This is a really cool thing to come about, as not only does it keep old tech from needlessly going to the landfill (for those who are passionate about stewardship of the environment) but now Digital Amp Co. has an upgrade path to support customers all the way back to the beginning. Offering generous trade-in and trade-up offers is commendable, but I think it means something to folks that buy in to the idea of getting something built to last to be able to build on what they've already got rather than just replace and keep buying new. Maybe I'm just showing my age (or maybe my dad's age
) but all in all I think this is pretty neat!
(...not to mention breathing new life in to a chassis design with a power button where nature intended it!)
Some questions about this upgrade based on the pictures shown:
It may be just cosmetic, but could some of the multicolored LEDs be swapped out to have them all a consistent color on the front face plate, to bring the look a little closer to the modern aesthetic?
I noticed a few open spots for capacitors on the boards. Would doing the rail capacitance upgrade like on an all-in new MEGA Mk2 bring anything to the table when paired with the power supply already in the DAC4800A, or is this upgrade only really worthwhile if one also has the 1500W transformer in the top shelf version of the MEGA Mk2? I'm thinking if there is some advantage there, it might be a worthwhile incremental upgrade to get the MEGA Mk2 board maxed out, and then someone could save up a bit of money down the line to later upgrade the power supply (or not).
I remember a brief conversation in the GR-Research circle discussing Danny's tube connectors. Is there room in the chassis to use these instead of a traditional binding post if someone wanted to go that route? I'm guessing also then that if someone wanted to go spec-for-spec to the full MEGA Mk2 in one of these chassis, the standard upgraded DAC recommended binding posts and XLR connectors could also be used?
Thanks!
Jon
Jon,
Some comments on your post....
"Digital Amp Co. has an upgrade path to support customers all the way back to the beginning." --
yes, the DAC4800A goes back more than 12 years!
"....power button where nature intended it!" -- the MEGA has auto-sleep, so you can leave it on all the time. The DAC4800A button on the front toggles
standby mode, equivalent to sleep mode (amps are powered, but outputs are electrically disabled).
"....could some of the multicolored LEDs be swapped out to have them all a consistent color on the front face plate" --
yes, but upgrades will use the existing front LED board unless customized.
"Would doing the rail capacitance upgrade like on an all-in new MEGA Mk2 bring anything to the table when paired with the power supply already in the DAC4800A" --
yes, there's a measurable advantage to more rail caps, and we can add them in this case just as with any Cherry MEGA.
"....or is this upgrade only really worthwhile if one also has the 1500W transformer" -- I'd rather have more caps than the bigger transformer, given the choice. Transformer upgrades can also fit into the DAC4800A chassis.
"....someone could save up a bit of money down the line to later upgrade the power supply (or not)." --
yes, upgrades to the power supply can also be provided later.
"....Is there room in the chassis to use these instead of a traditional binding post if someone wanted to go that route?" -- I'll send a message to Danny asking him to comment. Not sure of the mechanicals for his binding post replacements. We discussed these post replacements at length, months ago. He didn't have a contact resistance measurement back then, and unless there's less than a few mΩ end-to-end with this connection, it won't outperform the binding posts used on the MEGA (soldered Gold WBTs).
Upgrading the binding posts on newer DAC4800As is possible. Upgrading the XLR connectors to those used on new MEGAs (Neutrik gold plated) is also possible.
Thanks!
-Tommy O