Zynsonix Link

Showing posts with label audiophile component. Show all posts
Showing posts with label audiophile component. Show all posts

March 8, 2023

Million Dollar HiFi Audio System and More!

I apologize for the lack of updates this year; everyone has been keeping me quite busy with cables, adapters, custom switchboxes, you name it! A long-time client and buddy of of mine in the area, Eric, has been dipping his feet in the YouTube social media scene and was showing off both his system and his friend Ted (also a client, thank you Ted!) with a million dollar audio system in his modified garage. I think it's a great idea. Who cares if you have to dust some snow off your car if you have a beautiful room full of exquisite audio gear! I wanted to share this eye candy with you all. 

Eric's exquisitely impressive system features some intimidating EgglestonWorks speakers (I believe they are the Ivy Signature) connected via Zynsonix Audio speaker cables to some very classy McIntosh gear:


And Ted's jaw-dropping system with the legendary Wilson Audio speakers, beautiful darTZeel NHB-468 monoblock amps (call me crazy but I love that Iron Man color scheme) and the popular and loved dCs Vivaldi Apex DAC system: 


Ted is utilizing some ultra-low impedance Zynsonix interconnects for the critical connection between the turntable and phono preamp. I hope you enjoy! 


June 12, 2020

Balanced XLR Switchbox - Audio Design HAS-3LB

When it comes to passive balanced switchboxes, there aren't a whole lot of off-the-shelf options out there. It's not uncommon to just build them from scratch with a nice switch and point-to-point wiring as they're not terribly complicated.

I recently learned of a Japanese audio company called Audio Design that offers a simple but solid 3 in, 1 out balanced switchbox. The outside is a straight-forward design with a dark blue and silver aluminum box with a brushed aluminum front panel. The only control is the single selector knob up front to switch between the 3 outputs. What counts though is the inside, where there is a high-quality Seiden selector switch, some high-quality Neutric XLR jacks, and some thick copper wire... which appears to be 18 or 20 gauge. 


Balanced XLR Switchbox - Audio Design HAS-3LB

Balanced XLR Switchbox - Audio Design HAS-3LB


One of my clients owns the unit, and wanted to take it to the next level. The Seiden switch is already top-notch, could stay, but we'd replace the copper wire with solder core silver wire in Teflon tubing, the XLRs with the shiny and beautiful Cardas XLRs, and the generic plastic feet with EAR isodamp feet. 

I will say in advance, if you will be using the Cardas CM F and CM M XLRs, you better have a solder pot. The rhodium plating is not terribly interested in taking on solder so the areas where the wires connect need to be submerged in very hot solder for 10-15 seconds before they will be responsive. I personally use an American Beauty MP-9 solder pot for small jobs like this. I turn it on to the highest temp and let it warm for an hour before using. Kester low dross solder works well. 

Once all the Cardas XLRs had been prepped, the old Neutrik XLRs were removed from the rear panel and replaced. They are the same DIN dimensions, so no need to change the hole sizes or shapes. Note that the Cardas units have pins can comply to some extent thanks to a soft material surrounding them. I don't know if this was done for vibration damping or maybe the tolerances aren't super tight, but just an observation. 

The 24 gauge solid silver is then hand-sleeved in Teflon tubing and attached to each terminal. One should note to not make the paths too short or tight, as this will pull on the decks of the Seiden switch and cause there to be less surface area for the gold plated contacts to press upon. I chose to add heatshrink tubing over the solder contacts as silver will oxidize over time. The oxidation is still conductive, but it doesn't look as nice. Also it keeps the joints secure when shipping. 

 
Balanced XLR Switchbox - Audio Design HAS-3LB

Balanced XLR Switchbox - Audio Design HAS-3LB

Balanced XLR Switchbox - Audio Design HAS-3LB

Balanced XLR Switchbox - Audio Design HAS-3LB


The feet on the unit are attached with screws into threaded holes. There are no nuts or lock washers to worry about, so switching them is quick and painless. 

Whether modded or not, I think the Audio Design HAS-3LB is a very solid unit with no real shortcomings other than a slightly vanilla design. Should you wish to extract every bit of performance out of a stock unit, reach out to zynsonix.com for pricing information. 





Disclosure: Please remember that building/modifying circuits can be dangerous to you and/or your surroundings and should only be performed by a certified technician. The owner of this blog and all associated parties can not / will not be held responsible if you attempt a build or modification posted above and cause physical harm to yourself or your surroundings. 

February 16, 2011

Modifying the Musical Fidelity X-10 v3

Interestingly enough, there really aren't too many audio buffers out there on the market. Typically a buffer will help match the high output impedance of a source such as a cd player or preamp to the low input impedance of an amplifier, especially solid state. They can also be used, in the case of the Musical Fidelity X-10, to add the warmth of tubes to a solid state source like a DAC (digital audio converter).

Musical Fidelity sold these half width components as a series. You could get a miniature CD transport, the tube buffer, the DAC and headphone amp and stack them all up :) Below is a photo of someone's system showing what the collection could look like.

Someone's nice Musical Fidelity System
The Musical Fidelity v3 series is no longer being produced, and hasn't been for a few years now. I owned the DAC for a time, which was very good but lacked musicality and depth in my humble opinion. The most appealing component is the aforementioned tube buffer, mostly because there really is little competition in the price range for an equivalent product. The only other tube buffer I know of in this price range is the Yaqin CD1, CD2 and CD3 which I have not tried yet. The impressions I've read so far range from middling to very good.

Going back to the Musical Fidelity X-10. The circuit is based on two miniature pencil-sized 6112 tubes with leads that go directly to the board. That means that you can't replace them unless you're willing to solder ;) Add this to the fact that the unit does not have an on/off switch and that they haven't been produced for years and you'll find that most of the units in circulation could probably use a new set of tubes. Pricing fluctuates wildly, and is typically based on whatever the item was last listed for on Audiogon. You'll typically see them listed for $125 to $250, or selling on eBay for $80-120.

A Stock X-10 v3
In the interest of adding some warmth to a solid state CD player. I picked up a pair of units on the cheap, each to modify a little differently. Opening it up revealed relatively generic parts like Jamicon caps in the power supply and signal path. I decided to replace all parts of interest with some more audiophile-type parts from PartsConnexion. I also noticed on the back side of the board that there was some discoloration from heat near the MOSFETs. I saw that user PinkFloyd over at RockGrotto Forums had installed heatsinks to dissipate some of that heat. He also sells parts kits to modify nearly all of the Musical Fidelity X series components (no affiliation). I opted to go my own route, as usual ;) Below are some photos of the two units, please click to enlarge.

Unit 1, Note the red Black Gate non-polar caps

Unit 1

Unit 2, Note the large Mundorf non-polar caps mounted on standoffs

Unit 2

Unit 2

Unit 1 features:
  • Nichicon FineGold Caps to replace the Jamecons
  • Black Gate NP and power supply caps
  • Kiwame and Takman resistors in signal path and PS
  • Neotech PCOCC Copper in Teflon hookup wire
  • GE NOS tubes
  • Heatsinks on the MOSFETS


Unit 2 features:
  • Nichicon FineGold Caps to replace the Jamecons
  • Mundorf Non Polar Caps
  • Elna Silmic power supply caps
  • Kiwame and Takman resistors in signal path
  • Neotech PCOCC Copper in Teflon hookup wire
  • GE NOS tubes
  • Heatsinks on the MOSFETS 

Both sound quite a bit more detailed than stock, with notably more separation. The tubes seem to make most of the difference. The non-polar caps, I'd imagine, would be the next most important.

The Fine Print:
Please remember that modifications can be dangerous to you and/or your surroundings and should only be performed by a certified technician. The owner of this blog and all associated parties in this thread can not / will not be held responsible if you attempt a posted modification and cause physical harm to yourself or your surroundings. Many electronics contain high voltages that can kill, and mods, if performed improperly, can be a fire hazard. Please keep this in mind.