[anthony a.]

thanks mjosef, the plug is not polarized so i guess its safe to wire it up any way.  same goes for the barrel connector.

[anthony a.]

here are some update pics of the amp felixes built and finished.  basically i plug the unit directly into my amp iec, and then my power cord into the felix.  its very simple and no need to cut my expensive power cords or add a receptacle. 


here is an internal shot.  someone critique my soldering job please -- any joint problems spotted??




and here is a pic of them side by side all finished up.

[mjosef]

Looks good, nice case. I would be a little worried with all that naked wire so close to a metal surface. The solid copper rails are probably stiff enough to not flex, but I would still err on the side of safety and place some insulating tape along the case surface near to those exposed areas or above/below the CMC windings.

Good job.

[anthony a.]

good idea.  i thought of that as well but the wire is so stiff i can't ever see it moving... although maybe i should be on the precaution side and apply something to the case.  do you think it would be fine if i covered the inside of the enclosure using dynamat?  its self stick on one end and its like a rubber compound (thin like paper).

[mjosef]

Dynamat would work, sounds like overkill, but maybe not so with audiophiles? 
Much cheaper would be strips of insulating tape(splicing tape which is like a thick rubber tape), but if you already have the dynamat, sure.
Always worth the effort to eliminate even the smallest likelihood of risk with electrical work. Like what if the box fell from your hands to the floor and a solder joint breaks. Or someone accidentally steps on the box...
And I don't see a fuse, any shorting will result in some part burning before opening, or mains breaker tripping. Sorry, just a possible picture of the worst case scenario.

Solder joints look ok from what I can see, have seen worse. 

[anthony a.]

done and done.  hopefully it will stick for some time to the metal.  also, do you think vent holes are needed for this or should i be fine?

[mjosef]

I don't think you would need to vent the case, I have never noticed any heat built up with my Felixs.
Lets see if anyone else has an opinion on this.

[JoshK]

I don't think you would need to vent the case, I have never noticed any heat built up with my Felixs.
Lets see if anyone else has an opinion on this.

I'd agree.  I put my felix in enclosed spaces and haven't noticed any heat.  The only piece that could generate any heat would be the CMC, but its DCR is very low so it isn't dissipating much heat.

[kyrill]

looks fine Anthony, functional as it should be.

Now i have to try the 120 too..as you could hear some slight compression
I dont actually understand how 0.032 ohm resistance can do that as the cables in the wall and power chord all adds up much more than that.
Maybe it is the inductance itself that dampens a bit the rise time of the needed surge?

[anthony a.]

no idea, i did quite a few blind test and every time i knew which one the 8118 was.  it was slight, but noticeable to me.  try out the 8120, it may work out for you better.  for my preamp, i tried both the 8118 and 8120 and found no difference.  it only draws 50 watts sp maybe thats why, whereas the amps are power hungry.

[kyrill]

how much power are yr amps? Have you tried higher mH coils for the preamp? I use the Coilcraft P3717-A - 25mH 3A - for my preamp and did notice wonderful dynamics, i shall try today to compare it with the 8118 on the preamp. my preamp has a total of 60 watts max

I wonder if AC voltage plays a role in this domain of dynamics
I live in 230V country so the current amps and pre amps need, are half of the US. Maybe that is the reason  i find the 8118 with natural dynamics?

[anthony a.]

that could be possible as well.  i have tried both the 3717 and 4007 coilcrafts on my pc switching power supply both for ac input and dc output.  both sounded okay and provided a blacker background although they did take away a bit of dynamics from the system.  this is while having the felixes on both amps and with or without it on preamp.  my next attempt is to try out the 8118 miller on the ac input and dc output of my pc ps.  ac input is only 1.5a and dc output is 3.5a, but i think it will be interesting to see how it sounds.   

[rdsu]

kyrill,

Did you tried the 8120 against your 8118 on your amp? What was the results?

My country also use the 240V, and my amplifier/dac have 100k Ohm for input impedance.

Thanks

[kyrill]

Hi Rui
I found only today your PM referring to this post . My excuses

I cannot tell You have to find out for yourself as it is really depending on the makeup of the power section of your amp. The more uF in electrolytic caps the more they act as a battery for extra power when the amp needs it, in that case no immediate demand will be through the Felix. It also depends on the kind of music you play and how loud. Sudden explosions of dynamics who wants immediate extra power, will ask for as less internal resistance (i.r.) of the pws and in the end the i.r. of the coils of the felix. However the more you want felix to clean the AC, the more the coils will have a higher R. and the more it will dampen slightly  those sudden dynamic shifts when the internal electrolytics are "empty". In the end I choose a golden ; midway.
I live in the city with very dirty AC so I sacrificed the tiniest bits of dynamics for a more pure clean sound. You have to buy both the coils and try them out by ear. Good luck

[rdsu]

Hi kyrill,

Thanks for your help.

I will try 8118 and 8119 or 8120, but I think I will go for 8119 instead of 8120.