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Model: | Bridge Rectifier |
Category: | Passive Components |
Suggested Retail Price: | $30 |
Description: | Full Wave, Fast / Soft Recovery Bridge |
Manufacturer URL: | IXYS |
Review by rhyno (D) on November 05, 2004 at 21:20:20 IP Address: 69.151.199.233 | Add Your Review for the Bridge Rectifier |
i have a parasound 2200 mk 2 amp that i have tweaked the living hell out of, resulting in sound that is far closer to SOTA than any 2nd hand $500 amp should approach; its not surprising really, the 2200 is the same amp (in spirit, though not in execution) as the regarded JC1.all of the following have made noticable improvments (not just differences, but positive differences) in the overall musicality of the amp: Vampire RCAs, superior electric binding posts, custom input wiring, Acme IEC & fuse, and the removal of unnecessary film caps on the input board.
another notable and very worthwhile mod was swapping the stock input stage bridges for IXYS. right off the bat, its obvious that these things have made the top end more linear (i.e. less SS-sounding); highs no longer have the whitish ring to them that most SS amps are guilty of. granted, it doesn't approach the musicality of my reference Wavac amp, but its worth stating that the drop-off between the 2 is no longer painful. it is quite a compliment to the IXYS product and the modded 2200 to be able to drop it into an all silver-wiring system headlined by wilson WP6s and have the overall presentation sound quite musical. --its not great by my standards, but my standards are pretty damn hard.
for anyone trying to postpone the next amp / component upgrade, or for anyone trying to remove that awful SS / digital sound from their system, swapping in a few IXYS soft recovery bridges may be just the ticket. this mod is well worth the effort, and just as effective (in a different way) than the auricap AC tweak i mentioned a week ago.
but do be careful; wiring a bridge in backwards is a great way to wreck your component.
rhyno
Product Weakness: | cost |
Product Strengths: | smoother more linear highs |
Associated Equipment for this Review: | |
Amplifier: | parasound 2200 mk2; wavac 572 SET |
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): | G&D custom |
Sources (CDP/Turntable): | G&D UTP1> Entec 3.0 Dac w/ TG Mods; Kenwood KT8300 tuner w/ mega-mods. |
Speakers: | Wilson WP 6s |
Cables/Interconnects: | TG 6-9 high purity ICs; TG HSR speaker cable |
Music Used (Genre/Selections): | all |
Room Size (LxWxH): | 15 x 11 x 8 |
Room Comments/Treatments: | JRisch bass panels |
Other (Power Conditioner etc.): | TG Bybee based power conditioner; TG SLVR power cords |
Type of Audition/Review: | Product Owner |
Follow Ups:
couldn't switch the rectifier diodes in the Evo 4 due to the tight board layout... Bel Canto's boards have no leeway, that's why no one is modding them... Musicoat on the stock rectifiers did wonders to get the bright white grain out though. Have you thought of Musicoat on the IXYS, including on the heatsink fins if it has them... you may close the gap with your WAVAC one more notch.
well, as i just swapped the IXYS into the Wavac as well, the gap just got that much greater (i own the "cheap" wavac, and it has plenty of opportunities for parts upgrades). pianos sound just incredible.these bridges are great. cheap, easy, and highly effective tweak.
i've heard of musicoat. but i'm not inclined to spend $100 on something like that w/o substantial commentary about it beforehand...and it doesn't seem like many people are using it, so its unlikely i'll step up either.
Take a look at the link below by IAR's sister company. Beware of snake oil claims but I'll let you do the reading for now. When this product first came out at an audio show, IAR claimed the invention of a new device that sounded like tubes but was as cost effective as the transistor...he called it the " tubistor "...it turned out that this device was nothing more than a transistor dipped into some magic potion.P.S. I like to see some informed commentary from user's on this forum with accredited hearing.
PeAK
no, nothing like nailpolish.... not even a slight resemblance.
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