[irvin59]

Go to
http://www.fixup.net/products/index.htm

I just ordered the Supermacro upgrade-I see it's now V 6- and also the supermicro which looks really cute. Had to restrain myself on the supermini, specially with the great introductory price.

 

[MarcusH]

Awww no please! That's not a good timing now. I....won't....upgrade....now

Well, does anyone know why he suddenly went from V5 to V6? Something wrong with the number "5" like it was with "4", or some updates that justified another version (though unlikely IMHO)? If you click on the SuperMacro photo it still points you to his forum post of the V5 - so maybe it's just another number thing....

850hrs of the SuperMini looks tempting, but the $199.00 to upgrade aren't bad either. I'm wondering though how robust a clear case would be in contrast to the tank like black one, same applies to the cases of the SuperMicro.

Any known figures of the noise level of the new SuperMacro? If it's more silent I'll be even more tempted to go for it as the current SuperMacro still adds some hiss when listening with my UE10.

I WILL RESIST! *g*

Ciao,
Marcus

 

[GordonHo]

hi marcus

guess we are looking for the same thing..

so any experience of the new amps in conjunction with the ue-10 yet?

regards gordon

 

[irvin59]

I reckon the V6 is a typo-Xin must have been working through the night to change his site.
What opamps do you have in your SM? I had some trouble with opa 627(only non CA) and e5c's but nothing with my sensas, and I haven't had any hiss with either iem with onsemi SA 5534 obca. Opa 227, AD 797 and some others are also very quiet. The AD8397 is also apparently very good with iem's though I haven't heard it yet.

 

[MarcusH]

Quote:

Originally Posted by irvin59 I reckon the V6 is a typo-Xin must have been working through the night to change his site. What opamps do you have in your SM? I had some trouble with opa 627(only non CA) and e5c's but nothing with my sensas, and I haven't had any hiss with either iem with onsemi SA 5534 obca. Opa 227, AD 797 and some others are also very quiet. The AD8397 is also apparently very good with iem's though I haven't heard it yet.

Well, yesterday evening I tried the OPA627 (not yet biased to Class A) and I immediatly found that they produced more hiss with my UE10s

Previously I used the N5535 (CA) and though they produce some hiss, too, it's better IMHO. Maybe it has something to do with Class A biasing, though I'm not sure, on the contrary, I would have thought Class A produces more hiss just because it needs more energy. I haven't yet tried my 604s - non Class A. Yesterday I was thinking of getting the Class A adapter from Xin (in order not to ruin the OpAmps by damaging their legs to bias them to CA), now, after the site update I can't find it anymore. I'm not sure, the new SuperMacro isn't CA out of the box, is it?
I considered buying apair of AD797 OpAmps some time soon. At the moment I'm simply looking for a solution to get my iRiver+SuperMacro more silent - maybe another OpAmp will already help or either upgrade the SuperMacro or change my source :/
Upgrading tme SM looks more tempting though *g*.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GordonHo hi marcus guess we are looking for the same thing.. so any experience of the new amps in conjunction with the ue-10 yet? regards gordon

Hehe, Hi Gordon!
Any update on your UE10? Did you need new impressions??

Ciao,
Marcus

 

[Chri5peed]

Arghh, supermini for so cheap!

The hiss you're on about is with low impedance IEMs right?

 

[MarcusH]

Yes, IIRC the UE10 have around 13.3 Ohms. With the ER-4Ps with about 20 Ohms it was obviously better but still annoying. Thanks to the impedance switch/cable there wasn't much of a problem with the Etys anymore, but when I try the impedance switch with my UE10 it sounds pretty bad IMHO.

 

[jh8331]

Xin refers to his amps as 3 because they use a three channel structure. The number after the V is probably the design revision. I know the thread refers to the Supermacro as V5 but that was before he spent about a week revising the power-supply/powercharing unit. He says the unit is now more complex than the amplification board. It is possible that V6 refers to the extra revision to redesign the power board and to make any final tweaks, or he typed the wrong number. Either way I am looking forward to getting my Supermacro soon.

 

[MarcusH]

A very nice "feature" is that he's selling a safe DC jack converter in addition -
I have neither found a good converter nor a US->GER plug converter. So I have to use a 3rd party power supply. My personal solution to prevent any short curcuiting while recharging was quite simple:
My 3rd party power supply has the same problem Xin talked about, i.e. it isn't isolated enough to prevent any contact with the SM case. I was a bit skeptical about taping the jack so I looked for another option.
I found that the plastic tube of the Etymotic foam tips exactly fits into the hole on the SM face plate, so that you just have to cut a small slice of the tube and put it into the according hole. That way I can use my 3rd party power supply to charge the unit and be on the safe side because it's impossible for the jack to get in contact with the case itself. Worked very well so far.

I'm pretty curious how much the V3 and the V5/V6 differ in SQ! Maybe someone who upgrades his unit might post his impressions.

 

[Chri5peed]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarcusH I'm pretty curious how much the V3 and the V5/V6 differ in SQ! Maybe someone who upgrades his unit might post his impressions.

Yeah, I'd be curious about that too. Can't imagine too much of an SQ change, plus it depends on what opamps you're using I guess? ? Although if you had the opamps you could do a comparison.

I think most of the improvements have been made to the overall build quality.

 

[irvin59]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarcusH Well, yesterday evening I tried the OPA627 (not yet biased to Class A) and I immediatly found that they produced more hiss with my UE10s Previously I used the N5535 (CA) and though they produce some hiss, too, it's better IMHO. Maybe it has something to do with Class A biasing, though I'm not sure, on the contrary, I would have thought Class A produces more hiss just because it needs more energy. I haven't yet tried my 604s - non Class A. Yesterday I was thinking of getting the Class A adapter from Xin (in order not to ruin the OpAmps by damaging their legs to bias them to CA), now, after the site update I can't find it anymore. I'm not sure, the new SuperMacro isn't CA out of the box, is it? I considered buying apair of AD797 OpAmps some time soon. At the moment I'm simply looking for a solution to get my iRiver+SuperMacro more silent - maybe another OpAmp will already help or either upgrade the SuperMacro or change my source :/ Upgrading tme SM looks more tempting though *g*.

Are you sure you're doing the CA correctly. Bending the legs is only for output biasing (OB) and you can't do that with the 627 or 604-to get these and others into CA you have to plug them into one of Xin's adapters or solder a resistor between 2 of the pins(unless thats what you mean by damaging the legs). What I was suggesting is OBCA which is both together and only applies to a couple of opamps such as 5534. From Xin's posts though I seem to remember that opa 227 and ad 797 are the quietest opamps.

 

[irvin59]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chri5peed Yeah, I'd be curious about that too. Can't imagine too much of an SQ change, plus it depends on what opamps you're using I guess? ? Although if you had the opamps you could do a comparison. I think most of the improvements have been made to the overall build quality.

One of the reasons behind the SM 3 V5(6) was to use 2 amps, 1 as a preamp and the other as a power amp, using 1 with only buffers & another with only opamps. Doing this on the old version required major DIY skills and it's much easier on the new version. Everyone whose tried the twin setup has reported very favorably on SQ improvements. Also Xin has spoken about flooded ground planes (don't ask me) on all the new amps which is supposed to improve SQ.

 

[Skylab]

Can someone comment on the efficacy of the crossfeed and bass boost on this amp (or prior versions if they had them)? TIA.

 

[MarcusH]

Quote:

Originally Posted by irvin59 Are you sure you're doing the CA correctly. Bending the legs is only for output biasing (OB) and you can't do that with the 627 or 604-to get these and others into CA you have to plug them into one of Xin's adapters or solder a resistor between 2 of the pins(unless thats what you mean by damaging the legs). What I was suggesting is OBCA which is both together and only applies to a couple of opamps such as 5534. From Xin's posts though I seem to remember that opa 227 and ad 797 are the quietest opamps.

Maybe you misunderstood my post, I haven't tried to bias them to Class A. I just want to keep the OpAmps the way they are - not too much fiddling with those tiny leg/pins, therefore I rather buy Xin adapter. My intention is to get the opa627 working in Class A because I liked this OpAmp very much with my Etys, and with CA that OpAmp should definitly improve a bit. With regard to quiet OpAmps, I guess I should give the opa227 and ad797 a try.

 

[Oliver :)]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab Can someone comment on the efficacy of the crossfeed and bass boost on this amp (or prior versions if they had them)? TIA.

Just search for "Xinfeed".