[peter braun]

Though the new stereophile issue denounces the use of the Ault power supply which was originally recommended with the X-CAN v2, I contacted Sam Tellig and this what he had to say -

"So far as I know, the fact is that one person had an X-Cans V2 fail while hooked up to an Ault power supply. Apparently this person left the unit powered all the time. Also, so far as I know, this was an isolated instance.

I don't know whether the particular unit failed because of the power supply or for some other reason. There could have been a defective Ault unit. On the other hand, there could have been a problem with the X-Cans itself, or its tubes, and it might have failed while connected to its wall wart. Or -- not likely but possible -- the guy's voltage might have been so high, out of the mains, that it fried the Ault and the Ault, in turn, burned out the X-Cans.

I confirmed with Antony Michealson, of Musical Fidelity, that the Ault power supply should work just fine, based on its published specs. It has certainly done so for me ... and, it appears, for you.

What can I advise? Don't leave your unit powered all the time -- it wastes tubes. If the unit fails while still under warranty, don't tell your dealer or the importer that you were using anything other than the wall wart. I myself would not listen to miserable sound -- and the wall wart power supply t hat's supplied seriously compromises the X-Cans' performance. In my opinion.

Good listening. Remember, too, no gear lasts forever.

Sam ''

I am still going to be using mine and I would highly recommend that any other X-CAN users give this tweak a try.

 

[peter braun]

For those of you who do not know what I am talking about, some months ago (I do not remember the particular issue off the top of my head) Stereophile reviewed the MF X-CAN v2 headphone amp. Though they liked the piece, they felt that the sound greatly improved when the supplied wallwart was replaced with the Ault AC/DC adapter from hosfelt electronics. In the recent Recommended Components issue however the X-CAN was listed, but note was made that the Ault PSU not be used as some units had experienced damage. Further investigation though shows that the tweak may not neccessarily have been the cause of the failure.

 

[elrod-tom]

I had heard on these forums something about non-stock power supplies burning up the X-Ponents. This is good news, as I would like to get another X-10D for my second system, and I really don't want to get the X-PSU to power it.

 

[lonestar]

I purchsed the Ault wall-wart based upon recommendations (I forget where, maybe here or another audio forum) and it did cause a problem, albeit one that I should have foreseen.

The plug (DC end) that fits into the back of the X-CansV2 is not the same length on the Ault as it is on the MF wart, at least not on my sample. The Ault is 2-3mm shorter and was not a snug fit allowing the plug wobble and to break connection if bumped the slightest. On one occasion this occurred and a fried tube was the result. Previous to this, I had noticed that the X-Cans ran hotter than with the stock wall wart, perhaps due to an intermittent power connection. The voltage checked out okay.

The plug has been replaced, and a new pair of tubes were installed. All is well. Make sure the plug length matches.

Soundwise, I'd hate to do a single-blind, much less a double-blind comparison. I THINK the Ault may give a bit more tightness in the bass, but doesn't really seem to extend a lot further down. On occasion, mids sound a tad sweeter and things are simply more enjoyable to listen to. If it was easy to measure headphone performance, I think little or no difference could be measured between the frequency response using the two different wall warts. OTOH, I usually find myself listening with the Ault and enjoying it more (if nothing else, it assuages my ego).

 

[daycart1]

Quote:

Originally posted by lonestar The plug has been replaced, and a new pair of tubes were installed. All is well. Make sure the plug length matches.

Is the plug easy to replace? Did you get the replacement at Ratshack?

I have an MF x-lps with no walwart and before selling it, I was going to get the Ault based on what folks on this forum had posted even before the initial Stereophile reco.

THanks for the info

 

[lonestar]

OOPs!!! That's an AC plug, not DC. Realized that after I posted. It's easy to change.

Got mine from Parts Express as I was already placing another order. I'd check Rat Shack first though as the shipping charges from PEx far outweigh the part cost (less than a buck, if I remember correctly). I'd be quite surprised if RatShack didn't have something that would work.