Jandl100 (Jerry) and Tubehunter (Duncan)
I'm right, aren't I?
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Jandl100 (Jerry) and Tubehunter (Duncan)
I'm right, aren't I?
Hi Neal, PM me your address and I shall get your prize in the post:).Quote:
Originally Posted by NRG
Stan
Now that one is bought, paid for and heading towards my address, I can't wait to read the reviews. :lol:
I am going through the list of the 50 Caiman owners who have taken up the offer of obtaining one at a fraction of the cost. It will take a day or two, so don't panic if you haven't got an invoice from me yet:).
Thanks Stan, I'll keep an eye on my inbox. :)
Whooohooo! Thanks Stan, I saw your email this morning and paid via paypal!Quote:
Originally Posted by StanleyB
Darn:doh:, I forgot to add your winnings. I'll make a note of that and send it out in the next day or two. The PSU is already on its way to you though:).Quote:
Originally Posted by NRG
Thanks for that heads-up, yes that news is calming.Quote:
Originally Posted by StanleyB
Hi Stan,
Have you any test graphs for the "top" power supply that you could share? Interested in how close the PS is to a zero volt test equipment graph over the frequency range. I have been looking at the Teddy PS for the SB3 over on PFM and was quite interested in the relative graphs showing linear / switchmode and Teddy reg supplies.
Regards
Hi Stan,
Have all of the PSU invoices been sent? If so, that is quite the testament to AoS Caiman owners that 50 other AoS Caiman owners got in line before me in the mere 15 hrs between the announcement being posted and my e-mail to get in line for one.
Quite the excited bunch aren't we?
-Roscoe
Maybe a dumb question but does the Caiman psu need to break-in as well?
I know this subject is controversial but since the bigger part of this forum seems to agree that Stan's dacs DO get better after 200+ hours of playing time I dare to ask.
Hope to read some first impressions soon.
Not that I can detect. What it does need is about 15 minutes of warm up time from cold. It also improves LM4562NA based mods. I might consider offering it to TC-7520 owners who are using the 4562NA. It's a bit brutal in the bass with the THS4032 and LM4562HA.
Ok, thanks Stan.
Anyone got any recommendations for a third party figure 8 mains cable to connect to the new PSU? Or is it not worth bothering with?
Also, probably a question for Stan - is the original PSU (the one we are now replacing) the same as the one for the 7510, and/or 7520, and if not, would it be an upgrade for either of those? (i.e. I am trying to establish if the old Caiman PSU would be of use to a 7510/20 owner as an improvement?)
Are you implying that my mainslead is inferior in any way?Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex_UK
Never come between a man and his mains lead ;)
Marco.
It might be worth filing some notches into the stock plug though. Just in case.
In my case, I will optimize Stan's mains lead with (a glass of good) wine... :o
Most certainly not, but then neither do I suggest (or imply) to Ken Ishiwata or Mike Creek that their mains leads are "inferior" - that doesn't stop me wanting to experiment with alternatives and (hopefully) finding an improvement though! - is that any different to op-amp experimentation? Or placing the Caiman on a granite placemat like I did today? (a bargain from Tesco at £6 for 2 - very suitable size for a StanDac, too - though yet to try any proper listening.)Quote:
Originally Posted by StanleyB
How about the other part of my question Mr. B? ;)
Ah, and there was me thinking it was the pieces of foil I taped to the mains lead that was making a difference! You may have hit the nail on the head Dimitri - snake oil is actually a very nice South African Red normally £8.99 but currently an amazing £10 for 3 at Sainsburys... (UK supermarket, if it gets lost in the translation! :) )Quote:
Originally Posted by Themis
Asda:
Snappygum:
3 for a tenner.
As good as any wine up to £20 a botle.
(I've A/B tested it - Hic)
Seriously a great wine.
Alex, thanks for your PM the other Day, business as usual for me mate.
Several times, I hope! :drinking:...:drunk:Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazjam
Cool, good to hear. (Those of us who's lives have "just begun" have got to stick together! ;) )Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazjam
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazjam
Wow-thanks for the tip Gaz, I will give that a try.
Stan
I just ordered a Caiman last Thursday and it will probably be delivered today. Would this include the new PSU?
Sincerely
Rodney
It depends on the invoiced amount and what it said on the ordering page when you ordered. Have a look at your Paypal payment details, since that will clearly state which power supply you paid for.Quote:
Originally Posted by huric9
Stan,
Its says this:
Special Edition DAC
Item Number TC-7520SE Caiman , Caiman Power Supply: UK 3-pin plug
Best regards,
Rodney
OK, that's sorted then:).
Stan
I have just read your webpage on the Caiman power supply
You say
"The Caiman power supply delivers an additinonal (sic) 3Volts Peak to Peak of supply headrooom."
Why do you quote a peak to peak value? Isn't that a bit like those amplifier manufacturers quoting "music" or "peak" power for their amps?
I guess the Caiman supply has an output about 1v RMS higher that the one you first supplied.
Peak to Peak is just technobabble to the non-technical and makes the techies smile at the claim.
I'm sure the product is better served by a more straightforward text.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amplitude
My Caiman PSU arrived a few minutes ago. :eyebrows:
I'm looking forward to trying it out on my Caiman when I get home.
Until then I'll try to run it in a bit on my standard (lightly modded) 7520 that I now use with some iGrado's at work.
On the subject of voltage, I've just compared both PSU's on a shiny new Fluke true RMS multimeter. The old PSU measured 12.07V and the new PSU 15.57V. So I'm seeing a 3.5V increase. I'm no electronics expert but I think RMS figures are only really stated for AC signals as they are a waveform. As DC is just a potential difference it's measured as peak to peak as you've just got fixed 0V and 15.57V lines. Perhaps someone with more knowledge on the subject could comment on this. :)
My Caiman PSU duly arrived this morning and installed for about 3 hours, so well warmed up. Now got the house to myself, so will give it a good thrash, but initial feeling is there is definitely an increase in bass weight - and generally just more of everything - an already ace product subtly improved and refined - thanks again Stan. (We'll see if the silver plated Figure 8 lead I've ordered makes any more difference when that arrives ;) )
Perhaps Stan means the Caiman supply allows the analogue circuitry more room to swing, but he has written a very odd sentence.
He will no doubt speak . . .
Thanks for your quick review. The PSU looks (or sounds) promising. Can't wait to get mine. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex_UK
I'm still hoping.
Guessing Stans been a busy man.
Here's my quick review of the Caiman PSU from my listening last night:
First I think it's important to mention than I've made a slight change to the opamps in my Caiman. The standard LM4562NA is still in the headphone socket but I've swapped the line out opamp for the LME4970HA. This is the latest version of the LM4562HA which is the metal can version of the LM4562NA. I hope that makes sense. Personally I haven't noticed any specific difference between this opamp and the original but it's supposed to be better quality so I've left it in for now. Other than that my Caiman is standard.
I first let my system warm up for a couple of hours playing some TV with the old PSU in place while I cooked and ate my dinner. I then listened to a familiar track a couple of times to get a feel for the sound. The track I chose was "Are you in" by Incubus as it's recorded very well and has quite a lot of detail and variation. This was played off my media centre PC where it's stored as an uncompressed WAV file. My PC is currently connected to the Caiman using a Mark Grant 4M SPDIF cable. While I was doing this I'd plugged in the Caiman PSU into a spare mains socket to allow it to warm up.
I then swapped to the new Caiman PSU and played the track again a few times. At first I didn't notice anything obviously different. Then as I listened further I started to become aware that the trebble was some how more noticeable. It gradually became apparent that I was hearing more fine detail in the trebble which was an unexpected improvement, as I was expecting most of the changes to be bass related. So I then focussed on listening to the bass. While this didn't seem to have changed much it did seem to have a little more detail to it as well, with the leading edges of the notes some how being clearer. This helped the overall timing and rythem and I found myself foot tapping along to the beat. :dance:
By this time I was really getting into the music and started trying out some of my other favorite tracks. The same improvements were apparent on every track I played. There was also something extra going on that I couldn't put my finger on at first. After some more listening I realised that everything had a more silky sound to it, especially vocals. It was as if everything had been dipped in melted butter. Yum. :lol:
All of these improvements were fairly subtle, it wasn't as though anything jumped out at me but that's a good thing in my opinion. It was just as if all the good points of the Caiman DAC had been tweaked further to give a few more drops of loveliness.
I should also mention that the sound improved over about half an hour or so. So I guess the DAC needs time to bed in with the new voltage. Probably due to the capacitors charging up more. :confused:
Anyway, I found all the changes to be positive with no extra boom to the bass or anything harsh which I think some people found using the Maplin 13.5V PSU against Stan's advice.
Great work Stan, you've created a monster! :cool:
I can't wait to do more listening tonight. :eyebrows:
My Caiman supply has just arrived. (Well it arrived yesterday while we were out, so we had to collect from the depot today.)
Installed minutes ago. Listening on Sony F1 headphones - full bodied sound and very pleasant. I will need to wait a few weeks to make a proper appreciation - till the unit is burned in and I have moved to Nicosia and installed my Quad and floorstanders in the bungalow lounge.
But sounds very nice on the headphones. Let's see what the next few days bring.
An observation: if the Caiman power supply kicks out 15v instead of 12v, a comparison should be made between it an another competent 15v supply. The 7510 sounds very different on 15v - but I would describe the 7510 on 15v as overblown, rather than full bodied.
Yes, with the new PSU the Caiman is full bodied without any hint of strain.
Edit after one hour: More "presence", whatever that means! Finding words for subjective qualities is always difficult.
Edit 2: Wow - that Piano made me take notice
Radio Swiss Classic
Jan Ladislav Dussek Klavierkonzert F-Dur Op.17
128kbps CBR, MP3 Internet Radio
http://zlz-stream11.streamserver.ch/1/rsc_de/mp3_128
Many members will know I turn to the piano to judge my system. The 128 KB/s MP3 stream I am presently listening to brought me up rather abruptly with a piano entry. Good stuff Stan. Radio Swiss Classic always seems to be better than the numbers would lead you to believe! Well I will have to wait a few weeks to hear this on my favourite speakers.
Thanks for the prompt service, Stan.
Slightly off topic:
The mains lead for the recent Beresford power supplies is a fairly common item, and I have collected a few spares over the years. I have one cut down to two inches long with a new 13A plug on it (2A fuse). This I carry when taking my digital camera charger out of the house. I have been using it with the Beresford PSUs as it reduces the tangle of cables behind the telly! I don't need the length: I will cut another short mains lead.
Got my PSU today (Dank Stan,)
first impressions, boomy not very defined bass, therefore missing the insane linear transparancy, closer to voices but a more narrow sound stage
listening both PSU,s A/B at this moment I do appreciate the non caiman psu more.
Maybe i'm to fast, to greedy, maybe it's also room acoustics,
regarding to Labarum's listening experience, it could be a matter of resetting on the new PSU. I'll leave the caiman PSU on the caiman for a couple of hours and then re-evaluate. Whatever happens I'm listening with a big smile since i've got the Caiman:)
Ron
Send it back for a refund:). I have outstanding orders for them, so no need to let it go to waste.Quote:
Originally Posted by bergdus
What?! Shame on TNT to deliver to Nootdorp first before De Bilt! ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by bergdus
Still in suspense.
Sorry Bilthoven ;)
Stan, game is not over yet
Ron
You folk should be supporting Philips of Eindhoven!Quote:
Originally Posted by Fi-Wi
Well Brian, that is not done in non-PSV crowds. :lol:
Wee question?
Stan said the Psu works well with the 7520, so I take it there's no problem running a 7520 modded with Wolfsen Dac and opamps at 15v either?
Ta.
I was wondering about running at 15v also. I thought that if the input caps were 16v the rule of thumb is to peak at 10% less. Certainly the 7510 is 16v but Stan possibly has uprated the 7520 and Caiman to 25v. I will have to take the lid off to have a look - and break Stan's special warning sticker!
Regards
So it was too fast, to greedyQuote:
Originally Posted by bergdus
Indeed a more fullbodied sound without being overblown. with a nice big stage and after a night of intensive listening, no sign of fatique.
So Stan, another opportunity missed to refund!!
Ron
I return to an earlier point. Any honest appreciation of the Caiman Supply must compare it with the Caiman DAC running with another competent 15v supply. The extra 3v might alone be responsible for the improvement in the Caiman.
It may be an academic point, for Stan's Caiman Supply will probably cost less than a competing supply. I have an adjustable power supply lying around the house - I used it with the 7510 (at 12v), but will not risk trying the Caiman with it.
Others may be brave enough to try another 15v supply and report.
Anyone stupid enough to try out any such experimemt should make sure that the DAC is closed and the case securely screwed down. The power capacitor has a metal casing and in the event of it exploding the flying metal bits could form a danger.
A timely caution Stan.
And two straight questions from me to you.
Does the Caiman supply output 15v?
If so, does the extra 3v account for much of the improvement noted between the PSUs.
Sorry Brian, but I am unwilling to answer that question unless other DAC and power supply manufacturers disclose the reason why their upgarded power supplies work better. I invested a lot of time and £££ in my products and would not be willing to save anyone any money in their search for a similar outcome in their product development.
Didn't someone earlier hook the PSU up to a scope and compare the voltage output of the New PSU with the standard one?