I got my amp back. Excellent customer service from the factory. I put the Z Foils in. Very impressive. So transparent, all the cliches like a veil has been lifted, hearing things I haven't heard before blah blah and the good news is they haven't exacerbated the leanness at all. Just more detail bigger and more open sounding. Really great. I will still try some AN's too at some point. The thing that struck me first apart from the detail is how fast they are. Transients start and stop super quick compared to the stock resistors.
I've got some 330uf Silmics on the way. I'm gunna have to figure out how to remove the board completely before i put those in. Not confident in my skills to be able to do it the way Jogi has.
I've got some 330uf Silmics on the way. I'm gunna have to figure out how to remove the board completely before i put those in. Not confident in my skills to be able to do it the way Jogi has.
That's very good news indeed. And you still have those 3.3 Wima in place...
And good to know those Z Foils don't add harshness, something I really don't like.
Received my package from the UK finally, still waiting for the 47pf caps. Yesterday I saw that they used 68pf in the amp instead while the print says 47.
Maybe to enhance the HF a little, who knows. Hopefully I'll find some spare time over the weekend to finish the job before heading to beautiful Italy next week for a well deserved holiday.
And good to know those Z Foils don't add harshness, something I really don't like.
Received my package from the UK finally, still waiting for the 47pf caps. Yesterday I saw that they used 68pf in the amp instead while the print says 47.
Maybe to enhance the HF a little, who knows. Hopefully I'll find some spare time over the weekend to finish the job before heading to beautiful Italy next week for a well deserved holiday.
I have no idea what went wrong. I replaced several parts yesterday as planned on one channel, triple checked for blunders before switching on as usual, and then fireworks started immediately after power on.
ALL transistors are blown as far as I can see, except the small signal ones.
ALL transistors are blown as far as I can see, except the small signal ones.
And I am really asking myself what the hell are the fuses for if not to prevent exactly that from happening?
Ahh man I feel your pain! When mine went the factory told me I hadn't installed my new speaker binding post properly (I didn't install the plastic washers) and it caused a short and that was the reason it blew. Both channels blew actually.
Thanks for the condolences😉. Still don't know what happened, it was not the output shortened as I was extra careful and triple checked everything. I will examine closer after getting the board out, but for now I have little motivation to do so.
I contacted the seller Funkenya Shop and asked for a replacement board, as shipping back and forth would be almost a new amp. I hope they will agree and have the possibility to send a replacement.
Already missing the amp, but it will be almost 40 C the next days, which makes it easier to not switch on a room heater...
I contacted the seller Funkenya Shop and asked for a replacement board, as shipping back and forth would be almost a new amp. I hope they will agree and have the possibility to send a replacement.
Already missing the amp, but it will be almost 40 C the next days, which makes it easier to not switch on a room heater...
Good news from the vendor, they will send a link which will lead me to the board to buy. Responded after 5 minutes, that's what I call customer service🚀. I can heartily recommend this shop at Ali, good prices, fast shipment and good communication.
I guess that after holidays I'll be back in business.
I guess that after holidays I'll be back in business.
Nice! Yes very good customer service from the factory. On thier Taobao shop they sell lots of parts for thier amps so you should be able to get anything if something bad happens again.
I installed the Silmics and I'm super happy with them. I've just got to echo everything you've said about them really. I wasn't enjoying my system before putting them in tbh. Now I'm loving it. They have really balanced things out for me.
I managed to remove the board easily enough. Just got a pair of pliers and unscrewed the standoffs so future upgrades where I need to access the underside of the board will be pretty easy.
When I was doing it tho I broke one of the 150pf ceramic caps. Luckily I had some on hand from one of the synthesizer builds I have done. Looks small but it works and I don't notice anything funny going on sound wise. I have bought some of the original caps tho and also some silver mica ones. Do you think there's any point trying the silver micas out?
I installed the Silmics and I'm super happy with them. I've just got to echo everything you've said about them really. I wasn't enjoying my system before putting them in tbh. Now I'm loving it. They have really balanced things out for me.
I managed to remove the board easily enough. Just got a pair of pliers and unscrewed the standoffs so future upgrades where I need to access the underside of the board will be pretty easy.
When I was doing it tho I broke one of the 150pf ceramic caps. Luckily I had some on hand from one of the synthesizer builds I have done. Looks small but it works and I don't notice anything funny going on sound wise. I have bought some of the original caps tho and also some silver mica ones. Do you think there's any point trying the silver micas out?
Nice, good news about the Silmics. They can do wonders in the right place, although sometimes they can be too much warmth and colours. But they shine in this amp for sure, enjoy!
I only know 2 kinds of mica caps which sound good, both are vintage. First are German Richard Jahre caps from the 70ies, but they tend to fail in high voltage circuits because of aging. And then the sealed small green Russian ones, don't remember their names; they both sound fast and open, but never harsh. The Russian ones are still available, the others not so much.
I bought some styroflex, which are designed for frequency generators in old radios, they tend to sound not so super clear, but they add some colours again.
But the 150pf shouldn't have too much of an influence, the three 68pf a little more.
And especially the 7,5kohm feedback resistors should make difference, as they are in the signal path.
Tried to open Taobao, impossible to get a grip there, translation doesn't work, and my Chinese became a little rusty lately😃
I only know 2 kinds of mica caps which sound good, both are vintage. First are German Richard Jahre caps from the 70ies, but they tend to fail in high voltage circuits because of aging. And then the sealed small green Russian ones, don't remember their names; they both sound fast and open, but never harsh. The Russian ones are still available, the others not so much.
I bought some styroflex, which are designed for frequency generators in old radios, they tend to sound not so super clear, but they add some colours again.
But the 150pf shouldn't have too much of an influence, the three 68pf a little more.
And especially the 7,5kohm feedback resistors should make difference, as they are in the signal path.
Tried to open Taobao, impossible to get a grip there, translation doesn't work, and my Chinese became a little rusty lately😃
AFAIK you need a Chinese phone number or Wechat account to fully access the Taobao store. It's great tho Aliexpress on steroids 😁.
The 150pf mica ones are a Chinese brand. I won't bother for now but I do have some spare 6.8k AN silver non magnetic tantalums and was wondering if I could use them in place of the 7.5k. My good friend Grok seems to think it won't be an issue but it has a tendency to not be too accurate at times : )
The Silmics are great. They have softened the transients a little and I've read that they take a while to open up (something iv'e experienced before with caps) but don't really care if they don't as they are a big improvement over the stock caps.
The 150pf mica ones are a Chinese brand. I won't bother for now but I do have some spare 6.8k AN silver non magnetic tantalums and was wondering if I could use them in place of the 7.5k. My good friend Grok seems to think it won't be an issue but it has a tendency to not be too accurate at times : )
The Silmics are great. They have softened the transients a little and I've read that they take a while to open up (something iv'e experienced before with caps) but don't really care if they don't as they are a big improvement over the stock caps.
Yes the Silmics will improve over time sounding more open, but the general character remains.
If you use 6,8k feedback, it will increase the feedback which will result in a different sound. Normally more control in the base, but also less fluid and open.
I would stay with the 7,5k, because otherwise you don't know what caused the difference, is it the kind of resistor or its value.
If you use 6,8k feedback, it will increase the feedback which will result in a different sound. Normally more control in the base, but also less fluid and open.
I would stay with the 7,5k, because otherwise you don't know what caused the difference, is it the kind of resistor or its value.
Cheers I got some 7.5k form a seller on a used app over here. The description say AN tantalums. Not sure if it's AN Japan or what but they look a bit unusual.
They sell lot's of boutique parts and have a very high rating but the description is a bit vague. Anyway about 4 UK pounds each so i'll give them a go.
They sell lot's of boutique parts and have a very high rating but the description is a bit vague. Anyway about 4 UK pounds each so i'll give them a go.
I agree with others that replacing the binding posts and speaker/input wiring has audible sonic benefits with the D5Pro, more so than usual from my experience. Perhaps particularly poor quality materials were used. Other than that I made no changes. The layout is a bit of a pain to work on and the risk of damage seems high as is evident from recent posts. I read the old clone thread some time ago and I don't think swapping the server opamp is not recommended unless you really know what you're doing.
All that said I also purchased the ASYPDZSW Dartzeel clone in the beginning of the year before tariffs and finally listened to it this month: it is a MUCH better amp than the D5 variants. Perhaps because of the dual mono. Highly recommended.
All that said I also purchased the ASYPDZSW Dartzeel clone in the beginning of the year before tariffs and finally listened to it this month: it is a MUCH better amp than the D5 variants. Perhaps because of the dual mono. Highly recommended.