[ClieOS]

Not just difficult, but 'very' difficult to acquire and very pricy as well, that is if you can find them first. Those are BlackGate NX Hi-Q 22uF, 6.3V in the LOD. The production has stopped years ago and most of the place that used to stock them already run dry. I bought them from Part Connexion at US$2.25 each about a year and a half ago, which too has no more stock on the 22uF NX Hi-Q. The smallest NX series that they do have is the 470uF, which is  $14 each now. You can imagine how much the rarer NX Hi-Q 22uF can cost these days. Do take care of that LOD as I don't think there will be a lot more LOD with that cap in the future.
 
Quote:

...Those capacitors are very difficult to acquire here..

 

[airwax]

No worries ClieOS, I'll take good care of it. For the record, that is the first capped Fuze LOD ever right? If it is, it would be pretty special. Thanks again.

 

[ClieOS]

Not the first capped Fuze LOD actually. I still have the first one I made (and it is the first ever made) and the Panasonic cap it has isn't quite as good as the Black Gate. Personally, I still find my Nichicon BP cap sounding the best (pic below).
 
Quote:

No worries ClieOS, I'll take good care of it. For the record, that is the first capped Fuze LOD ever right? If it is, it would be pretty special. Thanks again.

 

 

[Max F]

ClieOS have you compared your LODs to the FiiO L6? 
 
I have the L6, but can't really hear any difference from the HP out. No biggie for me.  I still like it.  It's cheap. I still need to have a cable connection to an amp, and it fixes the volume to max.  So it works great for me.
 
I just don't hear any sound quality improvement.  But based on the numbers I seen on the line out versus hp out, doesn't really suprise me.

 

[epithetless]

Quote:

epithetless, do you still want the uncapped version? If not, Poetik will have it.

Thanks for asking, airwax. I have a feeling Poetik could put it to better use than me, so please send it his way.

 

[ClieOS]

You observation is similar to mine, the improvement is miniscule between L6 and HO, mainly because the SMD caps used in the L6 is really a big limiting factor. I am actually thinking of mod'ing my L6 with some better caps later on.
Quote:

ClieOS have you compared your LODs to the FiiO L6? 
 
I have the L6, but can't really hear any difference from the HP out. No biggie for me.  I still like it.  It's cheap. I still need to have a cable connection to an amp, and it fixes the volume to max.  So it works great for me.
 
I just don't hear any sound quality improvement.  But based on the numbers I seen on the line out versus hp out, doesn't really suprise me.

 

[Huxley]

Does a capped lod really make a difference?
 
I have one on the way from ebay turkey, i used the hp out on my fuze with a fiio e7 and my ultrasone pro 900's
 
Tbh i wasn't blown away, slight improvement but that's it.
 
My denon hifi hp out knocks spots off my rig of im honest, perhaps the e7 isn't up to the job, they are just 40ohm afterall.

 

[ClieOS]

I am not sure what are you asking there. Is it 'does LOD make a difference?' or ' does cap make a difference?'. If it is the first, impression had been posted in the thread and you can read them in the first post. If it is the later, then yes, cap does make a difference as it is a passive component in the signal path. How much of a improvement depends on which cap it is, the whole setup as well as your own interpretation. But more importantly it is there to protect your headphone from DC offset.

 

[Huxley]

Ah sorry should have been more clear.
 
I meant an lod in general, i used the hp out briefly and whilst there was an improvement, it's still nowehere near what my av amp can produce, for me they are close to perfect.
 
What's i really want is the soundstage to open up, and to have more clarity.
 
Anyway i can only but hope, perhaps a different amp is what i really need?

 

[ClieOS]

E7 is never known to have a particularly wide soundstage. In fact, most of FiiO amps tend to be minimum in coloration. If you want a wider soundstage, you can try a cmoyBB.

 

[Huxley]

Well false alarm, im normally adamant to leave my player eq alone.
 
Well i had a play today, lo and behold the sound came out the way i like, at least a sight closer.
 
I noticed the bass was tighter with a bit more punch, there was a bit more detail and better separation.
 
Am i pleased? Yup most certainly, so can't wait for the lod to arrive.
 
Certainly a good cheap way to dip your toes into the portable amp/dac section.
 
This is the lod in question.
 
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/250715651265?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

 

[AnAnalogSpirit]

I received a nice "bring your own cable" style LOD from a seller with an eBay store, the specs on the LOD were nice:

- Sansa OEM Male LOD with:
--> silver-plated PCB
--> gold-plated connect pins
--> built-in military grade capacitor
- Gold-plated Pailiccis 3.5mm jack for connecting or "BringYourOwnCable" for 3.5mm to 3.5mm analog interconnects.

I'm using it with a ZXAC 3.5mm to 3.5 mm IC which uses gold plated plugs, and DHC Nucleotide UP-OCC copper cable.

FLAC > Fuze > LOD > ZXAC IC > E11 (high gain) (EQ 0) > (various IEM and Headphone) Note: bass was TOO BASSY on EQ 1 and EQ 2 with this LOD! I was pleasantly surprised. I haven't cracked one of them open yet to see if: 1. the claims are accurate, and 2. which capacitors they used. In any case, I'm curious how it will settle down after burn-in.

I've had a custom LOD with a socket before that featured Nichion caps, and it was good but this one is easily 3-5 x bassier, and sounds fuller in the mids, while that previous one was much more thin and treble centric, and the FiiO LOD in comparison is unspectacular. Though the FiiO is nice in and of itself (unmodded).

This is the link to the LOD I purchased: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Line-Out-Dock-LOD-3-5mm-Jack-Sansa-Fuze-MP3-Player-/280641250692?pt=Other_MP3_Player_Accessories&hash=item415785a584