By Juan C. Ayllon
CHICAGO -- I searched the halls of Audio Expo North America (AXPONA) 2014 for a Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) to link to a dedicated computer server for music playback (you can read about it here) and, fast forward to last fall, I had a world class loudspeaker and component designer I’d met there, upgrading my converter in my living room.
At AXPONA 2017, Lampizator’s president, Lukasz Fikus, introduced me to his good buddy, Sam Wisniewski, maker of Destination Audio horn loudspeakers, preamps and amplifiers. I interviewed him, reviewed his tube preamplifier and had him over for dinner. We became fast friends, spending a lot of time when he was in Chicago, and that’s when Sam decided to do it: with Lukasz’ blessing, he would modify my Lampizator Lite 7 DAC -- and my warranty would remain intact. That was a major coup for me.
Subtle layers of cloaking peeled back, revealing new detail in the music with each change: he snipped a pair of resistors at the RCA outputs; another pair of resistors was replaced with chokes on the circuit board common in both the the Lite 7 and the doubly expensive Big 7 (spark plug shaped silhouettes labeled “Choke” on the board indicate where they go, but only the Big 7 uses them); and he replaced a pair of Jupiter AM capacitors with two Mundorf Supreme Silver/Gold caps.
I was ecstatic with the mere removal of the the resistors at the RCA outputs, although Sam was less impressed; while I enjoyed the heightened clarity, he thought it was a little too sharp sounding. He soldered them back several visits later, but after listening for a while, removed them again, agreeing that the enhanced definition was worth it. He suggested the resistors may have been employed to protect users’ speakers from a loud, damaging, pop if an owner plugged in the RCA connectors while the Lite 7 was turned on. “Make sure the DAC is turned off when you connect the RCAs,” he cautioned. The addition of chokes added a whole new level of refinement, detail and air to the presentation. No longer compressed, for example, the notes from a plucked acoustic bass was more resolved and notes were more sustained, hanging in the air.
A Tip of the Cap?
Sam wanted to upgrade the capacitors and gave me some parameters to work with. Glancing at an online chart of Lampizator’s line of DACs, I saw that their Golden Gate (starting at 13,000 Euros, it was their flagship model prior to the arrival of their Pacific DAC this last year) sported the Mundorf Silver/Gold/Oil capacitors, so I reached out to Mundorf and, a month later, three pairs of their SUP.SGO-0.47 caps arrived at my doorstep: the Mundorf MCap Supreme Silver/Gold (44.90 Euros each) , MCap Supreme EVO Silver/Gold (49.90) and the MCap Supreme EVO Aluminum (11.90). I mention this upcoming project to my friend (who wishes to remain anonymous due to mudslinging in this hobby and potential damage to his reputation), an accomplished electrical engineer, consultant and trainer for big firms who has made his own DACs, music servers and other highly sensitive devices. He’s encouraging and assures me that select capacitors are one of the secret weapons high end audio equipment designers employ to set their products apart. Hazardous to the Touch It was not without risks. Pointing to the Lampi’s circuit board previously, Sam cautioned, “Whatever you do, don’t touch this!” The board retained high voltage and took time to drain down after the DAC was unplugged Several weeks later, it’s time to do some soldering. “OW! Ow ow, ow, ow!” he hisses, recoiling and nursing his hand. He’d been explaining something and forgot to test a connection with his multimeter before touching it with his screwdriver. Sure enough, the meter LED reads 125 volts. He checks it intermittently and, eventually, it drops down to 12 volts, which is safe, and he begins snipping and soldering. A Silver/Gold Experience Sam snips the connecting wires to the Jupiter AM capacitors, which he leaves inside in case I ever want to reconnect them. Next, he loops the leads on both ends of the MCap Supreme Silver Gold caps back towards their bodies so they won’t protrude too far and risk touching the circuit board. “Whatever you do, don’t let the capacitors touch it, or you’ll blow out the circuit board,” he warns. Placing them adjacent to the Jupiters, he solders connecting wires to the Mundorfs’ leads -- first heating up them together to prevent a cold joint and, after they are sufficiently hot, he puts the silver solder wire on top and melts it with his iron. The molten silver hardens as he blows on it. He repeats the process. Now finished, we tuck the Lite 7 back in the entertainment center, hook it up, turn on the system and listen. Music floods the room, notably more defined, but harsh. Have I made a mistake replacing the Jupiter caps with these Mundorfs, I wonder. We listen to various selections for a while and note a slight decline in sharpness. I like it.
Off with the Training Wheels
It is getting late and, with a phono preamp and several other pieces to build before flying back to Poland, Sam tells me that I can solder in the other Mundorf capacitors myself. I panic. What if I blow out my circuit board? Lukasz had approved Sam tinkering inside the $5,200 Lite 7 for warranty considerations, but my doing the work is another matter. “It’s easy,” he assures. “You can do it!” Although I had done a little soldering a long time ago, I still felt uneasy, and an email to Lampizator North America’s Fred Ainsley didn’t make it any better. I asked if the warranty would stand if I somehow damaged the DAC and he replied that I would be responsible for the cost of paying for their technician’s time. That was fair, but not too comforting. The sound of my system improves notably over the next several days. Gone is the glare, and the articulation of vocals and instruments, as well their placement in space is enhanced, I tell Sam over the phone. He is pleased. Clad in winter coats several nights later, shrink wrapped product behind us, we listen to vinyl playing on a turntable connected to his newly built phono stage in a warehouse nearby where he’s rented space. It sounds good, but there is an alarming hum (later determined to be due to the warehouse’s heating and electrical system). He steps out for a smoke, then hauls the preamp back into his cramped office. Setting it next to his oscilloscope, he fires up his soldering station for another late night’s work. I will be on my own for the remaining capacitor swaps.
Overcoming Fear
I really liked the Mundorf MCap Supreme Silver/Gold and, given my fear of futzing up, I plan on waiting for Sam to return to Chicago in the spring and hope he’ll help. However, after reading that their MCap EVO Supreme Silver/Gold is their new flagship, I reconsider. My friend, Ken, who’s on the phone, tells me he got once got shocked while tinkering with his tube preamplifier, but learned how to avoid it: “Just leave it unplugged for an hour and you should be fine,” he suggests. Bingo! When Sam worked on my DAC, I recall, he waited maybe 10, 15 minutes tops after unplugging the power cord before snipping and soldering connections. Playing it safe, I place my unplugged Lite 7 atop a wine crate in front of my entertainment center, run a few errands and start in an hour and a half later. It would go much easier for me if I had three hands, I muse, but maintaining the connection between the tiny DACs wire and the capacitor’s lead while holding the solder iron to them with my left hand and placing silver solder wire atop them with the right is downright difficult. However, after some frustrating starts and stops, I manage to solder both capacitors in place. I dab some silicone glue on the bottom of the caps to keep them in place, pressing them down and, once secure, replace the DACs cover, slide the Lite 7 back on its shelf, reconnect it and prepare to listen. Deja Vu -- Better or Worse? Firing up my system again, I grimace. Ohhhhhhh. Sounds awful -- way too sharp! What have I done?, I questioned. But recalling my previous experience, I resolve to wait it out. It takes maybe a half dozen hours before it starts settling down. Some 20-something hours later, I am amazed. Could it be? It actually sounds a touch more resolved, detailed and nuanced than with the MCap Supreme Silver/Gold --- and certainly scads better than the Jupiter AM caps. Patricia Barber’s vocals on “Bye Bye Blackbird” of the Nightclub album sounds like she’s singing at the front wall. The impact and decay of notes from piano strokes, the acoustic bass, and brushes on snare and cymbals are so downright real, more palpable than before I began the swap out. This observation was born out by Mundorf’s Sales Administrator, Christian Teubner, who informed me that the performances of the MCap Supreme Classic Silver/Gold and the EVO Silver/Gold “would reach their ultimate performance” after playing music for 168 hours each. Movies like Pearl Harbor played via optical link from my HD TV are uncannily good sounding, everything sounds better -- but the most notable are the timbre of human voices -- they are more natural than in previous viewings.. EVO - Lution? Looking back, quite honestly, I was not absolutely sure of the superiority of the EVO Silver/Gold over the Silver/Gold, as it had been more than two dozen hours that I’d heard the latter. Was it merely expectation bias? I didn’t think so. Like the Supreme Silver/Gold, its presentation was extremely detailed -- especially in the treble, midrange and upper bass; it was airy and, perhaps, a smidgen on the lighter side of neutral. It certainly wasn't dark or bass heavy. And, either way, as noted before, they were head and shoulders better than the Jupiter AM caps they replaced. Mind you, the Lite 7 DAC always performed well, but now, everything sounds better -- more in the room, refined and realistic, whether it’s jazz, rock, or even a TV show playing via optical link, the improvement is astonishing! I am elated. Watching the terrifying camping drama, Backcountry, on Netflix with my wife, we are moved with the lifelike clarity of voices, chirping birds, snapping twigs, rushing waters, growling bear and bones crunching. It takes movie viewing to a whole new level! The Lite 7 Puts On Some Big Boy Pants I recently texted Fred Ainsley about the changes Sam and I had made in my Lite 7 and, to my surprise, he suggested that its sound and performance should be very close to that of the Big 7. I counter that the Big 7 has a rectifier tube, whereas the Lite 7 only has a solid state one. Yes, he acknowledges, but it still should be very similar. I am in awe. Summed up, for at most a couple hundred dollars and a little effort invested, I’ve gained the lion’s share of a $5,000 upgrade. That works quite well for me. Thanks, Sam and Mundorf! Looking Ahead I still haven’t tried out the MCap EVO Aluminum in my Lite 7 -- and am not anxious to do so. Yet. The EVO Aluminum costs less and isn’t considered to be at the pinnacle of Mundorf’s capacitor offerings. However, as Sam reminded me several times, components like capacitors are like different spices used in a recipe; it’s all about the synergy between the parts that makes the end result great or not so much. You cannot, after all, say that Cayenne Pepper is better than Sea Salt, but the way they are used can result in a piece d’ resistance or a culinary disaster. Currently, I have several reviews in the works, including a Cypher Labs Prautes headphone amp/preamp and a PS Audio BK Reference preamplifier. Down the road, I plan on trying out the EVO Aluminum and compare its effect with the EVO Silver/Gold. No doubt, it will be a memorable experience. Equipment Used
3 Comments
zoot
1/14/2022 11:47:36 pm
The worst solderings I have ver seen!
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Carlito
9/21/2022 06:06:02 am
Currently playing with a Musical Paradise MP 701mk2 tube preamp that features capacitor terminals to roll bypass and coupling caps.
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Juan C Ayllon
9/28/2022 06:21:34 am
Hi Carlito,
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