By Juan C. Ayllon A few days before Christmas, I flew south to Tampa, Florida to meet up with my wife and in-laws. It felt good to once again walk outdoors in short sleeves, enjoy breakfast and, later, a glass of wine at night out back by the pool. My sinuses and contenance opened up. Back in Chicago three days later, the sub-zero wind chill, ice and snow snatched that all away. Our summer clothes were tucked away in drawers and closets, where they will remain for another five months. On a positive note, I have been burning in my new Odyssey Stratos Supreme amplifier (which is stuffed inside the less expensive and smaller chassis of their Khartago amp) that replaced my vintage Mark Levinson ML-9 amp that ceased working properly and was sold for parts or “an ambitious DIY project” on eBay. Odyssey’s Klaus Bunge assures me that it will be at least three months until the various capacitors and other components are fully broken in and playing at their finest. My system already sings better than ever, so I’m curious to see how much better it gets!
On the downside, several review projects sit on hold: a shoot-out between several pairs of Mundorf capacitors, the usage of Stabilant 22 Contact Enhancer and a look at the impact of some Hifi Tuning fuses in my Lampizator Lite 7 Digital to Analog Converter (DAC). As the amp burns in, it will be difficult to properly attribute changes and/or improvements in my system’s performance to their proper cause. And, so, I wait, enjoy the music and dabble. A Tip of the Cap A couple months ago, my friend, Sam (who is also close friends of Lukasz Fikus, owner of Lampizator), got permission to make some alterations on my Lite 7 DAC and still maintain my warranty. The Lite 7 DAC shares the same circuit board as their more costly Big 7 that retails for $10,500 and, where the latter has chokes, the Lite 7 has resistors. So, Sam removed the resistors and installed a pair of chokes. New details emerged! Then, he removed the Jupiter AM capacitors that came with the DAC and replaced them with a pair of Mundorf Supreme Silver Gold capacitors. Wow. Initially a little on the sharp side, the sound settled into an even more detailed and balanced sound -- the higher frequencies were more focused and midrange was truer. Then, Sam showed me how to solder and suggested that I perform the other swaps of Mundorf capacitors, adding that I need to make sure that I don't allow the caps to touch the elevated circuit board or else I could blow it out. That scared me. I was anxious to hear the Mundorf EVO Supreme SilverGold, which are fairly new and rated higher than their Supreme SilverGold caps. I knew that if I performed the soldering, I would be liable for any resulting damage should I mess up. However, about a month later I mustered up the courage and on the advice of another experienced friend, I unplugged the Lite 7, removed the cover and let it sit for over an hour. I heated the soldering iron, carefully removed the SilverGold caps, and replaced them with the Mundorf EVO Supreme SilverGold caps. It took a while, as my soldering skills aren't that great. After I completed the job, I replaced the cover, turned on the power, and listened. I did not like what I heard: it sounded harsh. Did I make a mistake? I wan't happy, but remembered how the previous caps sounded a bit harsh at first. Sure enough, the EVOs settled-in and now sound magnificent. For review purposes, I plan on waiting several months until my amplifier settles in before swapping in the third pair of Mundorf caps (aluminum) and beginning formal comparisons between the three pairs. Contact! and Fuses To be honest, I nearly forgot about the Stabilant 22, which was highly touted by an audiophile friend in the automobile industry (they used Stabilant to enhance performance of their cars in a racing circuit some years ago), and am looking forward to comparing the sound of the tubes in my DAC with and without it applied to their pins, as well as other applications. And then there's the Hifi Tuning fuses. The topic is a bit controversial in audiophile circuits. Some say, "fuses are fuses!" and dismiss any perceived sonic improvements are the result of a Placebo Effect -- seeing them go in informs our subconscious that it improves the sound regardless of an actual change or not. To help combat this phenomenon, I plan on having my wife (whose ears are quite perceptive) and possibly an audiophile friend or two sit in and listen as I swap in and out the original fuse with the Hifi Tuning fuses and heavily factor in their perceptions into my report. A Point of Reflection Several months ago, my wife and I refurbished our living room couches and reviewed a product at www.ayllonmedia.com . To firm up the sagging back cushions, I purchased some furniture foam, cut them to shape and inserted them into the rear of the cushions. Seeing that I had some extra foam material, I made an acoustic absorption panel to address the right reflection point in my listening room from the leftovers and, on the advice of another friend who has experimented with acoustic absorption for over 20 years (and who found this same furniture foam to be superior), I covered it in 100 percent cotton fabric. The results are fabulous! I plan on posting up an entry on the specifics soon. Needless to say, as frigid temperatures keep us ensconced inside more, I have a few projects to address as I wait for my amp to burn-in -- and warmer temperatures to return. Cheers!
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Juan C. AyllonA writer, artist, educator and owner of Prairie Audio Man Cave, he lives with his wife, Isabel (AKA Belle), and their Goldendoodle, Liam, enjoys listening to high fidelity music and all things hi-fi at their home in the greater Chicagoland area.. Archives
March 2024
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