Help!!! with v.3 hook up

[russellreising]

Hey All,

My X-can V.3 just arrived from an auction, but no owner's manual was included. How do I hook this baby up??? Through my preamp? If so, through what connections? Directly from my cd player? Any advice is appreciated and needed SOON!

thanks,
russedelic

[russellreising]

I sho;uld note that the MF website doesn't respond when I try to get the manual there!

[russellreising]

Also, how long do I need to let it warm up before playing it?

[Stormy]

You can connect it directly to a source, to a line out on your amp/preamp, or in a tape loop, before or after whatever else is in the tape loop - it makes no difference. As long as it has a line level signal on the input terminals, it'll be fine.

I use mine with a docked iPod, and I have it connected directly, with the line-out of the X-Can going to my AV receiver. It passes a signal with no power to the amp, so it works great.

If you are going to switch it off between listening sessions (and general concensus on this site is that this is a good idea to preserve more expensive N.O.S. valves etc.), about 15 minutes warm-up would be the minimum I'd recommend, but again it does work from cold. Just don't leave headphones plugged into it when you switch it on or plug them in too soon after - I get quite a big "thump" from mine sometimes.

[derekrumble]

Hi - the MF website for copies of their manuals seems to be down - shame.

The X-can V3 has two pairs of phones - and they are wired in parallel. I think one pair is labeled 'input' and the other 'output' but it does not matter which ones you use.

A simple hook up would be:

Source > pre amp > X-cans > power amp

Possible problem? The pre amp 'sees' the input impedances of the X-cans and the power amp in parallel.. some of the more technically aware members in here could comment on this please? Also, does the input impedance of the X-cans 3 vary with volume pot setting?

Another method... connect your pre-amp's 'tape out' to either of the sets of phono sockets on the x-cans 3. And if you still need a signal running to a recorder then route the x-cans onwards to the recorder. Is there a problem here too with parallel impedances?

Anyone?

[russellreising]

Thanks all. I called MF, and they emailed me the manual. I am now in absolute audio heaven. My AKG701s aren't even really burned in yet, and I haven't done any mods to the x-can, but the quality, depth, and nuances are stunning. On "How Fortunate the Man with None" by Dead Can Dance, those initual bass notes just burst out of the headphones, and the chimes came at me in a tornadic swirl. The soundstage is amazing, with differences in placement, nearness, etc. beautifully demarcated. I can only imagine how this will sound in a week or two.

By the way, I connected it through my tape out loop, and the quality is fine.

Thanks again for the input folks.

rock on,
russedelic

[rickcr42]

By the way, I connected it through my tape out loop, and the quality is fine.

always the preferred "signal tap" unless you have gain issues (unlikely with a dedicated headphone amp) because that is the only connection you have with ZERO added circuitry between the source and the headphone amp.

signal in/music out

[Stormy]

This is why I have my V3 between my main source and my receiver. I do all of my critical listening through headphones, and most of my recreational listening. When I do use speakers it's generally for background music, so I'm not as concerned about the signal path (and my speakers aren't spectacular anyway).

[PinkFloyd]

Personally I have a dedicated source for the headamp and it's source > headamp direct but if I were using it as part of a main system then tape out it would be.

[rickcr42]

pretty much what you must do in a multi source system though I wish more manufacturers would put a "record out mute" switch in their products so the potential for signal degradation bty running parallel loads would be eliminated.

to lose the rest of the system from the source/headphone amp connection is easy,just flip the tape monitor to "monitor" which removes the entire signal chain after the input selector but when listening to the preamp outputs as in preamp-to-amplifier-to-speaker you always have the headphone amp input in parallel with the preamp input which can degrade both.

Obviously my own designs allow for this by adding a record out "lift" switch