Just looked at mgalusha's Amp and found:
Odyssey Stratos xtreme monoblocks w/BG coupling caps and IXYS HexFred bridges
"w/BG coupling caps and IXYS Hexfred bridges?"
What the hell are those things?
Are they part of the Extreme upgrade or is it an additional mod?
Jeff,
They are mods that I did once my extremes were well broken in and are not part of the extreme upgrade. I replaced the standard bridge rectifiers with IXYS brand Hexfred bridge rectifers. Hexfreds diodes generally are quieter and generate less switching noise than a standard diode.
The BG coupling caps refers to the replacement of the input coupling caps with Black Gate NX series caps. I actually replaced all the non-polarized caps in each amp with the BG's. Probably not strictly necessary but at the time I wasn't 100% certain the second pair weren't part of the input circuit.
I am very satisfied with the results and find the amps to be even quieter than before, and they are already very queit. IMO the overall sound is better in nearly every respect. Tighter bass, a seemingly more extended top end and great spatial qualities.
I think Klaus will do addtional mods above and beyond the standard extreme upgrade but I don't know the cost or even for sure that he will do them. Note the cost of 10 Black Gate caps and the rectifiers is not trivial. If I remember correctly the parts cost was nearly $300 but I'd have to look it up to be sure. The BG caps are very pricey.
Mike
