x can v8 appreciation thread

[Provisus]

I have the little pinkie v3i and I think it is quite an improvement!
The amp is more silent, tighter bass response, the amp sounds more relaxed and a slightly bigger soundstage. I didn't compare it to the xpsu v8.

 

[Quinto]

I have the same experience as Provisus, the improvement in SQ is substantial and the price is more than reasonable IMO.. Most noticeble for me was the silence and the tighter bass..

check it out for yourself Little Pinkie, PSU for Musical Fidelity X-CAN V3

 

[Gradofan2]

I don't know how the XPSU v8 compares to the "Lil Pinkie" - but, I do recall the XPSU v3 did improve the sound of the XCAN v3, though it was a somewhat subtle improvement.

The major difference, though, is that if you need the PSU to power other MF equipment, the v8 has the capability to drive at least 3 units. The "Lil Pinkie" drives only 1 unit - though I suppose it might provide a more noticable improvement in sound.

 

[john53]

provisus,quinto,gradofan2 thanks for your replies.

Something that i'm afraid of,is that if i buy little pinkie psu and something goes wrong and damage the amp then warranty is voided.

I wanna ask something else:Sometimes when my headphones are already connected to the amp(and i wear them) and then i put the mains plug on the wall,after 4-5 seconds i hear an instant fssst sound(that last only a moment)first from the right driver and then immediately from the left.I suppose that this is normal(something associated with the tubes i guess).But the strange thing is that,although this fsst sound is always the same from the right driver,sometimes the left driver doesn't make this same sound,but a loud "pop".(not too loud).This sound is audible even if i don't wear the headphones.

I called musical fidelity(england) and they told me it's not a problem but it would be better if i connect the headphones after i had connected the amp to the wall.

do you have any similar experience?

 

[Kees]

Quote:

Originally Posted by john53 /img/forum/go_quote.gif provisus,quinto,gradofan2 thanks for your replies. Something that i'm afraid of,is that if i buy little pinkie psu and something goes wrong and damage the amp then warranty is voided. I wanna ask something else:Sometimes when my headphones are already connected to the amp(and i wear them) and then i put the mains plug on the wall,after 4-5 seconds i hear an instant fssst sound(that last only a moment)first from the right driver and then immediately from the left.I suppose that this is normal(something associated with the tubes i guess).But the strange thing is that,although this fsst sound is always the same from the right driver,sometimes the left driver doesn't make this same sound,but a loud "pop".(not too loud).This sound is audible even if i don't wear the headphones. I called musical fidelity(england) and they told me it's not a problem but it would be better if i connect the headphones after i had connected the amp to the wall. do you have any similar experience?

First: just get the little pinkie. It is save and it is good (I have been using it for years).
Second: the sounds you hear are from the tubes. It is imo better to leave the amp on at all times. It was build that way.

 

[Mammut]

I'm running the v8 with Little Pinky and 6H23P on my GS-1000 using SA-7001 KI as source. It is a very nice combo

Regarding the "pop" sound and the hiss is seamed to be connected to the default tubes
( JJ's ecc88 ). The hiss was gone after changing to the 6H23P tubes.

The "pop" was so laud that I did not want to connect the GS-1000. To avoid the "pop" I waited about 30 sec for v8 to warm-up before connecting the headphone.

 

[john53]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kees /img/forum/go_quote.gif First: just get the little pinkie. It is save and it is good (I have been using it for years). Second: the sounds you hear are from the tubes. It is imo better to leave the amp on at all times. It was build that way.

Thanks Kees,
Something else i have noticed with my amp is that if i leave it on all the time,it sounds better almost from the first minutes of listening,but if i don't it needs at least 2-2.30 hours of playing to sound really good.it's not a placebo effect or that i get used these two hours because i don't listen during this "warm up" time.
But i'm affraid to leave it on,i have a fear that it will catch fire when i'm not home

As for the little pinkie,i will think before i make a movement(i'm not a fan of internet shopping)

 

[john53]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mammut /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm running the v8 with Little Pinky and 6H23P on my GS-1000 using SA-7001 KI as source. It is a very nice combo Regarding the "pop" sound and the hiss is seamed to be connected to the default tubes ( JJ's ecc88 ). The hiss was gone after changing to the 6H23P tubes. The "pop" was so laud that I did not want to connect the GS-1000. To avoid the "pop" I waited about 30 sec for v8 to warm-up before connecting the headphone.

After replacing the tubes with the 6h23p,did the pop sound dissapear as well?

 

[Mammut]

Just tested it. The "pop" is still there but not as laud.

 

[john53]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mammut /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just tested it. The "pop" is still there but not as laud.

do you hear the pop from both drivers?I hear it only from the left a few seconds after i connect the mains plug to the wall socket.
When i listen to the music or when there is a pause to change the truck or the cd,i don't hear any sounds.
I think that this pop sound is normal..nothing to worry about.

 

[Jian]

I've been using v8p for a while, thinking of an upgrade. The Little Pinkie V3i seems to be a good option. The thing is where can I get one???

Other question will be, to drive akg 701, is there any improvement swithing from v8p to black cube linnear? I've read the reviews from Kees about v8/solo/black cube linnear, but how these three compare to each other?

Thanks a lot.

 

[Kees]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jian /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've been using v8p for a while, thinking of an upgrade. The Little Pinkie V3i seems to be a good option. The thing is where can I get one??? Other question will be, to drive akg 701, is there any improvement swithing from v8p to black cube linnear? I've read the reviews from Kees about v8/solo/black cube linnear, but how these three compare to each other? Thanks a lot.

You can get the little pinkie here.

 

[Jian]

Thanks kees, just emailed Mike, and he's away for holiday till June.

 

[aaldrich]

Hi,
I own the X-Can V2 and a Pro-Ject USB Box DAC. I use my PC as my source (I use Foobar and ASIO4all). The X-Can V8P would have fitted my requirements of being a good first headphone with USB connectivity.

Please may I ask if any of you have any comments on the performance of the DAC in this amp? Windows XP registers the Pro-Ject unit as a Burr-Brown chip and I see that the V8P also has a Burr-Brown chip inside - would there be similarities in sound between my unit into the analogue-in of the V8P and just connecting the V8P by USB to my PC?

Thanks in advance. Yours without knowledge,
Andy Aldrich

 

[Gradofan2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aaldrich /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi, I own the X-Can V2 and a Pro-Ject USB Box DAC. I use my PC as my source (I use Foobar and ASIO4all). The X-Can V8P would have fitted my requirements of being a good first headphone with USB connectivity. Please may I ask if any of you have any comments on the performance of the DAC in this amp? Windows XP registers the Pro-Ject unit as a Burr-Brown chip and I see that the V8P also has a Burr-Brown chip inside - would there be similarities in sound between my unit into the analogue-in of the V8P and just connecting the V8P by USB to my PC? Thanks in advance. Yours without knowledge, Andy Aldrich

I was not impressed with the the DAC in the two v8s I had.

I have no idea why... but... they just didn't seem to sound anywhere near as good as my conventional CDP/DACs, which do not use my PC as a source.