Upgrades beyond the Rock Grotto for the X-10v3?

[Deleted]

XTRProf
I haven't been able to rip DVD-A or SACD due to their protection. dtsonline.com however has quite a few DVD-A releases that also have a high resolution .dts version on the same disc. This can be ripped by programs such as DVD Decrypter 3.5.4.0. which was such a thorn in the side of the music companies, that Macrovision bought the designer out. It may still be possible to find a download somewhere .Programs such as Audio DVD Creator can let you fit quite a few CD albums on the one DVD, while giving basic information like title and track. You can even upsample the content to 96KHZ 24 bit with the program, but then the maximum play time is 2 hours. I bought a copy of this program several years ago, but I am not sure if it is still available. A local PC magazine even created a program with a primitive interface, that let you create DVD-A discs from your own music files.
BTW, I have a Chesky Audiophile test disc , which they say was recorded using 128 x oversampling A to D converters !
Many specialist Audiophile companies have been using various means to improve the SQ of their releases for many years.

SandyK

[simba00000]

Hi XTRProf,

Although I have learned alot from Alan and a few others regarding tweaking and setting up line conditioners and power supplies (Read: simple power supplies like this), I do not have the knowledge or experience they do. I have learned from hands on that weaking power supplies do make a difference, sometimes little tweaks= huge performance gain. They throw at me alot of technical reasons why this and that, then in real world why and what to expect. Then I experiment as they guide and I learn. Alan for example knows and understands how most of the high end line conditioners work and are designed. He is a consultant in that field for some of the big boys and is hands on in their designs.

I understand why audio manufacturers skimp on the quality of parts and designs. It would be hard to market a tube line buffer at $1500+US! Ok as I tweak and tinker I will let you and whoever is interested know what happens. By the way, if all goes well, meaning I want multiple X-10v3 units, the PSU chassis I am thinking will consist of the following:

* Combination of wood and aluminum chassis. The wood will depend on what interacts best or enhances the sonics of the PSU design. I am thinking maple (stained in Ebony/black with hand rubbed oil), but we will see. The front panel will be an aluminum piece to match the X-v3 series look. This has to look good too right??? ) For the bottom and back panel, wood again to help tune the chassis, most likely Microsorb between the trannies and the mounting material. Top panel I have not decided yet. The chassis will be a tad wider and a bit taller to fit the trannies vertically, so that 3-4 trannies can be fitted. Knowing Alan, based on what we discussed before he went on the road, I will probably need more depth in the chassis to fit a few conditioning parts. We will see, I will let you know...

Chris

[XTRProf]

Hi Alex,

Thanks and info noted. Much appreciated.

I also have Chesky CDs and SACDs. Only 4, btw, for sampling. They are:





Bought after being a reference disc for Stereophile. Yes, it's 128 oversampling.








Ha, ha, my friend gave it to me. Nope, it's not as a present. He just doesn't like classical music and more of a rock guy. Again, 128 oversampling stuff.







Also bought, due to the extremely good sound from the 2 CDs I have mentioned, was this hybrid SACD. Highly recommended if only choose one.






Someone offered this SACD used and I just grabbed it. Oh boy, the first track Spanish Harlem sounds as if Rebecca is in the room. This is also in the SACD sampler above.



Yes, I do know there are many commerial studios doing things to improve the CD by various processes. However, I love the XRCD and Hugo processes the best of all CD processes that I knew and had sampled. These 2 not only take care of the recording but also the process of pressing CDs. In the Hugo process, the outputs of the analog master tapes were painstaking mixed using very good pro equipment, maybe even dcs here, and the resultant wav files were then directly burnt into pro studio CDRs slowly and not at high duplication speed, avoidng the CD stamper process at the CD pressing plants. Definitely not half-speed remastering stuff. Downside, when I asked the Hugo boss, was the CDR only have the max 50 years life when unexposed to any sunlight.

Btw, all Chesky stuffs always give very good results and that's what count. I love Chesky, Gecko, XRCD Three Blind Mice, Sheffield Labs, Mofi, Umbrella (I think), Nautilus, Analogue Productions (Oh, ya, noted Steve Hoffman here), Classic Records, Lyrita, Living Stereo SACD (If I'm not wrong was done using dcs DSD box) and, of course, local, China and HK Hugo, Tunya, Rainforest and ABC. For normal pressings, any by Bob Ludwig, Doug Sax and Hugo boss will mostly sound wonderful relatively to the rest of the normals. In these, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Eagles and Dire Straits readily come to mind.

Actually, the laugh for today, if you don't mind I sharing here, is when I attended a local Hifi show between 16 to 18th November 2007. We had the fame Hugo recording engineer boss onboard at the seminar and he demonstrated, using a very very highend system comprising Wilson Maxx, Goldmund amps and CDP and Clearaudio Statement (I think) TT, to show why his LPCD45 process was much better than a normal CD of the same title as compared with the same singer of that title singing LIVE on that day. Ya, I know, this type of demos were also common at CES shows as well. The crux of that demo was when he asked (hinting gesture) whether the sound of the singer with the mic (a professional studio one) was great as compared with the singer singing without it. Well, of course, naturally everyone jolted back and said without. Seeing that the hint was not understood, he went on to introduce the Wilson Maxx at some obscene prices, the same goes for the Goldmunds and Clearaudio immediately. Then out of no where everybody started to clap. Ya, then like a lightning bolt, it hit me. What he meant was even the most expensive stuffs were just compromise. Someone went on to ask did that mean those were no good. Well, he being a pro retorted by saying sorry no comments as there are many well known brands around. The only thing that he could said, gesturing and hintingly, was the prices were definitely much better. He being a seasoned pro recording engineer and having used some of the best equipment for recording in his studio will only know better. The moral here is that there is no such thing as the best in AV or Hifi or even in the pro studio scene. Choosed wisely and used them as they are and enjoy!

[XTRProf]

Great, Chris! All of us, if not the world, will be watching. Do post some photos of your projects though, naked and dressed up. ;D

Some word of caution. Do earth the metal parts for heaven sake or heaven will not forsake you if anything happened thru leakages in your PSU. Also, put some damping on the metal as well. Yes, you are definitely a zen guy if not a Jedi master! That latter title still have to go to your good old buddy Alan who has all the technical expertise in PSU.

Btw, what did the toroid engineer recommend for fuse rating for your 115VAC trans? Primary and secondary windings? My being 230VAC will be roughly halved. This will give me a rough idea of what to expect although mine will most porbably be a 300VA trans as shared by 4 outputs. Ya, the surge will be great when this monster goes online. Anything lesser, juice for each circuit will be lesser. You know something like we sharing a broadband internet line. Having noted the downside of sharing will be lesser isolation and more disturbences, there, however, is an upside in this approach of paralleling. Just as in broadband sharing, once the other components go offline, the last component connected will have the full VA. This usually means better sound. But the magnitude is hard to quantify unless one experiences it and that's where being zen comes in. Painstakingly trial and error until the sound is right. No technical measurements will be able to show this effect, if I'm not wrong, since the VA is already overkilled.

I have a friend who had enthusiastically demoed me a 1.5KVA EI trans PSU. Hold your horses and don't laugh yet, ok? Wow, the bass, the soundstage, depth, speed, the energy and imaging all improved. Really cloud 9 X 2 = 18 stuff. However, the bass seemed to be too overwhelming. So he later used a 700VA EI trans and the sound is just about right for his Nelson Pass F2 (sorry, I can't remember whether F1 or 2 and now Nelson Pass is into F4 already. Also, not sure whether SET or Push Pull). Fyi. All this coming from a flea watter driving a fullrange high efficiency Coral speaker.

Ok, now laugh all you can! Also, laugh at Naim PSUs .................. If anyone needs to go to the restroom after this, please do as well. ;D

[XTRProf]

sandyk said:

If you are able, try to leave room for a small dual regulated PSU board(+ and -15V) and then at a later date you could replace one of the transformers with a 15-0-15VAC type to power it. The X-DAC V3 will work without modification off such a supply , and this leaves the way open to further modifications.

Hi Alex,

Oh, a 15-0-15 VAC toroid also can? Then I have this one which later can be used to do your mode which involves a regulator and a 15-0-15 Vac toroid. Thanks.

[simba00000]

Hi XTRProf,

Please lets get this one straight, I am not a Jedi Master, I am the padiwa/student! I am pretty lucky though. Alan is a Sound Engineer (for over 20 years). Aside being a consultant for the music and high end audio industry, he also designs consumer products aimed at audiophiles (www.alanmaherdesigns.com). Some of his designs like power line conditioners are used in major recording and re-mastering studios. I am one of the less then handful I believe that beta test his creations. So I get to learn the designs, then go over with him the differences with other top flight designs (which he knows well), applications, etc. Anyway, this is why I call him Jedi Master.

My favorite recordings are the Chesky, I have a decent collection of Chesky's recordings. Always collecting as time goes on.

I understand your concern for grounding. The MF units (X-10v3 and X-PSUv3) are not earth grounded. The toroid they use does not have an internal shield that is grounded, unless I missed something. My experimental PSU will not have any metal panels in the unit. The final production unit will. The fuse recommended by the toroid engineer for a 100VA unit is a slow blow 250v 1.5amp on the primary side. He said a fuse on the secondary side is not necessary. The reason for the fuse on the primary side is to protect your home in the case the toroid shorts/fails. Remember the larger the toroid (unless is designed to be a low inrush unit) the bigger the inrush when you power it up.

I keep mentioning experimental PSU. Please keep in mind that if all works out, I am fairly sure that this PSU will see many changes for the production unit I will use. When I first purchased the X-10v3 about 2 weeks ago I asked Alan's advice on a new PSU unit design. I gave him the data I gathered, including pictures of the unit. He told me I would not be happy with the MF approach. He then started to go into tube designs and how power supply stability, leakage, power rippling, etc., etc. effect the performance. Since I know nothing about tube gear designs and considerations, this data quickly sent my little brain into information overload. The way he looked at the project was to attack it as if to build a PSU for a high end tube pre-amp. I winched, knowing this meant a lot of $$$. The sensibility in me said, "I mean come on, this is a $400 US retail buffer!". So we will see how sucked in I get...lol

In the mail I did get all the connectors to build the interlinking power cables yesterday. Anyone that has experienced a well designed power cable will appreciate how much impact a good power cable brings to the table. Last night I think I came up with a killer cable design for this purpose. I say I think, because it will have to be tested and tweaked, then comparisons made. There are many ways to design a power cable for this purpose. But I am looking for ultimate performance, not a working cable. I have been trying to aquire a stock MF cable that comes with a X-PSUv3 so I will be able to do comparisons with the originals, but have not been successful. Any ideas where I can get my hands on one of these stock cables?

Chris

[Deleted]

"I understand your concern for grounding. The MF units (X-10v3 and X-PSUv3) are not earth grounded. The toroid they use does not have an internal shield that is grounded, unless I missed something. My experimental PSU will not have any metal panels in the unit. The final production unit will. The fuse recommended by the toroid engineer for a 100VA unit is a slow blow 250v 1.5amp on the primary side. He said a fuse on the secondary side is not necessary. The reason for the fuse on the primary side is to protect your home in the case the toroid shorts/fails. Remember the larger the toroid (unless is designed to be a low inrush unit) the bigger the inrush when you power it up. "

Chris
If you are using 230-240VAC, it is always a good idea to mount the Toroidal transformer on a sheet of aluminium, which is then connected to the earth of an IEC socket. This applies, even if you are using a non metallic case. In the unlikely event of a fault condition in the transformer, this will add safety. In many cases
there will be an earth leakage breaker fitted in the house, and even minor leakage will trip the breaker. Otherwise, a house fuse, or circuit breaker will activate. The secondary sides of the transformer will not be earthed, so there will be no hum problems.
The use of a slow blow fuse in the primary of the toroidal transformer is not deemed necessary by many transformer manufacturers with transformers below 300VA. The transformer manufacturers vary greatly with their recommendations, so it is best to ask the manufacturer of your transformer if possible.
Alex

[simba00000]

Hi Alex,

I just read what I wrote, umm woops. The experimental PSU will have a aluminum base plate on the inside of chassis (comes with the case for this purpose) in contact with the wood base. I live in the US (115 VAC). There will be a star ground from the mains via the IEC, which is mounted/contacting the aluminum plate.

That is correct, the mains breaker will trip. My home is fairly new. In California newer homes do not have earth leakage breakers. The fuse on the primary side rated at the 1.5amp 250V, slowbow (T-delayed), is a first line defense, "just in case". The toroid engineer (of the toroid I purchased) recommended the 1.5 amp fuse, you are correct about the necessity.

Thank you though, I do appreciate the concern and you mentioning it! This project starts monday, I will report back...

Best Regards,

Chris

[XTRProf]

simba00000 said:

Hi XTRProf,

Please lets get this one straight, I am not a Jedi Master, I am the padiwa/student!...

...I have been trying to aquire a stock MF cable that comes with a X-PSUv3 so I will be able to do comparisons with the originals, but have not been successful. Any ideas where I can get my hands on one of these stock cables?

Hi Chris,

Ya, I know you are not a Jedi Master. But you are definitely a Zen. Whereas Alan and Alex are Techies, I will say I'm Zentech, more zen then tech, btw, and that's why Zen comes first b4 tech in my nomenclature. Ya, techies are always very very passionate about engineering forgetting about commoners, just like my dad who was very insistent that my 4 circuits should be from separate windings. But I do enjoy their company very much as they do balance up the zen or senses in me.

I concur with Alex before you wrote. There should be 4 MF cables with the X-PSU V3 if you bought it new. Otherwise, you had been short changed. Await to see your "beauty" next week.

[simba00000]

Hi XTRProf,

I see, zen hey, well I am at peace with myself! lol I wouldn't expect a beauty, just a working PSU that has tweak potential. So we can see what works, what doesn't, what is worth while and what is not. Like shielding (over shielding will hurt sonics), filtering, cable design and interaction. IMHE, usually ferrite clamps will hurt sonics. But every aftermarket cable for this unit has ferrite rings on them. The last few days I have been experimenting with a shielding scheme that is very effective. So we will see if I can port this material/concept effectively to this project. By the way, I have a X-10v3, not a X-PSUv3. That is why I do not have one of the stock cables that come with the X-PSUv3. I am trying to purchase one from somewhere for comparisons, so far no luck.

Chris

[XTRProf]

Hi Chris,

Ok, if not beauty then beauty and the beast. ;D LOL.

Well, Zen is actually more than being meditation or yoga stuffs. Its' the art of having nirvana thru actual act of doing to ebb the uncertainties and be enlightened. This is beyond one's philosophy, beliefs, technicalities and religion. Some sort of self actualisation as in the heirarchy of needs. A good description will be here:


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen


I wouldn't say it's the highest form but definitively you are way in that direction towards AV or Hifi nirvana.

For your MF cable, that will be tough. But you can try MF HQ although chances are you will have not much help from my experience with them. Anyway, no harm trying. Here:



Musical Fidelity Limited
24-26 Fulton Road
Fulton Road
Wembley
Middlesex
HA9 0TF
United Kingdom


Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

[simba00000]

Hi XTRProf,

I know what you meant by Zen, its all cool... I probably will have the transformer delivered to my home tomorrow. I will start on the interlinking power cable tonight. The basic cable design won't be that difficult, tweaking the cable will be interesting. Tweaking the experimental PSU will be fun also, so we will see! I would prefer to tweak the PSU when the upgrades to the X-10v3 are completed, but I am not sure how much longer the Rock Grotto upgrade kit will take to get to me.

Yep, I have tried Musical Fidelity in the UK and the US distributer. I am going to try a dealer in the US, if I can find one. I will update this thread once I have more data.

Best Regards,

Chris

[XTRProf]

Hi Chris,

Well, you can look at this in the reverse. The trans alone, there will already be a clear cut difference since you are into 100VA toroids. Aha, Zen as well as Tech shaking hands. When Mike's (aka Pink Floyd and not Pink Panther) stuffs arrive, this will enable you to hear more of the beauty and the beast. I'm quite sure the transformation will be . Ya, olala stuffs! Better than sex for nuts like us. Oops, sorry, not nuts as that will be too small. Horror! Should be bananas ...........

[simba00000]

Ok, my toys/rest of the parts I need to get this experimental project on its way arrived yesterday afternoon. The tranny and upgrade kit order from Mike included. I almost finished the interconnecting power cable (5 hours into it...lol). I have forgotten how long it takes to build cables! The next two days I am off work and will be playing with my new toys! Will keep those interested informed...

For those in the US and am thinking of purchasing Mike's Rock Grotto upgrade kits, it took 7 days total from the time he shipped. Fast shipping, considering the package is coming from the UK.

XTRProf, there will be some people that will think I am nuts, maybe even you! Wait until you see the interconnecting power cord...lol Man I wish I could get my hands on an original interconnecting power cord to do comparisons... Anywhos, will keep ya informed.

Chris

[XTRProf]

Hi Chris,

Great! The eagles had landed. See my avator pic. LOL. Please do keep us all here updated on your "fantasy" trip towards audio nirvana. Aha, Alice in Wonderland stuffs.

Well, in zen there is no such a thing as right or wrong. Might be the most craziest idea like jumping from a skyscraper within a big ball with no parachute. You know, like that as shown in one of the James Bond movie although from a plane (I think). If the experiential act is right for you or any that's it. Period. Also, some of the best products or services are conceived from some of the wackiest ideas. Take a good look at your American produced Survivor, Amazing Race and Fear Factor series. Without creativity, will there be a better world? Btw, some of the things are beyond measurment or accountability scientifically, entering the paranormal world. Eeeeee (fright)! , Hifi included. Seriously, I'm not laughing as I'm also ZenTech, right?

For my side, I had already ordered a 225VA 12-0-12 VAC 230 VAC trans. Should be in either today or tomorrow. Fyi.



Cheers!

[simba00000]

Hi XTRProf,

What happened to the 300VA tranny? lol

You are right, there are many aspects to high end audio that just do not make any sense. Nothing ceases to amaze me anymore. Anywhos, I upgraded the X-10v3 yesterday, see below. The way I decided to attack this experiment/project is in the following order:

* While waiting for PSU and upgrade parts, to build a good power cord. Possibly up to three utilizing different designs. I have built the most tricked out one first.

* Upgrade the X-10v3. I did this yesterday. Here is what I did:

- Rock Grotto Musical Fidelity X-10 v3 Cap / diode Upgrade Kit and Heatsink kit. This was pretty easy and smooth. The Heatsinks Mike sent me did not fit, I had to modify them to work.

- Replaced stock 28ga. wiring. with 5N Cardas solid core 24ga. silver inside 20ga. thin wall teflon tubing. WBT solder used. I polished the Cardas wire before installation.

- Lightly polished bridge links, there are 12 of them. They are mirror like now, but I have no idea what if anything this will do sonically. I almost replaced them with solid core silver, and probably should have. I tested one of the links, they are non magnetic and figured they were plated copper, but I am not sure.

- Treated all parts with Musicoat. All of my gear in my main system get this treatment. Musicoat is made by TRT-Wonder, the same company that makes Wonder Solder. If you do not know what Musicoat is, here is a link to more info: www.trt-wonder.com/page10.html

- Polished ground lug, Polished exterior of the RCA jacks and cleaned the positive internal contacts. Cleaned power jack contacts. No contact enhancers used. What should work really well with this X-10v3 is Quicksilver Gold contact enhancer.

- No dampening yet. If I like how all this turns out the X-10v3 PCB, front and back panels will go into a different chassis. So no use dampening the unit now. If I do not like the unit in my main system, I will leave it as is and use it in my upstairs office system.

- Hooked the X-10v3 back up with the stock factory wall wart, upgraded Grado RA-1 Clone amp (sold the Grado RA-1 two days ago) and Grado RS-2 headphones. Now 10 hours later, what I hear is what I expected. Cap upgrades and silver wire need 200 hours on a burner or strong signal. Especially silver wire, from my experience they will never see their full sonic potential without treating with a burner. After properly burning-in high quality silver they will lose that HF glare and edge, become less analytical and become more musical. I use a Hagerman Frycleaner for interconnect or speaker cables.

* Next up (today) build the PSU.

A couple of days ago on the way home from work I was thinking about this project and that it seemed really odd that on a forum (this forum) that has a lot of focus on MF X gear that there are next to no one (aside you), that is interested in or have tried to tweak their gear as far as they can. The forum I have been a member of for over 6 years consists of mainly audiophiles that are as crazy as me when it comes to tweaking. Many will even go out of their way to assist. Here it is the exact opposite. Then it dawned on me, Rock Grotto and they sell both upgrade kits and a aftermarker PSU for the X units. So I read the rules of the forum...

For the record, I do not now or have ever worked in or for the audio trade. This is a hobby for me. I will admit that I have been solicited to offer products or services by manufacturers and distributers in the audio industry. I have always declined. I understand and respect that the owners of this forum sell products that I want to build or tweak. I have learned more then I could ever hoped for or anticipated from DIYers, tweakers, audiophiles, manufacturers, etc. All by sharing. I do not want to in anyway hurt the sales of products or services of Rock Grotto, this is not my intention.

This is the only forum that I know of for MF X gear. In the interest of sharing and hopefully others can benefit, I do not mind sharing anything I do with this project. The question is what is considered appropriate? For the record, no one has contacted me regarding this thread or topic from Rock Grotto.

Chris

[PinkFloyd]

simba00000 said:

This is the only forum that I know of for MF X gear. In the interest of sharing and hopefully others can benefit, I do not mind sharing anything I do with this project. The question is what is considered appropriate? For the record, no one has contacted me regarding this thread or topic from Rock Grotto.

Chris

This is a great thread simba and am glad you started it Feel free to discuss silver wire, damping, potions and lotions or anything else you feel brings about an improvement to SQ. I have found the law of diminishing returns usually kicks in bigtime once you have tackled the basic "weakspots" and the gains to be had from throwing lots of money into audio jewellery cleaner (musicoat etc.) are pretty much costly nano tweaks IMHO.

Of course you are free to differ and may actually "hear" or perceive an audible improvement going down the "full monty" route..... it's all interesting stuff (hell, I even experimented with rainbow foil) and even if it does nothing it may well sound better to your ears. Hell, some people swear by brilliant pebbles all of this stuff has a place if it makes the listener think he / she is hearing an improvement, just a pity about the sharks that are feeding them this bullshit at ridiculous prices

Good stuff man and keep us informed on the progress.......

[Deleted]

"just a pity about the sharks that are feeding them this bullshit at ridiculous prices"

Chris
I concur with Mike. What you are doing is interesting. But much of it has very little technical basis, or scientifically confirmed results elsewhere , so I have not offered any further suggestions other than technical based suggestions.
Any gains you make will be , in my experience absolutely minimal with most of them.They are mainly cosmetic, but hey , if you think the end result sounds better, even if most other experienced hobbyists can't hear any difference, then that is all that really matters.
It is your ears, and your money. There is no substitute for proper design and the use of quality components to start with. However, there is almost invariably an element of cost cutting in all commercial (and hobbyist) designs .
Alex

[mrarroyo]

Chris, we need pictures! This thread is worthless w/o pictures!

[Deleted]

"I have found the law of diminishing returns usually kicks in bigtime once you have tackled the basic "weakspots" and the gains to be had from throwing lots of money into audio jewellery cleaner (musicoat etc.) are pretty much costly nano tweaks IMHO."





" Cap upgrades and silver wire need 200 hours on a burner or strong signal. Especially silver wire, from my experience they will never see their full sonic potential without treating with a burner. After properly burning-in high quality silver they will lose that HF glare and edge, become less analytical and become more musical."

Chris
I agree with the capacitor forming part.
Replacing a multitude of small steel straps on a PCB with silver wire may result in a minor audible improvement, even replacing an internal lenth of tinned copper wire in a component may make a minor change to SQ, whether better or worse, will depend on the equipment in question. As for burning in short lengths of silver wire in a component, I think you have been reading too much from snake oil salesmen like "Professor" Belt ! ;D
If you are referring to silver interconnects, then the changes heard are far more likely due to the dielectric used around the inner of the cable. Flexing the cable may loosen the tight fit between the inner core and the dielectric, as well as the tightness between the dielectric and the shielding. This may result in a small reduction in capacitance. Again, the change may not be a positive change, this depends on many other factors in the equipment itself, as well as ancillary equipment and various other cables.
I agree with keeping RCA sockets clean internally and externally, particularly if you live near the sea, or there are smokers in the house. If plugs are often removed and reinserted, the inner of the socket loses it's "grip" , in which case it is best to replace the RCA sockets in question.
Alex

BTW, I would love to see a reply to this post of yours from Graham Slee and John Cadman !

[XTRProf]

simba00000 said:

Hi XTRProf,

What happened to the 300VA tranny? lol

That's the biggest in the catalogue for 12-0-12 VAC. I wanted a 300VA but

[XTRProf]

Hi Chris,

Just shoot, man! No problem really. As I had said before, there are many backbenchers or seatwarmers lurking in this forum that are interested in whatever we do, whether logic or no logic. See, this thread already had 455 views as of now. Isn't that magical for being a newbie here for about a month and from just replies mostly from the three of us - U, Alex and me? LOL

I love cardas cable but polishing it, I doubt I will be able to hear the difference. If for a sports car carburettor (not the "true" fuel injector type but normally aspirated) intake manifold, there will be a difference in the response of the car when polished, whether felt or technically. This is because fuel-air mixture flow will be more laminar and less turbulent which will result in less fuel-air mixture entering the car cylinders for then latter. As for cables configuration, I will prefer the thickest that you can fit in will be the best. This is because with cables diameter increasing, the dc resistence or ac impedance will drop allowing more signal to pass thru unimpeded. This means more pure sound. But the cables must hopefully be of the litz type as skin effects starts to creep in when too thick. Of course, this is debatable technically as we should be talking of very high frequencies and not audio frequencies which are expected to be from dc to about 50 to 100 kHz. However, based on zen accountability, the solid core does sound more natural and musical compared to multicore like the Litz. Litz sounds more rock and roll, jazzy and solid core more vocal and classical. So pick the one we love for our occasion. Yes, I love teflon as they sounded less roll off thru zen act. Technically also proven. Zen again does meet Tech not over a boxing ring.

For cables, I still prefer the copper thru zen views although technically, silver has lower resistence than copper. For my occasion, I mostly prefer the UP-OCC copper over the UP-OCC silver.

Not much experience with Musicoat or Quicksilver contact enhancers although I had used one similar from I can't remember who. Status Quo here as I really can't remember properly why I stopped using them. I stopped was vaguely because the enhancer dried up in the RCA and I don't like it. I was using a tube pre AR SP11 that's still with me now. Coild be the heat that from the pre tubes that were causing the dried up.

I agreed with Alex that cleaning and polishing the RCAs and ground lug is a good idea as this will reduce resistence technically from dirt or improve contact thru better flatness that could result in a purer signal thru. But whether can hear it, I really didn't notice. However, if you are the type that always have many ICs around and tweak with them by pulling and inserting ICs, then clearing them frequently will definitely make a difference. I concur based on replacing my tarnished speaker binding posts with new ones.

Damping will make a difference to your X-10 V3 thru less microphony from Zen and Tech hats. Total agreement here. Do also consider tube damper as well since you are going to break your bank. Teflon will be best as the melting point is about 200 degree Celcius.

Burning in for ICs, agreed from a Zen and Tech mantra that it will improve sound. This is because BI makes mechanical and electrical properties better. Rember the new car recommendation to be run in first before driving at top speed. This also includes the PC as well although the IC will have a bigger improvement. Ya, less glare and become more musical overall will be the results. For jumpers, although they are short, but changing many like 12 in a row to better wire will make a mountain.

Let us have your PSU project updates. As Miguel had said, a picture paints a thousand words. So start shooting your projects. No, no, not kill like some mad men or boys in malls and schools in America. Use your artistic skill thru a lens.

[PinkFloyd]

I got an open mind too man! Have a read of my rainbow thread some interesting comments there..... be warned, it's quite a large thread www.head-fi.org/forums/f21/rainbow-foil-initial-impressions-67331/

Pinkie >o.k x 26 x

[Deleted]

XTRProf

I would have thought that the very informed reply from Mike would have rated a mention ?
If Mike says that any further gains from "sprinkling with pixie dust" methods, or "polishing the silverware" are absolutely minimal, and not worth the extra money , trust him ! If an RCA plug is loose, or a socket is tarnished, and is causing a problem, replace it with a higher quality part! Don't spray it!
If such things gave worthwhile improvements, rest assured that Mike would implement them in his mods for a modest extra fee.
SandyK

[XTRProf]

sandyk said:

XTRProf

I would have thought that the very informed reply from Mike would have rated a mention ?
If Mike says that any further gains from "sprinkling with pixie dust" methods, or "polishing the silverware" are absolutely minimal, and not worth the extra money , trust him ! If an RCA plug is loose, or a socket is tarnished, and is causing a problem, replace it with a higher quality part! Don't spray it!
If such things gave worthwhile improvements, rest assured that Mike would implement them in his mods for a modest extra fee.
SandyK

Sorry, man! Didn't aim. IMVHO only thru ZenTech thru going bananas with ABing.