Bigun,
I too was very concerned about whether it was worth it to modify and could I do it without damaging or trashing the unit.
Before I even bought it, I spent time going over all of the reviews, formal and otherwise, along with the info about all of the current available mods. Vinnie Rossi's mod thread on Audio Circle was invaluable! I talked it over with Ric Schultz of EVS, who considered offering a mod for the unit and decided not to. And after I scored one, I spent time listening to it compared to my other digital sources and pouring over the service manual.
What convinced me:
1. It was both well reviewed and did sound pretty good stock. That was with what I'd say is a pretty basic power supply implementation, even though I think the architecture is very good (fully separate digital control/processing versus D-to-A/Analog processing supplies).
2. It did what I wanted... that is play back my ripped CD collection and do it pretty well. I am not acquiring much music nowadays, so its hiccups on file transfer don't phase me at all.
3. Looking it over and beginning to understand it through the service manual, I could see that it had very well-partitioned functional sections that largely could be understood, modified, and tested separately before reconnecting them and putting the entire unit at risk.
4. The information from the commercial modders, plus a few comments on a Canadian forum that I saw all made sense as far as what to do and the sonic impacts.
I don't modify something like this lightly. OTOH, I've been modifying gear since the early 1980's, starting with a pair of Hafler DH-200 amp kits that would cost about $1000 USD in today's dollars. Since then I've molested 8 pairs of amps, 8 pairs of speakers, 7 tonearms, 4 turntables, 3-4 cartridges, 2 preamps, 4 CD/DVD players and have built all of my phono preamps, attenuators, line-level controls and crossovers, and computer playback sources (including the associated DACs) since 1985.
Like Kevin, I did feel there was room for improvement and that it was worth the time and risk. Based on my results so far, it was a good decision. AND due to the cost, I have taken a VERY measured approach to this.
YMMV.
Greg in Mississippi
P.S. Kevin, with you having paid full retail for yours, could you have the transformers addressed under warranty? Actually, I'm not even sure what thee warranty period is on the unit, since I got mine 2nd-hand. I do hear a very low-level of hum from mine with the top off and within a foot or so, but it is well under that system's room's noise floor.
I too was very concerned about whether it was worth it to modify and could I do it without damaging or trashing the unit.
Before I even bought it, I spent time going over all of the reviews, formal and otherwise, along with the info about all of the current available mods. Vinnie Rossi's mod thread on Audio Circle was invaluable! I talked it over with Ric Schultz of EVS, who considered offering a mod for the unit and decided not to. And after I scored one, I spent time listening to it compared to my other digital sources and pouring over the service manual.
What convinced me:
1. It was both well reviewed and did sound pretty good stock. That was with what I'd say is a pretty basic power supply implementation, even though I think the architecture is very good (fully separate digital control/processing versus D-to-A/Analog processing supplies).
2. It did what I wanted... that is play back my ripped CD collection and do it pretty well. I am not acquiring much music nowadays, so its hiccups on file transfer don't phase me at all.
3. Looking it over and beginning to understand it through the service manual, I could see that it had very well-partitioned functional sections that largely could be understood, modified, and tested separately before reconnecting them and putting the entire unit at risk.
4. The information from the commercial modders, plus a few comments on a Canadian forum that I saw all made sense as far as what to do and the sonic impacts.
I don't modify something like this lightly. OTOH, I've been modifying gear since the early 1980's, starting with a pair of Hafler DH-200 amp kits that would cost about $1000 USD in today's dollars. Since then I've molested 8 pairs of amps, 8 pairs of speakers, 7 tonearms, 4 turntables, 3-4 cartridges, 2 preamps, 4 CD/DVD players and have built all of my phono preamps, attenuators, line-level controls and crossovers, and computer playback sources (including the associated DACs) since 1985.
Like Kevin, I did feel there was room for improvement and that it was worth the time and risk. Based on my results so far, it was a good decision. AND due to the cost, I have taken a VERY measured approach to this.
YMMV.
Greg in Mississippi
P.S. Kevin, with you having paid full retail for yours, could you have the transformers addressed under warranty? Actually, I'm not even sure what thee warranty period is on the unit, since I got mine 2nd-hand. I do hear a very low-level of hum from mine with the top off and within a foot or so, but it is well under that system's room's noise floor.
Hi Greg,
Yes the unit is still under warranty (it comes with 5yrs) but I have heard several others buzzing exactly the same way so I am loath to send it out for a fix that probably won't really address the issue. I have a very quiet room particularly during the summer months when the house heating system is shut down, and the system is very quiet as well.
I have access to a vacuum impregnation system and noted that damping parts of the cabinet actually helped quite a lot.
I plan to mount the transformers on sandwich mounts at some point which will reduce their coupling into the chassis which is not nearly as dead and non resonant as Sony or the modders would have you believe. (Look at an SCD-1 or 777ES to see a really solid chassis design. I have a 777)
Yes the unit is still under warranty (it comes with 5yrs) but I have heard several others buzzing exactly the same way so I am loath to send it out for a fix that probably won't really address the issue. I have a very quiet room particularly during the summer months when the house heating system is shut down, and the system is very quiet as well.
I have access to a vacuum impregnation system and noted that damping parts of the cabinet actually helped quite a lot.
I plan to mount the transformers on sandwich mounts at some point which will reduce their coupling into the chassis which is not nearly as dead and non resonant as Sony or the modders would have you believe. (Look at an SCD-1 or 777ES to see a really solid chassis design. I have a 777)
HAPZ Tweaks...
Kevin,
Your comments about chassis damping reminded me I wanted to post about some tweaks I've tried on the HAPZ. I define tweaks as small add-ons or re-structurings of a device that don't impact the basic circuitry (such as changing out the regulators) or functionality, but can make noticeable differences. In the case of the HAPZ, these would include some of the things I've already discussed such as un-plugging to un-power the USB / Ethernet and WiFi boards, replacing the harddrive with an SSD, and splitting the AC power inputs into separate dirty (processor / DSP / screen) and clean (clocks / DAC / analog stages) sides to utilize with the different power filtering regimes I have setup in my systems for this.
Beyond those three, some that I've tried that I can suggest (either because they made a difference or are basically free are):
1. Make sure ALL screws are installed and tight. Your most important tool with this unit is your screwdriver! Twice this long US Labor Day holiday weekend I have done some tweaks / mods to my HAPZ, only to be dismayed at the sound afterwards... and then I discovered I had left screws loose, one on one of the aluminum side panels when I damped them, and the others where I had inserted, but not tightened two of the screws on the standby power board. After I tightened them, the sound was back to how it was before and even a bit better, due to the tweak / mod.
2. Chassis and part damping seems to work well. I've only applied damping material on and around the SSD (Dynamat Xtreme), on the bottom of the chassis under the USB / Ethernet board, and all three power supply boards (original Dynamat here) and underneath the two aluminum side panels (Dynamat Xtreme here). There will be more in the future, especially to the channels on which all the circuit boards are mounted and maybe to damp the circuit boards (which I do either with a felt pad or a elastic material like a section of one of Herbie's damping feet). I also damp all caps and heatsinks and secure them with hot-melt glue (which is a large part of why my mods ALL look ugly!).
3. Additional RFI/EMI filtering clamp-on chokes. I've never liked the impact of these on analog supplies, but with the HAPZ and it's entirely separate digital and analog supplies, you can pull the AC leads to the analog supply transformer from the stock clamp-on choke and add more clamp-on filters both before the digital supply transformer and to the power feeds from the digital supply. After trying some various combinations, I ended up with another on the main AC input (which covers both the standby and digital transformers in my setup) and two on the feed to the SSD. My experience is that this is something that will have different impacts in different setups, so it is worth experimenting.
4. My go-to footers are Herbie's Audio Lab Iso-Cups with his Supersonic Hardball. I was surprised that these did not better the stock feet. But using the Hardballs under the stock feet positioned into the offset hole on each was a clear winner. Again, the impact of this will vary system-to-system and where and on what it is positioned... I plan to check this again when I move it from the floor to the computer source stand.
5. Probably (maybe not) the most controversial of the ones I've tried will be sexing the transformers... that is making sure their AC inputs are oriented such that when they are only connected to the AC hot and neutral (not into the AC ground and not into the HAPZ), when you measure from the transformer lamination stack to the AC ground, you get the lowest AC voltage (which can vary by tens of volts one way versus the other). I was very happy to see both of the digital and analog transformers were oriented correctly as built. Then I was surprised that the standby transformer was reversed! No problem, I just reversed the leads on the IEC and then reversed the leads on the downstream digital transformer to keep it correct.
I have plans to try some additional RFI/EMI blocking / absorption (in addition to the various ferrites they have on power feeds, the stock unit has some RFI/EMI absorption sheet on the main board processor, see page 101 of the service manual).
Anyone have any other good suggested tweaks to the unit?
Greg in Mississippi
Kevin,
Your comments about chassis damping reminded me I wanted to post about some tweaks I've tried on the HAPZ. I define tweaks as small add-ons or re-structurings of a device that don't impact the basic circuitry (such as changing out the regulators) or functionality, but can make noticeable differences. In the case of the HAPZ, these would include some of the things I've already discussed such as un-plugging to un-power the USB / Ethernet and WiFi boards, replacing the harddrive with an SSD, and splitting the AC power inputs into separate dirty (processor / DSP / screen) and clean (clocks / DAC / analog stages) sides to utilize with the different power filtering regimes I have setup in my systems for this.
Beyond those three, some that I've tried that I can suggest (either because they made a difference or are basically free are):
1. Make sure ALL screws are installed and tight. Your most important tool with this unit is your screwdriver! Twice this long US Labor Day holiday weekend I have done some tweaks / mods to my HAPZ, only to be dismayed at the sound afterwards... and then I discovered I had left screws loose, one on one of the aluminum side panels when I damped them, and the others where I had inserted, but not tightened two of the screws on the standby power board. After I tightened them, the sound was back to how it was before and even a bit better, due to the tweak / mod.
2. Chassis and part damping seems to work well. I've only applied damping material on and around the SSD (Dynamat Xtreme), on the bottom of the chassis under the USB / Ethernet board, and all three power supply boards (original Dynamat here) and underneath the two aluminum side panels (Dynamat Xtreme here). There will be more in the future, especially to the channels on which all the circuit boards are mounted and maybe to damp the circuit boards (which I do either with a felt pad or a elastic material like a section of one of Herbie's damping feet). I also damp all caps and heatsinks and secure them with hot-melt glue (which is a large part of why my mods ALL look ugly!).
3. Additional RFI/EMI filtering clamp-on chokes. I've never liked the impact of these on analog supplies, but with the HAPZ and it's entirely separate digital and analog supplies, you can pull the AC leads to the analog supply transformer from the stock clamp-on choke and add more clamp-on filters both before the digital supply transformer and to the power feeds from the digital supply. After trying some various combinations, I ended up with another on the main AC input (which covers both the standby and digital transformers in my setup) and two on the feed to the SSD. My experience is that this is something that will have different impacts in different setups, so it is worth experimenting.
4. My go-to footers are Herbie's Audio Lab Iso-Cups with his Supersonic Hardball. I was surprised that these did not better the stock feet. But using the Hardballs under the stock feet positioned into the offset hole on each was a clear winner. Again, the impact of this will vary system-to-system and where and on what it is positioned... I plan to check this again when I move it from the floor to the computer source stand.
5. Probably (maybe not) the most controversial of the ones I've tried will be sexing the transformers... that is making sure their AC inputs are oriented such that when they are only connected to the AC hot and neutral (not into the AC ground and not into the HAPZ), when you measure from the transformer lamination stack to the AC ground, you get the lowest AC voltage (which can vary by tens of volts one way versus the other). I was very happy to see both of the digital and analog transformers were oriented correctly as built. Then I was surprised that the standby transformer was reversed! No problem, I just reversed the leads on the IEC and then reversed the leads on the downstream digital transformer to keep it correct.
I have plans to try some additional RFI/EMI blocking / absorption (in addition to the various ferrites they have on power feeds, the stock unit has some RFI/EMI absorption sheet on the main board processor, see page 101 of the service manual).
Anyone have any other good suggested tweaks to the unit?
Greg in Mississippi
Last edited:
Replacing the HAPZ DC-DC Converters, Part 1
Background info:
The Sony HAP-Z1ES has two main power supply transformers and regulation boards, one, the analog supply, for the core audio processing (clocks, DAC, analog output stages) and the other, the digital supply, for all of the controls (front panel, screen, system controller, main processing unit, RAM), communications (USB, Ethernet, WiFi, IR) and core I2S music signal creation (hardrive, FPGA, DSP). There is a 3rd smaller standby power supply that provides power and turn-on/turn-off functions as commanded from various signaling sources (front panel switch, IR, network), controlling the AC input to the digital and analog supply transformers by an on-board relay. Wisely, Sony's engineers made the raw DC for all 3 of these supplies linear. Not-so-wisely (in my opinion), the three regulator sections on the digital supply board are DC-DC converters.
The 3 converters supply:
1. 5v Main for most of the digital power consumers, including the USB power.
2. 5v for the harddrive.
3. 0v/6v/9v for the cooling fan, controlled by internal case temperature with signaling from one of the control boards.
There are 2 raw DC supplies on the digital supply board, 1 supplying only the 5v main and the other supplying the remaining 2 DC-DC converters.
In my mods of my HAPZ, I replaced the DC-DC converters with linear regulators. Earlier in my mods to the unit, I replaced the harddrive with an SSD and removed the fan entirely. The first of these eased the power requirements on the storage side slightly and the second eliminated the need to replace the cooling fan DC-DC converter. I also generally run my HAPZ with the external communication boards (USB/Ethernet/IR & WiFi) unplugged (to reduce potential RFI/EMI noise) which un-powers them, slightly reducing the typical load on the first two 5v lines. But since I do occasionally plug them back in, I did want to retain sufficient current headroom to handle them.
When I measured the current draw of the 2 5v lines, I found the main digital 5v drew 2.5mA with the unit off (due to the standby functionality being powered through this supply). It ran about 600mA with peaks of 900mA while running. These measurements were with the external communication boards (USB/Ethernet/IR & WiFi) unplugged, re-running the checks with them plugged in and the WiFi, but not the Ethernet gave me roughly 50mA - 100mA more.
I did not measure the current draw of my SSD, but according to the manufacturer, it is .6w at idle and 3.45w active or about 700mA.
I selected LT3080 regulators as replacements, only because I had them already made up. They are rated 1.2A max and I used 2 in parallel for the 5v Main and 1 for the 5v SSD/USB. There is no magic in my selection of these, I used them as I had them already made up from some earlier projects AND they have proven to be good, fairly high-spec general regulators that are definite improvements over the garden-variety 317-type and even the improved LT1084/LT1085 versions. Jackinnj suggested the LT1963A, which looks to be a very good choice for this, having slightly better specs on the datasheet than the LT3080. It is what I'd strongly consider using if I do this again.
One consideration for the regulators is that the raw DC for each supply is pretty high at 13v-14v. That means you'll drop 7v-8v across your regulator and will want to use an appropriately-sized heatsink (I did not at first and saw 70C temps at the regulator tabs!).
Finally, my interpretation of how the power-on functionality works is as follows:
1. When the unit is plugged in, but off, the Standby transformer and associated power supply provide power to the system controller and associated control components via a switch comprised of Q903, Q904, and Q905 on the Standby board. They do this by feeding the raw DC from the Standby power supply board into the 5v Main DC-DC converter.
2. When the turn-on sequence is initiated by pressing the power button, nearly simultaneously, a command is sent to turn on the Standby relay (POW RY) to provide AC to the digital and analog transformers AND another command to turn off the feed of the Standby power from the Standby power supply board into the 5v Main DC-DC (STBY FET ON/OFF). At this point both the Digital and analog regulator boards are now supplied by their respective transformers.
While this sequencing does explain the power-on sequencing I can observe, I do not have the equipment to totally validate this. I urge anyone who decides to do this mod AND who has the equipment to validate this do so and let us know what they see. OTOH, wiring up the replacement 5v Main regulator in a manner consistent with this DOES work ok.
Step-by-Step in part 2... coming soon!
Greg in Mississippi
Background info:
The Sony HAP-Z1ES has two main power supply transformers and regulation boards, one, the analog supply, for the core audio processing (clocks, DAC, analog output stages) and the other, the digital supply, for all of the controls (front panel, screen, system controller, main processing unit, RAM), communications (USB, Ethernet, WiFi, IR) and core I2S music signal creation (hardrive, FPGA, DSP). There is a 3rd smaller standby power supply that provides power and turn-on/turn-off functions as commanded from various signaling sources (front panel switch, IR, network), controlling the AC input to the digital and analog supply transformers by an on-board relay. Wisely, Sony's engineers made the raw DC for all 3 of these supplies linear. Not-so-wisely (in my opinion), the three regulator sections on the digital supply board are DC-DC converters.
The 3 converters supply:
1. 5v Main for most of the digital power consumers, including the USB power.
2. 5v for the harddrive.
3. 0v/6v/9v for the cooling fan, controlled by internal case temperature with signaling from one of the control boards.
There are 2 raw DC supplies on the digital supply board, 1 supplying only the 5v main and the other supplying the remaining 2 DC-DC converters.
In my mods of my HAPZ, I replaced the DC-DC converters with linear regulators. Earlier in my mods to the unit, I replaced the harddrive with an SSD and removed the fan entirely. The first of these eased the power requirements on the storage side slightly and the second eliminated the need to replace the cooling fan DC-DC converter. I also generally run my HAPZ with the external communication boards (USB/Ethernet/IR & WiFi) unplugged (to reduce potential RFI/EMI noise) which un-powers them, slightly reducing the typical load on the first two 5v lines. But since I do occasionally plug them back in, I did want to retain sufficient current headroom to handle them.
When I measured the current draw of the 2 5v lines, I found the main digital 5v drew 2.5mA with the unit off (due to the standby functionality being powered through this supply). It ran about 600mA with peaks of 900mA while running. These measurements were with the external communication boards (USB/Ethernet/IR & WiFi) unplugged, re-running the checks with them plugged in and the WiFi, but not the Ethernet gave me roughly 50mA - 100mA more.
I did not measure the current draw of my SSD, but according to the manufacturer, it is .6w at idle and 3.45w active or about 700mA.
I selected LT3080 regulators as replacements, only because I had them already made up. They are rated 1.2A max and I used 2 in parallel for the 5v Main and 1 for the 5v SSD/USB. There is no magic in my selection of these, I used them as I had them already made up from some earlier projects AND they have proven to be good, fairly high-spec general regulators that are definite improvements over the garden-variety 317-type and even the improved LT1084/LT1085 versions. Jackinnj suggested the LT1963A, which looks to be a very good choice for this, having slightly better specs on the datasheet than the LT3080. It is what I'd strongly consider using if I do this again.
One consideration for the regulators is that the raw DC for each supply is pretty high at 13v-14v. That means you'll drop 7v-8v across your regulator and will want to use an appropriately-sized heatsink (I did not at first and saw 70C temps at the regulator tabs!).
Finally, my interpretation of how the power-on functionality works is as follows:
1. When the unit is plugged in, but off, the Standby transformer and associated power supply provide power to the system controller and associated control components via a switch comprised of Q903, Q904, and Q905 on the Standby board. They do this by feeding the raw DC from the Standby power supply board into the 5v Main DC-DC converter.
2. When the turn-on sequence is initiated by pressing the power button, nearly simultaneously, a command is sent to turn on the Standby relay (POW RY) to provide AC to the digital and analog transformers AND another command to turn off the feed of the Standby power from the Standby power supply board into the 5v Main DC-DC (STBY FET ON/OFF). At this point both the Digital and analog regulator boards are now supplied by their respective transformers.
While this sequencing does explain the power-on sequencing I can observe, I do not have the equipment to totally validate this. I urge anyone who decides to do this mod AND who has the equipment to validate this do so and let us know what they see. OTOH, wiring up the replacement 5v Main regulator in a manner consistent with this DOES work ok.
Step-by-Step in part 2... coming soon!
Greg in Mississippi
Replacing the HAPZ DC-DC Converters, Part 2
Before considering this, realize that doing this:
1. Voids your warranty.
2. Must be done at your own risk.
3. Must be done by you only after you have studied the circuit and setup using the service manual and you understand what you are doing.
4. Could potentially kill your expensive HAPZ if you do anything wrong.
These are modifications only for experienced techs/modders!
With that out of the way, here's the mod. The main intentions of the mod is to take the DC-DC converters entirely out of the circuit, replace them with linear regulators, and retain the power-on/power-off functionality. The main steps of the mod are:
1. Select, make up, AND TEST your regulators. Use circuit boards or point-to-point, wire them with output capacitors at the regs, at least as large as the 100uf/25v caps at the output of the DC-DC converters. I recommend good, low-ESR conductive plastic capacitors here.
2. Power off your HAPZ, disconnect, and pull out the digital supply board.
3. Un-solder and pull all of the current electrolytic DC filter caps on the digital supply board, C1401, C1405, C1440, c1441, C1442, C1436, C1437, and C1438. Later in the mod I replace C1401 & c1405, 2200uf/25v units with 3900uf/25v Nichicon units, but you can reuse C1401 and C1405 if you desire.
4. Un-solder and pull the output cables (CN1405 for the 5v Main & ground/5v USB & ground, CN1406 for the 5v HDD & ground). Prepare these for soldering to your regulators by heatshrinking paired leads together and labeling them.
5. Un-solder and pull the two diode bridges, D1401 and D1413, bend up the output legs of each (#3) so they do not insert into the circuit board and you can connect a wire lead to them. Then place a strip of Kapton tape over the output leg pad on the board and and reinstall the diode bridge into the board with only the two input legs and the ground legs soldered in.
6. Prepare the two 3900uf/25v caps by:
---a) straightening the negative lead (these are snap-in caps) so it will insert into the ground connection pad for the caps in the board.
---b) connecting two wire leads to the positive leg, one that extends back to connect to the output lead of their respective diode bridge, and the other to connect to their regulator inputs.
---c) connecting one wire lead to the negative leg (right at the capacitor body to that it does not interfere with the capacitor lead going into the ground connection pad on the board.
7. Place a strip of Kapton tape over the positive connection pad on the board for each of the prepared capacitors, then solder the capacitors into their respective ground connection pads. I used a small blob of hot-melt glue to secure the positive lead side of each capacitor to the board to make sure they don't flex and damage the ground connection pads.
8. Remove the digital supply transformer from the HAPZ and use it to test your new raw DC supplies. Don't forget to discharge the capacitors afterwards!
9. To retain the power-on functionality, you need to cut two traces on the digital supply board and connect these to your add-on 5v Main regulator. The first of these is the connection labeled STBY 5V, position #6 on connector CN1408. I cut this trace just past the end of the connector lead (so I could scrape off the solder mask and reconnect it if I ever desire). Then prepare and solder a lead that will go from the connector to the OUTPUT of your add-on regulator.
10. The second trace to cut is from connector CN1403, position #4, labeled STBY POWER. This trace travels on the bottom of the board from the connector towards the 5v Main filter cap, then moves to the top of the board through 2 vias just in line with the pads for the diode bridges and just outside of the output leg of the 5v Main diode bridge. What to do here is to cut the trace about 1/4" (6mm) past the vias, scrap off the solder mask just next to the vias, and solder a short wire from the 5v Main diode bridge output leg to the exposed copper area of the trace.
11. Wire in your regulators to the raw DC and the STBY 5V lead (to the 5v Main regulator output) and test.
12. Connect the leads you pulled at CN1405 for the 5v Main & ground & 5v USB & ground to the 5v Main regulator output and ground. Connect the leads you pulled at CN1406 for the 5v HDD & ground to the 5v HDD regulator.
13. Reassemble the unit, plug in, power up, enjoy!
Note that taking the raw DC before it goes into the DC-DC converters, taking the outputs off the board, and re-routing the standby functionality lines after cutting the traces ENTIRELY removes the DC-DC converters from the circuit.
Also note that you can add a third regulator to power the fan, if you retain it. You will need to determine how to turn it on via the FAN ENABLE line and control the 6v/9v speed changing via the FAN FAST/SLOW line.
Some useful, but not step-by-step pictures coming in part 3 soon!
Greg in Mississippi
Before considering this, realize that doing this:
1. Voids your warranty.
2. Must be done at your own risk.
3. Must be done by you only after you have studied the circuit and setup using the service manual and you understand what you are doing.
4. Could potentially kill your expensive HAPZ if you do anything wrong.
These are modifications only for experienced techs/modders!
With that out of the way, here's the mod. The main intentions of the mod is to take the DC-DC converters entirely out of the circuit, replace them with linear regulators, and retain the power-on/power-off functionality. The main steps of the mod are:
1. Select, make up, AND TEST your regulators. Use circuit boards or point-to-point, wire them with output capacitors at the regs, at least as large as the 100uf/25v caps at the output of the DC-DC converters. I recommend good, low-ESR conductive plastic capacitors here.
2. Power off your HAPZ, disconnect, and pull out the digital supply board.
3. Un-solder and pull all of the current electrolytic DC filter caps on the digital supply board, C1401, C1405, C1440, c1441, C1442, C1436, C1437, and C1438. Later in the mod I replace C1401 & c1405, 2200uf/25v units with 3900uf/25v Nichicon units, but you can reuse C1401 and C1405 if you desire.
4. Un-solder and pull the output cables (CN1405 for the 5v Main & ground/5v USB & ground, CN1406 for the 5v HDD & ground). Prepare these for soldering to your regulators by heatshrinking paired leads together and labeling them.
5. Un-solder and pull the two diode bridges, D1401 and D1413, bend up the output legs of each (#3) so they do not insert into the circuit board and you can connect a wire lead to them. Then place a strip of Kapton tape over the output leg pad on the board and and reinstall the diode bridge into the board with only the two input legs and the ground legs soldered in.
6. Prepare the two 3900uf/25v caps by:
---a) straightening the negative lead (these are snap-in caps) so it will insert into the ground connection pad for the caps in the board.
---b) connecting two wire leads to the positive leg, one that extends back to connect to the output lead of their respective diode bridge, and the other to connect to their regulator inputs.
---c) connecting one wire lead to the negative leg (right at the capacitor body to that it does not interfere with the capacitor lead going into the ground connection pad on the board.
7. Place a strip of Kapton tape over the positive connection pad on the board for each of the prepared capacitors, then solder the capacitors into their respective ground connection pads. I used a small blob of hot-melt glue to secure the positive lead side of each capacitor to the board to make sure they don't flex and damage the ground connection pads.
8. Remove the digital supply transformer from the HAPZ and use it to test your new raw DC supplies. Don't forget to discharge the capacitors afterwards!
9. To retain the power-on functionality, you need to cut two traces on the digital supply board and connect these to your add-on 5v Main regulator. The first of these is the connection labeled STBY 5V, position #6 on connector CN1408. I cut this trace just past the end of the connector lead (so I could scrape off the solder mask and reconnect it if I ever desire). Then prepare and solder a lead that will go from the connector to the OUTPUT of your add-on regulator.
10. The second trace to cut is from connector CN1403, position #4, labeled STBY POWER. This trace travels on the bottom of the board from the connector towards the 5v Main filter cap, then moves to the top of the board through 2 vias just in line with the pads for the diode bridges and just outside of the output leg of the 5v Main diode bridge. What to do here is to cut the trace about 1/4" (6mm) past the vias, scrap off the solder mask just next to the vias, and solder a short wire from the 5v Main diode bridge output leg to the exposed copper area of the trace.
11. Wire in your regulators to the raw DC and the STBY 5V lead (to the 5v Main regulator output) and test.
12. Connect the leads you pulled at CN1405 for the 5v Main & ground & 5v USB & ground to the 5v Main regulator output and ground. Connect the leads you pulled at CN1406 for the 5v HDD & ground to the 5v HDD regulator.
13. Reassemble the unit, plug in, power up, enjoy!
Note that taking the raw DC before it goes into the DC-DC converters, taking the outputs off the board, and re-routing the standby functionality lines after cutting the traces ENTIRELY removes the DC-DC converters from the circuit.
Also note that you can add a third regulator to power the fan, if you retain it. You will need to determine how to turn it on via the FAN ENABLE line and control the 6v/9v speed changing via the FAN FAST/SLOW line.
Some useful, but not step-by-step pictures coming in part 3 soon!
Greg in Mississippi
Replacing the HAPZ DC-DC Converters, Part 3
First are two full pictures of the modified digital supply board.
Then a closeup taken straight down on the diode bridges showing the connection on the output leg.
Next a closeup showing the connection to the STBY 5V on position #6 of connector CN1408. Note that the cut trace is directly under the end of the insulation on the wire and you can see a bit of the knife mark in front of 'GND'.
Then a very closeup showing the cut trace for the STBY POWER (marked by the arrow) and connect from the 5v Main diode bridge output leg to where I scraped solder mask off the trace.
Finally a shot of my regulator mounted right on the SATA power cable.
Hopefully these are useful. Please ask questions and for more shots, but be warned I am not going to take it apart for more pictures!
Hopefully the methodology will be usable by most who want to do this. There is NO SMD soldering or removal needed (I did quite a bit of SMD work on modifying the Analog board and have more planned!). Nothing is very tight. And because your regs will be above-board, you have a lot of flexibility in placement. And finally, I've planned the cut traces such that if one wants to revert, they can scrape back the solder mask and solder-bridge across.
Greg in Mississippi
P.S. I forgot to mention the small connectors sorta hidden under the main regulator heatsink and on the SSD regulator. I decided to take my USB power from that regulator to spread the load a bit. Since I generally don't have that plugged in, I also put a connection on the power side.
First are two full pictures of the modified digital supply board.
Then a closeup taken straight down on the diode bridges showing the connection on the output leg.
Next a closeup showing the connection to the STBY 5V on position #6 of connector CN1408. Note that the cut trace is directly under the end of the insulation on the wire and you can see a bit of the knife mark in front of 'GND'.
Then a very closeup showing the cut trace for the STBY POWER (marked by the arrow) and connect from the 5v Main diode bridge output leg to where I scraped solder mask off the trace.
Finally a shot of my regulator mounted right on the SATA power cable.
Hopefully these are useful. Please ask questions and for more shots, but be warned I am not going to take it apart for more pictures!
Hopefully the methodology will be usable by most who want to do this. There is NO SMD soldering or removal needed (I did quite a bit of SMD work on modifying the Analog board and have more planned!). Nothing is very tight. And because your regs will be above-board, you have a lot of flexibility in placement. And finally, I've planned the cut traces such that if one wants to revert, they can scrape back the solder mask and solder-bridge across.
Greg in Mississippi
P.S. I forgot to mention the small connectors sorta hidden under the main regulator heatsink and on the SSD regulator. I decided to take my USB power from that regulator to spread the load a bit. Since I generally don't have that plugged in, I also put a connection on the power side.
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Ok, I understand why you'd prefer the DSD mode. My barely 80db 1wt/1m Eminent Technology Planar Magnetic speakers need all the snap I can send them, 400+ watts notwithstanding!
Very curious to see what you decide on the transformer mounting. BTW, can you share some pix of the 777 or point to some?
AND I envy you that vacuum impreg system access!
Greg in Mississippi
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Two more things to add...
1. I forgot to mention putting a 6.3v zener across the output of the main 5v regulator, shown as D1405 in the service manual.
2. As with any work like this, one needs to be careful and deliberate when removing existing components from the circuit board. The good news is that the HAPZ boards are fairly high quality and not easily damaged, but trace lifting can be done if one is not careful. I use a temperature-controlled station with a hefty tip and good solder wick to remove as much of the solder as I can ahead of time.
If you have any other component removal tips, I'm all ears!
Greg in Mississippi
P.S. No responses yet, not even to say 'My, that's an ugly piece of work!'. Did I scare everyone away?
1. I forgot to mention putting a 6.3v zener across the output of the main 5v regulator, shown as D1405 in the service manual.
2. As with any work like this, one needs to be careful and deliberate when removing existing components from the circuit board. The good news is that the HAPZ boards are fairly high quality and not easily damaged, but trace lifting can be done if one is not careful. I use a temperature-controlled station with a hefty tip and good solder wick to remove as much of the solder as I can ahead of time.
If you have any other component removal tips, I'm all ears!
Greg in Mississippi
P.S. No responses yet, not even to say 'My, that's an ugly piece of work!'. Did I scare everyone away?
LOL, Jean-Paul!
Can't argue with the truth!
OTOH, to my ears, doing my 'ugly' mod showed the promise of the unit.
I agree, a good replacement PCB would be perfect. Easy to retain all of the passthroughs and turn-on sequencing too. Volunteering? Sorry, I'm not PCB-design-SW-aware.
OTOH, replacing the DC-DC converters with linear regs is an EASY-TO-DO mod with (to my ears) a high payback that does not REQUIRE a new PCB. The area where I think there are some significant gains available, that of isolating the processor/DSP <-> clock/DAC I2S, clock, & control feeds with post-isolation reclocking just before the DACs, as is standard practice in these type of setups today, DOES require a PCB. If you are volunteering, that is what I'm willing to pay for!
Greg in Mississippi
Can't argue with the truth!
OTOH, to my ears, doing my 'ugly' mod showed the promise of the unit.
I agree, a good replacement PCB would be perfect. Easy to retain all of the passthroughs and turn-on sequencing too. Volunteering? Sorry, I'm not PCB-design-SW-aware.
OTOH, replacing the DC-DC converters with linear regs is an EASY-TO-DO mod with (to my ears) a high payback that does not REQUIRE a new PCB. The area where I think there are some significant gains available, that of isolating the processor/DSP <-> clock/DAC I2S, clock, & control feeds with post-isolation reclocking just before the DACs, as is standard practice in these type of setups today, DOES require a PCB. If you are volunteering, that is what I'm willing to pay for!
Greg in Mississippi
in this case this thread could be also of interest
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digi...ithout-dac-connecting-external-hard-disc.html
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digi...layer-without-integrated-dac.html#post4450170
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digi...ithout-dac-connecting-external-hard-disc.html
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digi...layer-without-integrated-dac.html#post4450170
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OK, it has been just over a month since I did the last set of mods to my HAPZ. How has it worn over time???
1. It has been basically trouble-free EXCEPT when I shot myself in the foot!
First, I did see some lockups that required a power-cycle until I put a larger heatsink on the linear regulators replacing the Digital supply DC-DC converters. I never caught them in the act, but I suspect the regulators were going into over-temp protection. After the larger heatsink, that has not recurred.
Then I recently had some times when it would not un-mute. After confirming that I was still getting the correct voltages out of the Analog supplies, I noticed I had not closed the release tab on the connector for flat cable coming out of the DSP that carries the I2S to the Analog board. It also carries one of the several mute signals... closing it fixed that problem! I'd already mentioned making sure ALL of the screws are secured when re-assembling it... ALSO check all the connectors! Plus, it might have been my imagination, but I believe it sounded better afterwards!
2. After a couple of weeks break-in, the sound has stabilized at VERY GOOD! Detailed, articulate, no digitalitis, VERY WELL DEFINED and powerful bass, clean, whatever superlatives you want to throw at it, they are there. Nope, it is likely not a $10k unit, but my experience is that it is significantly improved over stock.
While I of course cannot do a before/after comparison, one useful data point is comparing the Balanced to the Single-Ended outputs. I have not upgraded the resistors and capacitors on the Balanced output stage. I have two fairly similar, very high quality stepped attenuators that I use in this setup, one for Single-Ended and the other Balanced. Given that the amps I am using are supposed to sound better with a Balanced input, I was surprised at how much detail and life I lost going to the un-modified Balanced outputs compared to the re-capped & re-resistor'd Single-Ended outputs. And I expect the difference from a stock unit is greater than what I'm hearing as they both share the same upgraded power supplies and other mods. The Balanced outputs are not bad, but definitely lose out in comparison.
Finally, one testament to how much I am satisfied by how it is sounding... I'm putting any further work on the HAPZ on hold until I get several other digital source projects done. The HAPZ is now my setups' reference digital source and what I'll use to measure the next set of projects against.
So if you have one and have a hankering, I can say it is worthwhile for not very much in parts or time... especially replacing the DC-DC converters with linears.
Later!
Greg in Mississippi
1. It has been basically trouble-free EXCEPT when I shot myself in the foot!
First, I did see some lockups that required a power-cycle until I put a larger heatsink on the linear regulators replacing the Digital supply DC-DC converters. I never caught them in the act, but I suspect the regulators were going into over-temp protection. After the larger heatsink, that has not recurred.
Then I recently had some times when it would not un-mute. After confirming that I was still getting the correct voltages out of the Analog supplies, I noticed I had not closed the release tab on the connector for flat cable coming out of the DSP that carries the I2S to the Analog board. It also carries one of the several mute signals... closing it fixed that problem! I'd already mentioned making sure ALL of the screws are secured when re-assembling it... ALSO check all the connectors! Plus, it might have been my imagination, but I believe it sounded better afterwards!
2. After a couple of weeks break-in, the sound has stabilized at VERY GOOD! Detailed, articulate, no digitalitis, VERY WELL DEFINED and powerful bass, clean, whatever superlatives you want to throw at it, they are there. Nope, it is likely not a $10k unit, but my experience is that it is significantly improved over stock.
While I of course cannot do a before/after comparison, one useful data point is comparing the Balanced to the Single-Ended outputs. I have not upgraded the resistors and capacitors on the Balanced output stage. I have two fairly similar, very high quality stepped attenuators that I use in this setup, one for Single-Ended and the other Balanced. Given that the amps I am using are supposed to sound better with a Balanced input, I was surprised at how much detail and life I lost going to the un-modified Balanced outputs compared to the re-capped & re-resistor'd Single-Ended outputs. And I expect the difference from a stock unit is greater than what I'm hearing as they both share the same upgraded power supplies and other mods. The Balanced outputs are not bad, but definitely lose out in comparison.
Finally, one testament to how much I am satisfied by how it is sounding... I'm putting any further work on the HAPZ on hold until I get several other digital source projects done. The HAPZ is now my setups' reference digital source and what I'll use to measure the next set of projects against.
So if you have one and have a hankering, I can say it is worthwhile for not very much in parts or time... especially replacing the DC-DC converters with linears.
Later!
Greg in Mississippi
Hmm... new firmware update available which provides the ability to rip directly into the HAPZ from a USB-connected external optical drive and improves some of the tagging, especially for DSD files.
Can anyone report on this? Curious if it impacts the basic sound of the unit, positively or negatively?
Also, is there any way to roll back to a previous firmware version?
Greg in Mississippi
Can anyone report on this? Curious if it impacts the basic sound of the unit, positively or negatively?
Also, is there any way to roll back to a previous firmware version?
Greg in Mississippi
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I have installed the latest update, no audible difference that I am aware of.
It remains to be seen whether or not the tagging situation is improved I need to look at that further, but it was pretty bad before - for example not reading the play order from the tags and then ordering them for playback solely by filename as the file manager in Linux would do natively. I have configured the ripping tools I use to add track number to the front of the file name to address this issue. Can't imagine any change wouldn't be an improvement.
Gapless playback performance does seem to be noticeably better with this update as well.
It would be nice if it would allow you to opt out of gracenote in the event that the material is not in their data base, the perpetual error flag is irritating and resulted in me removing those files from the library.
There is no way to roll back firmware updates on the unit that I am aware of. I've not had any hint that would be necessary so far - all the updates seem solid and well tested before deployment.
It remains to be seen whether or not the tagging situation is improved I need to look at that further, but it was pretty bad before - for example not reading the play order from the tags and then ordering them for playback solely by filename as the file manager in Linux would do natively. I have configured the ripping tools I use to add track number to the front of the file name to address this issue. Can't imagine any change wouldn't be an improvement.
Gapless playback performance does seem to be noticeably better with this update as well.
It would be nice if it would allow you to opt out of gracenote in the event that the material is not in their data base, the perpetual error flag is irritating and resulted in me removing those files from the library.
There is no way to roll back firmware updates on the unit that I am aware of. I've not had any hint that would be necessary so far - all the updates seem solid and well tested before deployment.
Thanks for the report Kevin.
There is a report of an anomaly on the display for one adopter on Computer Audiophile:
Sony HAP-Z1ES has arrived - Page 15
It looks like a physical problem to me (I've seen this where there was a poor connection to the display OR a problem with the screen's switching transistors). I'm curious if others see something similar.
Also thx on the SQ report. After watching the reports of sonic differences with various versions of PS Audio's PerfectWave and Directstream DAC firmware, experiencing those differences with some firmware updates to my PS Audio P10 Regenerators, and hearing that an update to the HAPZ earlier this year or late last year had an impact on the SQ, I'm a bit gun-shy given there is no way to downgrade firmware on the Sony.
I'll still wait a few days tho to hear more reports before I apply it. AND am curious to hear what people say about the functionality changes.
Greg in Mississippi
There is a report of an anomaly on the display for one adopter on Computer Audiophile:
Sony HAP-Z1ES has arrived - Page 15
It looks like a physical problem to me (I've seen this where there was a poor connection to the display OR a problem with the screen's switching transistors). I'm curious if others see something similar.
Also thx on the SQ report. After watching the reports of sonic differences with various versions of PS Audio's PerfectWave and Directstream DAC firmware, experiencing those differences with some firmware updates to my PS Audio P10 Regenerators, and hearing that an update to the HAPZ earlier this year or late last year had an impact on the SQ, I'm a bit gun-shy given there is no way to downgrade firmware on the Sony.
I'll still wait a few days tho to hear more reports before I apply it. AND am curious to hear what people say about the functionality changes.
Greg in Mississippi
No observed anomalies here, so far at least. Display looks normal to me - I'll have another look though.
The firmware on mine out of the box was worse sounding than any of ensuing updates and originally the output phase was inverting overall which was fixed in a firmware update shortly after I got mine. Even so it was a pretty major improvement over the homebrew dac and media PC it replaced.
I normally apply the updates as soon as they are available and the box nags me to do it.. LOL So far that has worked fine for me. Sony is fairly careful with the updates and none have caused me any significant issue, some have been subtle improvements sonically speaking, none have made it worse. I much prefer the sound with dsd upsampling enabled given the nature of the rest of my system. (horn based) Cannot comment on normal PCM mode except to say I never cared for it and last time I checked still didn't.
I tend not to pay that much attention provided that it doesn't sound obviously worse, and everything that worked before still works. There are a lot of features particularly in the Android remote control app that I use infrequently if at all. I mostly just use it to listen to music, and it's earned my trust so far.
The firmware on mine out of the box was worse sounding than any of ensuing updates and originally the output phase was inverting overall which was fixed in a firmware update shortly after I got mine. Even so it was a pretty major improvement over the homebrew dac and media PC it replaced.
I normally apply the updates as soon as they are available and the box nags me to do it.. LOL So far that has worked fine for me. Sony is fairly careful with the updates and none have caused me any significant issue, some have been subtle improvements sonically speaking, none have made it worse. I much prefer the sound with dsd upsampling enabled given the nature of the rest of my system. (horn based) Cannot comment on normal PCM mode except to say I never cared for it and last time I checked still didn't.
I tend not to pay that much attention provided that it doesn't sound obviously worse, and everything that worked before still works. There are a lot of features particularly in the Android remote control app that I use infrequently if at all. I mostly just use it to listen to music, and it's earned my trust so far.
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