Help me - I'm salivating!

[Sol]

So having bought an X-DAC V3 as a cheaper option than modding my CD63-KI - I found myself browsing the web as you do and sold the idea of headphones etc to my wife "rather than yet another upgrade that she hears no differnece with", I get to have music whenever while she watches TV.

So - In short succesion I've ordered some Grado SR325i headphones(on there way) having demo'd some SR80s. I've picked a small portable amp for use when travelling (awaiitng arrival of headphones) and I'm now doing the looking for a headphone amp for the fixed system and I come across this site.

So here's my dilema!

I know I want a X-CAN V3 ..... and more importantly my wife will approve as i get to listen while she watches if you know what I mean. So Im sold on this idea.

I already have a X-DAC V3, surely it makes sense to buy an X-PSU V3 ... to hide all those unsightly Wall Warts - an apt name "wart"! Are tehre any real benefits to the PSU in sound quality?. I suspect not! £250 quid to tidy some cables!

Anyone else been an electrnoics newbie who has taken the kit offered here and installed into the X-CAN V3. I have a soldering iron, and figure if I can spend 2 days braiding Cat5 cable (worth the effort in sound quality and I'm now an expert plaiter of hair) I'll risk killing 250 quids worth of electronics [gulp]!!

Bets regards

[colinh]

X-PSU no major improvement though you will hear others claim they
think it's worth it ?. The x can 3 modded is supper when you
compare with an unmodified one. worth every penny and some.
pink Floyd has a service for people that don't want to risk it
themselves and will sort out any problems that you might come across
by doing it yourself. Good luck and have a go you will not regret it.

[thegreatroberto]

If you believe the blurb that many ebayers write, they'd have you believe that the X-PSU and the V3 provide some sort of "filter" as well !
Filters my arse.It's just a toroid with four 12V outputs.How MF ever got away with that I don't know.I do know that V3 wall-worts are better rated,so the need for a X-psu may be even less.The only to say is ,that years on teh X-psu is still worth more than I paid for it !

[Sol]

Thanks for the comments - can anyone point me ot aprice list for picnkflyods service?

Re: PSU V3 - I see one up on ebay US right now .. so presumably 115V in UK 240Volts is a bad thing?

[pauses]

Thought so! I'll get my coat!

[rickcr42]

For the X-Cans ?

www.rock-grotto.co.uk/v3upgradekit.html

[Sol]

Update:

So the X-Can V3 has been happily living in my lounge mated to the X-DAC V3 which itself is linked to my CD63 KI Sig player and my Squeezebox 3 (SB3 on Coax digital connection, and CD player on Digital)

Slight problem with a non-delivery on ebay delayed the arrival of the Grados 325i ... but they arrived eventually after a rebate and a contact with another supplier (Superfi delivered in 2 days - I'd waited a month for the plonker on ebay, and they were only 10 quid cheaper - c'est la vie).

Anyway .. the Can V3 had been plugged in for a 2 week constant diet of Radio 2 and no sooner had the Grados arrived than I was plugged in listening to some of my favourite reference tracks.

Initial impressions were mixed. I'm please to say the phones are getting better and better ... but

Initial
====
Loads of detail ... slightly top end emphasis ... was little harsh to my ear. There's compressed sound stage - all between my ears with very little front to back separation. The overall quality of the sound though is alarming good. The Can can go to the point of obnoxiously loud with no obvious distortion .. though the top end physically would hurt, and would be damaging to your ears long before you found distortion.

One week later
=========
The headphones have pretty much had about 40 hours this week. The difference is chalk and cheese. The sound stage is extending, and the top end has lost a grating and annoying raspiness it had. With that has come a top and bottom extension which has alarmed me ... so for instance on Freefloater (Higher Intelligence Agency) the sound stage has extended right around my head ... with sounds predominantly "displayed" in fixed places in 3 dimensions.

I'm also hearing elements to CDs and Squeezebox based tracks (all streaming sound is FLAC) I'd not heard before - or rather I'm hearing words more clearly (e.g. Chris Rhea's road to hell .. I've finally heard what is being sai don the car radio clearly)

Switching between wearing headphones and speakers last night had me amazed at suddenly how lacking my floorstander are. I really liked them until last night ( There's a presence to the headphone sound that's just not there in the floorstanders ... and even bi amped, while they have the control, they don't have the punch in the bass the headphones appear to offer.

SO ... there is a down side ... headphones are uncomfortable when listening for several hours at a time ( ;o) ).. and they do leak sound - which is really annoying for partner's watching American soaps!

I've mailed Mike today to ask about the mods to the X-Can V3

More when I hear back from Mike.

Many thanks for your inputs

[Sol]

mrarroyo said:

As far as bass I am surprised. The Grado's in general tend to have good bass.

Sorry ... I think you misread - I have no issues at all with the bass of the Grado 325i - It's just fine. It's balanced .. and .. well simply put I'm noticing subtle variations in bass lines I've never noticed before. I'm a happy-chappy - the X-DAC V3/Grado 325i/X-Can V3 combination is startling!