Crem1 - Thanks for the tip on the MC demag device. I never heard of this process. Now I have the itch to try.
I always wonder where my SP-10 might be today ... no doubt it has changed hands a few times since I sold it in 95. You describe this very well as portraying floating images. This is why it took me so long to find a product that had the SP-10 magic but then went to the next level of refinement. It was no surprise that it took the LS5, a return to an all-tubed line stage since the SP-10 a decade before, to bring back that musicality. All of the ARC "hybrid" designs from the SP-11 through the LS2 were too sterile for me.
As for SP-10 MK II status, as I recall, one can tell of this by seeing 2 pairs of 1 or 2-watt resistors, each pair in series and sitting on the board in a teepee fashion. I have since forgotten what the benefit or "fix" that came with the MK II update.
I would be reluctant to do any serious circuit design changes but rather simply focus to replace passive components in "critical" areas. But I would also be aware that some of the musicality/dimensionality might be lost for the sake of greater resolution and detail with "refined" passive parts. Getting both of these improvements would likely require a change to a different product.
I made one slight change in the MCP-33 to allow for the MC load to be as high as 200 ohms instead of the maximum 100 ohms. The MCP-33 owner's manual talks about this as a possible limitation of this product for some cartridges. And ideally my Clearaudio and Koetsu cartridges perform their best at a 500 ohm load but they work very well with the MCP-33 with a 200 ohm load...even the 100 load. I am reluctant to change the one resistor value any higher as this could affect any number of critical circuit parameters. And I would be reluctant to do anything similar in the SP-10. Having a circuit guru helps a lot.
John
I always wonder where my SP-10 might be today ... no doubt it has changed hands a few times since I sold it in 95. You describe this very well as portraying floating images. This is why it took me so long to find a product that had the SP-10 magic but then went to the next level of refinement. It was no surprise that it took the LS5, a return to an all-tubed line stage since the SP-10 a decade before, to bring back that musicality. All of the ARC "hybrid" designs from the SP-11 through the LS2 were too sterile for me.
As for SP-10 MK II status, as I recall, one can tell of this by seeing 2 pairs of 1 or 2-watt resistors, each pair in series and sitting on the board in a teepee fashion. I have since forgotten what the benefit or "fix" that came with the MK II update.
I would be reluctant to do any serious circuit design changes but rather simply focus to replace passive components in "critical" areas. But I would also be aware that some of the musicality/dimensionality might be lost for the sake of greater resolution and detail with "refined" passive parts. Getting both of these improvements would likely require a change to a different product.
I made one slight change in the MCP-33 to allow for the MC load to be as high as 200 ohms instead of the maximum 100 ohms. The MCP-33 owner's manual talks about this as a possible limitation of this product for some cartridges. And ideally my Clearaudio and Koetsu cartridges perform their best at a 500 ohm load but they work very well with the MCP-33 with a 200 ohm load...even the 100 load. I am reluctant to change the one resistor value any higher as this could affect any number of critical circuit parameters. And I would be reluctant to do anything similar in the SP-10. Having a circuit guru helps a lot.
John