Hi dear forum members,
I'm particularly interested in sound card modding. I have an X-fi Music which has a changed op-amp, shielding paper, shorted coupling caps and waiting for its new caps - elna silmic II for decoupling power filter and panasonic FCs for the filters of the voltage regulators.
When the coupling caps after the DAC are shorted, the voltage is about 10mV DC, I don't think if it will bother anything, I have an input coupling cap in my amp.
I would like to know if some is heavily modding his sound card and if he could share any ideas. I was thinking about making a tube opamp and somehow mounting it on the sound card. Or replacing the voltage regulators which better ones (can you recommend?).
I'm particularly interested in sound card modding. I have an X-fi Music which has a changed op-amp, shielding paper, shorted coupling caps and waiting for its new caps - elna silmic II for decoupling power filter and panasonic FCs for the filters of the voltage regulators.
When the coupling caps after the DAC are shorted, the voltage is about 10mV DC, I don't think if it will bother anything, I have an input coupling cap in my amp.
I would like to know if some is heavily modding his sound card and if he could share any ideas. I was thinking about making a tube opamp and somehow mounting it on the sound card. Or replacing the voltage regulators which better ones (can you recommend?).
A tube op-amp ...!!!!
You mean a tube output stage ...it can be fairly easy but you'll have to work with high voltages , thus needing a clean PSU .
I hope that the newer and better caps would allow to a 'cleaner soundstage' to be reached ; do the regulators work on the + and (-) 12 V supplied by the computer ? How much voltage do they drop ?
You must be very skillful , I wouldn't touch anything inside a soundcard !
You mean a tube output stage ...it can be fairly easy but you'll have to work with high voltages , thus needing a clean PSU .
I hope that the newer and better caps would allow to a 'cleaner soundstage' to be reached ; do the regulators work on the + and (-) 12 V supplied by the computer ? How much voltage do they drop ?
You must be very skillful , I wouldn't touch anything inside a soundcard !
I'll drop the idea for vacuum tubes for now.
Yes, the regulators work with the +12V line supplied from the computer. I will tell you later about the voltage drop.
There is a problem though.. I don't know if it's me, but it seems the sound started to loose its warmth, I suspect the opamp (LM4562). I read other people have complained about it. It sounds harsh on the highs.
I'm thinking about an opamp replacement and currently reading.
Yes, the regulators work with the +12V line supplied from the computer. I will tell you later about the voltage drop.
There is a problem though.. I don't know if it's me, but it seems the sound started to loose its warmth, I suspect the opamp (LM4562). I read other people have complained about it. It sounds harsh on the highs.
I'm thinking about an opamp replacement and currently reading.
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Maybe I have not to speak so fast, because I haven't changed the caps yet. I'm waiting for them to be delivered.
Comparing the NE5532 to the LM4562
LM 4562 gives deeper, fuller bass, the instruments are more sharp and clear and there's more space between them. I'm mostly a rock/metal listener and I listen to 24bit/96/192 audio most of the time. Sometimes I play CDs.
The bass guitar appears much more than before
Acoustic guitars sound better
Little change in electric guitars sounds.
Hi hats are much more detailed and sharp
Keyboards are also more apparent.
Voice is less harsh than with the NE5532
Comparing the NE5532 to the LM4562
LM 4562 gives deeper, fuller bass, the instruments are more sharp and clear and there's more space between them. I'm mostly a rock/metal listener and I listen to 24bit/96/192 audio most of the time. Sometimes I play CDs.
The bass guitar appears much more than before
Acoustic guitars sound better
Little change in electric guitars sounds.
Hi hats are much more detailed and sharp
Keyboards are also more apparent.
Voice is less harsh than with the NE5532
I've fitted clock upgrades to a few x-fi based soundcards and it makes a nice improvement every time.
If you then supply the clock with a low-noise voltage regulator things get better still. Instrument texture becomes more realistic and the sound gets a lot smoother.
These mods are also worth doing if you use the spdif output to an external dac.
Lee
If you then supply the clock with a low-noise voltage regulator things get better still. Instrument texture becomes more realistic and the sound gets a lot smoother.
These mods are also worth doing if you use the spdif output to an external dac.
Lee
Ok, I put my Elna Silmic II I received today. Sounded nice in the beginning, after 6 hours hours of burning in it sounds much better. Instruments are so warm and gentle now . I can hear them with more spacing. I love the acoustic guitars!
I also put a bypass MKP cap, not sure if it improves stuff, but I think the sound is a little better with it.
Here's a photo of the card:
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/812/picture371.png/
. I can hear them with more spacing. I love the acoustic guitars! I also put a bypass MKP cap, not sure if it improves stuff, but I think the sound is a little better with it.
Here's a photo of the card:
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/812/picture371.png/
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I'm using an SB0790 which I believe uses the same 8 channel DAC. (CS4382) I took out all the 4558 opamps and replaced them with 5532s and am running 2 channels in parallel at the output. I'd run 4x4 but I haven't figured out how to get the driver to run all 8 channels "stereo". (linux system using ca0106 driver). Ideally I'd do that with each opamp getting one channel of signal to minimize crosstalk. I don't know how the DAC is laid out in silicon though, and whether that would allow better separation from it as well. With this and a few added bypass caps the sound is okay. Hardly world class, but cheap. I'd be interested in hearing some details about adding a clock (overriding internal osc?), but really high buck mods to these cards is not very reasonable. Probably make more sense to get the titanium HD, or some other generally higher performance card to start..
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