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Post by Deleted on Oct 18, 2013 21:23:54 GMT
Mike, It looks like smokeyC is using of these...  |
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Post by smokeycigar on Oct 19, 2013 0:13:43 GMT
You are right CJ, that the one I have installed in the PSU.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Oct 22, 2013 19:26:37 GMT
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Post by PinkFloyd on Oct 22, 2013 19:26:43 GMT
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Post by mattn on Oct 22, 2013 21:50:06 GMT
Can't wait to hear it!! :-)
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Post by PinkFloyd on Oct 22, 2013 22:08:47 GMT
Hi Matt,
I'll ship her on Thursday so she should be with you before the weekend.
Mike.
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Post by mattn on Oct 25, 2013 19:00:57 GMT
Got chance to do some listening before the outlaws arrive for the weekend. Wow – what a transformation, you’ve taken a tired lifeless pre-amp and made it something very special. It’s a dramatic improvement in every area, I can’t stop listening! The sounds is full, detailed, perfectly balanced, with a wonderful body and lifelike projection. If it gets better over time then bring it on. I can’t wait. Top job Mike, real top job  |
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Post by PinkFloyd on Oct 25, 2013 19:47:46 GMT
Got chance to do some listening before the outlaws arrive for the weekend. Wow – what a transformation, you’ve taken a tired lifeless pre-amp and made it something very special. It’s a dramatic improvement in every area, I can’t stop listening! The sounds is full, detailed, perfectly balanced, with a wonderful body and lifelike projection. If it gets better over time then bring it on. I can’t wait. Top job Mike, real top job Hi Matt, Glad she arrived back safely Allow about 50 - 100 hrs before she really blossoms. I put about 30 hours on her (with about an hour of music playing) so it would sound good straight out of the box (and also to test it). I was very happy with the "after" sound..... the "before" sound was a tad two dimensional and flat. Glad you picked up on the "lifelike projection", I noticed that too..... I connected to the pre-in on one of my NAD amps, fired up a favourite album and instantly noticed better imaging, soundstaging, depth and balance. They really are pretty decent little pre-amps, I'm on the lookout for a secondhand one for myself.... may even consider a swap (if anyone who is reading this has one they want to part with) the valves certainly do add a nice flavour to a solid state power amp.... I'd like to experiment more with different types of quad opamps but I'll need my own one for that so I can spend some serious time evaluating them all. Further to our correspondence regarding the MF valves do you want me to send you a letter which you can forward to them with the valves? In no way, shape or form would I class those valves anywhere "close" to 100% nor "matched", I've binned valves with better readings than that pair had. Did you see what I was saying about the gettering on one of them? It's almost "see through"..... that particular valve measured the worst. It's not a biggie as I fitted a free pair of valves for you but I would, personally, send those back to them and ask them what they "match" their valves with..... their eyes? If that pair were matched on a valve analyser then it must need some serious calibration  Contrary to popular belief they just "shove them in" from a large batch and if the amp gets the green light at the QC stage it's boxed up and shipped, it's the same with most mass produced items.... if they get the green light then they have passed QC. The thought that they have a guy sitting there matching pairs of valves to perfection and binning the ones that don't make the grade is pure fantasy  We ALL know about the customers who received their brand new X-CAN V2 amps only to find, years later, that V1 (X-CANS) boards were inside........ will say no more about that apart from "quality control" wasn't their strongest point when the gear was actually made in London. Some say those V1 boards were fitted into V2 enclosures because nobody would know the difference...... erm, fast forward a "good" few years, say hello to the "internet" and the can of worms soon opened. Anyhoo..... enjoy your X-PRE Matt, you've got a darned good one there All the best, Mike. |
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Post by mattn on Oct 25, 2013 20:31:59 GMT
Mike, Thanks again - just listening to Tommy by The Who, fantastic!! It certainly sounds better for the warm up & through my Chord SPM power amp (second hand - can't afford a new one!) I'd be grateful for some narrative from you so I can send those dodgy valves back to MF & tell them what I think about their 'fine-tune' service. This X-Pre is streets ahead of the the MF tweaked X-10D, never again with those guys! I see what you mean about the gettering now.  Can't thank you enough Mike, it's a real gem now & a total keeper! All the best to you too. KRs Matt |
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Post by PinkFloyd on Oct 25, 2013 22:19:15 GMT
Tommy - The Who...... absolutely AWESOME! You've got good taste in music Matt...... "Tommy can you hear me?!!" Pure class. I'll put my measurements down on paper with a covering note..... just return to MF, address it to "Indira" MF.... she will sort you out Will e-mail you my results tomorrow, off to sleep now. Mike. |
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Post by PinkFloyd on Oct 25, 2013 22:32:51 GMT
BTW...... how are you finding the purple LED? is the tone OK? I fitted a 5k1 resistor so it should be pretty much spot on? If you'd rather it a bit dimmer then a 7K resistor may be what the Doctor ordered..... to my eyes it was pretty much spot on with the 5k1 resistor....... nobody ever mentions the LED, just the SQ........ your comments on the LED would also be appreciated Matt,
Mike.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2013 22:39:23 GMT
Mike I find they are much easier on the eyes than those eye piercing blue ones . They are usually more expensive though, and you really need to set the current to suit the LED as you have said.. Regards Alex |
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Post by mattn on Oct 27, 2013 11:22:01 GMT
BTW...... how are you finding the purple LED? is the tone OK? I fitted a 5k1 resistor so it should be pretty much spot on? If you'd rather it a bit dimmer then a 7K resistor may be what the Doctor ordered..... to my eyes it was pretty much spot on with the 5k1 resistor....... nobody ever mentions the LED, just the SQ........ your comments on the LED would also be appreciated Matt, Mike. Hi Mike, Blue/Purple LED looks great, much better than the boring red and green/red on my older kit The level is good and not as bright as my old pc I had to draw over with a marker pen! My Streacom Evo 8 silent PC has a similar colour LED and it MF Pre looks great next to it lit up. The Who are an all time favourite as well as the Stones & Pink Floyd, all of whom I've seen on the Isle of Wight at the festivals over the years (well the Who, the Stones & the Aussie Pink Floyd - (who were fekin ace playing most of Darkside of the Moon). Will let you know how the sound develops over the coming weeks. Just want my Audiolab MDAC back from John Westlake with it's upgrades & I'll be in Audio heaven! Cheers Matt |
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Post by PinkFloyd on Nov 5, 2013 21:17:41 GMT
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Post by PinkFloyd on Dec 11, 2013 21:09:52 GMT
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Post by PinkFloyd on Mar 9, 2014 20:53:18 GMT
March 7th 2014 - Stefan Schreiber's X-CAN V2 A bit of a strange one this, as I have never before seen a V2 with green PCB's. It turns out, after doing a bit of digging around, that these were the boards that MF implemented in the first V2 headphone amps. The components were all the same value but not your usual Jamicon types which are commonly seen in most V2 amps.... a selection of Teapo, Nitai and rubycon capacitors were used in the very first ones. Nearly all of the V2's I have see have been #04 boards.... this one had a main board marked #02 and the PSU board #01. Anyhoo, this particular amp proved an absolute bugger and had a life of it's own with regard to hum / buzz..... I spent a good 6 days (on and off) trying to pinpoint the cause of the noise and managed to trace it to the power board.... everything measured 100% fine so it could only have been a hairline crack in one of the tracks. I had to admit defeat (or I would have gone insane) so fitted one of my own PSU boards which Stefan was happy with..... I have sent his original "modded" board back to him (along with the fully modded amp) so he can do what he likes with it..... I would, personally, smash it with a hammer but thought it would be good for him to have it as ALL of the parts on it are brand new and can be used for spares if ever the need arises..... I replaced EVERY part on that board, transistors, resistors, capacitors, DC socket, the works and it STILL hummed like mad. Sometimes it is best to actually accept that you are dealing with a gremlin that is out to annoy you so, on day six, I said to the board "I'm not playing your sadistic game anymore, to hell with this!" Opened one of my personal V2's up and slotted a replacement board in.... peace at last! I will NEVER forget that "green" board, it had a mind of it's own  I attach photos of the amp, fully modded, with offending green board in situ..... Stefan will be receiving a green bottom board and white top board but I would like to show off the original modded green combo in all it's glory. The very first version of the V2 before mods:   After mods:          Panasonic FC 105C caps, Matched pair of Russian 6N23P-EB, ceramic valve sockets, ALPS potentiometer / new knob / new quad phono socket / Purple LED / Jalco pro headphone socket / UF4004 ultrafast diodes and all the usual trimmings. |
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Post by PinkFloyd on Mar 9, 2014 21:44:18 GMT
March 8th 2014 - Arjan's X-Can V2 Hi Arjan, The nob end who sold you the Special edition Pinkie didn't only think it a good idea to change the 3 pin DIN plug to a 2.1mm DC plug and think that 12-0-12V (24VCT) would become 12V..... he also opened the power supply up and confirmed his stupidity by farting about with the secondary wiring to ensure that 24V AC was entering into your amp. I really wish that IDIOTS would stick to what they do best and desist from totally bastardising one of my creations with their stupidity As I have said, I take great pride in my workmanship and was more than happy to rectify that free of charge for you...... I know you don't want to cause a fuss BUT that knucklehead went to town with his STUPIDITY on one of my power supplies just to get a sale.... if you don't want to make a fuss then I'm more than prepared to call him a prime IDIOT to his face.... a "Damned" idiot, a "supreme" idiot...... He tried to convert a 12-0-12V (24VCT) PSU into a 12V output and ended up with 24VCT? A lot of stupidity, and a lot of work for me tidying up his absolutely pointless stupidity! Anyways..... your Pinkie now outputs what it should output (I STILL cannot BELIEVE what that nob end did to it!!) and is 100% fit for purpose. I knew something was not right just by looking at it, the prick didn't even manage to put the top plate back on the correct way round..... did you notice the tooling marks on the top plate? He had fitted the tooling side "face up" I would SERIOUSLY get in touch with him Arjan, he has done that to get a fast sale and that is 100% NOT acceptable. Your amp has been modded and sounds sublime.... there was no damage to any of the parts thanks to the nob end and his stupidity..... If / when you have the time I would appreciate it if you would give a brief history of the proceedings. I will ship everything back to you on Tuesday Arjan. Hope your Step daughter is doing well. All the best, Mike. PS: Valves are Electro Harmonix 6922, new quad phono socket, UF4004 ultrafast diodes, ceramic valve bases, ALPS pot and knob, purple LED, Panasonic FC / Samwha VA / 1000uF non polar 6.3V coupling caps, input coupling capacitors replaced with ferrite links...... Prepare for an eargasm and please do report back. Mike.            |
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Post by PinkFloyd on Mar 9, 2014 21:59:44 GMT
I hope I can remember which is which   Of course I can Mike. |
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Post by PinkFloyd on Jun 24, 2014 20:52:10 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2014 23:41:13 GMT
As usual, great work and pictorials !
Note also the very high temperature electrolytic capacitors used where there is a hot resistor on one side, and a close proximity vacuum tube on the other side.This should ensure a long and reliable service life.
Alex
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Post by PinkFloyd on Jun 25, 2014 19:32:12 GMT
As usual, great work and pictorials ! Note also the very high temperature electrolytic capacitors used where there is a hot resistor on one side, and a close proximity vacuum tube on the other side.This should ensure a long and reliable service life. Alex Thanks Alex. Glad you noticed the 130c capacitors next door to the "hot" resistor Believe me, that resistor does get hot and I'd much rather a 130c rated cap in that position than an 85c one. The BIGGEST source of failure in the MF amps are bulging capacitors that are, quite simply, the wrong type for the job (if longevity / working life is a priority) and that is why I employ 105c / 130c caps in my mods. These take the lifespan of the amp to tens of years instead of a few years. The Jamicon 85c general purpose are horrendous capacitors in this application but I suppose MF had to strangle every last penny to reap the maximum profit.... they will have also made a good few quid repairing units with bulging caps so maybe the usage of crap caps and the advice to customers to "leave the unit on all the time" was intentional..... An amplifier left on all the time is an amplifier that is generating "heat" and we all know that a capacitors major enemy is heat..... to fit 85C rated caps into an amplifier that runs with quite a high internal temperature and then advising your customers to leave it on all the time is either foolish advice or advice with a hidden agenda |
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Post by PinkFloyd on Jun 25, 2014 19:58:17 GMT
25th June 2014 Michael Penny's Musical Fidelity X-10 v3 buffer The very latest mods which major on increased capacitance in the power section of the board. Panasonic FC, Panasonic NHG, WIMA and Nichicon MUSE capacitors. The NHG are uprated to 2200uF (instead of 1000uF). Standard 1N4007 diodes replaced with Ultrafast UF4004 types. JAN Philips 6112 subminiature valves replaced with 1985 vintage (NOS) JAN Philips 6112. New quad phono socket fitted. Before:  Preparation:  After:         |
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jc
Fully Modded
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Post by jc on Jun 25, 2014 22:27:03 GMT
Long shadows and plenty of sunshine. A nice warm evening at the top of the UK mainland?
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Post by mickyp on Jul 7, 2014 20:04:40 GMT
25th June 2014 Michael Penny's Musical Fidelity X-10 v3 buffer The very latest mods which major on increased capacitance in the power section of the board. Panasonic FC, Panasonic NHG, WIMA and Nichicon MUSE capacitors. The NHG are uprated to 2200uF (instead of 1000uF). Standard 1N4007 diodes replaced with Ultrafast UF4004 types. JAN Philips 6112 subminiature valves replaced with 1985 vintage (NOS) JAN Philips 6112. New quad phono socket fitted. Before: Preparation: After: Belated feedback on Mike's work, as had a couple of recent events which have distracted me. First, despite Hermes' best attempts to lose my MF X-10 V3 buffer parcel, it finally showed up. Mike turned it around in three days! Got it back, plumbed it in and used my silver (Chord) interconnects but it was all a bit dry sounding, so stuck some copper (Chord. Can you see a pattern?) interconnects in their place and it warmed up. I have three pairs of speakers in the living room and left it running on and off over the next week with the monstrously bassy Boston Acoustic towers. First impressions were of how detailed and coherent the sound was. These aren't detailed speakers. Hmmm. Replace with Kef Q series and the previous wishy-washy but detailed, airy quality of the KEFs has been replaced with a full bodied and marvellously coherent and detailed, involving sound. Guess it's had 30-odd hours running. Mike reckons 50 to be at its best. I can dig out an old Glen Miller, scratchy mono cd, play it and start toe tapping. So musical! In short, very impressed by Mike's work and professionalism. Still not quite sure how the whole buffer thing works, or the science behind the parts as I'm not a techie, but the result is fabulous. Thin Lizzy live is playing in the background and it's never sounded more intelligible. You know what I mean, rock band, live recording, crowd noise, etc. Loving it. Utter result. Thank you Mike! |
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Post by PinkFloyd on Jul 7, 2014 20:26:38 GMT
Hi Mike,
Thanks for taking the time to register and leave feedback and I am glad you found the mods to your liking, I hope you will continue to post on the forum with your musical experiences.
All the best,
Mike G
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