AudioCircle
Audio/Video Gear and Systems => Owner's Circles => Virtue Audio Owners => Topic started by: Tarzan on 19 Jan 2015, 01:48 pm
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Afternoon folks, l will be tweaking my Sensation M451 a little further over the coming months and am looking for suggestions on how to do this, so far l have in my M451, ClarityCap upgrade, Rhodium Furutech internal fuse, SoundCare SuperSpike feet, and every Virtue PSU, made and am looking for a pointers on which way to proceed , ( hook up wire etc, ) any thoughts chaps?
Thanks in advance. :thumb:
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After tweaking mine a LOT. Following would be by suggestions:
#1 Batteries!!!
Bypass caps are also a noticeable upgrade. Only problem...There are many good ones to choose from. AFAIK, there is no clear winner.
The Dodd tube buffer is also a nice "upgrade". Tube rolling adds an interesting dimension. But has same problem as caps (i.e. lots of good ones to choose from...no clear winner).
Scott
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After tweaking mine a LOT. Following would be by suggestions:
#1 Batteries!!!
Bypass caps are also a noticeable upgrade. Only problem...There are many good ones to choose from. AFAIK, there is no clear winner.
The Dodd tube buffer is also a nice "upgrade". Tube rolling adds an interesting dimension. But has same problem as caps (i.e. lots of good ones to choose from...no clear winner).
Scott
Thanks for posting Scott, l already have the battery, JT Dynamic PSU's, ClarityCap upgrade, and the amp sounds amazing- would like more of the same, so thinking hook up wire, fancypants RCA/ speaker sockets, volume pot, something along those lines.... :D
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I upgraded the hook-up wire, but can't really say that I noticed a change after that.
I am interested to hear your thoughts about the fuse upgrade. Would you consider that an essential upgrade?
Scott
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I upgraded the hook-up wire, but can't really say that I noticed a change after that.
I am interested to hear your thoughts about the fuse upgrade. Would you consider that an essential upgrade?
Scott
Yes, for little outlay l noticed a positive effect, l use a Furutech Rhodium fuse to good effect.
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Sorry to be high maintenance, but could you post a link to the fuse you bought?
Thanks,
Scott
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http://www.mains-cables-r-us.co.uk/fuses/213-furutech-rhodium-plated-fuses.html
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:)
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Anyone any ideas..... :D
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Well, you did ask. I always thought that the banana clips or speaker posts were a draw to degrade the sound. Get rid of em!
If one went with single driver speakers, you don't need a crossover and can directly wire (high end) wire to the driver itself. Have you ever wondered what your amp would sound like if you just had wire coming directly (soldered) to the drive itself all the way back to possibly be even soldered to the amp board?
All those connections (extra wire) to the crossover (if you have cheap components on a xover board ouch!) If you have cheap wire in the speaker cabinet (double ouch) ... Creating a path of least resistance to the speakers (IMO) will improve the sound! How much? Depends...
Next would be what type of DAC are you using?
Sometimes it's not the amp.
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Hello Tarzan,
The virtue forum is close to dead so not many people reading it let alone coming up with ideas.
Eric is right. I also replaced the connectors for the loudspeaker wire on the circuitboard side.. I think i did mention it in one of my modication post a long time ago.
If i am right i wrote that comparing the loudspeakercable connections on the print and the chassis side one would wonder why not spend some extra cash on the one inside. BUT of course they cannot be seen.
Good luck suggestions will start pouring in soon, Edward
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Well, you did ask. I always thought that the banana clips or speaker posts were a draw to degrade the sound. Get rid of em!
If one went with single driver speakers, you don't need a crossover and can directly wire (high end) wire to the driver itself. Have you ever wondered what your amp would sound like if you just had wire coming directly (soldered) to the drive itself all the way back to possibly be even soldered to the amp board?
All those connections (extra wire) to the crossover (if you have cheap components on a xover board ouch!) If you have cheap wire in the speaker cabinet (double ouch) ... Creating a path of least resistance to the speakers (IMO) will improve the sound! How much? Depends...
Next would be what type of DAC are you using?
Sometimes it's not the amp.
Eric, thanks for replying, l know what you mean, my M451 sounds amazing- and could survive multiple upgrades in source components and speakers, just yesterday l hit upon an upgrade by accident which l am playing about with at the moment............ :D
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Hey guys-
After hearing the difference between the stock coupling Virtucap and Mundorf Supreme, then finally Mundorf Supreme Silver Oils, I would put (most of) my money in the best caps I could afford. I'm sure the newest designed caps are well ahead of even the Silver Oils, but what I experienced was well beyond what a normal component upgrade would do. Depending on price/size/voicing, I would consider Duelund (scary size and pricing, but they have new smaller ones), Audio Note Copper Oils (Silver Oils would cost way, way more than the Sensation itself), V-Cap, and high end Jensen PIOs (I know several guys that love them much more than my Mundorfs).
Of course, good power supply and clean lines are essential, or battery power for quiet background and serious punch that's really cost- effective- that Virtue battery is almost a giveaway at that price.
James
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Thanks for the reply James, think you may well be correct bigger and better caps- however l am well impressed with the ClarityCaps, will look into the Mundorfs. :thumb:
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Hey Tarzan,
Did you say you do or don't have the Dodd buffer? If you don't, in my opinion, that was the single most impactful upgrade I made on my Sensation. Amazing little box!
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No, do not have the tube buffer........
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Rolling some tubes this past week :o HUGE differences, some not as subtle as you'd think BUT a very subjective game to play. The tube-buffer IMO is an interesting distraction from the 'measurable' goal of improving the system as a whole and they give a very personalised signature to the path and ultimately the sound….love listening to my Sensation with it on but demo with it off :roll:
You've got Batteries and Caps, its time to dig deep under the surface and remove connections, go direct, thats if everything else in your system chain is equally as good as your Sensation already is :)
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Hi Danny how you doing?
When you say go direct could you expand a little? :D
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All signal paths directly connected to the recipient parts of the amplifier, no termination to connectors....I've heard only one system before and after like this, unveils a light curtain from the performance, theoretically couldn't be bettered in terms of path purity.
Sure does make any further changes pretty taxing, as I like chasing the dragon I fear I'll not get to this level BUT you posed the question :wink:
I'm currently enjoying my M901 with a Mullard valve receiving a lavish signal from an SMSL DSD DAC and a 2014 SSD Mac Mini running the latest JRiver, no need to connect direct, very little noise up here in my tree-house 8)
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Oh no...Here we go :?
Danny: What are you thoughts on DSD? I could buy a Schiit Loki for $149. But DSD source material is limited/expensive. Is it worth it?
Scott
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I have the M-901 with the Clarity caps and Dodd buffer. The single greatest upgrade was by far running it on batteries though. I didn't find all that much difference with the buffer - but my particular amp had quite a problem with it when adjusting the volume with the remote control. I'd get a loud rustling sound that was quite annoying. Others had this same problem also. Thankfully a small toggle was installed with it and I've just shut the thing off.
Other than that this amp just works so incredibly well in my system.
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Those pots that Gary used are very high quality, but they do make a noise when using the remote. His buffers get amazing detail, and the pot is part of the whole. It used to bother me a bit, but it's only for a second or two while you adjust the volume.
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When I had my decked out M901, I found that simply turning the volume control back and forth a few times cleared much of the rustling sound at least temporarily (ie until I turned my system off, then came back to it the next day).
I think the buffer was just sensitive to picking up mechanical noise from the volume pot.
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Sure, the rustling is a known "feature" of this amp. Imagine birds flitting by every time you change volume. :thumb: But it doesn't damage anything, it's just there.
I'm frankly surprised that a few of the posters don't find the buffer to be more impactful. To my ear, the buffer raised this amp from a good T-amp to an audiophile component. The battery was also part and parcel to that leap. But if I clicked off the buffer, even with the battery (and the Clarity caps and the bypass), the amp just seemed to lose it's life force and became a hi-fi. Just my opinion.
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Gary used a very unique grounding scheme in the buffer which caused the issue. Had he used a resistor instead of a super high impedance inductor, there would be no issue. It is what it is and most people found it livable if strange.
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Oh no...Here we go :?
Danny: What are you thoughts on DSD? I could buy a Schiit Loki for $149. But DSD source material is limited/expensive. Is it worth it?
Scott
DSD is great, as long as you've got the speakers to exploit it (the assumption is the 901 is also very capable). The SMSL is peanuts in the scheme of most systems, a real bargain for the ES9018 if you know what your goal is. I demo our speakers a lot and the Mac Mini with SSD to the DAC (which JRiver has a plugin for) is a very good way to show not only the difference in musical pieces but their path (DSD either streaming online or stored) and their sample rate (the SMSL switches automatically).
Today at a show in Melton Mowbray, UK, a room had an A,B,C demo of DSD, PCM and CD (AIFF), it was fascinating and people could mostly hear an audible difference, if only the system was more capable the upper reaches of the DSD files would've made the experience less 'hearing test' and more 'obvious enlightenment'.
If I could mention the vol pot. As I say I do many demos, I have no issues, I got into the habit of going thru the switch on routine and before tapping the face switch I twiddle that lovely billet volume knob - it's like petting a faithful friend, no autum leaf rustle for me :wink:...please try it.
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:duh:Hello guys, l have opened my M451 ClarityCap 3.3 big muthas) and realised that there Virtue Caps (are these the bypass caps?) underneath the CC's, there is a bit of room in there, could l upgrade the Virtue Caps to ClarityCap, if so what value CC would l require, thanks for any help. :thumb:
Loving The Sensation with Impulse H6 ( baby horns.) :bowdown: