[Sleestack]

I received a pair of SM3s this morning, one black and one clear. Included was also a bunch of chipas (which I assume are opamps and buffers). One of the chips say opa227p, another says opa604ap and the last set says sa5534ap.

Quick question: Are these the stock components that were replaced by the upgrades I oodered, or am I supposed to be installing them myself?

 

[jamato8]

See below. :^)
John

 

[alanz]

JonL,

The $99 upgrade includes two new boards wired together, ready to be slipped into the case.

If you wanted to order just the $49 upgrade, you'd have to unwire your v1 options board and resolder the wires to the v3 main board. Xin will do this for you if you send the amp back for upgrading. I don't know if there is much of a change to the options board other than going to a 4 layer design.

 

[goto2003]

There are differences other than the 4-layer board.

 

[miztahsparklez]

Quote:

Originally Posted by goto2003 There are differences other than the 4-layer board.

but for the option change? xin offered to change mine to the SM 1 power/switch board if i wanted to keep my price level at the 50 dollar upgrade mark. but id be stuck with the old power design. im sure there was a reason for the 4 layer pcb... so i just paid the whole thing for the upgrade. and well im happy now

 

[alanz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by goto2003 There are differences other than the 4-layer board.

What do you know about changes to the option board other than it's gone to 4 layer (consistant with the main board)?

I don't remember Xin mentioning anything other than that.

 

[goto2003]

In a reply to my email, Xin mentioned that he improved the AC/DC regulation circurt.

 

[gords]

Can a SM3 be carried by pocket for a full day or would that get too annoying? Also, is there a good chance that the volume knob could get moved accidentaly while pocketed hence blowing my eardrums? I guess I'm asking this question of pocket amps in general, but particularly the SM3 as I've read that the volume knob is a little loose.

Thanks

 

[jamato8]

I have hiked with both the V1, which has a volume control that is easier to turn and the V3 and neither have been a problem. I have used them in a small soft case and in my pocket and they are small enough that I did not notice after a short while that I was carrying the amp. I still can't believe the sound from this amp the size of a credit card and about 5/8 of and inch or so thick.

John

 

[goto2003]

I got my SM3 on Monday. I kept it runing 24/7 and this morning I found it opened up a lot and the soundstage is so beautiful! Totally I had around 60 hours. To me, SM3 opened up suddenly. As mentioned by other owners, SM3 takes much longer to burn in. I might keep it burning in for 100 more hours and see how it sounds when it's totally opened up.

 

[miztahsparklez]

i got most of my opamps today.. wow so many to choose from... im liking the THS4061's and the OPA637's... im waiting for 1 more set from AD.. and a couple more from TI. but ive tried the following

AD8610
AD8065
OPA137
OPA604
OPA277
OPA627
OPA637
THS4061
and the stock NE5534


does anyone know specific advantages each one has over another? ive been trying to search, but the search function doesnt give me much to look at...

 

[jamato8]

On paper it really doesn't matter which one might spec better over another since we are using them for sound. To this end, it is your ears that should be telling you which one has the best "music" specification.

It would be interesting to have a list with impressions/characteristics of each opamp.

John

 

[miztahsparklez]

hah.. i was wondering why my amp was sounding so terrrible.. stupid wmp enabled "WOW" setting.. so after i turned off all the DSP's.. now i get to run through the opamps again...

 

[jamato8]

For the review I did I have been asked for photos so I purchased a digital that will use all of my Canon profestional lenses but how do I post them? Is there a free web hosting that can be used? I know how to use jpeg and get them down in size as I work with scanned images all of the time but I haven't had a digital to go direct and I haven't felt shooting a bunch of film, scanning and so forth.

Thanks for any into.

John

 

[erikzen]

There are lots of free photo hosting sites. Try typing "free photo hosting into your search engine".

Once you have them on the web somewhere, click the img tag icon (the picture of the mountains). Paste the URL for the photo into the dialog box and viola! you're done.