Musical Fidelity X-CAN V3 and PSU

[jxb2]

Musical Fidelity is advertising an external $399 power supply to replace the little wall wart on the V3. Any knowledge of the amount of improvement? Is it sufficient to basically double price of V3 (which I own and like)?

 

[steam3642]

Hi there and welcome to the fun world of head -fi , i have a psu made for me for my Musical Fidelity X Can V2 by Clifford De - Souza the owner of Audio Synergy a Hi - End store here in Perth. Western australia. Yes it does make a difference and worth the upgrade , a much lower noise floor is abig part of it a bit like adding a mains conditioner to your system , this psu cost me
$100 aus and the x can itself was $550 , what im saying is get a psu you wont regret it but as for the original M/fidelity psu at $399 i think you would do just as good to look for a after market psu , as far as i know the power supply for the x can v3 is the same as x can v2.

 

[tut-raven]

I can't hear the noise floor because there are instruments playing, and people singing, on all my records.

 

[AuroraProject]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tut-räven I can't hear the noise floor because there are instruments playing, and people singing, on all my records.

So, none of your music has quiet or soft passages?

 

[tut-raven]

Quiet is quiet. Perhaps my electrons are already of high quality right from the wall?

 

[steam3642]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tut-räven Quiet is quiet. Perhaps my electrons are already of high quality right from the wall?

Thats what i thought too until i connected a mains conditioner between the wall and my components its like my speakers had a pair of sheets covering them and then removed the sound difference was amazing , try one and you will see the difference between quiet and QUIET.

 

[tut-raven]

... that "conditioner" would have to connect to all components, not just the x-can?

 

[steam3642]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tut-räven ... that "conditioner" would have to connect to all components, not just the x-can?

Which headphone amp are you using ? if its a M/fidelity x canv3 have you got the psu ? i am not shore if your trying to help this guy with his question ? as for mains conditioner yes a power cord from the wall into the conditioner then a power cord from the conditioner into a eichmann 6 plug power strip connecting to all components . Forgeting the mains conditioner a psu for the x can is a must upgrade over the standard power pack supplied ,it gives my unit a better soundstage ,better bass , and generally more musical , i just think its cheeky of m/fidelity to ask that much for there psu and that was part of his question , i got a psu made by an electronics expert for a fraction of the price of the m/fidelity.

 

[KZEE]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jxb2 Musical Fidelity is advertising an external $399 power supply to replace the little wall wart on the V3. Any knowledge of the amount of improvement? Is it sufficient to basically double price of V3 (which I own and like)?

I was under
the impresion that the V3 had an internal power supply (24 volt).

 

[AuroraProject]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tut-räven Quiet is quiet. Perhaps my electrons are already of high quality right from the wall?

You should consider yourself lucky if you can't hear the difference, it'll save you loads of money!

 

[Soundbuff]

I have a Musical Fidelity X-Can v3 too, and really like it a lot except for the cheap wal-mart power supply it comes with. It's a great value amp and sometimes I wonder why it doesn't receive more attention here on the Forum. I've thought about ordering the X-PSU power supply for it (the X-PSU can supply power for up to four Musical Fidelity components in the X series), but it's hard to justify spending an extra $400 on a power supply when the amplifer only cost $400 to begin with. I hope a more affordable PSU will be available soon. The Musicial Fidelity site says Signal Path International is the U.S. distributor for MF products, and I left an e-mail there but have not received a response about the PSU yet. If you click on the links to the X-Can v3 on the site, it does say that a better PSU will be available later this year, but doesn't provide any further details.

http://www.signalpathint.com/

I'd be happy to buy an after-market or 3rd party PSU if a good one is available in the $200 range. Anybody know of one?

 

[jxb2]

It does seem unfair to pay the same for the MF amp as for the PSU - can anyone refer me to someone who builds a quality lower cost alternative - I live in Maryland, USA. Thanks.

Also, am I imagining it, but, with Sennheiser 600's, I think my Musical Fidelity X-CAN V3, even with dinky wall wart, far surpasses my Perreaux SXH-1 (purchased new but cheap because they are dumping them in USA to prepare for SXH-2). The Perreaux seems passable with AKG 240S, but I wonder if others have found the Perreaux underwhelming and disappointing.

 

[jxb2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soundbuff I have a Musical Fidelity X-Can v3 too, and really like it a lot except for the cheap wal-mart power supply it comes with. It's a great value amp and sometimes I wonder why it doesn't receive more attention here on the Forum. I've thought about ordering the X-PSU power supply for it (the X-PSU can supply power for up to four Musical Fidelity components in the X series), but it's hard to justify spending an extra $400 on a power supply when the amplifer only cost $400 to begin with. I hope a more affordable PSU will be available soon. The Musicial Fidelity site says Signal Path International is the U.S. distributor for MF products, and I left an e-mail there but have not received a response about the PSU yet. If you click on the links to the X-Can v3 on the site, it does say that a better PSU will be available later this year, but doesn't provide any further details. http://www.signalpathint.com/ I'd be happy to buy an after-market or 3rd party PSU if a good one is available in the $200 range. Anybody know of one?

I received reply from signalpathint:

Dear Mr.Bleiberg,



Regarding your question on the power supply for the X-Can v3, the v3 series of equipment uses a center tapped ac transformer which is a non-standard item as far as wall-warts go.

The X-PSU will improve the sound because of it’s higher current capability. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me at the number below.



Best regards,



Jam Somasundram

Technical Services Director



Signal Path International



Basically, MF is saying buy our overpriced PSU or no help.

PLEASE, somebody on forum with technical skills, offer help with psu upgrade. Need not be superior psu, but better than wall wart which is simple stepdown transformer. I see Elpac and other regulated power bricks terminated in DIN, but am unsure which would be useful, and not destructive, to X-CAN V3 - can someone please help. Thanks. Joseph.

 

[Bosch]

As far as I know, the official Musical Fidelity PSU is designed to handle four (?) MF components, not just the X-CAN. I guess this explains why it's so expensive.

Perhaps there should have been a smaller, similarly rated PSU built just for the X-CAN, as other amp designers have done with their units. I wouldn't mind grabbing the X-CAN V3 actually, but with the proprietry PSU - which I consider a mandatory addition otherwise why bother - it pushes the total retail price of the unit above $1000 AUD.