Why do people butcher amps...
- Thread starter chiily
- Start date
narabdela
who?
Tinkerers gotta tinker.
... (that's an Exposure amp btw.)For some people it seems more important than actually just enjoying the music.
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chiily
PFM Special Builder
Mission...DOH!Tinkerers gotta tinker.
For some people it seems more important than actually just enjoying the music.
Thanks
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martinab2
pfm Member
I love the blue powercon inlet connected to the dc rails.. Just waiting for someone to attach a mains lead and blow up the whole sorry mess.
I think this was the worst 'modified' amp I have seen. Surprisingly none of the important bits were damaged and other than the mains switch on the front panel it's now back to standard.
I think this was the worst 'modified' amp I have seen. Surprisingly none of the important bits were damaged and other than the mains switch on the front panel it's now back to standard.
tuga
Legal Alien
I've listened to several modified amplifiers including the original Michi (also CD players) and there was sonic value added.
Radford Revival
Trade: Radford Revival
chiily
PFM Special Builder
Sometimes isn't it best to sympathetically service it and enjoy it, warts and all, as the designer intended?
It does seem overkill for what is a well regarded amp.
Tony L
Administrator
Thatās always been my approach. Unless someone is severely cost constrained they should be buying kit they like designed by people they respect. I find it quite amazing that some random bloke on the internet thinks they can do better than John Farlow, Tony Brady (no idea which designed the Exposure), Peter Walker, Harold Leak, Julian Vereker, Dan DāAgostino, Nelson Pass or whoever.
Buy the amp that does what you want it to do, and if it is old, which a lot of my favourites are, restore it back to as close to as-new condition as possible. Thatās all I do anyway. If I want something else I buy something else.
Thatās not to say Iāve not tried this path. I have, and Iām honest enough to admit it has made things worse in every case where Iāve tried to use ābetterā capacitors, boutique parts etc.
The genuinely good kit is genuinely good because the original designer got the balance right. Boutique mods always knock something out to my ears once one hears beyond a perceived increase in a specific area. The coherence and character that I liked in the first place is almost always sacrificed. As such my kit is just well serviced, it is not hacked or overclocked.
chiily
PFM Special Builder
I've just watched the first Exposure video, prior to the mods, and it's confusing. To me he really likes the amp, but it runs out of steam, power, and starts to sounds shrill - clipping anyone.
I couldn't see in the video which speakers he was using or room size, so it is hard to gauge whether it is the amp clipping out, or really the amp sounding shrill inside its SoA.
The audio guru is Angel-Gilbert. I've never heard any of their amps nor have I seem them much discussed on PFM. However, I did stumble across another YouTube video of a Naim amp getting similar treatment, with an external plugin of PSU capacitance boxes and lashings of white, creamy silicone "mess" filling and covering all the PSU elements of the amp.
https://www.angela-gilbert.com/
I couldn't see in the video which speakers he was using or room size, so it is hard to gauge whether it is the amp clipping out, or really the amp sounding shrill inside its SoA.
The audio guru is Angel-Gilbert. I've never heard any of their amps nor have I seem them much discussed on PFM. However, I did stumble across another YouTube video of a Naim amp getting similar treatment, with an external plugin of PSU capacitance boxes and lashings of white, creamy silicone "mess" filling and covering all the PSU elements of the amp.
https://www.angela-gilbert.com/
Computer Liebe
pfm Member
Sometimes, it may be. However it's a mass produced manufactured item, not a work of art. The designer had cost and parts bin constraints. If you can improve on it, and want to, great. Those seeking originality can buy an original, warts and all. They're not rare.
paulfromcamden
Baffled
Why is it covered in chewing gum?
tuga
Legal Alien
Just like any car can be improved (e.g. a Brabus Mercedes, an Alpina BMW, a Ruf Porsche or a Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC spec rally car) all kit can be improved. Some designs don't need much work, others are not even worth the trouble or are too expensive. A few provide a great base for a 'giant killer' performance.
I can understand that this could harm collectability but I don't care for respected designers or originality, only performance.
I can understand that this could harm collectability but I don't care for respected designers or originality, only performance.
tuga
Legal Alien
I don't care about the designer's intentions, only performance. If a mod can improve performance and is good value for money I'm in. In fact one of the advantages of a modified equipment is value for money.
My modified Pioneer PD-91 performs much better than the stock version and is one of the finest CD players I've listened to. An optimised grounding and a better analogue stage have improved a very good base.
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martin clark
pinko bodger
I think there's a huge difference between ' informed modification', which is a foundation of pfm DIY - .. and 'butchering', as described by the OP.
I haven't heard of an instance in modern manufacturing when the piece is "like designer intended". Usually the designer can "smuggle " a few cents of improvement into design to satisfy his own desire to get it from good enough to a slightly better. A one dollar of investment above of what's good enough for "usual suspects" ? Forget it. That's what motivates people who actually know something ( not sure about above example) to tweak the design. This I know from reading what real designers said on various forums.