Just try it and see what happens.If you don't like the results it's easy to reverse.
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Just try it and see what happens.If you don't like the results it's easy to reverse.
Can anything like the passive output mod be added to parts of the variable circuit to gain some of the advantages. I use the Caiman as a preamp so unfortunately cannot go with the fixed outputs. I have done the wire mod and resistor already though.
Regards
Chris
Resistor?
Best see the Caiman Mod thread for the resistor mod. Shame to repeat it here.
Regards
I have a 7510,so don't know if it's relevant.
I decided to make a test jig which just plugs in instead of the active audio board, I did it like this mainly as temporary to allow easy and quick swapping of the caps, it also goes through the onboard relay same as the active board
I also refitted the stock tans etc around the dac until I can get the smaller Silmic II's. the ones I fitted was a little big
The passive mod will have varying results depending on your kit mainly what the dac see's on the output, things like capacitive loads , long interconnects etc may influence things more than with the active audioboard Watch out for things like distortion or clipping.
The blue caps in the pic are Epcos polyester , the polypropylenes I tried first are just huge :mental:
I'm going to have a scrounge to see what others I have, the sound so far is smoother, less forward . Bass seems deeper
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/j...s/P1070433.jpg
Are these the two 10uf caps you are playing with ?Quote:
Originally Posted by leo
Those blue ones in the picture are 10uf polyester , I've a few other types to try yet, some electrolytics etc
Polypropylene sounded better than the blue polyesters but their 40mm diameter
What difference have you found from replacing the original caps?
you mean the tants around the dac ? I found the Silmics a little coloured and over warm sounding for my taste .The Silmics I fitted had brown and gold sleeve where as the lower voltage ones seen on this forum are white and brown . They may be exactly the same :scratch: I want to try some lower voltage brown and white just to be sure.Quote:
Originally Posted by Puffin
No Sorry I meant the 10uf's
Sorry I must be confused :lol: Its hard to explain things by text so you'll have to let me know if I'm not very clear:oQuote:
Originally Posted by Puffin
For the passive output mod I have only tried two different types of caps so far, first was big polypropylenes and the second was those blue polyester types.
10-47uf should be ok to use
So Leo, are the blue caps your version of the passive mod as described by Stan here?Quote:
Originally Posted by StanleyB
Yes, same mod I just implemented it a little differently to Stan, my version is just temporary for easy comparing of various caps.Quote:
Originally Posted by Puffin
I've not tried those 47uf grey caps in the passive mod yet
Thanks.
No probs :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Puffin
I've now fitted some Blackgate NX Hi-Q, these sound a lot different
Okay guys, before you get your soldering irons out, leo's post (number 106) inspired me to remove the op-amp board and directly insert the 47uF caps into the PIN3A socket in the board underneath.
http://www.hifiwatcher.com/wp-conten...ified-7520.jpg
From back to front of PIN3A (actually called "PIN3B" on the lower board) the connections are:
o Cap A +ve
o Cap A -ve
o no connection
o Cap B -ve
o Cap B +ve
I happened to find I had some spare 16V Blackgate 47uF (FK Series) - while I've previously had a rough time breaking in BGs in valve amps in the past, these are starting to improve quite rapidly (15 mins now).
The great thing about doing it this way is that I can swap in/out caps to find my favourite - probably a better final result than sticking with the first or second iteration that's been soldered in. Also better for the resale value when upgrading to any lovely future recipe exiting Stan's front door :)
Just using headphones, but the sound is already more "direct" and far better bass. Also starting to get some more texture to the sound. The volume setting on my amp had to be adjusted from 73/100 to 90/100.
Might consider making a standalone headphone board. Anyone know the name of the PIN3A and PIN4A connectors?
Andrew
Nice one Andrew, I was going to do the same , its certainly easier for normal sized caps
Infact I got a pair of 47uf 16v BG FK's which I'll try next.
I'm still listening and an hour-in, drums are really now sounding like drums - some heft, body and weight. Rhythm Guitar on Freebird now sounds a lot like it does when ploughing a diamond through a black disk - it didn't get anywhere close before, even with just the fantastic tirna mods (which are still very much relevant).Quote:
Originally Posted by leo
Andrew
I just put the FK's in :lol: Didn't like the NX Hi Q's, very soft so we'll see how the FK's go.
I am betting that leo's eyes are bulging right now with how good it is ;)
Right now I am in awe - the BGs are still improving. On top of the earlier improvements I'm hearing more natural detailed reverb on Magical Mystery Tour and a complex and more juicy tone.
Andrew
Haha, sorry. When I hear the name I automatically think about those Silver/Gold ones. I forget they have a wide range. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Ali Tait
I had some of those as coupling caps in one of my valve amps.They were good in some ways,but you could accuse them of being all top and bottom with little in between.
Wow Ali, you sure seemed to have tried every cap out there. That must mean I think you're crazy! :lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by Ali Tait
Just kidding!! Of course! You're just doing what I wish I could do: open all frontiers. To boldly go where no man has gone before... Hopefully before I'm 60. :lolsign:
Well, like I said before, if any of you cap collectors want to get rid of some surplus let me know. I don't care that they are used. Just be honest and fair!
Currently looking for oilers or oil-like; .22 - .68uF, 400v or more.
Interesting, Leo. Mine are all the brown/gold variety and I don't find them overly warm except with the AD826. This is probably why I now prefer the LM4562 as it seems to have the ideal balance.Quote:
Originally Posted by leo
I may try the DAC direct output mod next, although I'm slightly concerned about the lack of muting relay giving strange sounds through my system. I tend to run at high levels and don't need a woofer in the face.
I've not had chance to have a good listen yet, I'll leave them running in when I go to workQuote:
Originally Posted by AndrewR
Mad? Oh yes,we're all mad here,didn't you know? Some more than others of course....Quote:
Originally Posted by James G
I've by no means tried them all,but by far the best I've come across are SCR teflons.They are seriously pricy though.
Yes, I guess its why we have to try these things out isn't it :) Could be because we use different regulation or something or maybe because my Silmics was much higher voltage, dunno yet tbh, I'm willing to try the lower voltage ones just to be sureQuote:
Originally Posted by MartinT
I don't think the passive mod will suite everybody but its easy to try and put back .
BTW if you try it the same as me or easier still the same as Andrew you get the muting relay in the circuit , you can just pull the audioboard out and stick the caps in the socket. If you look you'll see the relay, its wired to the output of that socket , if you do it the same as stans pic your bypassing the relay altogether .
I've been posting quite a lot here lately. Perhaps I'm going mad too. :lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by Ali Tait
I often wonder what my wife thinks when she comes home to find me hunched over a pcb with a trail of smoke coming up. Sometimes while I'm at work I think about what I'm going to do to my audio, then just as soon I get home I get started on it. If that's not mad I don't know what is. :mental:
Yep.You've got it bad.
Leo,a friend on another forum tried various caps in a diy dac he'd built,the upshot of which was that the high voltage caps did not sound good at all used at the low voltages in the dac,so your assuption may be correct.I'll be interested in your findings.Quote:
Originally Posted by leo
If you do the mod like James or Leo and remove or replace the audio PCB, then the muting circuit will operate as normal, and the variable output will also be passive.
Welcome to the madness club :eyebrows:Quote:
Originally Posted by James G
egarding using too high a cap voltage. I'm sure I read somewhere recently that you shouldn't go more than a third higher the regular voltage, so if the rail is 15V, then 25V is the absolute limit for correct working.
On the other hand, running a continuous flat out 37V rail with 40V caps may not be a long-term reliable thing to do either. My Crowns had (then) computer grade supply 40V caps running in a circuit which was locally regulated at 30V (max raw DC voltage is around 33V) and after 35 years these caps were still well within spec, albeit around +5% tops by then.
Yes, I saw that and will try it as it is easy to put the Caiman back to original spec when required. Now where did I put those spare caps...Quote:
Originally Posted by leo
I can relate to that... you're normal :lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by James G
Andrew
My worst fears confirmed by the experts! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Ali Tait
Actually I'm quite honored to hear that, whether you are serious or not. Like I said before, there's a hell of a lot of other hobbies one could have, and not learn a damn thing other than piss money away. Which my wife is well aware of. And I know she enjoys good sound too, just not quite as fanatical about it as I am, which is part of my personality anyways.Quote:
Originally Posted by leo
CHEERS! :champagne:
Yep,I could be down the pub every night,drinking and chasing women.There are worse hobbies than this!
That does sound appealing though :cool: :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Ali Tait
Got to say, with this mod and using the Black Gate FKs I was seriously in danger of getting to sleep too late for my 6:30am start this morning.
The effect of this mod is not to be underestimated. The resulting sound is stratospheric - maybe (with its Tirna mods included) reaching Akurate DS territory (going by audio memory).
Andrew
Don't give Hamish a heart attack;).Quote:
Originally Posted by AndrewR
And I thought once my Caiman arrives next week I would be leaving it alone......Quote:
Originally Posted by AndrewR
Leave it alone. The mod is only reasonably suitable for those who want high-end sound on a shoestring budget, and know which end to hold a soldering iron. You fail on the soldering iron test:lol:.Quote:
Originally Posted by fmzip
Stanley please step in if I am off the mark, but if my memory serves me correctly the Beresford house sound could be described as on the "stratospheric" side to begin with, right?Quote:
Originally Posted by fmzip
I'd give it at least 2 weeks run-in time before even considering it. ;)
This only applies to the modded Caiman. If you add the Murata regs and a good linear PSU I very much doubt you find a better sounding DAC below a couple of grands. No amount of opamp swapping (including discrete opamps) will ever better the raw audio out of a decent voltage output DAC.
The new mods appear to do away with the variable out and if so is a stand alone preamp the way to go now? I thought that we all thought that the Caiman as a pre/DAC was best directly into a power amp.
Getting a bit lost with the latest mods I am afraid.
Regards
Chris
I guess it would depend on your setup.I use a WAD Pre2,and find my Beresford sounds better through this than driving the amp direct.
Thanks to Stan for brining another interesting mod to the forum.
I implemented the output mod earlier today using a pair of 16v 47uF Blackgates, I noted there's only 2.5v DC across these caps so a 6.3v cap would be sufficient.
The results are interesting and a bit of a mixed bag for me...the good news is I'm liking the increased clarity and detail, I didn't think it was possible to get more from this great little DAC or 16bit/44.1Khz for that matter so it just goes to show what's on those silver disks. The improvement is across the board, top to bottom, Bass is no deeper though just more controlled and tuneful.
One other improvement is dynamics, listening to some well known tracks where I would be reaching for the volume control to turns things up to get the highs has become a dangerous exercise! I'm having to back off the volume somewhat as the contrast between high and low seems to be greater, Hem - The Fire Thief is one such track as is Angel by Sarah McLachlan...
The downside is I've detected on some tracks and with some female vocals a hardening of tone and a slight edge, this could be the new mod opening the window on the recording more coupled with the caps needing more hours on them.....another thought is I'm using Stan's upgraded Caiman PSU and maybe this mod calls out for a good linear supply.....something I'll look into.
Overall I'm happy but I have some concerns on some material that was OK before...
It is possible to implement the passive output mod while still maintaining the variable output. Look back a page or two to see how.Quote:
Originally Posted by chrism
I'd definitely agree with this. The Elna caps take at least two weeks to run in. They cause some harshness in the top end before that. The caps used in the passive mod will also go through the same process. So it's best to let mods run in before trying something new to make sure you like the results of each mod.Quote:
Originally Posted by James G
I've also noticed this on some female vocals. I think it's partly to do with the passive mod allowing you to hear the recording more faithfully but also due to the caps not being run in yet. I think you'll find the sound will get smoother over the next week or two. Swapping to a good linear supply will also help as I found doing this removed some harshness.Quote:
Originally Posted by NRG
Is there any benefit for choosing a more upmarket capacitor? I am thinking of the one Marco recommended-Clarity I think it was called.