forumuser931182 wrote:Yes that’s all great capacitor information and advice but should I replace the water pump?
No.
forumuser840717 wrote:Arpangel wrote: The only way you could improve that amp is to throw it in the bin, that was a shocker of an amp. It looked good, appealed to the aesthetics of the time, and was hyped in the hi-fi press, sorry to be Mr What Hi-Fi, it’s not good!But it is true, a friend had one of those Amd had to get rid of it after a couple of weeks because it was so bad.
Whereas I still have a 3020 and a 3120 and still rather like them. Actually they're remarkably good for what they cost and, as they're both still working around 40 years after I got them - not even a scratchy pot or switch between them, I have no complaints. Also got a 3020e somewhere that still works fine. Haven't changed any bits in them though; never saw the point as they seem to work nicely as they are.
Arpangel wrote:The only way you could improve that amp is to throw it in the bin...
Arpangel wrote:... if you pair it with unsuitable stuff, it equals disaster, for me anyway.
Hugh Robjohns wrote:we established long ago that Arpangel's views on almost everything are so wide of reality that it's positively entertaining....
knave101 wrote:which is another of my follies as well. Espresso is a true art.....
I have been engaging in "espresso diplomacy" for some time. It seems to have served my military career well.
knave101 wrote:I have not measured the distortion before the mod....and I may be deluded...but it's my delusion, and I'm sticking to it.
Hugh Robjohns wrote:
For the casual passer-by who may be unaware... we established long ago that Arpangel's views on almost everything are so wide of reality that it's positively entertaining....
knave101 wrote: ↑Sat May 22, 2021 10:00 am I have upgraded both the KT EQP-KT (Pultec copy) and the 76-KT.
My upgrades were capacitor upgrades, both film and electrolytic. All of the components were basically cheap.
I upgraded all electrolytics to Audio grade electrolytics, and film caps to Polypropylene or polystyrene. I did not replace the higher voltage electrolytics. I also replaced the tubes on the EQP with vintage.
I did not replace the Midas transformers.
Does it make a difference? In reality, I did the upgrade immediately after purchase. In my opinion, upgrading capacitors to polypropylene or polystyrene is a well known "immediate" upgrade. Such an upgrade withstands the perils of mix down, and clarity that only seems to really be noticeable when competing with other tracks in the mix for 'audio space'....then the reward becomes more apparent.
These caps don't cost a fortune. replacing the lower voltage electrolytics with audio grade Nichicon or Elma is also not to difficult. But audio caps can be double or triple size of their budget equivalents...so space is of concern. One has to measure the space on the board, the pin spacing. The circuit boards on the KT are not so easy to solder/unsolder imo. Both my units work well now and sound great. I think its particularly important upgrade for the EQP....as EQ is usually dramatically improved with capacitor upgrade.
I keep a list of all the caps, spacing, voltages etc....for anyone who is interested.
knave101 wrote: ↑Sat May 22, 2021 10:00 am I have upgraded both the KT EQP-KT (Pultec copy) and the 76-KT.
My upgrades were capacitor upgrades, both film and electrolytic. All of the components were basically cheap.
I upgraded all electrolytics to Audio grade electrolytics, and film caps to Polypropylene or polystyrene. I did not replace the higher voltage electrolytics. I also replaced the tubes on the EQP with vintage.
I did not replace the Midas transformers.
Does it make a difference? In reality, I did the upgrade immediately after purchase. In my opinion, upgrading capacitors to polypropylene or polystyrene is a well known "immediate" upgrade. Such an upgrade withstands the perils of mix down, and clarity that only seems to really be noticeable when competing with other tracks in the mix for 'audio space'....then the reward becomes more apparent.
These caps don't cost a fortune. replacing the lower voltage electrolytics with audio grade Nichicon or Elma is also not to difficult. But audio caps can be double or triple size of their budget equivalents...so space is of concern. One has to measure the space on the board, the pin spacing. The circuit boards on the KT are not so easy to solder/unsolder imo. Both my units work well now and sound great. I think its particularly important upgrade for the EQP....as EQ is usually dramatically improved with capacitor upgrade.
I keep a list of all the caps, spacing, voltages etc....for anyone who is interested.
Mike Stranks wrote: ↑Sun May 23, 2021 7:50 am I'd be interested to know where 'knave101' is based...
My observations are that modding/"upgrading" gear - esp mics - is much more prevalent in the US than the UK...