Originally Posted by Pricklely Peete /img/forum/go_quote.gif Anyway I'm not sure how much of this has to do with more filtering capacity vs quality/spec of cap...my guess is a little of both. I would urge Kingwa to bump the uf capacity (on a tester unit in house with his ref system) to what I am using and see if his results are similar to mine.
Peete.
Yeah if that simple mod could bring more bass punch and dynamics then I'm all for it.
Update to the original evaluation of the Phoenix PSU mod/upgrade (Part 1 or Phase 1).
The changes I talked out about in post #2655 are confirmed after some lengthy listening and further burn in. I think the caps may have settled in completely since no further changes have been observed in the past 24 hours. The PIO bypass caps I used on the 6800uf 35V KG's already had multiple K hours on them so that aspect I did not have to take into account.
The difference from stock actually ended up being far larger (easily noticeable) than I originally thought it might or would be. It's nice to be proven wrong in this particular case.
The head amp exhibits these changes readily although on a slightly smaller scale (I imagine Phase 2 of the upgrade will improve things further but the degree of which is a total unknown until completed and tested thoroughly).
The cost of Part 1 or Phase 1 of this upgrade makes it very attractive (roughly speaking about 75USD) with the skill level needed to perform this upgrade classified as being basic IMO. Phase 2 is even cheaper by about 60% since the largest expenditure of both phases are the 6800uf KG filter caps. If you are not mechanically inclined (dis-assembly is harder than the actual cap swapping) or all thumbs with a soldering iron I'd get someone experienced to do it.
Part 2 or Phase 2 will commence once I have the FBI-500 Integrated amp rebuilt and setup (the L channel power stage module arrived yesterday). If all goes smoothly with the FBI rebuild, Phase 2 of the Phoenix project could be done in less than 2 weeks. Fingers crossed the FBI rebuild goes off without a hitch
For those intereted in trying out the Phoenix and the Reference One DAC, I'll be wih my gear at the Montreal SSI event tomorow and Sunday at the Head-Fi booth.
Originally Posted by punk_guy182 /img/forum/go_quote.gif That's a very interesting plan Peete!
For those intereted in trying out the Phoenix and the Reference One DAC, I'll be wih my gear at the Montreal SSI event tomorow and Sunday at the Head-Fi booth.
Cool PG, have yourself a great time this weekend !
The bug you unleashed infected me. When you were doing cables, I was like "Bah, let the kid play"... But caps... I know how good caps can turn mediocre amp to a very good one (my X-Can experience)... and Phoenix IS excellent amp to begin with, but no... your blasphemy had to prove that Novers are limiting factor... I hate you (a little).
Where you usually get your caps? I'm looking for Mundorf M-lytics and Elna RFS for my Roc...
You were (are) right - those ventures never ever end.
Originally Posted by punk_guy182 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I haven't forgotten you Peete.
I'll send you the Oyaide DB-510 after the show.
No rush, have fun
Quote:
Originally Posted by FauDrei /img/forum/go_quote.gif S*rew you Peete...
The bug you unleashed infected me. When you were doing cables, I was like "Bah, let the kid play"... But caps... I know how good caps can turn mediocre amp to a very good one (my X-Can experience)... and Phoenix IS excellent amp to begin with, but no... your blasphemy had to prove that Novers are limiting factor... I hate you (a little).
Where you usually get your caps? I'm looking for Mundorf M-lytics and Elna RFS for my Roc...
You were (are) right - those ventures never ever end.
Hehe....sorry to contribute to your delinquency FD but the DIY ACSS cables made a big difference, as big as any of the upgrades performed thus far with the possible exception of the solid silver DC lines I made. I have no idea if they made any difference at all but they were cheap to make and I thought I'm going this far with everything else it makes little sense to not make up a set of DC lines.
The NoVer caps are good quality ...it's just that the KG's and Mundorf are better but how much better vs the increase in filtering capacity is an unknown. Like I said before it's likely a mix of both.
I get all of my parts from Head Fi sponsor (which happens to be an in country local supplier, which is major plus), PartsconneXion.com or PCX.
Peete.
PS : It's been a very long time since anyone referred to me as kid
No I haven't had the pleasure of comparing the RSA Apache but I do have a number of preamps on hand at home (a totally modified all tube MC-7R MeiXing, a modified/upgraded Adcom GFP-750, A mid level Parasound and another SS monitor series NAD from the 80's and few others I've bought and sold over the years). None of those hold a candle (modified or not) to the Phoenix (even in stock trim) when used as 2 channel speaker system preamp. I think the Phoenix makes for a better preamp than head amp which reflects it's heritage (a scaled down C39/C3SE) but the Phase 2 mod may or may not affect that current view (the head amp section).
I think you could safely pit the stock unit against anything under 5K and the modified unit against anything over 5K and it wouldn't embarrass itself. Is it the last word ? No, of course not (is any amp ?) but for a SS design it's mighty un- SS like in it's presentation without getting syrupy, bloated and slow. In fact it's so transparent, speedy , controlled and imparts so little on the source material it's reminds me more of the Adcom GFP-750 in passive mode except 10X better. It's very analog like yet musical and accurate with all the detail you'd ever want. I can listen for hours on end without a hint of fatigue, even with bad recordings it does a good job of making them a little more listenable (but no amp is a miracle worker for the truly awful recordings). Do I prefer better recorded material 99% of the time ? Of course. I wish all my source material was well recorded......bloody pipe dream that is though....
The ACSS pathway when used with the CD7/RE1 redbook source is a terrific, riveting combination. Once I have my resurrection project FBI-500 Integrated up and running I'll be able to test that ACSS pathway with an A-gd power amp on the other end...
All of this is IMO of course. YMMV as will others mileage but the base unit's voicing is Class A category without a doubt.
I'd email Kingwa about the caps. He will use the cable you select (or buy from elsewhere as long as you ship it to him before the build starts). I would imagine the caps would be a fairly easy inclusion to that list of deviations from stock. It's best to talk directly with him about such things though.
Any ideas on how FBI-500's preamp is vs. phoenix as preamp? I've been considering selling the phoenix and getting the FBI-500 and getting audio-gd's SP-5 speakers, but sadly I just learned from Kingwa the speakers he sells to the Chinese market can't be shipped internationally since carriers don't do packages with magnets, something about messing with their planes. If FBI-500 is not that far behind phoenix preamp, maybe someone can think of a way to bypass the shipping issue? Maybe I purchase the drivers and buy the rest of the speakers from Kingwa?
Originally Posted by Pricklely Peete /img/forum/go_quote.gif Update to the original evaluation of the Phoenix PSU mod/upgrade (Part 1 or Phase 1).
The changes I talked out about in post #2655 are confirmed after some lengthy listening and further burn in. I think the caps may have settled in completely since no further changes have been observed in the past 24 hours. The PIO bypass caps I used on the 6800uf 35V KG's already had multiple K hours on them so that aspect I did not have to take into account.
The difference from stock actually ended up being far larger (easily noticeable) than I originally thought it might or would be. It's nice to be proven wrong in this particular case.
The head amp exhibits these changes readily although on a slightly smaller scale (I imagine Phase 2 of the upgrade will improve things further but the degree of which is a total unknown until completed and tested thoroughly).
The cost of Part 1 or Phase 1 of this upgrade makes it very attractive (roughly speaking about 75USD) with the skill level needed to perform this upgrade classified as being basic IMO. Phase 2 is even cheaper by about 60% since the largest expenditure of both phases are the 6800uf KG filter caps. If you are not mechanically inclined (dis-assembly is harder than the actual cap swapping) or all thumbs with a soldering iron I'd get someone experienced to do it.
Part 2 or Phase 2 will commence once I have the FBI-500 Integrated amp rebuilt and setup (the L channel power stage module arrived yesterday). If all goes smoothly with the FBI rebuild, Phase 2 of the Phoenix project could be done in less than 2 weeks. Fingers crossed the FBI rebuild goes off without a hitch
Originally Posted by haloxt /img/forum/go_quote.gif Any ideas on how FBI-500's preamp is vs. phoenix as preamp? I've been considering selling the phoenix and getting the FBI-500 and getting audio-gd's SP-5 speakers, but sadly I just learned from Kingwa the speakers he sells to the Chinese market can't be shipped internationally since carriers don't do packages with magnets, something about messing with their planes. If FBI-500 is not that far behind phoenix preamp, maybe someone can think of a way to bypass the shipping issue? Maybe I purchase the drivers and buy the rest of the speakers from Kingwa?
I'm unsure how it measures up. Couldn't the speakers be shipped via container ship ? It'll take a lot longer but it might be the solution you are looking for.
Guys...I need help. My Phoenix quit working last night!!! =(...
I dont even use it that often. When I do, it is maybe an hour at a time and I keep it turned OFF when not in use. I hadnt used it in about 3 days and decided to listen to some music last night. Turned it ON and everything seemed fine (lights and display came ON), but there was no sound. My DAC shows that it is locking on to the SPDIF optical signal, but the Phoenix is not outputting sound to my headphones. After a few hours of pulling my hair out, I gave up.
This morning, I decided to try again. This time the LEFT headphone speaker had sound. I fiddled around with the Preamp button and turned the Phoenix ON/OFF a few times and then both LEFT/RIGHT headphone speakers worked. Everything worked great for about 10 mins. and then all sound cut out again. Argh!!!
I decided to step away for lunch and came back about 30 mins later and it worked again for about 10 mins. and then sound died.
Any ideas what to do??? I really dont want to have to send this back to Kingwa... =/
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