[takezo]

i'm wondering why jack hasn't adopted this mod on the stock wa6 yet...
it's funny how they're so liberal with the first cap specs, yet so cautious
with this most significant modification...prior upgrades have opened the window
to the source wider but this mod has knocked downed the wall...

 

[cAsE sEnSiTiVe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by takezo /img/forum/go_quote.gif i'm wondering why jack hasn't adopted this mod on the stock wa6 yet...

So John can make some nice coin modding all of ours. LOL

I'm first in line when he has it all worked out. Can't wait. I love wringing out every bit of transparency I can.

Keep us all updated guys...

 

[jamato8]

I think I will change mine to a 8uf input (I wish there was room for an inductor but there will be one coming) and divide off of that for the input and power section. That way I can use any rectifier. Resistors also work good at decreasing the ripple. Something like a 200ohm after the 8uf to the first larger cap and then two 500 or 600 ohm resistors to the rest of the circuit.

 

[takezo]

would it look something like this:

C/8uF - split/one side of input - R/500 ohms - C/150uF - R/500 - C/150 uF - R/56 k - tube

C/8uF - power supply - R/200 - C/220uF....

it'd be a tight fit using the blackgates...

 

[jamato8]

I keep forgetting about the front section. I need to sit down and look at the resistors on the front end and then figure it out. Yeah, those little chubby Black Gates take up some room. I am still using the stock caps though I have an extra three as I doubled the caps for the output section, and added the extra cap for whatever else I have mentioned. I have been reading about my field in critical care so my brain is in medicine right now not electronics though it is often the same.

The caps are settling more and there is a Snap to the music, fast fast. Extremely dynamic, detailed and no smear. Bass is improving. Not real deep yet but within the area it covers, excellent.

 

[takezo]

yeah, mine is dynamic as never before with incredible resolution
and absolutely no smearing...not even in shostakovichs' allegro non troppo
of the 11th symphony...the bass is deeeep and is giving me something
i've not heard even in the mpx3 se...contour and realistic decay
of the mid-bass and bass regions...oh, did i mention incredible
resolution?...i believe i'm hearing what the v-cap hype is all about...
but i kinda wish it has some of the midrange characteristic the
mundorf silver/oil has... the latter has that smooth, bloomy,
cozy warmth with texture that thrives with vocals, and acoustic
instruments emphasizing the midrange...

wait...the window is gone...the wall is gone...impressive...

 

[jamato8]

The silver and gold have been settling all day and now they are getting that liquid quality. Silky smooth mids but natural at the same time. Extremely transparent and dynamic.

edit: the sound is coming through even more now. Very, very open and the micro dynamics have improved quite a bit. A very nice positive change in the sound.

 

[jamato8]

Well the Mundorfs went through a funky period but have come out of it and with the power supply modification the drive, cleanness and imaging are extremely enjoyable. Well worth the investment.

 

[takezo]

how's the mundorf silver/gold/oil working out, john? how does it
compare with the silver/oil?

i can't get over how good the v-cap sounds with the power supply
mod...have approx. 140hrs. now and the SQ is impressive beyond
words...low level detail, separation, sonic richness and weight
to the notes is so much different and better than ever before the mod...
it sounds better to me than the jensen pio cap in the mpx3 slam se
i have now, even with the best tube combo i have for it...

 

[jamato8]

I am still hearing changes. I am hearing so level detail, well recording buzz/tape noise, and of course along with this musical detail that I have not heard before. Echo/reverb is exceptional. I put in my Marconi tubes yesterday with the 34 metal base and the sound was totally great.

On the silver/gold vs the silver I don't know because my silver is in storage. From a conversation from Part Connexion, whom I often buy from and bought the silver and gold from, Chris feels there is a little more detail from the silver/gold and other subtle refinements. Having bought from them for a long time and then tested his information, I have found him to be pretty much on track most of the time. So in this regard I am finding the silver/gold to be very good and living up to what he stated would be the footprint of the cap.

I still have the 200volt 220uf Black Gates to use on the input section of the 6DE7 tube. I just don't look forward to the burn-in/forming period of the BG's. I also bypassed all the power supply caps with a .22uf cap (the ones that were used for the coupling caps in the stock model.

 

[takezo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamato8 /img/forum/go_quote.gif ... I also bypassed all the power supply caps with a .22uf cap (the ones that were used for the coupling caps in the stock model.

oh? how does this affect the SQ? i thought the stock coupling were 0.1 uF...
though i've been known to be wrong... many times...

and yeah, the black gates will go thru more changes and a looong burn in
before stabilizing...good luck with that!

 

[jamato8]

Sorry, you are right, they are .1uf caps. Anyway, the bypass shunts high frequency garbage that may be and often is, on the DC so what you end up with, if you aren't injecting something else onto the DC, is a cleaner DC for the AC musical signal to ride on. The cleaner the DC the better the sound. The shorter the leads of the bypass cap the better because with longer leads you get inductance going from the long leads which add noise. I actually bypassed right at the pin of the 6DE7 to shunt high frequencies on the DC to ground. I used a very short lead on the pin from the .1 cap. Some people will use 10X then 100X and so on so a 100uf cap would have a 10uf to a 1uf to a .1uf to a .01uf cap bypass but in practice often just a .1 and a .01uf might be used. Everyone favors something different. I often just use a .1 or .01 but Black Gates should only be bypassed with Black Gates. For bypassing other caps like electrolytics I often will use small film caps.

 

[takezo]

does "cleaner" DC mean "less inductance"? in which case it makes
sense to have a bypass cap to compensate the inductance of the
larger caps...i may try it in the near future...but the sound is
very very nice right now... i haven't noticed anything harsh with
high hats or screaming guitar licks...even with the 701s...

btw, doesn't bypass sometimes create "smearing"?...how to avoid that?
wouldn't the blackgates itself be good enough to exclude the need
for a bypass?...

 

[jamato8]

Yes, the Only bypass for a BG is another BG and even Audio Note UK does this but I don't feel you need to. Yes, done wrong it can cause smearing, that is why it can be trial and error, no matter how experienced you are. It can be scoped but in the end it is all in the hearing. I don't think you need to bypass the Black Gates. I just like to experiment. That is why I have learned what I have and my dialogue with manufactures etc.

A Goldpoint series attenuator might be a nice addition. 150$ on eBay but that is the list price. They are nice though and less expensive than the DACT, which I have used.

 

[takezo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamato8 /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...I just like to experiment. That is why I have learned what I have and my dialogue with manufactures etc....

which is why you are a highly valued member of this forum, in my book.
i've learned more from you than most websites...looking forward to more
impressions of the mundorf in the near future!