[Girls Generation]

Has any Canadians bought these yet? Or know of one who has? I'm wondering how much is the duty and if there is HST on it? And if I ask Meyer Audio to write 'used' on the customs declaration form?

 

[ianmedium]

 
Quote:

Has any Canadians bought these yet? Or know of one who has? I'm wondering how much is the duty and if there is HST on it? And if I ask Meyer Audio to write 'used' on the customs declaration form?

Yep, I have one, I paid no duties.
It comes via Canada post and in my experience it is very rare  to get charged customs fees by them and if they do it is only usually HST.
UPS and FEDEX I will never use and if it is the only option by the shipper then I don't get the item. I purchased a pen once from the US, cost $495, UPS fees alone not including duties came to just over $100!!

 

[Girls Generation]

OO that's good. DACs are dutyfree so i guess the solo will count as that cuz essentially, it has a DAC in there :3 So you payed HST ?
Yeah, I'm aware to stay away from ups and fedex >_<

 

[zilch0md]

An update on this project - Completed!
 
Quote:

 
Hey ianmdedium!
 
Good for you - thanks for joining in the experimentation! 
 
I still think the XP8000 is a great choice, in terms of ease of use and capacity, especially.  But I'm still bent on keeping the weight down and the voltage a little higher, if possible.
 
I'm now considering the 12.6-Volt solution - with a fully charged Blue LiPo 11.1-Volt 3-cell 1800 mAh RC battery.
 
To answer your question, consider this photo from the link provided above (at the HobbyPartz site):
 

 
The four-conductor white connector is the balanced charging cable - it's called a JST-XH connector - it is used to connect the battery to a balancing chager, like the Thunder AC6 Charger.  This four-conductor cable will not be used when powering the Stepdance.
 
The larger, two-conductor cable is called the discharge cable - it's the cable that must be connected to the Stepdance.  The big red connector is called a 4.0 mm (polarized) Banana Connector.  It's also used during charging, so that the charger can monitor the overall voltage of the pack.   
 
I will have to purchase another 4.0 Bannana Connector, just like the one seen in the photo, solder it to one end of a two-conductor cable that has a Type H Coaxial Power Plug at the other end for the Stepdance.  That connector will have to be soldered, also.
 
Mike

First, let me say that I'm very pleased with the results, despite the many obstacles for a guy who isn't really a DIY-fer.  I've now got a small, light-weight, 11.1-Volt (discharged) / 12.6-Volt (charged), 2200mAh LiPo battery (longer than the one shown above) that fits nicely alongside my Stepdance in the carrying case seen in these photos.  (The new battery is not shown in those photos.)
 
As happy as I am with the outcome, I cannot recommend this path to anyone else, given how difficult it was for me to assemble the parts, change the discharge connector on the battery to a 1545 Molex connector, change one of the charging cables on the Thunder AC6 charger to a Molex (not to mention teach myself how to use the charger), and build the power cable that runs from the battery to Stepdance (Molex at one end, Type H coaxial power plug at the other).  It required lots of shopping, online and at local electronics parts and RC hobby stores, and a fair amount of soldering). 
 
Even now that it's all assembled and working beautifully, except for its small size and weight being a huge advantage in my mind, I'm far more comfortable with recommending the Energizer XP8000 as a portable 12-Volt LiPo pack for the Stepdance - going only on the specs, as I haven't actually used one, myself. 
 
At 12.6-Volts 2200mAh, I've managed to greatly improve both the voltage and the capacity over the 8.4-Volt 520mAh LiPo iPowerUS internal batteries I was using for portable operation, but I'm not done yet - I'm still looking for a rechargeable battery pack that will deliver something closer to 15 Volts, without exceeding that limit. 

 
Mike 

 

[Armaegis]

In the grand tradition of the internet... Pics or it didn't happen

 

[ianmedium]

Mike.
Thank you so much for experimenting for us so that those of us who are completely inept at this sort of thing do not blow up our amps or wallets in the pursuit of sonic bliss.
I am hoping my XP will be here this week, still no reply from Energizer as to my tip query though!
 
On a side note I converted one more person to the stepdance today! I sold a friend of mine my Sennheiser IE8's. He heard two tracks, one lossless on his 4th gen ipod touch, the other on my set up.. In his words the difference was night and day!

 

[ben201]

Bought protector but i was thinking about stepdance as well..
Did I make the right choice?

 

[cukis350]

Has anyone using Energizer XP18000 with their stepdance? i know it's an overkill but in today's mobile tech-age, I dont think there's no such thing as overkill.  My only question is will it damage the Stepdance?  I know that the Stepdance only draws the amount of the currents the load is requiring, but still it does not hurt to ask if someone already experience of using one.
 
thanks,
 
Cuki

 

[zilch0md]

 
Hi ianmedium!
 
Thanks for all the encouragement!
 
I now have a 15.0-Volt portable solution for the Stepdance!  
 
The SQ is every bit as improved as the blue LED is brighter at 15.0-Volts!
 
I had trouble uploading the individual pics to this thread, so I just created a PDF file, with lots of pictures!
 
Mike
 
 

 

[cooperpwc]

Quote:

 
Hi ianmedium!
 
Thanks for all the encouragement!
 
I now have a 15.0-Volt portable solution for the Stepdance!  
 
The SQ is every bit as improved as the blue LED is brighter at 15.0-Volts!
 
I had trouble uploading the individual pics to this thread, so I just created a PDF file, with lots of pictures!
 
Mike
 
 

You, Sir, are a mad scientist. 
 
Very nice. Thanks for the detailed PDF!
 

 

[Girls Generation]

How long does it last?
 
 
and congrats!

 

[Armaegis]

More power!
 

 

[Avi]

Quote:

 
Hi ianmedium!
 
Thanks for all the encouragement!
 
I now have a 15.0-Volt portable solution for the Stepdance!  
 
The SQ is every bit as improved as the blue LED is brighter at 15.0-Volts!
 
I had trouble uploading the individual pics to this thread, so I just created a PDF file, with lots of pictures!
 
Mike
 
 

:notworthy:
 
I hope you have as much, if not more, fun listening to your FrankenStepdance (for that set up is certainly a monster, in the best colloquial sense of the word

) as you seem to have had building it (or at least writing the documentation

) Well done, good sir.

 

[Szadzik]

 
Quote:

How long does it last?
 

I would like to know as well

 

[Avi]

Quote:

Great. Having made more comparisons, the key diiference to my ears is an overall more natural balanced sound - it is smoother and more transparent.

 
Well, I've reminded myself why I listen to rock and not classical music in the office; I get too involved in classical music. I made the "mistake" of trying to compare low & high primarily using my absolute favorite piece of music (which is, of course hackneyed, etc.) The Choral movement of Beethoven's 9th. I used the HDTracks 24/96 version on my iMod, just in case there was a scintilla of extra clarity that even these lead-encased lobes on my head could pick up. I spent nearly a half hour with my eyes closed and a stupid grin on my face only stopping to flip the two switches and hit "back" on the iMod. Ahh, what beauty, what majesty, the drama, the pathos!
 
OK, back to the matter at hand. For that piece of music, the only difference I could tell was that on low (adjusting for volume) the soundstage seemed larger, if that makes sense. Switching to high brings the instruments "closer" to my head. I don't know what "harsh" means audiophilliclly, but perhaps the high tones were ever so slightly more shrill on high?
 
I next compared it using "Shake your Rump" (Beastie Boys Paul's Boutique ripped 24/96 from someone's original vinyl) and I cannot hear much of a difference (correcting for volume). I get the same punch in the bass, the same resolution. If I HAD to say there was a difference, and this may be SOLELY a factor of my imagination, it would be again, that perhaps on high, the soundstage is smaller. If on high, the stage is a circle 10 ft from my head, on low its 15 or 20. I don't even know if that makes sense, and I tried to isolate and hear if I could perceive any more separation of voices on low vs high, but I'm not sure I do, and I'm positive I'd fail an A/B/X test on that.
 
So, at least, there is no harm to the music, IMO, going to low, and it allows the use of IEMs without opening up the amp

 
Hope that helps.