I finally got around to putting my system back together so i can give the new V-Cap crossovers a proper evaluation against my original Miflex-based crossovers.
I put about 700 hours on the V-Cap ODAM crossovers and they were quite dramatic in their changes during that burn-in process, especially before ~400Hrs. Sometimes sounding really nice, other times quite hard/edgy. Most of it was done using my Sprout 100 to save my tube preamp which was also out of commission at the time.
By 500+ hrs, that sharp edge was largely gone, and the recommended burn-in time is between 400-500 according to others on the forum, and my experience would definitely recommend that time frame as well, but your milage may vary.
Gear:Source: Surface Pro 3
DAC: Denafrips Ares II
Pre: Tsakiridis Alexander tube preamp
Amp: Battery powered GR-Research GK10 amp.
Cables: all are GR cables except for the PI audio USB cable.
No subs.
For the first 3 tracks, I started with the Miflex setup.
Warm & lush tonally, with a very fluid and inviting sound, solid imaging with a really wide soundstage, making it easy to get lost in the music instead of evaluating them like im supposed to.
Everything I remember them being.
Then I switched over to the V-Cap ODAM network for the same 3 tracks.
Precision, separation and clarity abound, everything has its place, and is solidly locked into place. (Something I noticed on the Spatial X4 as well) It's really easy to pick out a lot fine, mynute details and layering that get could easily get smoothed over.
The depth & precision of of the soundstage is what impresses me most, however it's not nearly as wide as it is deep. Tonally, it's more neutral to cool, with bass & mid-bass isnt nearly as full as the Miflex, but I wouldn't call it sterile. You are able to see deep into the soundstage and into the music itself that isn't matched by anything else I've heard before.
The next 3 tracks with both crossovers proved to be more of the above.
They both have a lot to love about them, but are tonally very different. When I originally picked put the components for my Studios, I nailed the smooth tone i wanted, and i haven't been the slight bit disappointed since I finished them about a year ago now.
I'm really impressed with everything the V-Cap ODAMs bring to the table, their precision and clarity is unmatched over anything I've heard before. The depth and layering of the soundstage is also incredible. My only real complaints are that it's a little lacking in body down low, and the soundstage isn't as wide, and that i tend to get lost in the details hiddem within the music rather than the music itself.
Another thing I noticed that was when running these a few days ago on my Sprout 100, they can be a little edgy/hard, but with my current setup that's not an issue, but I can see this may not play as nice with some systems.
And because of that, I would like to have been able to compare how they would sound with the JDM pure copper bypasses vs the JDM pure silver bypass caps I have on there currently to see if I could soften that edge just a little.
Conclusion:All that said they are excellent, and the V-Caps are well worth upgrading to, especially if you already love what the stock Studios are doing, as they essentially turn them up to 11 in just about every category. And if you're worried about the edge being a little too much in your system, stick to copper bypass caps (Miflex or Duelund) over the pure silver variety
While the Miflex caps are still my preference for their tone and lushness, they are much more difficult to recommend due to their massive size and higher cost over the V-Caps. They will never fit inside the cabinet. But if you want a warm, enveloping & rich tone, I can't think of a better way to go, even if they aren't technically as clean/precise as the V-Caps.
Cheers!
