Bolder SB3 analog mods w/Hosfelt pwr supply upgrade vs Altmann DAC

[bpape]

I'd love to, but don't have one.

I suspect that with your being a reviewer, Wayne might just be willing to make one magically appear...

Bryan

[mca]

Quote from: miklorsmith on Today at 04:38:01 AM
I'd love to, but don't have one.

I suspect that with your being a reviewer, Wayne might just be willing to make one magically appear...

Bryan

That would be double cool. As Mike mentioned, I am close by and also very interested in a modded Burson.

[bpape]

Lemme see if I can put a bug in his ear.   He's driving back to CO today and tomorrow.

Bryan

[miklorsmith]

Sounds great!  But, it should be clear that this isn't a formal review thing.  I do have a ridiculous amount of digital gear on-hand at the moment though.

[bpape]

Understand - I'll explain to him that there is no guarantee of a review - more just for personal eval and possible purchase.

Bryan

[Black Sand Cable]

Before running out and gutting what is already a good little box (SB3) I would look at putting something in front of it first.

I did that.  I just sold my EE Minimax pre that I was running my SB3 into.

But my point was the BBA, not the Minimax! Try the BBA or the Burson.

[bpape]

Well, looks like it might be a while.  Right now, he only has 2 - 1 standard and one with the Bent pre.  He's working on getting a new case and isn't sure when that will happen.

Back to our regularly scheduled program...

Bryan

[jrebman]

Ed,

Nice to see you here.

I'll be interested to see what you come up with, as well as Mike and Mike's comparisons.

I'll soon be sending my Ultimate II PSU back to Wayne for upgrading to Mk. IV status, as well as a brand new SB3 for Statement level mods.  This will eventually be sharing digital duties with a modwright 3910, and that should also be an interesting comparison.

-- Jim

[ebag4]

Thanks Jim, I am appreciating this forum, it's members seem to be very responsive to questions.  You seem to be honing in on your path to audio nirvana!

Black Sand Cable has me looking at another potential direction to investigate.  I am currently looking into the Burson Buffer, I also looked at the EE BBA, but from what I have read it appears the Burson Buffer may be more the direction I would like to go, plus there is the potential upgrade path of having it modded by Wayne.

I am thinking about picking up the Burson Buffer modules, putting them in an enclosure and powering them with batteries. I have also considered putting them in my 41hz Amp 4 (at the inputs) which runs on 2 5ah SLAs in series for 24VDC.  I am not cetain that I want to share the power supply between my amps and the Burson modules and potential noise from the amp is a concern as well.  I am wondering if either of these solutions would offer any significant improvement to my RWA analog modded SB3 (Black Gate NX-Hi-Q coupling caps and the Burr Brown OPA2604 opamp that outputs ~2.1Vrms)running on my Hosfelt linear supply.

Any insight or opinions on these potential directions would be appreciated.

[rollo]

The Bolder SB3 as well as the Altman will yield excellent results. However the question remains which unit will synergize with your system. IMO keep it simple. It would be helpfull if someone here with experience with both units can describe the character of each of these units in order for you to have a clue as to which one best suits your sonic needs. I have yet to experience a component which sounds the same in different systems. Both units can be used with a computer based feed. The Altman needs a modified power supply to sound its best, the SB3 needs mods and maybe a Buffer to sound its best. Boy O boy this is getting complicated already.
      Now, the question still remains which one for YOUR system. IMO there may be a quality of one of them that will float your boat in your system but until you audition each one you are pissing in the wind, so to speak. Good luck. Auditioning is everything. If you can give them both a spin.


  rollo 

[ebag4]

Thanks for the reply Rollo.  I have actually taken a step and ordered the Burson Buffer.  I think I will give that a try and see what it does for my system.  After that, I may still go with Waynes (Bolder) analog mods.  Before I go with Waynes mods I may try to remove the opamp I had Vinnie install when he replaced the Auricap analog mod on my SB3.  I had him add it due to the low output of the SB3 DAC so it would better drive an amp I was using at the time.  Once I get the buffer I will post my experience with it.

Ed