[cipriano]

I recently purchased a Spark for my main system and I am enjoying it so far. Probably still in the break-in stage (less than 20 hours). Has anyone upgraded their stock fuse in their Spark? I'm just curious if there are any subtle gains to be had by rolling in an "audiophile" fuse or something like that? 

[Wind Chaser]

Can’t speak for the Spark, but as for fuses making any kind of an appreciable audible difference, I once scoffed at the idea but now I know better. 

How do you like the Spark so far?

[cipriano]

I like it. So far so good. I am comparing it to stiff competition - An Allo Volt+D from India. I will know more after I live with it for a week.

[Audiovista]

Hi there!

It’s great to hear that you like the Spark! Mundorfs take some time to break-in, but changes are very, very subtle: if the unit (and this is my general rule when designing) does not sound good right out of the box, no amount of break-in will make it exceptional... burn-in can make mediocre product tolerable at best.

As for fuses - they are safety-critical parts, and I do not recommend changing them. The “HiFi fuses” that I have seen do not come with adequate data sheets to determine their suitability for circuit protection. All fuses operate on simple principles and I am not confident that different part with the same rating, I2t figure and time characteristic will sound different.

This is not to say that there are no opportunities for sensible and audible Spark upgrades... probably topic for a separate thread 

Boris

[cipriano]

Thanks for the insight Boris. I will not try and upgrade the fuse. Listening to Brian Eno's Ambient 1: Music For Airports on my Spark as I type!

[Audiovista]

 

[cipriano]

Just out of curiosity, have you heard of any Spark owners upgrading the 2 Mundorf caps? What would the values be, if so? Thanks!

[Audiovista]

Sorry for delay in replying... 1uF caps will be adequate.

As far as I know, a customer in Germany upgraded input caps (after warranty expired) and one in Hong Kong went through more extensive modifications even though he was aware that it voids warranty - a risky proposition, but he had it done by a local expert.

Best,
Boris

[cipriano]

Any thoughts on Vdc value. Do I need to stick with 250V or can I go higher? I can't go lower, is that correct?

If I can go 1.0 Uf with greater than 250V that opens up a whole world of possibilities. Although I know size is important (can't go with crazy large Duelunds 

I probably won't rush into anything, just gathering ideas. The factory Mundorfs are certainly no slouches!

[Audiovista]

Technically, anything rated above 50V will work. Higher voltage film capacitors will generally have lower loss and distortion, when used judiciously. 250-400V are my favorites, and I avoid going above 630V, unless required by a specific circuit.

I agree with not rushing to upgrade... one should live with a new unit for several months before upgrading: that improves chances of being objective about post-upgrade improvements. 

[cipriano]

Like many audiophools I'm an impatient person.    I took my Spark to my local tech for a capacitor swap. He knows his stuff so I trust him. I wanted to go with Mundorf Supreme Silver & Oil, but their dimensions were just too big. So plan B was a pair of AudioCap Theta's. I got the Spark back yesterday and I have several hours of music through it so far. Sounds fantastic! Everything is more wide open, lively. $50 for the tech and $28 for the Theta's, so $78 for the upgrade. Definitely worth it according to my ears.

[Wind Chaser]

cipriano,

You got a private message. 

[Audiovista]

Nice, looks like a clean job!

[Jays_Music]

Hey guys first time posting, but a longtime lurker.  Cipriano I se that you have both the Allo Volt +D ans the Vista Spark.  I currently have the Allo but I'm looking in the spark, how would you compare the two, I'm very interested in your response.

[Oceanfront59]

Cipriano

You have a private message

[cipriano]

Hey guys first time posting, but a longtime lurker.  Cipriano I se that you have both the Allo Volt +D ans the Vista Spark.  I currently have the Allo but I'm looking in the spark, how would you compare the two, I'm very interested in your response.

Sorry, I'm late to answer, didn't see your post until now. I am going to quote my pm I just sent to Oceanfront59 ( I hope you don't mind Oceanfront59) 

I have listened to the following amps:

Onkyo Stereo Receiver (can't remember the model #)
Schiit Vidar
Emotiva A-300
Allo Volt+D
Fleawatt custom job
Nord NC-500 (hypex modules)
Decware SE84UFO
Vista Spark
Breeze Audio TPA3116

Of these amps, my two favorites have been the Spark and the Allo Volt+D.

Originally, I thought the Volt+D was a bit better, but the Spark just keeps getting better and better after two months of use. The Volt+D is exquisite in the mids. The spark is also top-notch in the mids (maybe not quite as great as the Volt+D) but adds more energy in the lower octaves and has the extra input. You can't go wrong either way.