Changing caps goes out fine using an 100W soldering gun and a desolder pump if you have some experience.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
I'd say on the second marked cap from left to right. I put my silvered mica 4700pf there and it sounds great.
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This is ok, keep the electrolytic then shorten the leads on the mica and bend them to fit the 5mm space, solder it as an bypass on the back side of the board across the existing electrolytic. Across CE72 - the second cap I marked on the picture.
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One will be sufficient, on the second cap from left to right marked on the pic I put on. 7805 has C-L-C filtering for analog supply of the dac, just try it on the second C.
ASIO pop&crack fix
Here's a little program that fixes pops&cracks when using ASIO under windows 8 and 8.1 by setting the asiohost to realtime priority each second. WASAPI isn't bit perfect at least in FB2k as I tested using the file here which is 30khz and 30khz intermodulation file and I heard a high pitched noise. You should hear nada. Turn your volume down to avoid damaging your tweeters/headphones
http://people.xiph.org/~xiphmont/demo/30_and_33-long.flac.
Here's a little program that fixes pops&cracks when using ASIO under windows 8 and 8.1 by setting the asiohost to realtime priority each second. WASAPI isn't bit perfect at least in FB2k as I tested using the file here which is 30khz and 30khz intermodulation file and I heard a high pitched noise. You should hear nada. Turn your volume down to avoid damaging your tweeters/headphones
http://people.xiph.org/~xiphmont/demo/30_and_33-long.flac.
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Vanguard 0.1ppm 24.576 TCXO
I changed the quartz on the STX for the TCXO today. Used nose pliers to crush the parts to be removed then cleaned the area and made sure nothing's shorted. The shrill in highs is gone, instruments have better separation, bass is more tight. Overall a worthy upgrade. I'm also hearing new things on familiar tracks. I'll post a picture later, I'll let it burn in for a day or two.
I changed the quartz on the STX for the TCXO today. Used nose pliers to crush the parts to be removed then cleaned the area and made sure nothing's shorted. The shrill in highs is gone, instruments have better separation, bass is more tight. Overall a worthy upgrade. I'm also hearing new things on familiar tracks. I'll post a picture later, I'll let it burn in for a day or two.
TCXO
Here it is, I put the V+ from 7805 through a coil of unknown value, the cap is WIMA MKP 0.26uf, shortest paths to gnd and clk are ensured by sticking using epoxy to AV100 processor (dissipation 0.15W as per datasheet so I won't have to worry about heat). Clk is fed through 47R to the point marked in the pic in previous pages. Measurements are about the same but it sounds great
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Here it is, I put the V+ from 7805 through a coil of unknown value, the cap is WIMA MKP 0.26uf, shortest paths to gnd and clk are ensured by sticking using epoxy to AV100 processor (dissipation 0.15W as per datasheet so I won't have to worry about heat). Clk is fed through 47R to the point marked in the pic in previous pages. Measurements are about the same but it sounds great
TCXO decoupling
Added 22uf tantalum axial cap to the TCXO decoupling. And replaced the molex OSCONS for 1000uf 10V Rubycon ZLH... congested soundstage is gone, everything more open. Any idea for the 12V to 5V conversion... 3.3R x 3 series and a tiny cap... I think I'll change them for coils (L) and add a bigger cap to the input of 7805.
Added 22uf tantalum axial cap to the TCXO decoupling. And replaced the molex OSCONS for 1000uf 10V Rubycon ZLH... congested soundstage is gone, everything more open. Any idea for the 12V to 5V conversion... 3.3R x 3 series and a tiny cap... I think I'll change them for coils (L) and add a bigger cap to the input of 7805.
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I'd love to compare to your card, but to me and some of my mates it sounds much better than I remember the original using my Beyerdynamic DT880 Edition 250ohm headphones.
What I mean is, I did some mods on my STX, including OPAMPs and clock, will do the caps for Molex soon. As OPamps been using Bursons, they outperformed anything on IC I have tested on it. I still don't know how Muses sounds, but I don't think they will impress me anyhow.
Been happy probably for over 2 years, time runs so fast I didn't even remember when I got this (STX) card and the fun started.
MLCC
I just added 22uf 16v MLCC 1210 ceramics to the I/V, 5V molex caps, headphone amp electrolytics. Dropjaw in soundstage and doesn't take away any of the 'clarity' of the sound. Bass is right where it should with these compared to MKP or MKT caps.
ASUS put additional decoupling (MLCC or tantalum I can't tell) for the headphone amp themselves on the STX II as far as I can tell from this pic...
I just added 22uf 16v MLCC 1210 ceramics to the I/V, 5V molex caps, headphone amp electrolytics. Dropjaw in soundstage and doesn't take away any of the 'clarity' of the sound. Bass is right where it should with these compared to MKP or MKT caps.
ASUS put additional decoupling (MLCC or tantalum I can't tell) for the headphone amp themselves on the STX II as far as I can tell from this pic...
Bigger photo here:
Much more here:
http://www.kitguru.net/components/s...-7-1-sound-card-headphone-amplifier-review/2/
But after all those MODs I made on my STX, I guess my next upgrade will be this:
ºÍ§Ó*µ响
Much more here:
http://www.kitguru.net/components/s...-7-1-sound-card-headphone-amplifier-review/2/
But after all those MODs I made on my STX, I guess my next upgrade will be this:
ºÍ§Ó*µ响
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My mod is actually 4 times cheaper than your Chinese suggestion...
Fully electrical isolated from the rest of the computer, redesigned DAC system, with its own ultimate low noise regulators.
If you may go back into the thread, you may see also the battery powered clock board, special designed for this board.
A new final upgraded/improved version of this complete mod it will come out in the next weeks.
The only intervention on the original board is to mount the connector for new DAC system over the original DAC chip, as removing the original resonators, and connecting the coaxes for new clock system.
Send in your ST/STX, and you may have the mod installed. For more details PM me.
Fully electrical isolated from the rest of the computer, redesigned DAC system, with its own ultimate low noise regulators.
If you may go back into the thread, you may see also the battery powered clock board, special designed for this board.
A new final upgraded/improved version of this complete mod it will come out in the next weeks.
The only intervention on the original board is to mount the connector for new DAC system over the original DAC chip, as removing the original resonators, and connecting the coaxes for new clock system.
Send in your ST/STX, and you may have the mod installed. For more details PM me.
