I ordered Edcor XS 4400 mid last week, they shipped 2 days later, and took 3 days in transit! It’s either stocks are up again, or orders have dropped! Being the laggard works, ha! It took me less than an hour to do the job, clean up and put the tools away. Initial impressions: much better instrumental and vocal spatial info. This is impressionisitic, and subjective: I feel the combination of Edcor XS 4400 and 3M AB7050HF treatment of DS DAC and the rest of the system are the best upgrades / tweaks I have done in a while. But again, a system is as good as its weakest component, cables, fuses and switches included. For that matter, one cannot omit any of the other upgrades / tweaks. I am excited and waiting for the Edcor to reach its optimal SQ after burn-in. I am late to the party, but thank you all for your inputs!
Serhan,
The Edcor XS4400 upgrade has several days of continuous burn in and took me to pursue all the other system changes. I don’t clearly recall if your powering the DS analog board by LPS but is it the HDPLEX300 or still on internal DS DC power?
Thanks
Vmax
The downside is that you get used to the upgrade so quickly.
Thank you terryakhan i ordered one myself
Thanks Max for the advice re burn-in. I am still using Bridge and no LPS for the analogue board. I used HDPlex 300 to feed router, Melco S100, ADot optical converter, and Roon Nucleus+ However, two Plixir LPS and statement cables are already here for the Melco and Nucleus+, and will be join the -in process.
I have large ears, will that speed acclimatisation?
Keep them low.
It’s like fries or salted nuts, one never gets enough. Or like fragrance losing its appeal after a few weeks.
Yes. . . we’re all looking for the audio cologne that is full of pheromones which never loose their appeal.
If we mounted an aluminum cooler on the chips instead of the suction blocker
That’s right you still use bridge II. Which would require one to drill case chassis versus faceplate or instal custom internal LPS or jkrichards board. . The LPS is always waiting when current audio pheromone effect from output transformers fades and your desire to mate with the next audiophile siren on the never satiable desire of audiophilia.
LOL, you’re good at romantic tech writing.
Then of course you can always drill the bridge cards back plate with a hole for the LPS cable . Using a temp clamp backing plate always helps avoid drill breakthrough. Aerospace trick for mod work. Or temporarily remove from bridge module to drill.
I know I am not helping quell your desire.
My Edcor still sits in the box. I have not decided the ultimate disposition of my DSD DAC, so the Edcor stays in the box.
If you ever open the DS to add the transformers, you may seize the opportunity and add some 3M AB7050 HF to the places recommended by Ted:
The Edcor modification will extend the usable satisfaction of the DS by more than a couple of years for sure.
Today I found some time to mount the new AC-inlet. There is nothing to change when you place it on the outside. I just had to find some flat head screws. Well, it looks not that clean but works fine and has a real snug fit with the IEC plug.
Thanks, glad to hear it fits.
Is it audible bypassing the filter?
Agree totally. Do all of Ted’s mods including power and DS DAC satisfaction easily doubles yet it retains a unique analog feel. It is definitely worth being a second system DAC even longer term. If I go MkIi. I will surely set them up head to head. But TSS seems next upgrade based on how much better the DAC became since Sunlight But that includes lots of boxes, cables and RF absorber to get it to perform.
I am not good in hearing the last, tiny nuances, but I am pretty sure it is not worse than before. A little more open stage and more depth, maybe. But is it due to the missing filter or the NCF treatment of the inlet? Anyway, it‘s still fantastic!
Listened to some LPs this afternoon and have to say (though I’ve said it before in this thread) that as great an improvement the mods have made for silver disc playback, vinyl playback via I2S from my NuWave Phono Converter is perhaps even slightly more improved. Sounds GREAT.