AV710 modding?

[Illah]

Just curious what mods are out there, what the benefit is, and how easy/difficult they are.

--Illah

 

[Reck45]

Check stephs review. I'm curious about the other people who've done it. What does it do?

Oh and one more really really stupid question...what does dac stand for? *runs*

 

[kyrie]

DAC stands for Digital to Analog Converter.

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Well the best bang for the buck mod is removing the ouput caps if possible (low DC offset) or replacing them with Blackgates. Adding more blackgates to the card is possible but prohibitively priced, when you could just go buy say an EMU 0404, and of course there are no opamps to upgrade.

 

[Reck45]

Just did it...there definitely is a bit of a difference. The sound is a little fuller. There is a little bit more bass and it seems a tad bit deeper.

Listening to RHCP:Live at Slain Castle and I'm likin' what I"m hearing. Absolutely not placebo.

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

You bypassed the output caps? Good work. That is always one of the best mods to do to a source, for more transparency.

 

[Illah]

I have no idea what you guys are talking about

I mean, I get the jist of it, but where do I start? Any how-to links?

Considering the price of 710's I'm willing to risk trying some mods without much worry.

--Illah

 

[Reck45]

Move those caps over one slot to the left. So they cover pins 1&2. Pretty easy...a pair of tweezers works well.

 

[breez]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reck45 [.img]http://home.ripway.com/2004-8/159753/av710.jpg[/img] Move those caps over one slot to the left. So they cover pins 1&2. Pretty easy...a pair of tweezers works well.

But why?

 

[Reck45]

It get's amplified twice with the default setting? Someone else here would be better suited to answer that. For gods sake though it's easy as hell to do...the caps come off easy. Just be gentle.

 

[breez]

Actually those jumpers affect only the front output.

 

[Reck45]

http://www5.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=75454

I just followed that guide. What the hell is the front output anyhow? I'm using the alt out (the one next to the optical) which supposedly uses the wolfson DAC.

[size=xx-small]yes i'm a noob too[/size]

 

[deadkenny64]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iron_Dreamer You bypassed the output caps? Good work. That is always one of the best mods to do to a source, for more transparency.

With my very limited knowledge of circuits, I'm guessing what Reck45 did and what you're talking about are two different things. If that's the case could you explain how bypassing the output caps might be accomplished? I'd love more transparency. I'm leaning toward getting an 0404 but would like to play with my card a little before I do.

 

[breez]

Isn't there about 2.5VDC at the output without caps? Don't plug your headphones straight!

 

[Illah]

So I found blackgates online - which caps do I replace and which BG's do I need to buy? Also bypassing - I imagine one just removes the caps and replaces with a length of wire? Which is better? I would love a bit more bass.

--Illah