GK1 Platinum and BEYOND.......

DSK · « **Reply #80 on:** 17 Nov 2007, 05:09 am »

Quote from: denjo on 17 Nov 2007, 03:55 am

DSK
Awesome! Your GK-1 Platinum looks like a knight in shiny armour! How thick is your stainless steel plate?

Best Regards
Dennis

Thanks Dennis. It is 2mm thick stainless steel with 5mm thick front panel. All laser cut, including all the holes. Looks great when given a good wipe over with Acetone but does show fingerprints etc quite badly.

Seano · « **Reply #81 on:** 18 Nov 2007, 09:12 pm »

Finger marking is easy enough to fix.....but it means pulling apart your case. Take the parts to a powdercoater and ask for a clear coat. Be unlucky to cost more than $50. A slightly more expensive alternative is to take the case parts to a spray shop and get a clear baked enamel coat over it....

Tliner · « **Reply #82 on:** 18 Nov 2007, 11:50 pm »

Hi DSK,
An easy way to protect stainless steel from the grubby paw marks.

I have found that Wattyl pressure pack Incralac clear lacquer makes a good job of protecting most metals. I have used Incralac on stainless and brass boat fittings. It has lasted two to three seasons in the elements. However, if the coating is scratched, really scratched through to the metal allowing water to ingress between the coating and stainless steel fitting, the coating peels off over time.
I have coated stainless exterior car trim with success. It has lasted five to six years and still looks good.

Coatings in general don't like to stick to stainless steel unless a specific primer or undercoat is used. Since the face plate on your amp is used in a light duty environment I think that the Incralac should last for years provided you prepare the face plate correctly. All coatings are usually affected by fingerprints and natural body oil. It is the acid in the finger print/oil that attacks coatings or inhibits the coating from bonding.

Remove the face plate and clean it thoroughly with acetone, rubbing in a circular motion to make sure that there are no blemishes or rainbow smears. And then rinse liberally with acetone and dry off with a soft clean soft cloth wiping on one direction only if the plate is highly polished.
Try spraying the Incealac on the back side of the plate for practice. It covers very well.
Three of four coats an hour or so apart (read the instructions) will see the job done quickly. If you are a good sprayer with a pressure pack you can heat the pate to about 40 to 50c allowing you to apply four coats in about fifteen minutes.

The Increlac costs about $18 per can from memory and is available from most paint shops, particularly Wattyl shops.

Good luck,

Laurie

AKSA · « **Reply #83 on:** 19 Nov 2007, 02:13 am »

Laurie,

Many thanks for this invaluable advice!! The voice of experience....

Folks,

TLiner is the man behind the design of the VSonics. I commissioned the design almost a year ago now, we are just now obtaining the final bits and pieces, all the documentation is done, and when the first kits go out I'm confident people will realise the man is a genius!!

Cheers,

Hugh

DSK · « **Reply #84 on:** 19 Nov 2007, 07:09 am »

Sean and Laurie, thanks very much for the tips. I might have a go at this next time I'm opening up the GK-1 for some reason. Cheers!

jules · « **Reply #85 on:** 19 Nov 2007, 07:28 am »

Looks good Darren and not at all streaky

Maybe you could just give the case a mild electrical charge to keep fingers away after you've polished it

jules

Seano · « **Reply #86 on:** 19 Nov 2007, 09:33 pm »

Quote

Maybe you could just give the case a mild electrical charge to keep fingers away after you've polished it

....this'd be no fun if it doesn't leave burn marks

AKSA · « **Reply #87 on:** 19 Nov 2007, 10:36 pm »

Seano,

It is nice to have you in the forum...... seldom does one see a man's head more elegantly located.

If Darren electrified his GK1, he would spend his evenings looking like young Einstein.

Sean, forgive my crass comments about Rovers - I grew up in a house with many Japanese curios and was raised on Rovers and Land Cruisers, I just love that 4 litre V8 Lexus motor, it's a corker.

Hugh

kyrill · « **Reply #88 on:** 19 Nov 2007, 11:06 pm »

boys and toys,,
when do we grow up?

Where are the serious grown up men?
why can't i find them in heaven?

AKSA · « **Reply #89 on:** 20 Nov 2007, 02:17 am »

Kyrill,

Boys never grow up! They always love gadgets and things which whirr and spin...... and things which are very powerful.

Do you see a primordial link?

Hugh

kyrill · « **Reply #90 on:** 20 Nov 2007, 10:00 am »

primordial link?

with things who are soft and smell like dark wood and places of comfort..
yeah i can see the primordial link

but roaring V8's and perfection in searching is my heavenly link

Seano · « **Reply #91 on:** 20 Nov 2007, 09:38 pm »

Quote from: AKSA on 19 Nov 2007, 10:36 pm

If Darren electrified his GK1, he would spend his evenings looking like young Einstein.

Sean, forgive my crass comments about Rovers - I grew up in a house with many Japanese curios and was raised on Rovers and Land Cruisers, I just love that 4 litre V8 Lexus motor, it's a corker.

And his children (if they exist) would smell like burnt toast...

There is no such thing as a crass comment about the various breeds of Rover, Land Rover in particular. To be honest, I am not wedded to the Rover V8 as a motivator......perhaps a Toyota motor might be the go!!

AKSA · « **Reply #92 on:** 20 Nov 2007, 10:08 pm »

OT, forgive me folks!!

Sean, the Lexus V8 has just over 205 lb.ft of torque at 1000rpm, this is 84% of the max torque at 4,500rpm; an extraordinary figure given it's a modern emissions motor. I remember a 3.9l FJ135 Landcruiser only had 217 ft.lb maximum at 2000 rpm back in the sixties - with a much longer stroke, too. The latest 5.7l V8 fitted to the Tundra built in the States is 401 ft.lbs max, but again, more than 320 ft.lbs at 1000 rpm. This all means very tall gearing is possible with low fuel consumption. All the swaps of the 4l into the Cressida I've seen actually return better economy in the city than the six - it is perhaps a shame all this has come so late in the game, when the very availability of gasoline is threatened by global warming and depleting supply. I don't see fuel cells, batteries or nuclear power sources stepping up to the plate to take the place of gasoline engines, and this could have draconian consequences in the next thirty years.

You will be alive then, let me know how it goes, huh?

Cheers,

Hugh

stvnharr · « **Reply #93 on:** 21 Nov 2007, 03:55 am »

Getting back on track here, afterall, the title is GK-1 Platinum, not Toyota engines..........

There are now more options for those wishing to make a Platinum upgrade to their GK-1's. When I installed the Sonic Platinums the only choices were VH Audio TFTF and Sonic Platinum. Well, there are more choices now:

Teflon Film/Foil:

Reliable
V-Cap
Solen
Penta-cap
ModWright
Audience

Teflon Hybrids:

Sonic Platinum
Cardas Golden

Given the above list, perhaps the Platinums are a little more cost friendly as they are hybrids. I have no idea if a teflon film/tin foil cap is better. These, from any of the above, do cost a fair bit more than the Platinums. One can mitigate the cost by using a .47uf cap on the input, and only doing just that one. The input cap does seem to have the greatest effect as everything is downstream from it. If one is not worried about the bass cutoff, then a .33uf cap could be used. I know Hugh has done that.
The Audience caps are the newest on the block, as I just learned of them a week ago. They also come in a 200v size. Nonetheless, they are very costly. However, a very small Audience teflon could likely bypass the stock Auricap with some effect.

For those with unmodified Gk-1's and/or those still undecided, more choices don't really make it any easier. But, which ever cap you go with, they're worth it!

Seano · « **Reply #94 on:** 21 Nov 2007, 09:13 pm »

Given that I'll be doing the Platinum upgrade to my unmodded GK-1 before I do anything with the Range Rover........this is a timely and damn useful return to topic. So much choice!!!

Hugh, could you distract yourself from Cressida's for a moment to create a summary Platinum sticky??

kyrill · « **Reply #95 on:** 23 Nov 2007, 10:29 pm »

Seano it speaks for itself
but if you put an expensive cap (100 US $ 1uF Platinum) on C1 of the GK-1
remove the probably much less transparent and musical output cap of your source ( if there is one)
the difference is not subtle if you replace that output cap with a wire.

Is there a relay at the output of the source probably the output cap is before the relay. In that case
reverse the situation
make that prior-to-the-relay output cap a Sonic Platinum and a wire bridge for the C1 of the Gk-1 other wise dc glips thru the input caps of the GK-1 as relay clicks
repeat this process for the GK-1 out and amp in: wire bridge at power amp input cap and a good film cap for the GK1 at C21

stvnharr · « **Reply #96 on:** 27 Jan 2008, 06:45 am »

Time for a Platinum update:
I've now been able to combine my Platinum LifeForce 55 with my GK-1 Platinum preamp. This is definitely the way to go!!! The tubed output stage of the GK-1 really compliments the LF amp in a wonderful way. After months and months of living and listening to the LF straight from the source player, I have to say that it's all much better run thru the GK-1.
I've also left all the Platinum caps in, although having an input Platinum on the amp is a bit redundant since there is a Mundorf silver/oil on the preamp output. I just can't be bothered to shuffle all the caps around and take the Mundorf's out. I just don't think anything much would noticeably change.

There still are not many preamps in the marketplace using premium teflon caps as in this application on the GK-1. And the ones that are out there, cost a whole lot more. I think a Platinum configured GK-1 is one of audio's biggest performance bargains out there. Everyone should have one!

LM · « **Reply #97 on:** 27 Jan 2008, 11:50 am »

Couldn't agree more. I was happy with the original GK1 but whilst I couldn't quite put my finger on it, I felt there was something not quite perfect that could be improved. No such thoughts after the Platinum upgrade. I now feel its become the true soul of my system and quite indispensable.

whubbard · « **Reply #98 on:** 10 Mar 2008, 09:35 pm »

Hi all.

Here are the upgrades I'm thinking of doing to my GK-1m.
It will be used with orions, so I'm trying to make it possible for the GK-1m to go down to 5hz.
C1 - Sonic Cap Platinum 2.2uF
C2 - 33uF BlackGate N/NX
C4 - 68uF BlackGate N/NX
C19 - Sonic Cap Platinum .01uF
C21 - Sonic Cap Platinum 1uF

what do you all think?

stvnharr · « **Reply #99 on:** 10 Mar 2008, 10:50 pm »

Quote from: whubbard on 10 Mar 2008, 09:35 pm

Hi all.

Here are the upgrades I'm thinking of doing to my GK-1m.
It will be used with orions, so I'm trying to make it possible for the GK-1m to go down to 5hz.
C1 - Sonic Cap Platinum 2.2uF
C2 - 33uF BlackGate N/NX
C4 - 68uF BlackGate N/NX
C19 - Sonic Cap Platinum .01uF
C21 - Sonic Cap Platinum 1uF

what do you all think?

HI,
The largest Platinum cap is 1.0uf, so go with that, or .47uf, for C1.
C2 and C4 make no difference.
C19 is a no brainer with the .01uf Platinum
C21, a good cost effective option here is to get the new Auricap Teflon cap, Auri-T, in a .01uf value and bypass the stock Auricap. This also keeps things on the board rather than off board mounting and long leads. I may do this one myself, if I ever feel like working on the Gk-1 some day.

Steve