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Any electronic modders here at Audiogon?

I'm wondering if there are any electronics modders in here like myself. I would like to hear what you've modified and any good related stories.

I'll start it off with a recent example of a project I just finished a few weeks ago:

First: A little background - I had a PS Audio GCC-100 I had bought off of Audiogon several years ago, but it "died", so I put it in storage where it stayed until about a month ago. Then another amp (a Jungson DA-200IA) I bought here also went bad. 

Shortly after the Jungson died, I saw an ad here on the 'Gon for a PS Audio like my old one that said "just returned from PS Audio with new Gain Cells". This caused me to think that maybe the 2 ICEPower modules inside mine might still be good. Sure enough, they were perfectly fine.

So I set about making what I jokingly call a Jungson ICE amp, where I strip the Jungson innards clean, but save the front panel with the large VU meters, and use the ICE modules and turn the unit into a power amp. Works great, even though the power lever is much lower than the old Jungson. But not a problem, as I don't play it that loud anyway.

Anyone else here have any other good modding stories like that?
joeylawn36111
4krow
80 posts
 
It was pretty amazing to me to see your post, since I often wonder the same thing. In my case, many projects start with a 'what if' question. And too many times, the changing of one item becomes much bigger than I had planned. I have never been happy to leave things alone. So many times this has paid off. Then there are the cases where you open something up, and almost instantly know that what you are seeing is for admiration only, not modding or redesigning.
 The Carver C9 has been my project for the past five years now with no end in sight. It is easy to work on, and has enough background research that I can try many different ideas out.

                         Greg
french_fries
815 posts
 
I wish i had the knowledge and the tools to upgrade my Tivoli #3 radio.
It is set up on either side of my bed with dual subwoofers. The radio
is connected to an Apple laptop with USB out to an AudioEngine DAC.
This "system" sounds really good and looks nice with real wood enclosures, etc.  The DAC improves the sound A LOT- it becomes much clearer and cleaner.  But... if only i could improve the wiring, connectors,
the power supply (external), and any other components.  The subwoofers cut in right where the 3 inch mid-tweeter cuts off, but  makes one-note bass too often.  It has a 20W built-in amplifier (too little) and a 5.25 in. speaker (6 in. would be better).  Even if all this might not be cost effective, i know of no other radio/system that sounds this good and fits on a night-stand.  I even have the matching CD player which, while it's quite functional and does the job, could definitely use some modifications.  I even had the nerve to ask the company to upgrade the connectors and wiring, and they told me that everything supplied was
already "top quality".  If only I could... - I would.
      
toddverrone's avatar
toddverrone
840 posts
 
I would love to, but I still lack the knowledge to know what the crap I'm doing. So I mess around with easy stuff, like DIY cables and vibration isolation. Soon, when my kids and house don't require constant attention, I shall start building amp kits and do me some learnin'.
auxinput
2,920 posts
 
I could write pages of info on what I’ve modified. I have both a full home theater system and a computer audio system. In both systems, there are only a couple items I have not "touched"/modified in some way. I have not touched my DirectTV satellite receiver - because of voiding warranty and I don’t actually "own" the receiver (lease). I have not touched my Lumagen video processor, though I have ran it through the freezer for a couple horus (for a pseudo cryo treatment -- this solidifies the SMD solder points to be just a bit denser). In my computer audio system, I have an Emotiva DAC and a Rane stereo line mixer that I have pretty much rebuilt internally to be Class-A based giant killers. I’ve gone through a LOT of testing using different components (capacitors, etc.) to see how different types of caps affect things.  I hand make all my own power and interconnect cables.  Even treating speakers in some way.
4krow
80 posts
 
  And, in spite of what modifications can be made, so many times it ends up being the total synergy of the system that wins. Seemingly, some just shouldn't go together, yet, the outcome is unbeatable. Having said that, I rarely have been stopped at good enough. 
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