listen. I used my Sony Blu-ray player as a CD transport with co-ax into the Caiman, comparing with my Ayre C-5xe MP universal player. This is a massively unfair comparison!
The Caiman does very well indeed, especially in the midrange where it almost has the fine detail and transparency of the Ayre and in the treble where it has a similar level of non-harshness. Only in the bass is it a little light in comparison, although the ClarityCaps are better at bass resolution than the Rubycons, if not weight. Overall, this combination transport and DAC at around £500 punches well above its weight and is not at all embarrassed. I'm not about to sell my Ayre but I could certainly live with the sound the Caiman makes. For Sky HD and Blu-ray duties it is superb.
I may buy a pair of 2.2uF ClarityCaps and see if I can fit them in the case. I will probably solder them in rather than use the sockets in the end. That could be my final configuration.
Are those your famous last words;)?Quote:
Originally Posted by MartinT
Hi MartinT,Quote:
Originally Posted by MartinT
What is the voltage rating of the cap ?
Where did you get it from?
Regards
Rob
Give them longer Martin,I found they take quite a while to settle down.
ClarityCap ESA 1uF 630V £5.10 each from http://www.hificollective.co.uk/Quote:
Originally Posted by RoboCopper
I certainly will - they're getting a diet of Sky MTV HD every night when I go to bed.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ali Tait
I just know I'll regret typing that :)Quote:
Originally Posted by StanleyB
Is that your final statement Martin?
;)
After messing up 7520 with my bad soldering skills and killing it, I got lucky as my friend (experienced DIY electrician) found what the problem was with the 7520 board. He solder it back. (picture 1, circled).Quote:
Originally Posted by RoboCopper
Not just that, he also replaced and upgraded the DAC chip from Burr Brown PCM1716 DAC chip to a Wolfson WM8716 (he needed only 7 minutes :mex: for that job, pic 2)!!! ;)
Thanks to all who helped with advices.
Now I am in a hunt for perfect capacitor as I can do the passive mod the easy way as suggested in post 117 (thanks AndrewR)http://theartofsound.net/forum/showp...&postcount=117.
hey Roberto,
I've tried quite a few different capacitors for the passive mod, all rated at 47uF but with differing voltages;
Nicheon Muse FG 10v
Nicheon Muse ES 6.3v
Elna Skimic II 10v
Nicheon Muse KZ 25v
Nicheon Muse KZ 50v
I gave each one a couple of weeks "burn in" where I noticed that the sound changed over time till it finally settled down.
Best one for me was the Nicheon Muse KZ 50v, great all rounder but the kicker for me was it made music sound "alive", with it the music just seems to make a direct connection to your ears...and the good hifi stuff didnt matter.
Only thing with the KZ is that the metal legs are slightly thicker than the other caps, and have to be filed back a bit to fit in the socket holes on the Dac pcb.
5 minute job not a problem, and NO soldering involved! ;)
A few of the other guys have tried different caps too, but its system dependant I suppose, so its worth trying different ones to see what suits you and your system.
I'm looking at Film capacitors, apparently a big step up from electrolytic ones.
The ClarityCaps ESA range is what Im looking at.
Maybe thats the "ultimate" capacitor for the passive mod?
Thanks for the suggestions Gazjam,
As I decided to read all this LOOOONG but important thread I am also coming to conclusion that Clarity ESA Caps are the most mentioned as most suitable for this mod. It seems that voltage and uF value is of importance too in relation to SQ and different systems? Too many choices :)
Aye..too many choices,Quote:
Originally Posted by RoboCopper
BUT..with the Clarity Caps your limited by the physical SIZE of the things, unless you want the caps to sit outside your dac.
You dont. :)
The 1.6Uf ones fit in the case quite well, but need some hookup wire soldered on to the metal legs for them to fit into the Dac properly.
Check back, theres a couple of photos posted in this thread showing what needs to be done.
Gaz.
See my photo here, Roberto, even the 1uF ClarityCaps are big!
http://theartofsound.net/forum/showp...&postcount=654
There are better caps than the Clarity Caps IMO,but they will cost significantly more.I am using some SCR teflons,as I had them spare,but these cost more than the dac.The CC's are very hard to beat for the money I think.
looking good Martin!Quote:
Originally Posted by MartinT
Are the 1.6's MUCH bigger than these?
As long as they fit inside the case! :)
thanks.
No, if anything they are very slightly smaller in diameter, they fit nicely (see the photo a couple of pages back in the thread)Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazjam
Cheers Andy
Hi Stan, sent you a PMQuote:
Originally Posted by StanleyB
Cheers Andy
Cheers Andy!Quote:
Originally Posted by OLED
A question for those in the know? :)
I know theres a function between bass level, input impedance on your amp and the uF value of the caps....?
will the 1.6uF give a different bass response to the 1uF?
ta.
To add to that, even if there was on paper, could you actually here it (Martin, your behemoths are exclude!)Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazjam
1.6uF should be fine if your amp's input impedance is 50k Gary.
Yes, 1.6 will give a slightly lower roll-off frequency but what that frequency is will be dependant on the input impedance of your amp. There's a link to a website that does the calculation for you on a previous page. You're probably only talking a difference of less than 1Hz though, so probably not an audible difference but you'd have to do the calculations tobe sure.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazjam
From the Hi-Fi Collective website, the ClarityCap ESA 1uF is 20 x 38 mm and the 1.6uF is 22 x 38 mm. In fact, I'll abandon my idea to use the 2.2uF because it's just too big to fit the case (28 x 38), so I'll be buying a pair of 1.6uF too.
Thanks for that Dave, my amp impedance is 47k Ohms.Quote:
Originally Posted by HighFidelityGuy
Just concerned that the sound would be a bit bass light with the 1.6.....but a lower roll off freq. means the oppsosite?
excuse my ignornace! :)
Gaz / Martin / Dave / Ali / Andy / All
I am waiting for two ClarityCap ESA 1.6uf to arrive from hificollective. I love the sound of the Nichelon KZ 47uf caps that have been running in for the last few days (the bass has extended into the floor) but am keen to try the ClarityCaps as a comparison.
I might even use the soldering iron that my wife bought me for Christmas last year to solder some bridging wire to the claritycaps so that i can insert them into the socket.... This will be the 1st time i've used it.... Scary. I think the clarity caps have tinned ends to help with soldering. Any tips/warnings appreciated. I am a complete novice!
Ade
Is it a Caiman you have?
Yes. I have a Caiman with DAC cap and Murata Reg upgrades installed powered with a modded Maplins linear CB Radio PSU. All mods performed by Mr Jimmy Dripps.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ali Tait
Ade