is bigger always better ?

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wsturner

Re: is bigger always better ?
« Reply #40 on: 1 Aug 2011, 07:20 pm »
Even though I run my amp fullrange also Jason managed to keep the bypass caps in. If you look really close you can just see the edge of one peeking out from under the mr caps.

I think that most people do the cap upgrade without taking the circuit board out. Which means that you are soldering to the wrong side of the board. But it still works fine. And it's a lot less work than removing the board.

Scott

oskar

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Re: is bigger always better ?
« Reply #41 on: 1 Aug 2011, 09:19 pm »
Thanks for that Scott. It took me over a year to get my 901 on batteries because I was a little skeptical about the improvement over the big PS. All I can say now is 'wow'. Across the board everything is mo better. What is most striking is the increase in dynamic range. Quiet passages are quieter but when things kick in look out! The tube buffer wasn't an option when I bought and I never sent it in. DIY'ing the buffer seemed too ambitious. So now I'm wondering if I can do the caps. geared4me gives a pretty positive review so I look forward to others posting their impressions.

Rclark

Re: is bigger always better ?
« Reply #42 on: 1 Aug 2011, 10:42 pm »
Ok, I just sent payment to have these same ClarityCap MR's installed into my Two.2. Should be interesting!

wsturner

Re: is bigger always better ?
« Reply #43 on: 1 Aug 2011, 11:29 pm »
Ok, I just sent payment to have these same ClarityCap MR's installed into my Two.2. Should be interesting!

Whoever can fit those caps into a Two.2 deserves every penny!

Is that really possible? I want to see pics  :)

oskar

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Re: is bigger always better ?
« Reply #44 on: 2 Aug 2011, 02:35 am »
Ditto. As has been said 'pics or it didn't happen.'

Jason T

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Re: is bigger always better ?
« Reply #45 on: 2 Aug 2011, 05:37 am »
Whoever can fit those caps into a Two.2 deserves every penny!

Is that really possible? I want to see pics  :)

Rclark is getting the highpass caps only (clarity Mr. 1uf caps) the 3.3uf caps I used in Duane's sensation will not fit (not even close)
I'm hoping to be able to leave his full range caps entact but if I can't he'll be getting them back with his amp in a baggy :-)

To make this perfectly clear for everyone.
The one.2 and two.2 will NOT accapt the larger clarity caps they are just to big, sorry but if your using the highpass circuit I can't install the smaller. 1 clarity MR caps in your one or two.
I can't even fit both sets into the sensation it just won't happen.

Rclark

!
« Reply #46 on: 18 Aug 2011, 04:51 am »
My amp is back from Jason and I am tentatively cautious, it's playing right now.

The installation of the ClarityCaps into the TWO required bypassing the volume and completely removing the Auracaps. It is now strictly a power amp with 80hz cutoff.

 So far, just a few minutes in (and yes, these ClarityCapMR's require 200hours, I know), it's a bit harsh, but I can tell there is massive potential here and it is already far superior to the VirtueCaps that were in there.... Definitely a different character.. Very... CLEAR. I'll have more impressions later. So far, I'm just happy that my amp is working, but it's a neat treat, burning in some nice caps.

  :thumb:

 Woooooow! I'm impressed! I can't wait to see where these go! This has definitely taken the amp to a new level of performance. Thanks Jason.

 Despite being a rather prickly customer (me), Jason was able to suggest me away from the de-riguer Sonicap+platinum bypass option and try these instead (for pretty much the same price). These are so good they apparently require no bypass.

 Anyway, more listening. I'll be back in a few days with more thourough impressions.

virtue

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Re: is bigger always better ?
« Reply #47 on: 18 Aug 2011, 04:59 am »
You mean tenatively euphoric, right?

Rclark

Re: is bigger always better ?
« Reply #48 on: 18 Aug 2011, 05:01 am »
Cautious because of the channel issue. But looks like the pot was the issue... It's playing fine. full volume on both channels.

 And I took a power sander to my cables today to make sure there would be not even the slightest bit of enamel.


 I'll tell you (still only half an hour into listening) I can hear the background of my CD far more clearly. Listening to a Led Zeppelin remaster and I can hear the hiss of the background of the recording. There is real power and drive as stated, and it's definitely "livelier" and punchier... I'll let that be it for now...


 ... btw they seem to open up, volume wise, fairly fast. I've been steadily turning down my volume since I started.

Rclark

Re: is bigger always better ?
« Reply #49 on: 18 Aug 2011, 06:42 am »
I really hope this thing can drive Maggies because it's like I just got it.

Jason T

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Re: is bigger always better ?
« Reply #50 on: 19 Aug 2011, 12:26 am »
Damn I'm good   :wink:

OzarkTom

Re: !
« Reply #51 on: 19 Aug 2011, 12:40 am »


The installation of the ClarityCaps into the TWO required bypassing the volume and completely removing the Auracaps. It is now strictly a power amp with 80hz cutoff.



You mean I will lose my remote with the upgrade?

Jason T

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Re: !
« Reply #52 on: 19 Aug 2011, 01:06 am »
You mean I will lose my remote with the upgrade?

No no.
The volume pot is still usable but he wanted his bypassed although the upgrade to clarity Mr.1uf caps does require removing all other caps inside the Two.2 for the .1uf clarity caps to fit.

If you own a sensation I can fit the 3.3uf clarity caps but not both they're just to big.
What I've been doing with sensations is leaving the stock bypass caps because they are small enough to fit under the big clarity caps.

geared4me

Re: !
« Reply #53 on: 19 Aug 2011, 03:09 pm »
My amp is back from Jason and I am tentatively cautious, it's playing right now.

The installation of the ClarityCaps into the TWO required bypassing the volume and completely removing the Auracaps. It is now strictly a power amp with 80hz cutoff.

 So far, just a few minutes in (and yes, these ClarityCapMR's require 200hours, I know), it's a bit harsh, but I can tell there is massive potential here and it is already far superior to the VirtueCaps that were in there.... Definitely a different character.. Very... CLEAR. I'll have more impressions later. So far, I'm just happy that my amp is working, but it's a neat treat, burning in some nice caps.

  :thumb:

 Woooooow! I'm impressed! I can't wait to see where these go! This has definitely taken the amp to a new level of performance. Thanks Jason.

 Despite being a rather prickly customer (me), Jason was able to suggest me away from the de-riguer Sonicap+platinum bypass option and try these instead (for pretty much the same price). These are so good they apparently require no bypass.

 Anyway, more listening. I'll be back in a few days with more thourough impressions.

I think you are really going to be impressed as they smooth out. :thumb:

Rclark

Re: is bigger always better ?
« Reply #54 on: 21 Aug 2011, 06:22 am »
I"m going to give it a few more days but so far I'm blown away  :thumb:

geared4me

Re: is bigger always better ?
« Reply #55 on: 21 Aug 2011, 02:21 pm »
I"m going to give it a few more days but so far I'm blown away  :thumb:

What is it that you think needs to improve over the next few days?

Rclark

Re: is bigger always better ?
« Reply #56 on: 21 Aug 2011, 08:33 pm »
I just want to keep listening to it some more

Jason T

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Re: is bigger always better ?
« Reply #57 on: 22 Aug 2011, 05:56 pm »
I just want to keep listening to it some more

When I first installed the clarity Mr caps in my amp I couldn't believe my ears. I wanted to keep listening to see what could possibly get better. I understand where your coming from.
I felt that in the first 50 hours the caps changes drastically and then mildly for the next 100 or so hours (quit keeping track)

Mama Virtue

Re: is bigger always better ?
« Reply #58 on: 22 Aug 2011, 06:40 pm »

Rclark

Re: is bigger always better ?
« Reply #59 on: 23 Aug 2011, 02:48 am »
Ok, so thoughts.

One thing about having a really nice system is that I can listen to genre's of music I never took seriously before, like Jazz, because IMO jazz simply sounds boring on low level mass consumer gear. Even on decent multimedia speakers, which is what I was running before all this, there is simply no comparison to the way the music just opens up and becomes alive on a real-deal audio system. I've been running through a very diverse series of albums to truly get a grip on what changes have occured with the new caps.

 The first revelation was the Rush album "Permanent Waves". Normally I would have just played this album as maybe some background music, something different to listen to. Not this time...

But first a disclaimer. The Two.2 bypassed at 80hz uses VirtueCaps. I loved the sound. I loved them even better (oddly enough) than the full-range Auricaps. But that might have been due to the lesser load of 80hz. I'll never know. Either way, I liked them, and the stock Two.2 is everything anyone has ever said about it, it is a fantastic sounding amp and truly doesn't need any upgrading. Adding the Two.2 had my jaw on the floor from the first minute, even with the stock supply. Point: The Two.2 is a ridiculously good amp worthy of all the praise heaped upon it. They should change the marketing to "Virtue Audio: come get some ear candy", because that's what the amp gives you. I honestly think if I can swing it, a Three has to be my next amp, and when the time comes to swap out my DAC for something better, I'm going to take a good hard look at the Virtue Dac because the Two.2 is just irresistable.

  But.... with these ClarityCaps installed, yes there is improvement. I don't have decades of experience and therefore the full audiophile vocab to draw from (apparently much of that stuff is bull**** anyway), so I'll keep it simple.

 Back to the Rush album. There are lots of stereo effects and high value production stuff that I'd never noticed before, but these new ClarityCaps seems to have not only increased the, yes, clarity, of the amp, but also increased is the spatial nature of the music, and the soundstage front to back is much more obvious than before. Also the seperation of instruments, while fantastic before, is more defined here. I was hearing the music as intended, with very cool stereo effects produced in the music very clear and dancing between and filling the space between the speakers, around them, it was awesome. I didn't notice that before with the original caps. From beginning to end the album was a true audiophile experience. And the same was true of any well recorded album I own.

 I think you just get a much better signal through these caps, and it makes things that were there before, it brings all that to your attention, is the best way I can describe it.

 I would guess (it has been a month) that it sounds a little less "warm" than it did before, but I don't care, I'm more into fidelity than coloration. But in every other area, I count improvement.

 Right now I'm running GR Research-Insignia monitors, and there is a mix of caps in those speakers: Erse bypassed with Sonicap Gen II's. If I weren't moving to Magnepans next I'd probably be interested in rebuilding the crossovers in those with ClarityCaps, simply due to the very nice performance increase realized in the amplifier.

 A worthwhile upgrade.



Are those ClarityCaps or are you just happy to see me? Notice the tiny black VirtueCaps above, those were what was replaced by the boys in blue.