Bottlehead Forum
Bottlehead Kits => Legacy Kit Products => Quickie => Topic started by: proud indian on November 01, 2012, 04:58:23 AM
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Ok. The SEX amp and the quickie are making music in my room. As things settle down, I am looking at threads relating to upgrades. As I am in India, buying the stuff in one shot helps in shipping etc. So can you help me with....
1. which cap brand should I use on the quickie? ( I like a warm sound with a good stage)
2) Which pot would you suggest ( for both, the SEX and the quickie)
My SEX amp is running with OIMP V Caps that I had lying around. I am aware that there are a lot of expensive stuff around, but I would like something reasonable, even though I am not on a budget.
Thanks
shreekant :)
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Have you done the PJCCS?
If not - do that first.
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Done. Bought it with the kit.
shreekant :)
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You are already using an excellent cap. It does take a long time to burn in though. I believe you can inprove things by bypassing it with a 0.1 V cap copper or original one. A second choice I recomend would be a Mundorf silver and oil cap with no bypass.
Bernie.
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Thanks Bernie, but the Vcap is in the SEX and not on the quickie. Need one for the quickie.
shreekant :)
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I would go with the mundorf.
Bernie.
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welcome shreekant! - where in India do you live? I have been to India. Curious if I have been to your area. -
There are quite a few posts on Quickie mods etc. If you have V-caps, it sounds like you know what you are doing! Pricey stuff.
I completely modded the Quickie. Tants for resistors, mostly Mundorf caps - replaced the electrolytic with film. TKD pot. Only limited by your pocketbook and your sanity! I would be curious to know how a V-cap modded Quickie would sound. Take a $99 kit and put $1K worth of parts in it. Sure why not!
IMO you should also try not only the PJCCS, but also the choke option. I personally like the chokes in my system. Tubey!
cheers - Eric
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Thanks!!!
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Hi Eric,
You slipped in between Bernie and me unnoticed.......the thanks was for him, in case you were wondering if that is the place I live in India :o
I am in Chennai ( new name for Madras) on the south east cost. Just had a strom pass by yesterday at 100Km and the cops looked the other way.
Which part of India did you visit?
I was looking at the TKD option, and now that you mentioned it, think Iwill go with it.
Yes I have a Decware amp which also has the teflon V cap, which drives my Lowthers. So many caps, so little time!!!
shreekant :)
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Eric, can you lead me on the choke option? I am unaware about it.
Thanks
shreekant :)
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Hey shreekant - Yes I have been to Madras. Was there for a Yoga pilgrimage to Haridwar in the 1986. Quite a trip!
Yes, agreed, so many caps so little time! I'm kind of a cap freak myself. Cap experiments with my MMG crossover have the been the most interesting.
For the choke - here is where you can order one.
http://angela.com/hammondchoke156c.aspx
I dont know, some debate here on PJCCS vs. choke. For me, the PJCCS 'cleans' things up a bit too much. My system can tend to be a bit on the sterile side. SS amp, lots of silver wire. JPS labs wire tend to show it all. YMMV on that one.
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Thats great....let me know if you are passing by again......my other hobby, which goes with music very well is sipping single malts....improves the soundstage.
Silver wire is a pain. For years I had it in almost everywhere, until I learnt that it does not burn in unless you use a cooker. I have moved quite a bit to copper, and I find it to be better. Most of the "lean" stuff about sillver is lack of burn in which tends to up the mids, which many feel sound better. Silver with teflon....you may have to be born again before it settles in.
shreekant :)
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hi there, i know you from another forum. it's better here, isn't it? don
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Hi Don,
over 40 views in a short time, that too early in the morning. Makes me feel that audiophiles never sleep!!! Yes it is fun here, though I have been traveling and hence have not posted much.
BTW, I am in Dubai next week. does anybody have an idea of diy audio shopping there.
shreekant :)
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Thats great....let me know if you are passing by again......my other hobby, which goes with music very well is sipping single malts....improves the soundstage.
Silver wire is a pain. For years I had it in almost everywhere, until I learnt that it does not burn in unless you use a cooker. I have moved quite a bit to copper, and I find it to be better. Most of the "lean" stuff about sillver is lack of burn in which tends to up the mids, which many feel sound better. Silver with teflon....you may have to be born again before it settles in.
shreekant :)
+1 on the single malt! - I'm also a home brewer myself. Kind of got away from it, the home brewing that is, still drinking like a fish!
I know the arguments for and against silver. In my comparisons with interconnects, now I'm talking about affordable stuff here, I prefer good silver to good copper, but above them both, I like the aluminum alloy that JPS makes. What i noticed with back to back comparisons is that copper lends a 'bigger' and 'plumper' sound than silver, but with the side effect of some additional 'smear'. That smear gets worse at higher volumes. I can hear cap differences much better with silver in the stream. So, I tune accordingly. The JPS alloy has the best of both IMO. It's like the wire is air.
Fun stuff! - Enjoy Dubai
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Agreed. Yes silver does have it plus points, but I think I just got tired of the break in. Simple test... take a silver plated copper power cord and use one with just copper, with the same break in time. You will be in for a shock. But I guess ir takes different systems, cause I have only used single drivers, so I may be wrong it making statements. Just my views.
shreekant :)
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I agree with your impression of the silver coated copper. I have a couple of those. Dont like them. Again, I'm talking about mere mortal stock. I understand the concept of silver coated copper to deal with skin effect, but I dont think it works, at least not to the ear.
Another thing I think I have discovered is that I like solid core over stranded. Also single strand over multi strand. I think thats were pure silver can out perform copper. In solid core single stranded cord.
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I agree with your impression of the silver coated copper. I have a couple of those. Dont like them. Again, I'm talking about mere mortal stock. I understand the concept of silver coated copper to deal with skin effect, but I dont think it works, at least not to the ear.
Another thing I think I have discovered is that I like solid core over stranded. Also single strand over multi strand. I think thats were pure silver can out perform copper. In solid core single stranded cord.
Actually silver plated copper wire was developed because Teflon refused to uniformly coat plain copper wire during manufacture. The silver was necessary to ease manufacturing. Teflon was needed for the high heat resistance rating. The "audiophile" benefits were simply serendipity. The long burn in is due to the Teflon, not the silver.
Cheers,
Geary
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But what are we really buying? I have purchased plated items before, whether silver gold or whatnot. When it arrived, it was lies, all lies. some kind of yellow metal over aluminum. I know that quality products make the difference here, and in important cases, I will use only those before I decide that offer superior sound or not.
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There is a cord called the asylum DIY cord made by Bob Crump. If you check the wire, it is PVC ( a no no with audiophiles) and copper. It is cheap to make. If you open up the wire you will find it has some jute kind of rope in the mix. This wire when properly burnt in is a stunner.
For long I tried the Flavours of VH audio, till I gave up. Try plugging in one of the cords into your CDP and burn it in for the hours he says ( 70,100 or 200) you will never get there. The draw on a CDP is too small for a big wire like that.
So what was happening was that my system always sounded lean or a bit harsh. Then began the merry go round.....the cords are great right? it is spoken on the AA like crazy. So CDP was changed, DAC was bought etc etc.
Then a small gadget like the frybaby came into my life and that is when I realized the amount of money spent on cords.
Now life is simple. I go for sound not for how expensive it is or the reviews. If it sounds good, keep it.
There is a company on ebay called VA labs. He has rodium plated posts and RCA. Dont know if it the real stuff, but the finish it great and it sound fantastic.....so it is in my system. Stepped attenuator, binding post and RCA for my IC's. He is decent, cause he charges for a set of 4 so that you can make a pair and do not need to calculate how you are getting ripped off!!!
shreekant :)
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But what are we really buying? ...
I buy mil spec from reputable dealers. Not an "iron clad" guarantee of construction veracity, but likely as close as one can get.
Cheers,
Geary
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When it comes to wire discussions, I take the view that everyone is right! That comes from the basic audio belief that 'everything makes a difference'.
Now, as to what separates good vs. bad differences is debatable, and often system dependent.
One thing for sure, is that any audiophile, except for the 'flat earth' types, will admit that differences in wire exist. Its irrelevant whether the differences are in 'our head', or something that can actually be measured. Either way, we live in our head!
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Yes we do. But we also read and feel that the problem that we have ( may not actually) might have a solution in what someone else is talking about.
That person does not even know that you have a problem!!!
shreekant :)
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Shreekant,
For a relatively painless way to breakin capacitors look at reply #1, second post, in this thread:
http://www.bottlehead.com/smf/index.php/topic,80.msg286.html#msg286
For breaking in a cable I would put barrel connectors and RCA plugs with a 5k ohm resistor from hot to shield. That gives CD players a 5k ohm load to play into and draws as much current as safely possible. Just producing a voltage between the hot and shield is not as effective.
Although it is no longer in my signature, I used to have this quote, "You are the only one who needs to be satisfied with the sound of your system."
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Although it is no longer in my signature, I used to have this quote, "You are the only one who needs to be satisfied with the sound of your system."
well said.
shreekant :)
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Yes we do. But we also read and feel that the problem that we have ( may not actually) might have a solution in what someone else is talking about.
That person does not even know that you have a problem!!!
shreekant :)
Very true! I find it much easier to understand a persons problem when they describe what it is about the sound that they dont like. I think most, if not all of us 'audiophiles' understand descriptions like 'harsh, fatiguing highs', 'muddy bass', 'uninvolved sound', 'toe tapping prat', 'skinny shallow sound', 'narrow soundstage' etc. Some of these descriptions become cliche though, such as 'analog sound'.
Sharing our problems is what makes this hobby fun and challenging. Humility is important, or we tend to turn each other off! :)
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My suggestion on warm sounding good soundstage capacitors is the Obbligato (Black) Film/Oil capacitors. The smallest value available is 2.0uF.
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I was wondering how those black ones sound! - I might have to grab a few!
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They are insanely cheap for the sound. A poster on the old board turned me on to them when I needed a 10uF 600V cap for the Parafeed cap in my Paramours. I was about to upgrade the iron.
One day I will remember the guy who told me about them.
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"When it comes to wire discussions, I take the view that everyone is right! That comes from the basic audio belief that 'everything makes a difference".
Well said along with Graingers statement.... Both seem to be this forums creed.. and that is why this forum is the best out there.....
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(https://forum.bottlehead.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi244.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fgg7%2FGrainger49%2FTipHat.gif&hash=8d9451d9e631ca52b49767759d52d7df6cfd3320)
Thanks!
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I am much less worried about wire, cable, and electrons holding hands and smiling. There ARE differences, and the biggest one for me now is dealing with what I know is a bit of hearing loss. In spite of that however, this hobby remains my mainstay, and for any mods that I make to other people's equipment is now intended for their pleasure and to further this great interest of all things audio. My hearing, for most of my life, has been fascinating, almost miraculous to me. The fact that I have lost even a little bit still gives me the satisfaction of all the successful 'experiments' of the past.
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I am much less worried about wire, cable, and electrons holding hands and smiling. There ARE differences, and the biggest one for me now is dealing with what I know is a bit of hearing loss.
Yep - having the near constant ringing in the ears now. It doesnt bother me. I take it easy on the db's most of the time. Stay away from the head phones/ear buds. What are you going to do? At least I'm not Areosmith. I mean crap, those guys are cranking it most of the time, and they still can hear!
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I get that ringing now and then. But then since I feel that the system needs improvement, and can sound better, I guess it does not matter ;D
shreekant
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Aerosmith...god, one of my favorite bands. Started listening in high school, and still, they rock. After that, it's time for Copland.