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KGSS options

post #1 of 21
11/27/06 at 1:11am
Thread Starter 
Just curious whether the Blackgates in the powersupply were worth it in the KGSS. It's such an expensive option, and I would do it if it were in the audio-circuit, but the power supply?

Also, are there any other options that I should definitely consider for the KGSS? Does silver wire do anything? The upgraded attenuator? Always-on bias?

I really appreciate your help...
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post #2 of 21
11/27/06 at 1:27am
Great question - I have the same for the Blue Hawaii - but, am opting for cheap options on caps first, mainly because Kevin did - and though I am a firm believer in silver wire, I needed 200c spec wire, which eliminates silver alloy wire.

Attenuators, yes - but, they can be added later after you have a well working unit.
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post #3 of 21
11/27/06 at 5:09am
I heard the silver wire is to make the O2s less dark, which is the whole purpose of buying a kgss instead of a stax tube amp. Therefore i will recommend it.

the AUTO BIAS IS A MUST unless some1 is always at home so u can call him/her 3 hours before u arrive to charge the headphone for u.

black gate.....no idea what its for but what the heck, just get everyTHING! its better to save and get most of the stuff u want than to imagine what the upgrade could have done latter.

The stepped volume control depends on your dac/preamp. My lessloss dac has a really good distortionless vol control so there is no pt upgrading the vol control on my amp if im going to bypass it. If u have a good preamp its sufficent too. However, if your dac doesnt have a good vol control, u may consider getting the upgrade on your amp and adjust volume from your amp instead of your dac or cd player.
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post #4 of 21
11/27/06 at 5:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Konig View Post
I heard the silver wire is to make the O2s less dark, which is the whole purpose of buying a kgss instead of a stax tube amp. Therefore i will recommend it.
And you know this how? I've personally asked Justin about this, and his personal opinion is that the silver wiring is not worth the price, so I'm skeptical of your claim that it's a "MUST".
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post #5 of 21
11/27/06 at 5:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by humanflyz View Post
And you know this how? I've personally asked Justin about this, and his personal opinion is that the silver wiring is not worth the price, so I'm skeptical of your claim that it's a "MUST".
Mikhail told me its worth the price for his es-1 though. maybe its diff for KGSS? And i never said silver wiring is a must. No upgrade is a 'must'.
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post #6 of 21
11/27/06 at 6:22am
Is there anyone on the forum building KGSS's at the moment?
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post #7 of 21
11/27/06 at 7:29am
Good silver wires do help the O2's but cheap wire just makes it worse and the wire Justin uses certainly isn't the best. The Black Gates are a must and have made a tremendous difference in every piece of gear I've put them in but they are expensive and should be considered an all out assault on the high end where price isn't a factor. The power supply is a big contributor to the sound so don't use cheap parts just because it isn't in the signal path.

Always on bias is not a must and all new stats charge almost instantly. Even though the diaphragm has a + charge (80% of dust has a + charge so it will be repelled) it will attract dust so with a constant bias they should be kept in a dust free environment.
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post #8 of 21
11/27/06 at 12:47pm
If you where only to get one option in the KGSS the Blackgates in the power supply would be the one, it will give you the biggest improvement in sound quality over your other options.
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post #9 of 21
11/27/06 at 1:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by spritzer View Post
Good silver wires do help the O2's but cheap wire just makes it worse and the wire Justin uses certainly isn't the best. The Black Gates are a must and have made a tremendous difference in every piece of gear I've put them in but they are expensive and should be considered an all out assault on the high end where price isn't a factor. The power supply is a big contributor to the sound so don't use cheap parts just because it isn't in the signal path.

Always on bias is not a must and all new stats charge almost instantly. Even though the diaphragm has a + charge (80% of dust has a + charge so it will be repelled) it will attract dust so with a constant bias they should be kept in a dust free environment.
I need to charge mine for at least 2 hours..... =(
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post #10 of 21
11/27/06 at 2:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Konig View Post
I need to charge mine for at least 2 hours..... =(
If you don't get any sound for two hours then there is something wrong with the phones but if they sound best after two hours there is also the warm up of all components to consider. There is a charge up time but it is relatively short. I've tested this throughly by always shorting the pins and the only phone that actually needs charging is the Magnavox 1A9217. These are old and haven't had much use in their lifetime so that could be a factor.
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post #11 of 21
11/27/06 at 5:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Konig View Post

The stepped volume control depends on your dac/preamp. My lessloss dac has a really good distortionless vol control so there is no pt upgrading the vol control on my amp if im going to bypass it. If u have a good preamp its sufficent too. However, if your dac doesnt have a good vol control, u may consider getting the upgrade on your amp and adjust volume from your amp instead of your dac or cd player.
Does your ES-1 have no volume control then? I don't see any other way to bypass it, otherwise. And I recall your ES-1 pictures having a volume knob.. if you're running the ES-1's volume to max and then running a preamp through it, it is counter intuitive, no?
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post #12 of 21
11/27/06 at 7:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by humanflyz View Post
And you know this how? I've personally asked Justin about this, and his personal opinion is that the silver wiring is not worth the price, so I'm skeptical of your claim that it's a "MUST".
Justin told me the exact same thing about the blackgates/silver wiring not being worth it.
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post #13 of 21
11/27/06 at 9:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by humanflyz View Post
And you know this how? I've personally asked Justin about this, and his personal opinion is that the silver wiring is not worth the price, so I'm skeptical of your claim that it's a "MUST".
Although since Justin has always been a fan of copper I'm not really sure your post really tells us anything meaningful other than that Justin is a fan of copper...
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post #14 of 21
11/27/06 at 11:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bozebuttons View Post
If you where only to get one option in the KGSS the Blackgates in the power supply would be the one, it will give you the biggest improvement in sound quality over your other options.
Tom,

You are always right!
What is a KGSS?
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post #15 of 21
11/28/06 at 12:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dannyandelyse View Post
Tom,

You are always right!
What is a KGSS?
Kevin Gilmore Solid State
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