X-CANS (V1) lots of potential
Feb 21, 2007 22:38:12 GMT
Post by PinkFloyd on Feb 21, 2007 22:38:12 GMT
This really is a wonderful little amp with so many areas that can be tweaked I'm surprised by just how little they are fetching on ebay at the moment. Seems there is a lot of interest in the V2 and V3 but the X-CANS (V1) can be had for as little as £80.
Quite a bargain considering the V1 packs more components under the bonnet than the V2 or V3, has a far superior PSU board replete with AN7815 / AN7915 output voltage regulators, BC327-25 / BC337-25 and 10,000uF of capacitance on board (which can easily be upped to 20,000uF with room to spare.
The amp section offers a plethora of opportunities for the tweaker, not only can you "valve roll" but you can also "opamp roll" in this beauty and the amount of combinations are endless.... Mullard & OPA2107, Amperex & AD8620, Siemens & OPA627 on B-dogs, OPA2604 & 6N23P......... you name it, the permutations are endless (and enough to drive you round the twist if you're a seasoned roller)
This amp is rarely mentioned in the X-Can circle and it's a pity considering it has the potential to send V2 and V3 running for their white flags. You'll need a lot of patience and an armoury of opamps / valves to find the combo that suits your ears but when you do there's no looking back.
V1 was made in England and god only knows how they managed to pack so much quality into such a small enclosure and so MUCH of it, I think I already mentioned that the component count in the V1 is far more than is in the V2 / V3... it's capacitor city in there with around 35 of the buggers taking up real estate, consider the AN7185 / AN7915 / BC32-725 / BC337-25 in the PSU (compared to just the ZTX653 / ZTX753 in the V2) and take into account the NE5532 / BD-139 / JAN 6922 in the amp and you'll soon reach the same conclusion that I have.... the V2 / V3 circuit boards are a lot cheaper to populate than the V1..... "more" doesn't equate to quality but most flagships are jam packed with bells and whistles..... no change here, the original MF flagship headamp boasts way more under the bonnet porn than either of it's two younger brothers who, by the way, cost a hell of a lot more
(£250 in the case of the V3..... V1 retailed at a crazy low £129)
Well worth picking up if your budget only extends to a hundred quid or so, the X-CANS is a true classic.
Quite a bargain considering the V1 packs more components under the bonnet than the V2 or V3, has a far superior PSU board replete with AN7815 / AN7915 output voltage regulators, BC327-25 / BC337-25 and 10,000uF of capacitance on board (which can easily be upped to 20,000uF with room to spare.
The amp section offers a plethora of opportunities for the tweaker, not only can you "valve roll" but you can also "opamp roll" in this beauty and the amount of combinations are endless.... Mullard & OPA2107, Amperex & AD8620, Siemens & OPA627 on B-dogs, OPA2604 & 6N23P......... you name it, the permutations are endless (and enough to drive you round the twist if you're a seasoned roller)
This amp is rarely mentioned in the X-Can circle and it's a pity considering it has the potential to send V2 and V3 running for their white flags. You'll need a lot of patience and an armoury of opamps / valves to find the combo that suits your ears but when you do there's no looking back.
V1 was made in England and god only knows how they managed to pack so much quality into such a small enclosure and so MUCH of it, I think I already mentioned that the component count in the V1 is far more than is in the V2 / V3... it's capacitor city in there with around 35 of the buggers taking up real estate, consider the AN7185 / AN7915 / BC32-725 / BC337-25 in the PSU (compared to just the ZTX653 / ZTX753 in the V2) and take into account the NE5532 / BD-139 / JAN 6922 in the amp and you'll soon reach the same conclusion that I have.... the V2 / V3 circuit boards are a lot cheaper to populate than the V1..... "more" doesn't equate to quality but most flagships are jam packed with bells and whistles..... no change here, the original MF flagship headamp boasts way more under the bonnet porn than either of it's two younger brothers who, by the way, cost a hell of a lot more
(£250 in the case of the V3..... V1 retailed at a crazy low £129)Well worth picking up if your budget only extends to a hundred quid or so, the X-CANS is a true classic.
