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KGSS options - Page 2

post #16 of 21
11/28/06 at 3:25am
I can understand Justin not being a fan of silver wiring since I am a fan of silver but at least 50% of the time I try it with upgrades I don't like the results. But I think that him saying that the Blackgates aren't worth it may be more like a bang for the buck related statement. Considering you could buy a new set of k701's for the price of 2 of the big ones they aren't what I would call a best buy. But, I think what the posters are saying ( they are a must ) they could well give you what most KGSS buyers are looking for. That being the best low level detail, resolution, and transparency that Kevin Gilmore's original design can offer. Saying that upgrades to the power supply is unimportant is like saying that the water is unimportant to a great cup of coffee. The power supply converts the 110 AC to DC which is what the electrical signal is made of! If that DC has lots of waves in it already, what chance does the musical signal to come out the other end just the way it came in? Of course the significance of an upgrade is in the ear of the beholder and is most dependent on the quality of the part being upgraded. The better the power supply, the less it can be improved on. And the better the source, the more apparent the improvements will be. I find that most designers err on the side of caution/conservative because of the position their in and it's better to take the advice of current Kgss owners.
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post #17 of 21
11/28/06 at 3:30am
If I were doing my KGSS again I would get always on bias and a single balanced dact and leave it at that... the BGs and silver wire arent worth it imho.
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post #18 of 21
11/28/06 at 4:05am
I tell anyone interested in the Black Gates for the KGSS that my personal opinion is that it's not worth the cost (it costs $450 for the parts, and the upgrade cost is $650, so I have some margin there). In the KGSS the power supply capacitors primary function is filtering of the power supply noise, and I don't have any reason to believe they do a better job at that than a less boutique capacitor.

In the signal path it's a bit different, but the KGSS does not use any capacitors here. Here are some graphs that show THD vs Frequency, with different electrolytic output capacitors compared to no output capacitor, for a power amplifier. This shows more than the usual THD %, as THD is almost always given at just one power level at one frequency or some kind of average.



Top line of the graph shows the distortion with a 6800uF "regular brand" capacitor...note that this is with 40 watts of power into a 8 ohm load, and the differences might be a bit less at headphone power levels.



The distortion is eliminated with an absolutely massive 100,000uF capacitor



With a 4700uF Elna Cerafine capacitor, the distortion in the midband is gone but the low frequency distortion is still there.


So the best solution is really just to use a very large capacitor, and things will improve further with an Elna Cerafine or Black Gate.

If anyone wanted some hard evidence on capacitors in the signal path making a difference, now you have it!
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post #19 of 21
11/28/06 at 11:04am
I only opted for single 4ch DACT as well.

Figured the cost of BG was high enough to put a dent into the cost of another amp, say a KGST somewhere down the line, that the minor change wasn't high value in comparison to a whole other amp

Always on bias... just leave the thing on 24/7, rich man's always on bias

Silver wiring, not really a fan of silver per say and in a stereotypical role, silver isn't where I want to take the O2 since I found the O2/KGSS a little forward to begin with.

So there you have it, the KGSS I wanted is the KGSS I got, well almost have, and it happens to be the least costly config, win win
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post #20 of 21
11/29/06 at 12:13pm
These are the actual caps KG used in his personal BH (per KG himself):

http://www.digikey.com/scripts/DkSea...621248&Site=US

There are pricier, even at Digikey, but, if the designer, who isn't exactly the last word in restraint, nor limited in his resources, chose these, that should tell us all something, especially that he and Justin are on the same page .

Heck, I WANT to spend more on my caps, just for the psycho-acoustic lift it will give me, and the months of agony waiting for the BG 'bloom' (and subsequest 're-blooms'), but, alas, this quest seems futile, within the design of the Hybrid psu board that is usually associated wityh KGSS / BH.

Unfortunately, I had ordered Cornell Dubilier from Mouser...
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post #21 of 21
12/13/11 at 7:55am

What kind of cables do you use for the KGSS? How much should one reasonably spend on it, considering the amp capability?

Thanks

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