iMod Vcap dock & PORTABLE Vcap Dock - Info and Talk Soup

[Quaddy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by manaox2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I agree, I kind of want the ability to use my own iPod dock as well. I really wish I could find a way to get the caps added to a normal one in parallel or remove the mini cable from that one. I do like that it removes the bottleneck

i am not exactly sure what you mean, so forgive me, but i know that ken at ALO will make the usual 'standard' portable v-cap, and make it with teflon instead of v-caps for an additonal 300 USD i think it was, and with that one you can use your own cables.
Quote:

Originally Posted by manaox2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif for someone who is looking for an all in one solution for an average portable amp, this is it.

i dont get that, average portable amp? do explain, intrigued

 

[manaox2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quaddy /img/forum/go_quote.gif i am not exactly sure what you mean, so forgive me, but i know that ken at ALO will make the usual 'standard' portable v-cap, and make it with teflon instead of v-caps for an additonal 300 USD i think it was, and with that one you can use your own cables. i dont get that, average portable amp? do explain, intrigued

What I meant was that I would love to own a vCap dock with both the vCap and teflon in parallel like he states he does in the description of the SE. Thanks for the info about $300 for teflon, I didn't know that.

By average portable amp, I mean that it takes at least one mini jack line in. The PRII and the LISA III both take RCA I believe, but only the LISA III does not have mini input. Those cables on the vCap SE should be great for 95% of a portable amps then, (IE. Move, Pico, Predator, SR71, etc.) but the LISA III would only benefit from an RCA out. So, this vCap SE will require an extra cable and I don't like the idea of having to rest it on the integrated jumbo mini.

 

[tnmike1]

OK gang, gotta ask this: for almost twice the price as the standard portable v-cap, what am i getting besides the cabling?? and is the sonics worth the additional hundreds??? Just curious if anyone's heard this yet and, altho I'm a huge ALO supporter, wondering if the LE v-cap system is worth the additional bux.

 

[lisnalee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quaddy /img/forum/go_quote.gif be interesting in a morbid kind of way to compare notes on what customs decides to hit us up for on something of that magnitude coming into these shores i guestimate about £38 minimum - thats what it was on my last £850 import (imod-vcap-smIV)

I should know soon enough, here's the lastest info on my parcel:

07-12-2007 22:35 International Hub AWAITING CUSTOMS CHARGING

 

[Quaddy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by manaox2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif What I meant was that I would love to own a vCap dock with both the vCap and teflon in parallel like he states he does in the description of the SE. Thanks for the info about $300 for teflon, I didn't know that. By average portable amp, I mean that it takes at least one mini jack line in. The PRII and the LISA III both take RCA I believe, but only the LISA III does not have mini input. Those cables on the vCap SE should be great for 95% of a portable amps then, (IE. Move, Pico, Predator, SR71, etc.) but the LISA III would only benefit from an RCA out. So, this vCap SE will require an extra cable and I don't like the idea of having to rest it on the integrated jumbo mini.

i see what you are saying.

the v-cap dock se does have RCA out, i dont know if this is of any help

P.S that mini-out looks as if it may be able to be secured to the left (electrical tape or other way) (running past the red RCA) along side of the case to keep it out of the way for RCA users

 

[lisnalee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tnmike1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif OK gang, gotta ask this: for almost twice the price as the standard portable v-cap, what am i getting besides the cabling?? and is the sonics worth the additional hundreds??? Just curious if anyone's heard this yet and, altho I'm a huge ALO supporter, wondering if the LE v-cap system is worth the additional bux.

I think manaox2 pretty much summed it up on the last page.

 

[Quaddy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lisnalee /img/forum/go_quote.gif I should know soon enough, here's the lastest info on my parcel: 07-12-2007 22:35 International Hub AWAITING CUSTOMS CHARGING

this is for the standard v-cap? - damn, let me know how much it is if you dont mind, so i can brace myself.

 

[lisnalee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quaddy /img/forum/go_quote.gif this is for the standard v-cap? - damn, let me know how much it is if you dont mind, so i can brace myself.

Yes for the std vcap and imod so same value as special edition version.

 

[jooize]

Is anyone using F12's with the Portable V-Cap dock? I found that it's very tight and doesn't look healthy for the jacks.
Both have the plastic with the ALO text under them (what's the word?). I thought that maybe if I cut off some of the plastic on one of them they will fit better.

What do you think?

 

[manaox2]

I only owned one of the very first portable vCap docks made and the outputs were put on the back plate. The connector was all metal and really sturdy, I didn't see a problem. I guess this means I can't answer your question.

The SE edition made me calculate the possibility of a Teflon v-Cap group being plausible. I have heard that Vinnie recommends 2 to 4uF capacitors to avoid bass roll-off. 2.0uF caps would be approximately $630 after shipping for each person if 13 people got in on it. Thats a lot of dough. The 3.3uF capacitors would be $1000 after discount. It would have to be DIY to make the docks from unless we struck a deal with Ken and making these docks aren't a walk in the park. Maybe Ken could get a greater discount for being an "audiophile 'mod' professional". I have come to the conclusion that that day is a long ways away, I don't think I can afford a $1000 portable vCap dock when the OIMP already sounds so good for $350.

So what effect does adding small capacitance Teflon v-Caps in parallel hope to add? Wouldn't the OIMP in line already prevent you from getting the added resolution?

 

[Gnoshroom]

^ Good question. I was wondering something along the same lines with two caps being redundantly unnecessary. Why add more caps into the equation?

 

[Boom Shaka Laka]

You guys crack me up w/ all the salivating over metal boxes with electronics. I know where you are coming from like a sudden gush of joy, the enthusiasm is genuine.

One definitely has to give props to the cottage audiophile industry in general, and certainly to ALO in particular, for constantly pushing a product through many stages of tweeking and design till we now get something that has sex appeal - red w/ 2 long french ticklers.

Millet Maxs, iMods and whatever else hits in a week as the next DIY audiophile injection that cranks your musical soul is apart of this quite unique breed in search of it's own audio nirvana. Well I say hell ya, that's one mighty fine Grail to drink from. Keep it rockin!

Cheers, S.L.

 

[Quaddy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jooize /img/forum/go_quote.gif Is anyone using F12's with the Portable V-Cap dock? I found that it's very tight and doesn't look healthy for the jacks. Both have the plastic with the ALO text under them (what's the word?). I thought that maybe if I cut off some of the plastic on one of them they will fit better. What do you think?

i currently use canare F12 with my ultra portable v-cap, although the setup i have is unusual and actually makes good use of the very large and mechanically stable plug to add rigiidity from the dock port to the supermicro, the mini plug has a very nice tight grip, it all needs to be in the configuration it is and it is rock solid!

thank god for the large canare connector, but i completely understand where you are coming from in relation to a hammond case alo based v-cap, it depends on what its going into i guess, some amps would have a hard time taking it comfortably - whereas ironically the smallest amp, the supermicro take it very well due to the jacks positioning and theres nothing else near it on each side of the amp.

until my reference makes its appearance, i may actually pair my imod and SE vcap from alo with my supermacro III which may be tricky with canares, but it will fit but will just make the placement and layout a tad tight and tricky for the dip switches,

buti think overall best to have a good quality robust plug on such an expensive dock, especially as its hardwired and not user replaceable.

like you said, try trimming the heatshrink or plastic on the plug to make its circumfrence smaller.

 

[Quaddy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gnoshroom /img/forum/go_quote.gif ^ Good question. I was wondering something along the same lines with two caps being redundantly unnecessary. Why add more caps into the equation?

i guess its a trade off, i would love to have 2 x high-ish value uF teflon caps solely in a portable v-cap dock.

but that would be price prohibitive even more so than the total paid for the entire unit in question.

i guess what ken has done is to provide a fairly 'affordable' (comparitively) solution to have the two OIMPS essentially taking front seat in the processing, and passing them off with the lower value teflons to provide a nice trade off sonically, where you will get the best of both worlds, a unique sound somewhere between solely v-cap and somewhere between solely teflon based, it will be IMHO a fairly rich textured environment with solid resolving tonal complexities, the way ken has configured them.

*** i am lead to believe teflon vcaps do not sound at all like their burnt in selves till 600+hrs, in fact it is reported that not only do they not sound there best until massive ammounts of burn in, but that they overtly sound BAD and quite loathsome until such time, a quirk of the cap.***

have to wait and see.

 

[jooize]

Problem kind of solved. I cut off as much as I could on the F12 without the ALO text and some on the other with the text. I think that it would fit very good without the heatshrink at all, but I don't want to remove it, as I won't be able to see if it's the iMod cable or the normal.

Heatshrink, that's the word. Thanks