[robeeert1]

Quote:

I think that after a week or two of burn-in, you will be very pleased with the results.

 


 

 
No LionelH2, no burn-in this time. Once you put it in the DAC, you hear a great improvement!.
 

 

[LionelH2]

Robert,
 
I was referring to the Mundorf caps he just installed.  I did the C12 a while back.
Quote:

 
No LionelH2, no burn-in this time. Once you put it in the DAC, you hear a great improvement!.
 

 

 

[robeeert1]

Quote:

Robert,
 
I was referring to the Mundorf caps he just installed.  I did the C12 a while back.


 

Misunderstanding - sorry, the output caps do need
 some time to show their best sound.

 

[loserica]

 
Quote:

First impressions : it's not a revolution but it's better. It's not a revolution because I can't say the sound has completely changed compared to before when I turned the dac on. For the few I listened to it seems to me it's clearer and above all I have a better definition. For exemples more details on live recordings like We get request K2HD from Oscar peterson (track "you look good to me") or Layla from Clapton unplugged giving a better ambience and immersion into the music. The bells at the beginning of "Time" from Pink Floyd seems much more clear and shining too.
 
For the rest I listened to (few tracks) I didn't notice real big changes but it's listening longer that i'll be abble to see. For me the change of the chips was a more obvious improvement, to resume this one a would say it gives a better immersion into the music. May be because of better definition (details)/clarity but music seems also to be much more involving, I don't know why.

 
@mako44, each up-grade made in this dac is important and I'm sure you've made a good choice. Output capacitors is clearly a critical change in this DAC! Try as you can, detach the idea's and listen...The sound will improve with passing weeks, months. Just be patient and you will hear with your own ears what will happen.

 
Quote:

There is no changes because silver mica from hificollective is different than Russian. Replacing c12 with Russian silver mica 0.01uF you can hear one of the most
important changes in the sound of all upgraded parts in the DAC. This cap opens the DAC.

 
I confirm what you said here, Robeeert. The sound opens significantly!

 
 

 

[LionelH2]

Robert,
 
Just got my Tonerex Caps, Shinkoh resistors, and my Shottky doides.  I think this is the final mod session.  Thanks to you and all the gang, the DAC sounds incredible.
 
Quote:

Misunderstanding - sorry, the output caps do need
 some time to show their best sound.

 

 

[robeeert1]

Quote:

Robert,
 
Just got my Tonerex Caps, Shinkoh resistors, and my Shottky doides.  I think this is the final mod session.  Thanks to you and all the gang, the DAC sounds incredible.
 


 

 
Nice to hear you're pleased with our upgrade. We do our best to improve the DAC. Enjoy the music.
 
 
 
 

 

[mako44]

Quote:

Replacing c12 with Russian silver mica 0.01uF you can hear one of the most
important changes in the sound of all upgraded parts in the DAC. This cap opens the DAC.
I'm convinced  Mundorfs silver/gold/oil are also different sounding than Mundorfs silver/gold.

Ok so I'll buy one ! Don't try silver micas from hifi collective they don't seem to give much/anything in the case of the havana.
 
Regarding Silver/gold/oil caps I'm very happy with them, they're great no doubt. The music's dramatically purer and more beautiful than before. I listened to many different tracks and, as I said before, many times I said to myself "wow....". In fact It's like if I had changed my source for a new more expensive Dac or Cd, you know I rediscover all my cds

.
 
It's just that on some tracks it's less radical or there's something I like less but I can't put the finger on it, I would say it deals with low fequencies, may be too dull ones or I don't know (I can't tell for the moment). But it can also be my speakers as I don't recognize them anymore, a lack of break in or the tube. I have to try the Jw 3w96a by the way (2c51 ericsson at moment).
 
You're right when you say it's getting better and better with time, I still can notice a great improvement this morning. I'm listening to a Bach concerto by Hilary Hahn actually, the change of the output caps is an incredible jump forward I don't recognize my hifi system at all now...
 

 

[mako44]

I'm trying to put the Shinkoh diodes but the actual ones are very well soldered to the dac, they don't want to go out

 

[mako44]

They're impossible to put out from the dac, the wires break inside each time (second diode whose wires break when i try to pull them out). You soldered the shinkoh directly from the up side of the dac no ? if it's like this for each diode I think Dremel will be my friend

 

[mako44]

I did it !

  It's a job... I'm going to listen to this now to make a break.
 
 

 

[niamex]

Quote:

Swich that behind Havana is about without sense for those who don't use Toslink (optical) input. I think this negatively affect the sound! Question is to what extent might implement an input separately only for SPDIF in the input stage. As a general idea switches are not suitable.
 

 

That's right - I've cut all the connections to the USB and Optical input - completely out.
Cheers

 

[mako44]

Here's my feedback on Shinkoh resistors. First they're very musical it's obvious, they transform the dac in something that makes music and not only sound. In classical I particularly love violin concertos and sonatas and with stock havana violin was harsh and metalic sounding, that is no more the case with shinoh res. Voices are much more beautiful as well, well in general everything is more refined, softer and natural sounding. I must say it's a radical change regarding this points (it still can be better but it seems Shotky diodes improve that as well according to some comments).
 
However Shinkoh res dramatically dull, warm and close the sound. Such a point that I didn't recognize my cds and for me low frequencies and low-mids were not at their right place, I was completely lost. To my ears, even if it was much more musical, it was completely unbalanced and very dull. I must precise that I always prefer airy and opened systems to dull and too warm ones. I also found the dac very fat, as if I was listening to a bad Sugden mk2 series if you know these amps. So last night I was not sure at all I would keep Shinkohs in the dac.
 
This afternoon I put the 0.22uf Silver/gold/oil mundorf cap on C11 to see and phew what a relief. It was then airy again, opened, and above all, well balanced. Everything sounds much more at its place now. So to my ears Shinkoh res a a big deal if they are balanced with a more bright and transparent component but I can't imagine put them without the mundorf cap on c11. I think FT3 russian cap on c11 must be very interesting with shinkohs, too bad it's so huge and hard to fit into the havana.
 
It's still a bit too dull and warm for me like this but this time it's more a question of tastes (I also need to let the mundorf cap break in more). I also need to tighten the low frequencies as they sound a bit fat or round to me. But I must say the havana is very musical now and quite well balanced to my ears and in another league than before once again. I'll go on a bit like this but I may try to mix Shinkoh res with more thin/neutral ones later, I noticed Caddock MK-132
and Holco H2/H4 were good ones so why not having a trydepending on how Havana' sound will evolve with next changes.

 

[loserica]

Quote:

However Shinkoh res dramatically dull, warm and close the sound. Such a point that I didn't recognize my cds and for me low frequencies and low-mids were not at their right place, I was completely lost. To my ears, even if it was much more musical, it was completely unbalanced and very dull. I must precise that I always prefer airy and opened systems to dull and too warm ones. I also found the dac very fat, as if I was listening to a bad Sugden mk2 series if you know these amps. So last night I was not sure at all I would keep Shinkohs in the dac.

 
I think it depends in some measure the entire audio system. I had no impression of this kind of sound that you have described here, or at least not in this way. I felt that on the contrary, the sound became more airy, and...no way dull! I find it very strange that you said here from this point of view. I suggest you see what happens in about ten days, maybe change something.
 
 

 

[robeeert1]

Quote:

 
I think it depends in some measure the entire audio system. I had no impression of this kind of sound that you have described here, or at least not in this way. I felt that on the contrary, the sound became more airy, and...no way dull! I find it very strange that you said here from this point of view. I suggest you see what happens in about ten days, maybe change something.
 
 

x 2
 

 

[mako44]

Well I really don't understand it was as obvious that the sound was more closed with shinkoh as it was more musical (singing, less metalic). Could it be a problem of wrong way ? I soldered them like this, and output caps like on the right photo :
 
                  
By thr way I notice I soldered the 0.22uf mundorf cap the other way but anyway it was after Shinkohs.