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Why does the flatcap makes my xs sound like crap??

I

iaudio87

Member
Hi guys and girls,

I purchased a flatcap not long ago and one SNAIC5 and a 4 to 4 pin cable from another brand . shorty after i asked a question here about the sound of my system witch i was definitly not happy with.

After some experimenting it was much better, but i still tought something was missing. So i deided to dissconnect the flatcap and my system sounds fine again!

i s the fact that i do not use a SNAIC4, but a cheap cable instead, the limting factor?

Comparison
With flatcap
- More detail
-more brightness (more HiFI)
-better seperation of instruments
-less bass
-less depth
- smaller soundstage

Without flatcap
-Bigger soundstage
-Swings way more
-more (but just as tight bass)
-more depth
-less seperation of instruments
-less detail
 
Have you let the FlatCap warm up for a good while?

How old is the FlatCap? It may need a service, granted there's not much in there to service.
 
iaudio87 said:
Hi guys and girls,

I purchased a flatcap not long ago and one SNAIC5 and a 4 to 4 pin cable from another brand . shorty after i asked a question here about the sound of my system witch i was definitly not happy with.

After some experimenting it was much better, but i still tought something was missing. So i deided to dissconnect the flatcap and my system sounds fine again!

i s the fact that i do not use a SNAIC4, but a cheap cable instead, the limting factor?

Comparison
With flatcap
- More detail
-more brightness (more HiFI)
-better seperation of instruments
-less bass
-less depth
- smaller soundstage

Without flatcap
-Bigger soundstage
-Swings way more
-more (but just as tight bass)
-more depth
-less seperation of instruments
-less detail
Click to expand...

I always preferred my 72/140 without a hicap.

I just felt it enjoyed itself more, it was more tuneful. Of course, I wouldn’t have actually told anyone at the time. They would have just said I was talking nonsense.
 
I'd question if the power supply in the flatcap is any better than the one in the XS to start with. Have you seen in a flatcap?
 
Are you taking the signal to the power amp from the flatcap or the preamp? I found that (inadvertently) taking the signal from my 102 (instead of from the flatcap) was detrimental - something to do with signal grounding, I believe.
 
Just on a point of order, the Flatcap contain a transformer, couple of smoothing caps and a small 3-pin regulator circuit. The whole point of a regulator is that it provides a stable output regardless of input and, within reason, operating temperature range.

It cannot warm up.
If it does and changes output it isn't a very good regulated PSU.....

It could be completely shagged. Worth checking but unlikely.
Also worth checking the cable is wired correctly if it isn't a real SNAIC or Flashback.
 
Having owned a Flatcap 2X with a Nait XS for last 3 years i can assure you it makes a bloody huge difference, and so does a Powerline. What is your source, could be it is just making your amp more transparent and you like less what is upstream. Also, as Mark says, if the flatcap needs a service then it will sound worse than without it. What version of Flatcap is it? Lastly get yourself a Naim or Flashback Snaic before making any conclusions.
 
I had a flatcap 2x on my xs which I didn't think made that much difference.I then changed it to a teddycap - bingo I was much happier. Some people don't like a hi or teddy cap on an xs as it can be over the top however it sounded great in my system. I also thought the powerline was a better upgrade than the flatcap.
 
Mike42 said:
I always preferred my 72/140 without a hicap.

I just felt it enjoyed itself more, it was more tuneful. Of course, I wouldn’t have actually told anyone at the time. They would have just said I was talking nonsense.
Click to expand...

I agree. In a friend's system I prefer the unhicapped 72/140 to the hicapped. With the cap it is bigger, more detail, more bass, but ultimately less musical. The uncapped 72/140 sounds friendlier, suits Jazz, Electronica and small scale Classical better. I don't like big orchestras, so no Hi-Cap needed.

The 72/140 on its own is a good (and probably cheaper :p) alternative for Nait Two.

Regards,

Klyde
 
Klyde said:
I agree. In a friend's system I prefer the unhicapped 72/140 to the hicapped. With the cap it is bigger, more detail, more bass, but ultimately less musical. The uncapped 72/140 sounds friendlier, suits Jazz, Electronica and small scale Classical better. I don't like big orchestras, so no Hi-Cap needed.

The 72/140 on its own is a good (and probably cheaper :p) alternative for Nait Two.

Regards,

Klyde
Click to expand...
I have to agree also. Adding a PSU does not always make things better. I once had a great sounding 72/110 combo. Both bought second hand. I went and splashed out on a brand new hicap - couldn't find a second hand one at the time. The result was a bigger, fatter sound, but it was nowhere near as engaging and enjoyable.
 
A propos of nothing really...

An audio enthusiast colleague of mine and I appropriated the term "flatcap your snaxo", which I picked up on the N**m forum during a brief dalliance with their product. We used it to indicate any act or activity that, though performed in earnest and with best intentions, was destined to be a waste of effort. Usage actually gained some traction in the company where I worked at the time.

"Where's Jimmy?"
"Still testing that xyz probe candidate."
"I see. Well, while he's busy flatcapping his snaxo, I suggest we go ahead and try to get a product out the door."

You know, that sort of thing. We laughed and laughed.
 
Open it up and see if there are any bits missing.

flatcap76xi.jpg
 
Julf said:
I am in the wrong business. How much do they charge for that one again?
Click to expand...

It's the distance between the transfo & the regulators that make it sound so good, errr, insn't it ?

I have seen it claimed that a Hicap in a full width case sounded better than in the half width case.
 
Peter Stockwell said:
It's the distance between the transfo & the regulators that make it sound so good, errr, insn't it ?

I have seen it claimed that a Hicap in a full width case sounded better than in the half width case.
Click to expand...

I wonder if it would sound even better if the regulator and the transformer were in different rooms?
 
Only a vacuum will do.

And for the very very best results, a vacuum grabbed in space, and not created by pesky pumps.
 
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