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Post by daveg on Oct 2, 2016 20:08:58 GMT
Hi - can anyone help? My much loved x-can v2 headphone amp has died. Maybe tubes have gone, but i have not investigated yet as not sure of the cost ramifications . There is no sound output to the phones but the output signal still works as it did. Should i try to have it repaired or invest in a new one? I used it with an Arcam CD player and HD600 phones, and good leads. I have looked on the internet at Bravo, Little Dot and APPJ. Does anyone have any thoughts on these or alternatives? Should i save the repair money to put towards a new amp, or are the newer alternatives better anyway? i listen mainly to classical and middle of the road pop. The clarity and smoothness are important to me. Any thoughts gratefully received. Dave Griffiths
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Post by PinkFloyd on Oct 2, 2016 22:22:19 GMT
Hi - can anyone help? My much loved x-can v2 headphone amp has died. Maybe tubes have gone, but i have not investigated yet as not sure of the cost ramifications . There is no sound output to the phones but the output signal still works as it did. Should i try to have it repaired or invest in a new one? I used it with an Arcam CD player and HD600 phones, and good leads. I have looked on the internet at Bravo, Little Dot and APPJ. Does anyone have any thoughts on these or alternatives? Should i save the repair money to put towards a new amp, or are the newer alternatives better anyway? i listen mainly to classical and middle of the road pop. The clarity and smoothness are important to me. Any thoughts gratefully received. Dave Griffiths Hi Dave, Let's find out WHY it died..... did it die all of a sudden? When you turn it on does the red front panel LED glow? What I want you to do is to open the V2 up, it's easy: www.rock-grotto.co.uk/x-can-v2-tube-rolling.htmHave a look around the TIP110/115 transistor areas, is there any signs of scorching (burns) to the adjacent resistors? If it was a sudden death then the wallwart PSU would have blown its internal 125C fuse but if the red LED on the front panel is still lighting up then there is hope  I'll need to see some photos of the top and bottom board so crack her open and get snapping with your camera. It's well worth saving, it's a classic and it could be something simple...... I need a bit more info and some photos. Best regards and welcome to the forum. Mike. |
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Post by daveg on Oct 3, 2016 7:30:42 GMT
Hi Mike, thanks for your reply. The red led is still on, and "yes" i just went to try it one day and there was no sound in the headphones.
I do leave it switched on all the time and it must be close to 20 years old.
I am on holidsy at the moment but will have a look when i get back.
Is the implication of your reply that i woould be best to spend momey on a repair rather than buying something different? I would be happy to upgrade some components if worthwhile.
Thanks again.
Dave
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Post by PinkFloyd on Oct 3, 2016 19:40:06 GMT
Hi Mike, thanks for your reply. The red led is still on, and "yes" i just went to try it one day and there was no sound in the headphones. I do leave it switched on all the time and it must be close to 20 years old. I am on holidsy at the moment but will have a look when i get back. Is the implication of your reply that i woould be best to spend momey on a repair rather than buying something different? I would be happy to upgrade some components if worthwhile. Thanks again. Dave Hi Dave, If you have had it permanently switched on for close to 20 years then the valves will most certainly be "way" out of spec / knackered and quite a few of the capacitors will also have dried up. The worst possible thing you can do with an X-CAN V2 is leave it powered up permanently Dave....... the valves have an "in spec" lifespan of between 3,000 to 5,000 hours so leaving them powered up 24/7/365 for 20 years means you have spent the last 19 years listening to an extremely inferior X-CAN V2 as the valves will have been totally goosed for the past 19 years. Sure, they will still glow and work but nowhere even remotely close to their full potential. The other reason you don't leave the V2 on all the time is the heat that is generated tends to speed up the process of the capacitors drying out and areas of PCB around the TIP110/115 transistors tend to turn brown and solder pads / traces become weak. If it has been on for 20 years the minute you open it up you'll see exactly what I mean. It's not beyond redemption, the PSU board (upper board) capacitors will require replacing and a new pair of valves will be required..... it always tends to be the PSU (upper board) electrolytic caps that suffer worse from 24/7/365 always on duty. Very easy job to repair it but I would strongly advise you don't leave it on all the time, it's doing no favours to the amp whatsoever. MF suggest leaving it on all the time because they are well aware that the amp will require servicing (by them) a few years down the line..... there is ZERO benefit to be gained by leaving it switched on all the time but quite a few disadvantages such as wasting electricity, prematurely knackering the "in spec" operational capability of your valves, scorch marks on the PCB adjacent to the tip 110/115 transistors / tracks & pads becomming brittle, a gradual degradation of sound quality from good to bad (although you won't really notice the degradation of SQ as your ears compensate..... much the same as you don't realise your car exhaust getting noisy until it falls off onto the road) and the 85C capacitors drying out / going high ESR. It's amazing you've had 20 years out of it but, as I say, 19 of those years will have been with valves that probably don't even register as "poor" on an analyser...... I have seen quite a few V2 amps that have been "always on" and every single one of them display the exact same characteristics, in all the same places! If you simply want to get it up and running again (repair it) then replace all of the capacitors (10 of them) on the upper board with 1000uF / 50V 105C temp rated types and also fit a new pair of valves, that will get her up and running again. In my opinion the V2 is an absolute classic and I (personally) would rather keep it going / give it a new lease of life rather than scrapping it. Let's wait until you get back home Dave and see a few photos of the inside, that way we can decide what the best way to go is. I certainly wouldn't replace one or two capacitors that may have gone bad, I'd replace the lot with high temp. rated good quality ones or if you decide to really make her sing (and I mean REALLY make her sing) I'd tend to go with the upgrade kit which takes the V2 to a totally better sonic dimension (and then some!). I have heard many new amps and very few come close to the V2 (with regard to the signature sound of the V2) so wouldn't rush out to buy a new one..... your V2 will last another 50 years (there's not a part in it that can't be replaced) and IMO it's well worth holding onto. One of the first ever (if not the first) general consumer purpose built headphone amplifiers and one that will stand the test of time..... it's a real icon in the headphone amp world and the design is absolutely superb in every respect...... The original X-CANS (V1) and X-CAN V2 were designed and made "in house" / in England (Wembley / London) and I would class them as true iconic designs that set the trend of owning your own dedicated headphone amp..... it was a first, a world first, and as such is not landfill fodder. Think Mini Cooper, think concord, think E-Type Jag...... the V2 is the Concord of the headphone amp world and will give any modern design a good run for its money and in most cases show it a clean pair of heels. Mike. |
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Post by daveg on Oct 3, 2016 21:14:22 GMT
Mike - many thanks for your very full reply. i always assumed that it was better to leave these sorts of things on (?? main amplifier and CD player) as constant switching is said to harm them. Oops. i wonder what other damage i might have done in 20 years!
I also take your comments about the iconic quality of the X-Cans on board. When i get back i will strip it out, see what damage i have done, send you some photos, and see what the next step will be, and my immediate reaction is that it will involve an upgrade.
Thanks again for your help and prepare yourself for some disturbing images. Sounds like the photos may need an X certificate.
Dave
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Post by PinkFloyd on Oct 3, 2016 22:32:39 GMT
Mike - many thanks for your very full reply. i always assumed that it was better to leave these sorts of things on (?? main amplifier and CD player) as constant switching is said to harm them. Oops. i wonder what other damage i might have done in 20 years! I also take your comments about the iconic quality of the X-Cans on board. When i get back i will strip it out, see what damage i have done, send you some photos, and see what the next step will be, and my immediate reaction is that it will involve an upgrade. Thanks again for your help and prepare yourself for some disturbing images. Sounds like the photos may need an X certificate. Dave Switching an amp off after listening to it and switching it on before listening to it will damage NOTHING. Leaving a valve amp constantly switched on will shorten the "in spec" lifespan of the valves. A thermionic valve is not a light bulb where it either provides light or it doesn't...... A valve will glow forever and a day but that's not an indication that it is OK..... over a period of hours (as per the datasheet lifespan / hours) the values will start to drift out of specification and they will continue to drift until the valve is not fit for the purpose it was intended for. The gain will drift, the emissions will change...... You don't need to know that, all you need to know is that "constantly on" is a fast way of knackering your valves with regard to them drifting out of their operational specification tolerance. Why would switching your CD player on and off harm it? Do you leave your television switched on permanently? Do you leave your computer switched on permanently? Do you leave your car engine ticking over permanently? Do you leave your cooker switched on permanently?....... absolute BUNKUM the idea that amps / CD players should be left powered up all the time and actually quite dangerous, you could return home to find several fire engines hosing your house down or even worse could die (overcome by smoke inhalation) in your sleep. On / OFF switches are there for a good reason and Musical Fidelity with their "always on" recommendation is positively not good. The amp has no internal fusing system and the stock wallwart has a very "iffy" internal 125C thermal fuse....... if anything DID go pear shaped in the amp the wallwart would probably meltdown OR the amp AND wallwart would meltdown....... I need say no more Dave. The valves inside the V2 were used in missile warheads and are good for 5G force...... they are not delicate daisies that will go up in a puff of smoke if you turn them on and off, they are extremely robust. Switch the amp on........ give it 10 minutes to stabilize...... listen to your music and turn off when finished. That way you are increasing the longevity of the internal components, saving on electricity and a whole plethora of other good things. Best regards, Mike. |
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Post by daveg on Oct 26, 2016 20:09:48 GMT
After the conversation above, Mike has performed miracles in repairing and giving a new life to my Xcans V2. He performed a complete upgrate, after rectifying problems. This is an extract from my "thank you" email to him:
"Mike - safely delivered this morning, subtle blue light is glowing seductively.
A few months ago my wife and i went to see Nigel Kennedy at Malvern. A wonderful and intimate evening with perhaps the best violist on the world. We sat close and could pick out every nuance of him and his colleagues.
He is now playing in my lounge!
Beautiful smooth sound from the headphones, but detailed and each instrument is a discrete entity. Beautiful.
Thank you so much for doing this and worth every penny. A have not looked inside but from the pix you sent i can see that you've done a fantastic job. Outside is lovely and clean and no evidence that anyone had been inside, apart from the obvious better quality of the visible components."
Turn around time was about a week.
This was great service and I cannot recommend Mike strongly enough.
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