What have you been working on in 2020?


New system? Getting into DIY? New bands?

I’d love to know what you’ve been doing that is audio-related this year. Dare I hope some of you have gotten soldering guns? Heat guns? Cables or caps?
For me, I’ve gotten into Roon and the Pi 4. Finally set up my combined 2-ch/HT set up with a new HT processor, and done a little blogging on Roon and subwoofers.  Last night I took my Pi 4 apart and added tiny little heat sinks to the RAM, USB and Ethernet chips.
erik_squires
Hi Erik! Mundorf MKP capacitors replacing the rectangular pink caps on the Parts Express YuanJing 2 x 68w LM3886 and NE5532 board makes a big difference. Better yet, run you audio into the second cap and skip the NE5532 stage completely. DIY forever!

After reading (AudioXpress July 2020) about the new amp module (1ET400A) from Purifi Audio in Denmark (by the same fellows that built the nCore amps), I bought their EVAL1 package made for evaluation by potential purchasers (like NAD and others) consisting of two Class D amp modules (400 wpc @ 4 ohms, very low noise & distortion, unmeasurably low output impedance) and a front end with protection circuitry, extra gain, and input & output jacks. You have to build a suitable power supply to use it. Got it right on the second try. The amp is getting sensational reviews and I must say it's the best I've heard. Great specs and performance! You can own it for about $1000 with the power supply (you must build). Extremely good.

Linkwitz LX521-4 speakers, DAC upgrades (SMSL cute little red rectangle), lots of music, speaker builds & mods, ukulele groups, performing, and being grateful for a wonderful wife and church involvement fill the rest of my life. Keep smiling!


Holy crap slaw that musta cost a small fortune! Guess it must still be the best around after all.
@skyscraper

Though I do not own a 507MkII, my close friend does. A power cord can and does make a very hearable difference. We demo’d an older Pangea 9, Nordost Blue Heaven, and Nordost Heimdall 2. It got better as you moved up the line. I’d say the Pangea was not worth the money though because there was little improvement and the sound was still grainy. The Blue Heaven makes a nice difference at $330 but the Heimdall 2 was much better. If you can swing it, or something comparable, that’d be the one to go with. Another power cord that is even better for nearly similar money to the Heimdall is the Isotek Optimum. The Isotek is better value for money to me.
Parted ways with my legacy B&W + Rotel setup of 15 years to enter the world of seperates with a Schiit Saga+ and Vidar combo. 
I know it's sacrilegious around here, but I took a chance on a no-name phono preamp made in China with incredible results. In fact, after some tweaks, my vinyl setup officially sounds better than my digital setup. 

My last project for the rest of the year is to find new ways to enjoy my current setup without new tweaks or purchases.