I am one of those ham-fisted guys that destroy more boards than I actually manage to modify. Anyhow, i just wanted to share my latest "lost cause" - a modified Super-T amp.
My first modification consisted of replacing the stock caps Rubycon ZL, Blackgate N, Elna Cerefine and Panasonics as well as replacing the stock wires with Cat 5 wires. People say that you have to wait for the blackgates to burn it, but i felt that the direction was not going to make me happy, sonically. It was too closed-in and not expressive enough, although the bass and details were already apparent. It was just too thick and heavy.
The second operation included replacing the stock pot with a 100k Alps. It was a struggle as the darn thing was so inaccessibly small, SI also added some brushings as i suspect the orginal fitting was not good. These came off with the stock pot. I also replaced the CCC wires on the in-signals to 28ga magnet wires. I believe this made the biggest difference.
When i turned it on, i have to say i was very impressed. Using my modified VR-1's with Cat 5s speaker cable, I was astonished to say the least. Tone, timber, details sounded much more magical. Its the "Tripath" magic some might say, i attribute it to lower floor noise that allows everything else to come through. I dare claim i never had a system this transparent before. Here is the picture of my endeavor in the nude.
Happy Story ends here, skip the next section if you had a bad day.
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After confirming this configuration, i had to put it into the casing again. This is the tricky part, the alps is so much bigger than the stock pot. I had to bend the leads on the Alps and use more flexible wires to get it flushed with the board to align with the Led and switch. In the process, i lost some of the tinned rings on the pcb for the pot ( too much heat or too much force) Alas! There is no sound from one channel now, and using my multimeter, i have isolated the problem to the pot area.
No volts on one channel!
___________________
Anyways, for those whom like to try to modify the Super T amp, i believe its worth the effort! There are much less posts here about modifing the Super- T. Hence, i though i'd share my 2 cents worth.
Upon reflection, i think a noble pot is smaller and thus better suited to the dimensions of the Super-T casing. So if you're deciding on the full monty remember to get a smaller pot!
My first modification consisted of replacing the stock caps Rubycon ZL, Blackgate N, Elna Cerefine and Panasonics as well as replacing the stock wires with Cat 5 wires. People say that you have to wait for the blackgates to burn it, but i felt that the direction was not going to make me happy, sonically. It was too closed-in and not expressive enough, although the bass and details were already apparent. It was just too thick and heavy.
The second operation included replacing the stock pot with a 100k Alps. It was a struggle as the darn thing was so inaccessibly small, SI also added some brushings as i suspect the orginal fitting was not good. These came off with the stock pot. I also replaced the CCC wires on the in-signals to 28ga magnet wires. I believe this made the biggest difference.
When i turned it on, i have to say i was very impressed. Using my modified VR-1's with Cat 5s speaker cable, I was astonished to say the least. Tone, timber, details sounded much more magical. Its the "Tripath" magic some might say, i attribute it to lower floor noise that allows everything else to come through. I dare claim i never had a system this transparent before. Here is the picture of my endeavor in the nude.
Happy Story ends here, skip the next section if you had a bad day.
__________________
After confirming this configuration, i had to put it into the casing again. This is the tricky part, the alps is so much bigger than the stock pot. I had to bend the leads on the Alps and use more flexible wires to get it flushed with the board to align with the Led and switch. In the process, i lost some of the tinned rings on the pcb for the pot ( too much heat or too much force) Alas! There is no sound from one channel now, and using my multimeter, i have isolated the problem to the pot area.
No volts on one channel!
___________________
Anyways, for those whom like to try to modify the Super T amp, i believe its worth the effort! There are much less posts here about modifing the Super- T. Hence, i though i'd share my 2 cents worth.
Upon reflection, i think a noble pot is smaller and thus better suited to the dimensions of the Super-T casing. So if you're deciding on the full monty remember to get a smaller pot!
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